Organochlorine Pesticides and PCBs in Wild Boars from Calabria (Italy)

At present, there are no specific studies on the evaluation of environmental toxicological risks in Calabria (south of Italy) and on the presence of contaminants in the fauna of this region. The aim of the present research was to investigate the levels of contamination by OC pesticides and PCBs in some organs and tissues of wild boars (utilized as 'biological indicator') from various areas of Calabria. Quantitative determinations of organochlorines were carried out using GC-ECD and confirmed with GC-MS in 154 samples from wild boars (heart, liver, lung, kidney, muscle tissue and spleen) during the hunting season from 2000 to 2002. The results indicate the low residual levels of DDE in 8 samples and DDT in 4 samples and PCBs residues (Aroclor 1232) below the detection limits were found. Therefore, these results show that the Calabria region is not at contamination risk from organochlorines and moreover is free from health problems for the consumer of boar meat.     

Fractional factorial experiments using a test atmosphere to assess the accuracy and precision of a new passive sampler for the determination of formaldehyde in the atmosphere

A new analytical method was developed for the determination of formaldehyde in ambient air based on the use of a modified configuration of the Analyst^® passive sampler. It consists of a polyethylene cylinder filled with appropriate reactive adsorbent and a special anti-turbulence net which works as an ozone scrubber.The performance of a diffusive sampler depends critically on the selection and use of a suitable adsorbent and on environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity and the interference of oxidant species. In this study two adsorbent types were investigated: 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH) coated silica gel and Florisil^® particles. Interference of ozone was removed by using a silver net upstream as an anti-turbulence device. The performance of this net was then compared with that of stainless steel. Furthermore, the aim of the work was the optimization of the adsorbent type and the study of the interference of ozone with particular attention placed on the effect of relative humidity and temperature.A dynamic system for generating a known concentration of the test gas (formaldehyde) in an appropriate exposure chamber was used to evaluate the performance of the passive sampler and to allow the calibration of the methodology. Inter-comparisons with a reference method, active sampling using 2,4-DNPH-silica gel coated cartridges, were also carried out. Results were in accordance with each other.Tests were planned using a statistical method based on Design of Experiment methodology. The operating conditions were chosen in order to obtain the best configuration of the passive device by evaluating the statistical significance of the different factors and their interactions by analysis of variance.Results showed that the best configuration was achieved using 2,4-DNPH Florisil^® coated particles as an adsorbent and a silver anti-turbulence net as an ozone scrubber.With the aim of achieving further results in realistic conditions, some field experiments were also carried out.     

Influence of salinity and temperature on the activity of biosurfactants by polychaete-associated isolates

Influence of different parameters on biosurfactant (BS) activity was carried out on strains that were isolated from the polychaetes Megalomma claparedei, Sabella spallanzanii and Branchiomma luctuosum and additional 30 strains that were previously identified as potential BS producers from crude oil enrichments of the same polychaete specimens. The selection of BS-producing strains from polychaete natural samples was carried out by using standard screening tests. The BS activity by each isolate was evaluated for the effect of salinity and temperature on emulsion production and surface tension reduction, during incubation in mineral medium supplemented with tetradecane or diesel oil. All isolates showed a similar time course of BS activity, and the latter was more influenced by salinity rather than temperature. Some of the BS producers belonged to genera that have not (i.e. Citricoccus, Cellulophaga, Tenacibaculum and Maribacter) or have poorly been (Psychrobacter, Vibrio, and Pseudoalteromonas) reported as able to produce BSs. This is remarkable as some of them have previously been detected in hydrocarbon-enriched samples. Results confirm that filter-feeding polychaetes are an efficient source for the isolation of BS producers.     

Extending large-scale forest inventories to assess urban forests

Urban areas are continuously expanding today, extending their influence on an increasingly large proportion of woods and trees located in or nearby urban and urbanizing areas, the so-called urban forests. Although these forests have the potential for significantly improving the quality the urban environment and the well-being of the urban population, data to quantify the extent and characteristics of urban forests are still lacking or fragmentary on a large scale. In this regard, an expansion of the domain of multipurpose forest inventories like National Forest Inventories (NFIs) towards urban forests would be required. To this end, it would be convenient to exploit the same sampling scheme applied in NFIs to assess the basic features of urban forests. This paper considers approximately unbiased estimators of abundance and coverage of urban forests, together with estimators of the corresponding variances, which can be achieved from the first phase of most large-scale forest inventories. A simulation study is carried out in order to check the performance of the considered estimators under various situations involving the spatial distribution of the urban forests over the study area. An application is worked out on the data from the Italian NFI.     

