Prescribed Burns and Wildfires in Colorado: Impacts of Mitigation Measures on Indoor Air Particulate Matter

Abstract

Wildfires and prescribed burns are receiving increasing attention as sources of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). The goal of this research project was to understand the impact of mitigation strategies for residences impacted by scheduled prescribed burns and wildfires. Pairs of residences were solicited to have PM_2.5 concentrations monitored inside and outside of their houses during four fires. The effect of using air cleaners on indoor PM_2.5 was investigated, as well as the effect of keeping windows closed. Appropriately sized air cleaners were provided to one of each pair of residences; occupants of all of the residences were asked to keep windows shut and minimize opening of exterior doors. Additionally, residents were asked to record all of the activities that may be a source of particulate matter, such as cooking and cleaning. Measurements were made during one prescribed burn and three wildfires during the 2002 fire season. Outdoor 24‐hr average PM_2.5 concentrations ranging from 6 to 38 µg/m³ were measured during the fires, compared with levels of 2–5 µg/m³ during background measurements when no fires were burning. During the fires, PM_2.5 was <3 µg/m³ inside all of the houses with air cleaners installed. This corresponds with a decrease of 63–88% in homes with the air cleaners operating when compared with homes without air cleaners. In the homes without the air cleaners, measured indoor concentrations were 58–100% of the concentrations measured outdoors.     

Methylsulfonyl PCB and DDE metabolites and their enantioselective gas chromatographic separation in human adipose tissues, seal blubber and pelican muscle

In the present investigation, eleven human adipose tissue samples, two seal blubber samples and two pelican muscles samples were analyzed with regard to their concentrations of PCB parent compounds as well as to the respective chiral methylsulfonyl metabolites 3-MeSO2-CB 91, 4-MeSO2-CB 91, 3-MeSO2-CB 95, 4-MeSO2-CB 95, 3-MeSO2-CB 149, 4-MeSO2-CB 149, 3-MeSO2-CB 132, 4-MeSO2-CB 132, 3-MeSO2-CB 174, and 4-MeSO2-CB 174 and the achiral metabolites 3-MeSO2-CB 49, 4-MeSO2-CB 49, 3-MeSO2-CB 101, 4-MeSO2-CB 101, 3-MeSO2-CB 110, 4-MeSO2-CB 110 and 3-MeSO2-DDE. In order to verify enantioselective transformation processes and to compare the different enzymatic transformation pathways in birds and mammals, the enantioselective excesses of the chiral PCB-metabolites were determined by enantioselective gas chromatography with electron capture and mass spectrometric detection using modified cyclodextrin phases, including heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-)-beta-cyclodextrin/OV1701 (1:1) for the parent PCBs and heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-)-beta-cyclodextrin/SE52 (1:4) for the metabolites, respectively.     

Thyroid ultrasound volume, structure and function after long-term high exposure of large population to polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides and dioxin

We examined 2,046 adults (834 males and 1,212 females aged 20-75 years) from polluted district in East Slovakia (POLL) and two neighboring upstream and upwind located districts of background pollution (BCGR). By ultrasound we estimated the thyroid volume (ThV), hypoechogenicity (HYE), nodules and cysts. Serum levels of thyrotropin (TSH), thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOab) and thyroglobulin were estimated by electrochemiluminiscent assay and these of 15 PCB congeners, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane by high-resolution gas chromatography. In 320 subjects also selected hydroxylated and methylsulfonated PCB metabolites, polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins (PCDDs), -furans (PCDFs), five dioxin-like coplanar and eight mono-ortho PCB congeners were estimated. Urinary iodine was measured by automatic microplate method. Reciprocal positive association was found between three major POPs (PCBs, DDE and HCB), the levels of these and also PCDDs plus PCDFs in polluted area being considerably higher than in background pollution area. ThV in groups of males and females from POLL with high PCBs level was significantly higher (p<0.001 by t-test) then in age and sex matched groups from BCGR with low PCBs level. In 1,048 males and females aged <60 years with serum PCBs level >1,000 ng g(-1) lipid (median=1,756 ng g(-1)) a significant effect of age on ThV was found (p<0.01 by ANOVA), while in 921 respective subjects with PCBs level <1,000 ng g(-1) (median=661 ng g(-1)) it was not. These findings supported the view on the additional effect of PCBs on ThV other than that of age. Since the urinary iodine in both districts showed optimal range, any interfering effect of unsatisfactory iodine intake on ThV may be excluded. The frequency of autoimmune thyroiditis signs such as HYE, increased serum level of TPOab and TSH resulting in subclinical or overt thyroid hypofunction was positively associated with sex, age and organochlorine levels. The increase of such frequency in males with POPs levels was much more abrupt than that in females. No considerable differences in the frequency of thyroid nodules as related to PCBs level were found.     

