Chronic dietary exposure of zebrafish to PAH mixtures results in carcinogenic but not genotoxic effects

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants that can be present at high levels as mixtures in polluted aquatic environments. Many PAHs are potent mutagens and several are well-known carcinogens. Despite numerous studies on individual compounds, little is known about the toxicity of PAHs mixtures that are encountered in environmental situations. In the present work, zebrafish were continuously fed from 5 days post-fertilisation to 14 months post-fertilisation (mpf) with a diet spiked with fractions of either pyrolytic (PY), petrogenic light oil (LO), or petrogenic heavy oil (HO) origin at three concentrations. A decrease in survival was identified after 3 mpf in fish fed with the highest concentration of HO or LO, but not for PY. All PAH fractions caused preneoplastic and neoplastic disorders in long-term-exposed animals. Target tissues were almost exclusively of epithelial origin, with the bile duct epithelium being the most susceptible to chronic exposure to all PAH fractions, and with germ cells being the second most responsive cells. Significantly higher incidences of neoplasms were observed with increasing PAH concentration and exposure duration. The most severe carcinogenic effects were induced by dietary exposure to HO compared to exposure to LO or PY (45, 30 and 7 %, respectively, after 9 to 10 months of exposure to an intermediate concentration of PAHs). In contrast, earliest carcinogenic effects were detected as soon as 3 mpf after exposure to LO, including the lowest concentration, or to PY. PAH bioactivation and genotoxicity in blood was assessed by ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity quantification and comet and micronuclei assays, respectively, but none of these were positive. Chronic dietary exposure of zebrafish to PAH mixtures results in carcinogenotoxic events that impair survival and physiology of exposed fish.     

Spatial distributions and potential risk analysis of total soil selenium in Guangdong Province, China

A total of 260 soil profiles were examined to investigate the spatial distribution of total soil selenium (Se) in Guangdong province, China. In the investigated area, the soil Se concentrations follow an approximately lognormal distribution. The soil Se geometric mean concentration of 0.23 mg kg(-1) is higher than that of Chinese soils; however, Se concentration varies over the study area. The baseline concentration of 0.13 to 0.41 mg kg(-1) indicates that the soil Se concentration is mostly in the range of deficiency to medium level for surface soils in Guangdong province. In A-, B-, and C-horizon, soil Se spatial distribution is correlated with the nature of the parent material, with high Se concentration mainly located in limestone and sandshale areas and low Se concentration associated with purple shale and granite areas. The spatial distribution pattern of soil Se concentrations suggests that potential Se deficiency may be an issue for human health in this province. Moreover, due to soil degradation and erosion, calculated soil Se exported into surrounding waters could reach approximately 23,000 kg yr(-1) in the study area.     

A methodology of characterizing status and trend of land changes in oases: a case study of Sangong River watershed, Xinjiang, China

Land change is often studied with Markov models to develop a probability transition matrix. The existing methods dependent on such matrixes cannot effectively characterize some important aspects associated with land change such as status, direction, trend and regional variations. This study presents mathematical models to quantify these elements, defining unbalanced, quasi-balanced and balanced status, one- and two-way transitions and the rising or falling trends. Using these models and remote-sensing imageries, the landscape was studied for a case area, the oasis of Sangong River in Xinjiang, Northwest China where typical arid conditions prevail. Land expansion and contraction among various land types and for the entire oasis were analyzed for the periods of 1978-1987, 1978-1998 and 1987-1998. The changes were closely related to a strong economic growth after the land-reform campaign and adoption of the market economy in China in the 1980s to early 1990s, a process not strictly Markovian that requires stationarity and randomness. Information on land-change status and trend is important for a better understanding of the underlying driving processes but also for land-use planning and decision-making.     

Wise Use of Wetlands: Current State of Protection and Utilization of Chinese Wetlands and Recommendations for Improvement

Wetland protection and utilization sometimes appear to be in conflict, but promoting the wise use of wetlands can solve this problem. All countries face the challenge of sustainable development of wetlands to a greater or lesser extent, but the problem is especially urgent in developing countries, such as China, that want to accelerate their economic development without excessive environmental cost. Chinese wetlands contribute greatly to economic development, but improper use of these natural resources has endangered their existence. It is thus necessary to provide scientific guidance to managers and users of wetlands. In this paper, we analyze the present status of Chinese wetland protection and utilization, and discuss problems in six categories: a lack of public awareness of the need for wetland protection; insufficient funding for wetland protection and management; an imperfect legal system to protect wetlands; insufficient wetland research; lack of coordination among agencies and unclear responsibilities; and undeveloped technologies related to wetland use and protection. The wise use of Chinese wetlands will require improvements in four main areas: increased wetland utilization research, scientific management of wetland utilization, improved laws and regulations to protect wetlands, and wider dissemination of wetland knowledge. Based on these categories, we propose a framework for the optimization of wetland use by industry to provide guidance for China and other countries that cannot sacrifice economic benefits to protect their wetlands.     