Assessment of microbiological indoor air quality in an Italian office building equipped with an HVAC system

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level and composition of bacteria and fungi in the indoor air of an Italian office building equipped with a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Airborne bacteria and fungi were collected in three open-space offices during different seasons. The microbial levels in the outdoor air, supply air diffusers, fan coil air flow and air treatment unit humidification water tank were used to evaluate the influence of the HVAC system on indoor air quality (IAQ). A medium–low level of bacterial contamination (50–500 CFU/m³) was found in indoor air. Staphylococcus and Micrococcus were the most commonly found genera, probably due to human presence. A high fungal concentration was measured due to a flood that occurred during the winter. The indoor seasonal distribution of fungal genera was related to the fungal outdoor distribution. Significant seasonal and daily variation in airborne microorganisms was found, underlining a relationship with the frequency of HVAC system switching on/off. The results of this monitoring highlight the role of the HVAC system on IAQ and could be useful to better characterise bacterial and fungal population in the indoor air of office buildings.     

Chlorination in a wastewater treatment plant: acute toxicity effects of the effluent and of the recipient water body

This study investigates the impact of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent on the toxicity of the recipient water body and the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment applied (sodium hypochloride) to assure the compliance of both microbiological and toxicological emission limits. No toxicity was found in the majority of samples collected from the recipient river, upstream and downstream of the WWTP, using three different toxicity tests (Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata). Only three samples presented toxic unit (TU) values with V. fischeri, and one presented TU with P. subcapitata. The influent toxicity ranged from slightly toxic to toxic (TU = 0.68–4.47) with V. fischeri, while only three samples presented TU values with the other tests. No toxicity was found in the absence of chlorination, while the mean toxicity was 3.42 ± 4.12 TU with chlorination in the effluent. Although no toxicity or very slight toxicity was found in the receiving water, its residual toxicity was higher than the US EPA Quality Standard in two samples. Escherichia coli concentration had a lower mean value in the chlorinated effluent: 13,993 ± 12,037 CFU/100 mL vs. 62,857 ± 80,526 CFU/100 mL for the not chlorinated effluent. This difference was shown to be significant (p < 0.05). E. coli in ten chlorinated samples was higher than the limit established by European and Italian Legislation. The mean highest trihalomethanes (THMs) value was found in the influent samples (2.79 ± 1.40 μg/L), while the mean highest disinfection by-products (DBPs) was found in the effluent samples (1.85 ± 2.25 μg/L). Significant correlations were found between toxicity, sodium hypochlorite, THMs, DBPs, E. coli, and residual chlorine. In conclusion, this study highlighted that the disinfection of wastewater effluents with sodium hypochlorite determines the increase of the toxicity, and sometimes is not enough to control the E. coli contamination.     

Development of low-cost ammonia gas sensors and data analysis algorithms to implement a monitoring grid of urban environmental pollutants

The present study is focused on the implementation of a novel, low cost, urban grid of nanostructured chemresistor gas sensors for ammonia concentration ([NH(3)]) monitoring, with NH(3) being one of the main precursors of secondary fine particulate. Low-cost chemresistor gas sensors based on carbon nanotubes have been developed, their response to [NH(3)] in the 0.17-5.0 ppm range has been tested, and the devices have been properly calibrated under different relative humidity conditions in the 33-63% range. In order to improve the chemresistor selectivity towards [NH(3)], an Expert System, based on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, has been developed to extract the atmospheric [NH(3)] (with a sensitivity of a few ppb) from the output signal of a model chemresistor gas sensor exposed to an NO(2), NO(X) and O(3) gas mixture. The concentration of these pollutants that are known to be the most significant interfering compounds during ammonia detection with carbon nanotube gas sensors has been tracked by the ARPA monitoring network in the city of Milan and the historical dataset collected over one year has been used to train the Expert System.     

Cytotoxic response in human lung epithelial cells and ion characteristics of urban-air particles from Torino,a northern Italian city

Recently, much attention has been devoted to urban air pollution because epidemiological studies have reported health impacts related to particulate matter (PM). PM10 and PM2.5 were collected during different seasons in Torino, a northern Italian city, and were characterised by inorganic chemical species (secondary particulates and bio-available iron). The biological effects of aqueous and organic solvent PM extracts on human epithelial lung A549 were evaluated, and the effects on cell proliferation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were assayed. The average PM10 concentration during the sampling period was 47.9?±?18.0 μg/m³; the secondary particles accounted for 49 %?±?9 % of the PM10 total mass, and the bio-available iron concentration was 0.067?±?0.045 μg/m³. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio in Torino ranged from 0.47 to 0.90 and was higher in cold months than in warm months. The PM10 and PM2.5 extracts inhibited cell proliferation and induced LDH release in a dose-dependent manner with a seasonal trend. The PM10 extract had a stronger effect on LDH release, whereas the PM2.5 extract more strongly inhibited cell proliferation. No significant differences were observed in the effects induced by the two extracts, and no significant correlations were found between the biological effects and the PM components evaluated in this study, thus emphasising the importance of the entire mixture in inducing a cytotoxic response.