New tools and strategies for the inspection of the psychosocial working environment: The experience of the Danish Working Environment Authority

In 2007 the Danish Working Environment Authority launched a new strategy to strengthen and qualify primary prevention of work related stress. Part of the strategy consists of increased inspections of the psychosocial working environment as well as the development and implementation of a new inspection tool, namely the “guidance tool”.Twenty-four sector specific guidance tools have been developed to help WEA inspectors assess psychosocial working environment problems in all Danish enterprises. Based on recent research, the guidance tools consist, in each sector, of the three to five most important risk factors (for example quantitative demands, emotional demands, and work related violence), as well as the most important preventive factors, e.g. quality of management, influence/control and training.During the first years of the strategy, an increasing number of inspectors have issued improvement notices regarding work related stress and violence, and there has been an increasing number of notices issued on several risk factors. For some aspects, the tools have helped increase the clarity and comprehensibility of the improvement notices and reduce the WEA’s time consumption per enterprise.The guidance tools seem to be a suitable and efficient way of assessing several health and safety risks concerning work related stress and violence thereby allowing the WEA to detect more of the existing problems. Future challenges projected for the strategy include continuously training all WEA inspectors in the proper use of the tools and continuously refining the tools – or developing new tools – based on further research and experiences from practice.     

零价铁还原地下水中对氯硝基苯的研究

采用间歇试验考察零价铁去除对氯硝基苯的效果,研究初始pH值、零价铁粒径、零价铁投加量和氧对反应过程的影响.结果表明,在中性和弱酸性条件下零价铁能有效去除对氯硝基苯,反应过程符合准一级动力学,反应终产物为对氯苯胺;降低零价铁粒径和增加零价铁投加量可提高对氯硝基苯的去除率.当零价铁粒径为0.05mm、投加量为0.5 g/L、对氯硝基苯初始质量浓度为25 mg/L,反应6h后,对氯硝基苯去除率可达100％.氧对零价铁还原对氯硝基苯具有竞争性抑制作用,但零价铁能消耗水中溶解氧并维持对氯硝基苯还原反应进行,与厌氧反应过程相比,空气-水体系对氯硝基苯去除率下降19.18％.研究表明,采用零价铁还原法可有效去除地下水中的对氯硝基苯.     

Leveraging assets: a case study of the sustainability initiative at the University of Minnesota,Morris

This article presents an overview of the sustainability initiative at the University of Minnesota, Morris, key components of which include a realistic goal of energy self-sufficiency by 2010, a new environmental studies curriculum, and various research and outreach projects. Many non-obvious institutional assets – such as lobbying networks in the state legislature, and geographic/demographic features that are more commonly thought of as liabilities – turned out to play critical roles in setting the initiative in motion. The initial physical assets have been leveraged into complementary opportunities for research, teaching, and institutional development in this direction.     

Chemical transformations of lead compounds under humid conditions: implications for bioaccessibility

This short communication documents chemical transformations caused by weathering of two Pb compounds that commonly occur in house dust. Chamber experiments were designed to simulate humid indoor environment conditions to determine whether Pb compounds undergo chemical transformations influencing bioaccessibility. Reference compounds of Pb metal (12 % bioaccessibility) and Pb sulfate (14 % bioaccessibility) were subjected to an oxygenated, humidified atmosphere in closed chambers for 4 months. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy were used to characterize the main Pb species, and the change in Pb bioaccessibility was determined using a simulated gastric acid digestion. At the end of the weathering period a small amount of Pb carbonate (9 % of total Pb) appeared in the Pb sulfate sample. Weathering of the Pb metal sample resulted in the formation of two compounds, hydrocerussite (Pb hydroxyl carbonate) and Pb oxide, in significant amounts (each accounted for 26 % of total Pb). The formation of highly bioaccessible Pb carbonate (73 % bioaccessibility), hydrocerussite (76 % bioaccessibility), and Pb oxide (67 % bioaccessibility) during weathering resulted in a measurable increase in the overall Pb bioaccessibility of both samples, which was significant (p = .002) in the case of the Pb metal sample. This study demonstrates that Pb compounds commonly found in indoor dust can ‘age’ into more bioaccessible forms under humid indoor conditions.     

Aquatic and terrestrial organic matter in the diet of stream consumers: implications for mercury bioaccumulation

The relative contribution of aquatic vs. terrestrial organic matter to the diet of consumers in fluvial environments and its effects on bioaccumulation of contaminants such as mercury (Hg) remain poorly understood. We used stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in a gradient approach (consumer isotope ratio vs. periphyton isotope ratio) across temperate streams that range in their pH to assess consumer reliance on aquatic (periphyton) vs. terrestrial (riparian vegetation) organic matter, and whether Hg concentrations in fish and their prey were related to these energy sources. Taxa varied in their use of the two sources, with grazing mayflies (Heptageniidae), predatory stoneflies (Perlidae), one species of water strider (Metrobates hesperius), and the fish blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) showing strong connections to aquatic sources, while Aquarius remigis water striders and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) showed a weak link to in-stream production. The aquatic food source for consumers, periphyton, had higher Hg concentrations in low-pH waters, and pH was a much better predictor of Hg in predatory invertebrates that relied mainly on this food source vs. those that used terrestrial C. These findings suggest that stream biota relying mainly on dietary inputs from the riparian zone will be partially insulated from the effects of water chemistry on Hg availability. This has implications for the development of a whole-system understanding of nutrient and material cycling in streams, the choice of taxa in contaminant monitoring studies, and in understanding the fate of Hg in stream food webs.     

