Urinary analysis reveals high Alternaria mycotoxins exposure in the general population from Beijing, China

Alternaria mycotoxins are of concern due to its adverse health effect, they affect various cereal crops and grain-based food along with modified forms that contribute to overall exposure. This study aimed to determine the frequency and level of exposure to Alternaria mycotoxins (tenuazonic acid, TeA; alternariol, AOH; alternariol monomethyl ether, AME; tentoxin, TEN; and altenuene, ALT) in human urine from Beijing adults. A total of 2212 urine samples were collected and analyzed for five mycotoxins using LC–ESI–MS/MS. More than 98% of the samples had at least one Alternaria mycotoxin detected. Among the mycotoxins, AME had the highest detection rate (96.0%), followed by TeA (70.5%). The calculated average daily intake values of AME (12.5 ng/kg b.w.) was 5 times the TTC value (2.5 ng/kg b.w.) set by the EFSA, indicating the potential health risks associated with mycotoxins. Immediate attention and subsequent actions should be taken to identify the sources of mycotoxins and the corresponding exposure pathways to humans in the investigated regions.     

Seasonal variations, temperature dependence, and sources of size-resolved PM components in Nanjing, east China

Size-segregated ambient particulate matter (PM) samples were collected seasonally in suburban Nanjing of east China from 2016 to 2017 and chemically speciated. In both fine (< 2.1 µm, PM_2.1) and coarse (> 2.1 µm, PM_>2.1) PM, organic carbon (OC) accounted for the highest fractions (26.9% ± 10.9% and 23.1% ± 9.35%) of all measured species, and NO₃⁻ lead in average concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs). The size distributions of measured components were parameterized using geometric mean diameter (GMD). GMD values of NO₃⁻, Cl⁻, OC, and PM for the whole size range varied from < 2.1 µm in winter to > 2.1 μm in warm seasons, which was due to the fact that the size distributions of semi-volatile components (e.g., NH₄NO₃, NH₄Cl, and OC) had a dependency on the ambient temperature. Unlike OC, elemental carbon (EC), and elements, NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, and SO₄²⁻ exhibited an increase trend in GMD values with relative humidity, indicating that the hygroscopic growth might also play a role in driving seasonal changes of PM size distributions. Positive matrix factorization was performed using compositional data of fine and coarse particles, respectively. The secondary formation of inorganic salts contributing to the majority (> 70%) of fine PM and 20.2% ± 19.9% of speciated coarse PM. The remaining coarse PM content was attributed to a variety of dust sources. Considering that coarse and fine PM had comparable mass concentrations, more attention should be paid to local dust emissions in future air quality plans.     

Electro-oxidation of Ni (II)-citrate complexes at BDD electrode and simultaneous recovery of metallic nickel by electrodeposition

The simultaneous electro-oxidation of Ni (II)-citrate and electrodeposition recovery of nickel metal were attempted in a combined electro-oxidation-electrodeposition reactor with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a polished titanium cathode. Effects of initial nickel citrate concentration, current density, initial pH, electrode spacing, electrolyte type, and initial electrolyte dosage on electrochemical performance were examined. The efficiencies of Ni (II)-citrate removal and nickel metal recovery were determined to be 100% and over 72%, respectively, under the optimized conditions (10 mA/cm², pH 4.09, 80 mmol/L Na₂SO₄, initial Ni (II)-citrate concentration of 75 mg/L, electrode spacing of 1 cm, and 180 min of electrolysis). Energy consumption increased with increased current density, and the energy consumption was 0.032 kWh/L at a current density of 10 mA/cm² (pH 6.58). The deposits at the cathode were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These characterization results indicated that the purity of metallic nickel in cathodic deposition was over 95%. The electrochemical system exhibited a prospective approach to oxidize metal complexes and recover metallic nickel.     

The Stakeholder Preference for Best Management Practices in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region

A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 92 farmers and 42 policy managers in Wuxi County, the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, was conducted to identify stakeholder preferences for alternative best management practices (BMPs) and to determine the factors that affect their acceptance. Policy manager support for most of the practices was relatively stronger than support by farmers, except for the grade stabilization structure (GSS), hillside ditch (HD) and constructed wetland alternative, owing to their perceptions of soil benefits, economic advantages and environmental advantages. Farmers opposed those practices that occupied cultivated lands or changed the conventional planting methods, such as field border, conservation tillage (CT) and contour buffer strips. They tended to accept the BMPs with off-farm pollution reduction, such as GSS, riparian forest buffer and HD, and the BMPs associated with soil benefits, such as nutrient management and Terrace. The result that almost all respondents did not accept CT differed from reports in the existing literature. There is a significant correlation between the acceptance of some BMPs and the townships where the farmers lived (P ≤ 0.05). The environmental conditions and social factors would affect farmer support for BMPs, including local soil conditions, farming methods, economic income, education level and age. The economic advantages of the BMPs were the main motivation for farmers to accept the practices. Furthermore, intensive education efforts, financial incentives or economic subsidies may promote the adoption of the BMPs in our study area.     