Evaluation of land use change degree and ecological security in the Manas River Basin,Xinjiang, China

In this paper, we evaluate the extent of land use change and ecological security grades in the Manas River Basin, on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, from 1989–2002. Surveys were performed using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) means, and the relationship between land use change and ecological security was analyzed. The results are as follows: (i) the degree of land use change steadily increased in the Manas River Basin, and overall land use was in a state of development; (ii) From 1989–2002, the ecological security of the drainage basin generally improved somewhat, but deteriorated subsequently in some regions; (iii) the ecological security grade increased in regions with land use composite change extent values of 18–100, and ecological security grade improved from moderate warning in 1989 to early warning in 2002; and (iv) the cumulative areas of regions with relatively secure, and early-warning ecological security grade were ranked by land use degree in the order, V > IV > I > VI > III > II, showing that that regions with land use degree V (woodlands and grasslands) were important areas for ecological restoration and regeneration in this drainage basin, and that it was difficult to improve the ecological environment on sandy soils. We suggest that ecological security grades can be improved by increasing land use degree in regions where it is low.     

Risk-taking and environmental perception

This paper investigates the relationship between pupils' environmental perception (in terms of preservation and utilisation of nature) and personality (in terms of risk-taking). 713 secondary school pupils in Switzerland were investigated. Environmental perception was assessed via three factors: Preservation, Utilisation of Nature and Consideration for Conservation. Risk-taking was evaluated via six factors: Positive Risking, Ambivalence, Thrill in Gambling, Ineffective Control, Effective Control, and Anger Reaction. Analysis of the correlation matrix between Risk-taking and Environmental perception revealed three profiles (types): the high scorer on Preservation is the controlled and cautious gambler. The Utiliser (anthropocentric) profile is essentially a mirror image of the first: the Utiliser does not enjoy unpredictable risks, reacts with anger when risks fail and has little control over his/her own risk-taking behaviour. The Consideration for Conservation (ecocentric) profile assumes a position between these two profiles.     

成都市西南郊区春季大气PM2.5的污染水平及来源解析

为了解成都市西南郊区大气中PM_(2.5)污染特征,于2015年3月1~31日对成都西南郊区大气PM_(2.5)进行膜样品采集,并分析其中的化学组分.结果表明,3月成都市西南郊区大气PM_(2.5)的日均质量浓度为121.21μg·m~(-3),采集的31个有效PM_(2.5)样品中有24个样品日均浓度在75μg·m~(-3)以上,日超标率为77%,该地区3月PM_(2.5)污染严重.在与大气气象要素的关系研究中发现,大气颗粒物PM_(2.5)与大气能见度有着较好的指数关系,与温度、湿度有一定的正相关关系,但相关性并不明显.水溶性阴阳离子中NH~+_4(16.24%)、SO~(2-)_4(12.58%)、NO~-_3(9.91%)占PM_(2.5)的主导地位,NO~-_3/SO~(2-)_4的比值是0.77,表明成都西南郊区固定源的污染要大于移动源的污染,燃煤排放的污染相对于汽车尾气较多.有机碳(OC)/元素碳(EC)比值均大于2.0,表明有二次有机碳(SOC)产生.利用OC/EC比值法估算SOC的质量浓度发现,成都西南郊区3月PM_(2.5)中SOC的平均浓度水平为3.49μg·m~(-3),对OC的贡献率达20.6%,说明成都市西南郊区的OC主要来源于一次排放,且OC与EC的相关性分析显示,其相关系数达0.95,说明OC、EC来源相似且相对稳定,成都市西南郊区春季受局地源排放影响较大,一次排放占主导地位,二次有机碳对OC贡献相对较小,与估算所得的SOC性质一致.利用主成分分析(PCA)方法对成都西南郊区大气中PM_(2.5)进行来源解析,发现成都西南郊区PM_(2.5)的主要污染源为燃煤、生物质的燃烧、二次硝酸盐或硫酸盐、土壤和扬尘源、汽车尾气源、电子生产源以及机械加工源.     