可燃气体爆炸破坏效应的试验研究

借助高速摄像机及ProAnalyst软件,研究可燃气体体积分数和障碍物对可燃气体爆炸破坏力的影响。测定不同体积分数下的甲烷-空气预混气体爆炸冲击波超压,和爆炸火焰波在有无乒乓球方向传播的平均速度。试验结果表明:超压和平均速度均随着甲烷体积分数的增加呈现先增大后减小的变化趋势,其最大值均出现在甲烷体积分数为10%～11%之间;同一体积分数下的甲烷-空气预混气体爆炸火焰波在有乒乓球方向传播的平均速度比没有乒乓球方向传播的平均速度大。根据试验结果,推导出可燃气体爆炸冲击波超压和爆炸火焰波传播平均速度与可燃气体体积分数之间的函数关系,并得出障碍物对爆炸火焰波传播的加速作用随着体积分数的增加呈现先加强后减弱的变化趋势。     

滴水湖水系表层沉积物中多氯联苯残留与风险评价

于2012年,每2个月采集一次上海人工滩涂湖泊——滴水湖水系表层沉积物,对其多氯联苯(PCBs)的残留水平进行了检测和分析.结果表明,研究期间闸外引水河和闸内引水河沉积物中7种PCBs的总量各月间变化较大,且总体呈上升趋势,而滴水湖沉积物中其总量四季变化幅度不大;空间分布上,闸外引水河[(844.74±687.62)ng/g]>闸内引水河[(516.83±645.45)ng/g]>>滴水湖[(81.63±72.18)ng/g].研究区PCBs组成以六氯联苯和七氯联苯为主,其次为五氯联苯和三氯联苯.采用主成分分析法对PCBs进行源解析,结果显示:PCBs污染源中进口电容器中PCBs的迁移占43%,油漆添加剂污染占33%;国产电容器和变压器污染占11%.生态风险评估表明,闸外引水河和闸内引水河沉积物PCBs对生物体的暴露有严重威胁;滴水湖沉积物PCBs对生物体的暴露有一定的潜在威胁.与国内外研究相比,闸外引水河和闸内引水河属于严重污染水平,滴水湖属于中等污染水平,相关部门应加强污染监管.     

SURFACE AREA CORRECTIONS APPLIED TO A RESOURCE MAP1

ABSTRACT: Generally a difference exists between the horizontal planar area of a watershed as measured on a map and the actual surface area. A technique is presented, utilizing a topographic map, for computing the difference in the two areas as well as yielding a prediction of the actual surface area. Spatial variations in the magnitude of the difference in the two areas for small local sites over the watershed are displayed on computer generated maps. The technique is also used to adjust various inventory variables on maps, such as vegetation density, to reflect actual surface coverage. This allows estimates to be made of the difference in using corrected versus uncorrected area related parameters in mathematical functions describing processes occurring in the atmosphere-surface boundary layer.     

Light and electronmicroscopic studies of the acute and long-term toxic effects of N-nitrosodipropylamine and N-methylnitrosurea on the marine mussel Mytilus edulis

The acute (1) and long-term (2) toxic effects of N-nitrosodipropylamine (NDPA) and N-methylnitrosurea (NMU) were studied by light and electronmicroscopy following injection of the chemicals into the foot of the mussels Mytilus edulis (L.) (1) Mussels reveived one injection of NDPA at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg NDPA mussel^-1, and one injection of NMU at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 4.0 mg NMU mussel^-1. Within 12d, necrosis of the epithelial lining of the digestive diverticula took place, and the vesicular connective tissue in the digestive diverticula were heavily infiltrated by eosinophilic granular leucocytes. (2) Mussels received four weekly injections of 0.5 mg NDPA mussel^-1, and 0.5 mg NMU mussel^-1. NDPA-exposed mussels were examined for a period of 17 weeks, and NMU-exposed mussels were examined for a period of 24 weeks. Both chemicals produced progressive tissue damage, characterized by destruction of digestive tubules and ducts in the digestive diverticula. Destroyed tubules and ducts were replaced by collagenous scars, and granulocytomas were frequently seen.     

16S rRNA基因技术在环境科学领域中的应用

随着分子生物学的发展，16S rRNA基因技术被逐渐应用到环境科学领域中。目前在环境保护和治理中，该技术主要被用于鉴定污染物的生物降解菌和分析环境样品中的微生物群落多样性，由于它不必将微生物培养分离出来，也就避免了在培养过程中可能出现的微生物去失的情况。本文对16S rRNA基因技术及其在环境科学领域中的应用现状和发展作了一简要介绍，并对16S rRNA基因技术存在的不足进行了讨论。