Comparative study on indoor air quality in Japan and China: Characteristics of residential indoor and outdoor VOCs

We conducted a comparative study on the indoor air quality for Japan and China to investigate aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor microenvironments (living room, bedroom, and kitchen) and outdoors in summer and winter during 2006–2007. Samples were taken from Shizuoka in Japan and Hangzhou in China, which are urban cities with similar latitudes. Throughout the samplings, the indoor and outdoor concentrations of many of the targeted VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and trimethylbenzenes) in China were significantly higher than those in Japan. The indoor concentrations of VOCs in Japan were somewhat consistent with those outdoors, whereas those in China tended to be higher than those outdoors. Here, we investigated the differences in VOC concentrations between Japan and China. Compositional analysis of indoor and outdoor VOCs showed bilateral differences; the contribution of benzene in China was remarkably higher than that in Japan. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) for benzene were observed among the concentrations in indoor microenvironments and between the outdoors and living rooms or kitchens in Japan. In China, however, significant correlations were observed only between living rooms and bedrooms. These findings suggest differences in strengths of indoor VOC emissions between Japan and China. The source characterizations were also investigated using principal component analysis/absolute principal component scores. It was found that outdoor sources including vehicle emission and industrial sources, and human activity could be significant sources of indoor VOC pollution in Japan and China respectively. In addition, the lifetime cancer risks estimated from unit risks and geometric mean indoor concentrations of carcinogenic VOCs were 2.3 × 10^?5 in Japan and 21 × 10^?5 in China, indicating that the exposure risks in China were approximately 10 times higher than those in Japan.     

Material properties of water-swelling material used as a water cutoff treatment material at waste landfill sites

Water-swelling material (WSM) is a fluid sealant obtained by blending high-absorbency polymer, a filler, and a solvent by using a synthetic resin elastomer as the base material. In this research, we studied experimentally the composition of WSM, the extent of swelling, the strength of the WSM and the long-term performance of the swelling material used as a jointed water cutoff treatment material at waste landfill sites. One of the results was that adjusting the degree of etherification of the high-absorbency polymer, which is a component of the WSM, and the resin content of the synthetic elastomer contributed to improvement of the swelling of the sealant and the strength of the swelling material. Further, in long-term tests, the strength of the WSM tended to become stabilized and it was confirmed that it had sufficient pressure resistance for use in coastal landfill sites, where its application as a water cutoff treatment material is being considered.     

State of mixture of atmospheric submicrometer black carbon particles and its effect on particulate light absorption

The state of mixture of light-absorbing carbonaceous particles was investigated in relation to light absorption properties using electron microscopic examinations, black carbon (BC) analyses of quartz filter by thermal/optical reflectance (TOR) method, measurements with two continuous light-absorbing photometers at a suburban site of Tsukuba, about 60 km northeast of Tokyo. The volume fraction of water-soluble material (?) in individual particles is important for assessing particulate light-absorbing and/or scattering of atmospheric aerosols. The values of ? in BC particles were evaluated by electron micrographs before and after dialysis (extraction) of water-soluble material. The mass absorption coefficient (MAC in units of m² g^?1) tended to increase with increasing the average ? in BC particles with the radius range of 0.05–0.5 μm. Thus, our results indicate that coatings of water-soluble material around BC particles can enhance the absorption of solar radiation. Moreover, the single scattering albedo (SSA) will increase because a large amount of coating material will scatter more light.     

Transepithelial transport and cellular accumulation of steroid hormones and polychlorobiphenyl in porcine kidney cells expressed with human P-glycoprotein

Endocrine disrupters such as sex hormone-like chemicals and the non-physiological ligands for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) exert many adverse biological effects. The ligands for AhR disturb gene expression downstream of the gene induced by estrogen receptor at a very low concentration. Thus, transepithelial transport and cellular accumulation of cortisol (COR) and estrogen as congeners of sex hormone-like chemicals, and 3,3^′,4,4^′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TeCB) as one of the ligands for AhR were examined in a monolayer of porcine kidney cells transfected with human P-glycoprotein (LLC-COL). The net basal-to-apical transport of COR increased in LLC-COL compared to that in the wild type cells (LLC-PK1) the same as in vinblastine, whereas the net transport of estradiol (EST) was not detected in either cell group. Though the diffusion transports of EST for both directions, basal-to-apical and apical-to-basal, were higher than that of COR, cellular accumulation of EST was higher than that of COR. Transepithelial transport of TeCB was very low and the net basal-to-apical transport was not detected, while it was highly accumulated in the epithelial cells. The accumulation was slightly higher in LLC-COL than in LLC-PK1 at high dose.     