Effect of temperature and moisture on soil organic carbon mineralization of predominantly permafrost peatland in the Great Hing’an Mountains, Northeastern China

Boreal peatlands represent a large global carbon pool.The relationships between carbon mineralization,soil temperature and moisture in the permafrost peatlands of the Great Hing'an Mountains,China,were examined.The CO2 emissions were measured during laboratory incubations of samples from four sites under different temperatures(5,10,15,and 20°C) and moisture contents(0%,30%,60%,100% water holding capacity(WHC) and completely water saturated).Total carbon mineralization ranged from 15.51 to 112.92 mg C under the treatments for all sites.Carbon mineralization rates decreased with soil depth,increased with temperature,and reached the highest at 60% WHC at the same temperature.The calculated temperature coefficient(Q10) values ranged from 1.84 to 2.51 with the soil depths and moisture.However,the values were not significantly affected by soil moisture and depth for all sites due to the different peat properties(P 0.05).We found that the carbon mineralization could be successfully predicted as a two-compartment function with temperature and moisture(R2 0.96) and total carbon mineralization was significantly affected by temperature and moisture(P 0.05).Thus,temperature and moisture would play important roles in carbon mineralization of permafrost peatlands in the Great Hing'an Mountains,indicating that the permafrost peatlands would be sensitive to the environment change,and the permafrost peatlands would be potentially mineralized under future climate change.     

冬季山谷风和海陆风对京津冀地区大气污染分布的影响

为了弄清冬季山谷风、海陆风对京津冀地区大气污染时空分布的影响,利用2016年12月地面加密自动气象站逐时观测数据和中国环境监测总站发布的逐时PM_(2.5)浓度数据,计算平均风矢量场和平均PM_(2.5)浓度场,分析山谷风、海陆风变化规律及其对PM_(2.5)浓度分布的影响.结果表明,在山谷风日,中午至下午谷风将位于河北太行山东部地区的污染物向北输送.傍晚以后,在北京西部、北部,以及河北太行山山前出现的山风与偏南风构成"人字形"辐合线,辐合线的汇聚作用使北京地区、廊坊,以及保定、石家庄、邢台等地大气污染加重.在海陆风日,下午至前半夜,河北中东部沿海地区出现东南向海风,深入内陆到达天津东南部地区,海风前缘区域大气污染加重;通过对中国科学院大气物理研究所铁塔0～325 m风向风速与PM_(2.5)浓度时间变化关系分析,以及利用Cressman法插值得到的地面风向风速和PM_(2.5)浓度二维格点场,分析北京地区重霾污染过程中近地层山谷风和海陆风对大气污染形成的影响:中午至下午,谷风将大气污染物向北京输送.傍晚以后,大气污染物在山风与偏南风形成的辐合线附近汇聚,在北京地区及以南地区形成PM_(2.5)高污染区.凌晨至早晨北京被山风控制,大气污染物被吹离北京、滞留在北京以南至天津西北地区.冬季,山谷风的输送和汇聚作用使大气污染物以日为周期不断循环和累积,对北京地区至北京以南地区、河北太行山东部地区的大气重污染形成起重要作用.     

长沙市人为源大气污染物排放清单及特征研究

根据收集的长沙市人为源活动水平数据,建立了该地区2014年1 km×1 km人为源大气污染物排放清单.结果显示,2014年长沙市SO_2、NO_x、CO、PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)、BC、OC、VOCs和NH_3排放总量分别为53.5×10~3、78.3×10~3、284.6×10~3、102.3×10~3、42.1×10~3、4.0×10~3、7.2×10~3、64.2×10~3、27.1×10~3t.化石燃料固定燃烧源为最大的SO_2排放贡献源,道路移动源是主要的NO_x贡献源,CO排放主要来自化石燃料固定燃烧源和道路移动源,长沙市VOCs的最大贡献源是溶剂使用源,PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)最主要的排放源是扬尘源,BC最大的排放贡献源为化石燃料固定燃烧源,生物质燃烧源是最大的OC贡献源,NH_3排放主要来源于畜禽养殖和农业施肥.空间分布结果显示,长沙市NH_3的排放在宁乡县、望城区、长沙县、浏阳市分布较多,主要呈现片状分布.其他污染物排放高值区则主要分布在中心城区、工业区及道路分布区域.