High time-resolved measurements of organic air toxics in different source regimes

High time-resolved (HTR) measurements can provide significant insight into sources and exposures of air pollution. In this study, an automated instrument was developed and deployed to measure hourly concentrations of 18 gas-phase organic air toxics and 6 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at three sites in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The sites represent different source regimes: a site with substantial mobile-source emissions; a residential site adjacent to a heavily industrialized zone; and an urban background site. Despite the close proximity of the sites (less than 13 km apart), the temporal characteristic of outdoor concentrations varied widely. Most of the compounds measured were characterized by short periods of elevated concentrations or plume events, but the duration, magnitude and composition of these events varied from site to site. The HTR data underscored the strong role of emissions from local sources on exposure to most air toxics. Plume events contributed more than 50% of the study average concentrations for all pollutants except chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, and carbon tetrachloride. Wind directional dependence of air toxic concentrations revealed that emissions from large industrial facilities affected concentrations at all of the sites. Diurnal patterns and weekend/weekday variations indicated the effects of the mixing layer, point source emissions patterns, and mobile source air toxics (MSATs) on concentrations. Concentrations of many air toxics were temporally correlated, especially MSATs, indicating that they are likely co-emitted. It was also shown that correlations of the HTR data were greater than lower time resolution data (24-h measurements). This difference was most pronounced for the chlorinated pollutants. The stronger correlations in HTR measurements underscore their value for source apportionment studies.     

Factors associated with multiple-pass procedures during chorionic villus sampling: A video analysis

Multiple placental passes during chorionic villus sampling (CVS) increase the risk of fetal loss; however, specific factors that predispose to repeat aspiration have not been delineated. To identify anatomic and technical variables associated with multiple-pass procedures, a detailed review of 205 videotaped CVS procedures (single pass = 163; multiple pass = 42) was performed, blinded to pregnancy outcome. The route of sampling did not influence the need for multiple aspiration attempts (transabdominal—30/ 135; transcervical—12/70), nor was placental location alone discriminatory. However, the combination of a posterior placenta and uterine retroversion was observed more frequently in the multiple-pass cohort (8/42 vs. 9/163; p<0.05). In transabdominal cases, suboptimal needle placement (e.g., perpendicular to the placental long axis) was more common in the initial aspiration of a multiple-pass procedure (21/30 vs. 38/105;p<0.01), while limited penetration of the catheter tip (e.g., just inside the placental edge) characterized a majority of multiple-pass cases in the transcervical subset (7/12 vs. 3/58; p<0.0001). A case-control cohort was constructed to evaluate the impact of these technical variables on sampling efficacy, independent of the influence of uterine position and placental site. In that analysis, suboptimal location and/or orientation of the sampling device remained characteristic of multiple-pass cases. We conclude that further reduction in the frequency of multiple-pass procedures might be achieved by consistent placement of the device tip in the central placental mass. Unlike amniocentesis, where any point of amnion entry will suffice, this technical nuance should be emphasized with CVS to maximize the single-pass success rate.     

5种磺胺类抗生素在土壤中的吸附和淋溶特性

分别利用振荡平衡法和柱淋溶法研究了5种磺胺类抗生素(磺胺嘧啶,磺胺甲嘧啶,磺胺二甲嘧啶,磺胺二甲氧嘧啶,磺胺甲恶唑)在5种不同土壤中的吸附和淋溶特性及其影响因素.结果表明,磺胺类抗生素在5种供试土壤上的吸附等温线较好地符合Freundlich方程,吸附常数K_d为 0.10~4.39 μg^1-1/n (cm³)^1/n g ^-1;5种磺胺类抗生素在供试土壤中吸附性大致排列顺序为:东北黑土≈无锡水稻土>江西红壤>南京黄棕壤≈陕西潮土.吸附的主要影响因素为土壤pH值和有机质含量:土壤pH值增高,磺胺类抗生素大量转变为阴离子态,吸附减弱;土壤有机质含量增加,吸附增强.5种磺胺抗生素在5种供试土壤中的吸附自由能为 -12.5~-5.3 kJ·mol^-1,表明吸附机理主要是物理吸附.磺胺类抗生素在土壤中具有较强的淋溶性, 淋溶性能从大到小依次为:陕西潮土>南京黄棕壤>江西红壤>无锡水稻土>东北黑土,与吸附试验结果相一致.畜禽养殖使用磺胺类抗生素对地下水污染具有潜在风险,应该引起足够重视.     

不同来源腐殖酸的光解及过氧化氢对其影响

为探讨腐殖酸在环境中的行为及光解除去腐殖酸的可能性，利用大于２９０ｎｍ的模拟日光辐照，探讨了大骨节病病区、非病区腐殖酸和泥炭腐殖酸的光解过程和光解机理及过氧化氢对其光解的影响，发现随着光照时间的延长，腐殖酸水体系的总有机碳（ＴＯＣ）含量降低，ｐＨ值下降，过氧化氢可以促进腐殖酸的光解，其光解过程遵循一级动力学规律。计算了不同来源腐殖酸光解的速率及光解半衰期，发现土壤和泥炭腐殖酸比大骨节病病区饮水中腐