天然/模拟海水中2,4,6-三溴苯酚的光化学行为研究

有机溴代苯酚类污染物在水体中普遍存在,尤其在海洋环境中,除人为污染源外,它还存在广泛的天然来源.以2,4,6-三溴苯酚为模型化合物,以氙灯(λ290 nm)作为模拟太阳光源,研究了海水中溴代苯酚的光化学过程,并系统考察了溴代苯酚初始浓度、Cl~-、Fe(Ⅲ)和pH值等环境因素的影响.实验结果表明,在海水中,2,4,6-三溴苯酚能够快速发生光化学反应,通过产物分析发现其主要产物为通过光致脱溴氯代过程产生的2,4-二溴-6-氯苯酚,并且该产物随2,4,6-三溴苯酚初始浓度、Cl~-浓度、Fe(Ⅲ)浓度的增大及溶液pH值的降低而增加.以明亮发光杆菌为受试生物的毒理学实验表明,2,4,6-三溴苯酚在海水中光化学的前期,系统的毒性效应增强,而毒性的增加可能主要由光致氯代过程导致.     

GIS-based analysis of population exposure to PM2.5 air pollution—A case study of Beijing

PM_(2.5), formally defined as particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 μm, is one of most harmful air pollutants threatening human health. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that both short-term and long-term exposures to PM_(2.5) are strongly linked with respiratory diseases. In this study, various types of spatio-temporal data were collected and used to estimate the spatio-temporal variation of PM_(2.5) exposure in Beijing in 2014. The seasonal and daily variation of the population-weighted exposure level(PWEL) in 2014 was estimated and compared. The results show that the population exposure to ambient air pollution differs significantly in the four seasons, and the exposure levels in winter and spring are notably higher than the other seasons; the exposure level changes greatly from North to South, and each sub-district maintains similarity to neighboring sub-districts.     

Preparation of Ti species coating hydrotalcite by chemical vapor deposition for photodegradation of azo dye

TiO_2 in anatase crystal phase is a very effective catalyst in the photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds in water. To improve its photocatalytic activity, the Ti-coating Mg Al hydrotalcite(Ti–Mg Al–LDH) was prepared by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) method.Response surface method(RSM) was employed to evaluate the effect of Ti species coating parameters on the photocatalytic activity, which was found to be affected by the furnace temperature, N2 flow rate and influx time of precursor gas. Application of RSM successfully increased the photocatalytic efficiency of the Ti–Mg Al–LDH in methylene blue photodegradation under UV irradiation, leading to improved economy of the process.According to the results from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunner–Emmet–Teller and Barrett–Joyner–Hallender, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra analyses, the Ti species(TiO_2or/and Ti~(4+)) were successfully coated on the Mg Al–LDH matrix. The Ti species on the surface of the Ti–Mg Al–LDH lead to a higher photocatalytic performance than commercial TiO_2-P25. The results suggested that CVD method provided a new approach for the industrial preparation of Ti-coating Mg Al–LDH material with good photocatalytic performances.     

Patterns and dietary intake of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans in food products in China

The health risk of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) to human being should be assessed regularly. To evaluate the contamination levels in various food products in the Chinese market and to assess the dietary exposure of the Chinese population, 11 varieties of food groups totaling 634 samples including beef and mutton, chicken and duck, pork, fish and seafood, milk and dairy products were evaluated. The average concentrations of PCDD/Fs in all groups ranged from 0.291 to 8.468 pg/g whole weight (w.w.). The average toxic equivalency concentrations were from 0.012 pg TEQ/g w.w. for cereal to 0.367 pg TEQ/g fat for marine oil. OCDD and 2,3,7,8-TCDF were the dominant congeners in foodstuffs. The dietary estimated mean intake for the Chinese rural and urban populations were 0.656 and 0.514 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day, respectively, however, the cereal group exposure were higher to the estimate daily intake and contributed 81% for rural and 48% for urban population, followed by fish and seafood which contributed 4% and 16% to the estimate daily intake. The estimated dietary intakes were compared with the toxicological reference values and showed that both rural and urban populations were well below those values.     

南水北调徐州市尾水导流工程信息化监管系统的设计应用研究

信息化监管系统由现地信息采集系统和应用系统组成.前者由闸控现地监控系统、视频监控系统、水量水质监测系统、水雨情监测系统和便携式水质仪组成;后者由一体化平台软件、数据接收处理软件、应用服务系统软件、移动服务软件等组成.尾水导流工程信息化监管系统的建设,能提升尾水导流项目运行维护能力,满足徐州市水务局系统维护便捷、测量精度一致、信息共享的需求,满足江苏省南水北调尾水导流水质监管系统网络的需求,适应后期尾水导流工程的监督管理工作.     

生物滤池去除污水厂臭气的研究

文章介绍了绍兴柯桥江滨污水处理厂生物滤池处理臭气的状况,首先对该生物过滤除臭装置进行介绍,包括集气罩、加湿喷淋系统、生物洗涤段、生物过滤段、生物填料与菌种以及出气系统等,然后研究了不同风量下该装置去除效率的变化,实验发现,该装置对臭气处理有良好的效果,当风机处理能力为6400 m3/h时为最佳工况点,该工况下,进口氨气浓度均值1.34 mg/m3,出口氨气0.292 mg/m3,去除率均值为73.4%,氨气排放达到国家标准.