Trends in background levels of persistent organic pollutants at Kosetice observatory, Czech Republic.1) Part I. Ambient air and wet deposition 1996-2005

Kosetice observatory is a facility of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, which is a part of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) network. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs: PCBs, DDTs, HCHs, PAHs) have been monitored in all environmental matrices using the integrated monitoring approach. Generally, the atmospheric levels of POPs in this Central European background station (mean values: 0.115 ng m(-3) for SigmaPCBs, 0.040 ng m(-3) for SigmaDDTs, 0.077 ng m(-3) for SigmaHCHs, and 17 ng m(-3) for SigmaPAHs) are significantly higher than those in other EMEP stations localized mostly in Northern and Western Europe. Long-term trends of POP concentrations in the ambient air and wet deposition are presented in this article and they show a slow decline in the last decade for most of the investigated compounds. Temporally increased levels of certain chemicals were associated with some local climatic (floods) or socio-economic (fuel prices) factors.     

Transport impacts on atmosphere and climate: Shipping

Emissions of exhaust gases and particles from oceangoing ships are a significant and growing contributor to the total emissions from the transportation sector. We present an assessment of the contribution of gaseous and particulate emissions from oceangoing shipping to anthropogenic emissions and air quality. We also assess the degradation in human health and climate change created by these emissions. Regulating ship emissions requires comprehensive knowledge of current fuel consumption and emissions, understanding of their impact on atmospheric composition and climate, and projections of potential future evolutions and mitigation options. Nearly 70% of ship emissions occur within 400 km of coastlines, causing air quality problems through the formation of ground-level ozone, sulphur emissions and particulate matter in coastal areas and harbours with heavy traffic. Furthermore, ozone and aerosol precursor emissions as well as their derivative species from ships may be transported in the atmosphere over several hundreds of kilometres, and thus contribute to air quality problems further inland, even though they are emitted at sea. In addition, ship emissions impact climate. Recent studies indicate that the cooling due to altered clouds far outweighs the warming effects from greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) or ozone from shipping, overall causing a negative present-day radiative forcing (RF). Current efforts to reduce sulphur and other pollutants from shipping may modify this. However, given the short residence time of sulphate compared to CO₂, the climate response from sulphate is of the order decades while that of CO₂ is centuries. The climatic trade-off between positive and negative radiative forcing is still a topic of scientific research, but from what is currently known, a simple cancellation of global mean forcing components is potentially inappropriate and a more comprehensive assessment metric is required. The CO₂ equivalent emissions using the global temperature change potential (GTP) metric indicate that after 50 years the net global mean effect of current emissions is close to zero through cancellation of warming by CO₂ and cooling by sulphate and nitrogen oxides.     