Simultaneous determination of gaseous and particulate chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in emissions from the scorching of polyvinylidene chloride film

An analytical method for the determination of gaseous and particulate chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) was investigated. By means of this method, concentrations and isomer profiles of the 27 target ClPAHs could be analyzed. To evaluate the usefulness of the method for analyzing ClPAH emissions, laboratory-scale scorching tests were performed on polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) plastic wrap over a flame of the gas burner. Only seven of the target ClPAHs were detected, and all compounds detected had 2, 3, or 4 rings. The detected ClPAHs were present in both the particulate phase and the gaseous phase, but they were present at higher concentrations in the gaseous phase than in the particulate phase. Relationships between the number of chlorine substituents on the naphthalene/phenanthrene rings and the overall concentration and the percentage in the particulate phase were also investigated.     

Distribution of total mercury, methyl mercury and selenium in pod of killer whales (Orcinus Orca) stranded in the northern area of Japan: comparison of mature females with calves

Total mercury (T-Hg) and selenium (Se) concentrations in liver, kidney and muscle from a pod of killer whales including five mature females and three calves stranded in the northern area of Japan were analyzed. In the mature female, contamination level of T-Hg in the liver sample (62.2+/-21.9 microg/wet g) was markedly higher than that in kidney sample and muscle sample. The molar ratio of T-Hg to Se in the liver sample was approximately 1, and those in the kidney and muscle samples were markedly lower than 1. These results suggest that the formation of HgSe compound increases the hepatic accumulation of mercury (Hg). In contrast, contamination level of T-Hg in the calf organs was much lower than that in the mature female organs. These results suggest that the transfer of Hg from the mother to the fetus via placenta and/or to calf via milk is trace.     

西藏亚东地区铁杉树轮样本稳定氧同位素的气候响应

为调查树轮稳定氧同位素在西藏南部的气候应用潜力,选择了西藏亚东县三个铁杉(Tsuga chinesis Pritz.)样本进行分析。其中两个样本表现出长期的稳定氧同位素下降趋势,而另一个表现出增高趋势,且三者相关性很低。当对三条稳定氧同位素序列进行一阶差处理之后,它们的相关关系有了非常显著的提高,表现出很好的一致性(p0.0001)。无论是原始还是一阶差树轮稳定氧同位素序列,它们都与夏季相对湿度和降水反相关,而与温度正相关,然而方差解释量未能达到古气候重建的最低要求。周期分析发现亚东树轮稳定氧同位素序列仅存在4.657年的显著周期,可能与ENSO活动有关,进一步研究显示1978年之前上年冬天到当年夏天的赤道中东太平洋海表温度对亚东树轮稳定氧同位素有显著影响(p0.01),而在1978年之后则无任何影响,20世纪70年代末期的全球气候突变改变了ENSO对该地树轮稳定氧同位素的影响。     

Use of two population metrics clarifies biodiversity dynamics in large-scale monitoring: the case of trees in Japanese old-growth forests

An alkaline comet assay and a micronucleus test were carried out on erythrocytes of the European chub, Squalius cephalus L., collected in spring and autumn in 2005 and 2006 at three sampling sites in River Sava, near Zagreb, Croatia. The results of comet assay showed the lowest genotoxic influence at the least polluted site, while higher DNA damage was observed at the polluted sites. Although the basal levels of DNA damage were elevated, a clear gradation of DNA damage was found due to pollution intensity in all sampling periods. The lowest cytogenetic damage as revealed by the micronucleus test (MNT) was observed as well at the least polluted site. High variations in MN frequency were observed between sampling periods, although the number of micronucleated erythrocytes was consistently the highest one at the polluted site. The comet assay as a biomarker of genotoxic effect exhibited higher sensitivity in discriminating the genotoxic capacity of studied polluted sites while the MNT was less sensitive. However, both tests should be used together in biomonitoring studies because they can reveal different aspects of DNA damage; comet assay, the early event of genotoxic exposure, and MNT, its final result as a mutagenic potential.     

Neonatal outcomes of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in full term versus early term deliveries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to review the optimal timing of delivery at term for neonates with prenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We reviewed the literature up to December 19, 2022 using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases. The inclusion criteria were original articles, comparative studies of CDH neonates delivered at an early term (37–38 weeks of gestation) and at full term (39 weeks of gestation or later), and comparative studies investigating outcomes of CDH neonates. Six studies met the inclusion criteria, including 985 neonates delivered at an early term and 629 delivered at full term. The cumulative rate of survival to discharge showed no significant difference between CDH neonates delivered at an early term (395/515; 76.7%) or at full term (345/467; 73.9%) (risk ratio [RR] 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89–1.16; p = 0.85). Furthermore, the number of neonates requiring oxygen therapy at discharge was not significantly different between CDH neonates delivered at an early term (32/370; 8.6%) and at full term (14/154; 9.1%) (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.36–2.70; p = 0.99). Therefore, the optimal timing of delivery at term for neonates with CDH remains unclear.