Comparison of arsenic content in pelletized poultry house waste and biosolids fertilizer

Managers of human biosolids have been incorporating the practice of waste pelletization for use as fertilizer since the mid 1920s, and waste pelletization has recently been embraced by some poultry producers as a way to move nutrients away from saturated agricultural land. However, the presence of arsenic in pelletized poultry house waste (PPHW) resulting from the use of organoarsenical antimicrobial drugs in poultry production raises concerns regarding additional incremental population exposures. Arsenic concentrations were determined in PPHW and pelletized biosolids fertilizer (PBF) samples. Pellets were processed using strong acid microwave digestion and analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. The mean arsenic concentration in PPHW (20.1 ppm) fell within the lower part of the range of previously report arsenic concentrations in unpelletized poultry house waste. Arsenic concentrations in PBF, the source of which is less clear than for PPHW, were approximately a factor of 5 times lower than those in PPHW, with a mean concentration of 4.1 ppm. The pelletization and sale of these biological waste fertilizers present new pathways of exposure to arsenic in consumer populations who would otherwise not come into contact with these wastes. Arsenic exposures in humans resulting from use of these fertilizer pellets should be quantified to avoid potential unintended negative consequences of managing wastes through pelletization.     

Effect of biochar addition on the improvement of the quality parameters of compost used for land reclamation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The 5% addition of biochar in composting in rows contributes significantly to reducing volatile organic compound(VOC) emissions. When composting with...     

Dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like PCBs in human serum of Slovak population

In the present study, non-ortho, mono-ortho and other ortho-substituted PCB congeners were analysed in individual blood serum samples taken from healthy adults (196 males and 119 females) in the polluted area of the Michalovce district and in the background area of the Stropkov/Svidnik districts in Eastern Slovakia by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). The samples from general population living in villages and towns of two regions were taken between August 2001 and February 2002 within the project of the EC's 5th Framework Programme (PCBRISK, ). The medians of dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs)--expressed as TEQs on lipid basis--of all males (24.7 pg g(-1) lipid) and females (21.4 pg g(-1) lipid) were comparable, but there was a significant difference between both of the areas studied. In the district of Michalovce, the medians of males (47.3 pg g(-1) lipid) and females (41.1 pg g(-1) lipid) were 2.3 times higher than in the area of the Stropkov/Svidnik districts. The medians of total non-dioxin-like PCB concentration were 1,835 and 1,033 ng g(-1) lipid in males and females, respectively. The data show a trend toward higher concentrations of both dl- and non-dioxin-like PCBs in the older age groups. The substantial increase was observed for the 60+ age group. PCB-126 was the most abundant non-ortho congener. PCBs-118 and 156 were the predominant mono-ortho congeners. They were quantitated in all samples analysed. Congeners 153, 138(+163), 180 and 170(+190) were the main contributors to total non-dioxin-like PCB concentrations. Mean mutual ratio HexaCBs:HeptaCBs:OctaCBs in the non-dioxin-like group was 37:50:1. The results of this study represent the overall information about the congener distribution of dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like PCBs in human serum blood of adult Slovaks.     

Evaluation of fluoranthene phytotoxicity in pea plants by Hill reaction and chlorophyll fluorescence

The effect of both increased concentrations (0.01 and 1 mg l(-1)) of fluoranthene (FLT) and the duration of exposure (18 and 25 days) on the growth and photosynthetic processes in pea plants (Pisum sativum L., cv. Garde) was investigated. FLT concentration in roots and shoot of pea plants was also determined. The obtained results demonstrated that the higher concentration of FLT (1 mg l(-1)) significantly inhibited the growth of the pea plants after 25 days of the application, also affected the content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids), and the primary photochemical processes of photosynthesis. In chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, the significant increase of F(0) values and the decrease of F(V)/F(M) and Phi(II) values was recorded. The Hill reaction of isolated chloroplasts of pea plants was significantly inhibited after 25 days by presence of FLT (0.01 and 1 mg l(-1)) in nutrient solution, while after 18 days no significant response of Hill reaction activity was recorded. The fluoranthene content in roots and shoot of pea plants increased with increasing FLT concentration in the environment and the substantial accumulation of FLT was observed in the roots.