Influence of H<Subscript>2</Subscript> on the decomposition of halides by nonthermal plasma incorporated with in situ alkaline absorption

To control the emission of halides into the environment, an experiment on the nonthermal plasma decomposition of the halides CF₄, CHF₃, C₂HCl₃, and CHClF₂ was conducted in a wire-in-tube corona reactor. It was found that the decomposition of C₂HCl₃ and CHClF₂ was easy compared with the decomposition of CF₄ and CHF₃. With the addition of H₂ in N₂ gas, the decomposition ratio of CF₄, C₂HCl₃, and CHClF₂ increased. In contrast, the decomposition ratio of CHF₃ in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere was lower than that in an N₂ atmosphere. It was demonstrated that the yields of HF and/or HCl formed during halide decomposition clearly increased in the presence of H₂ in N₂ gas. Furthermore, in order to prevent the production of unwanted products from halide decomposition, a combination of plasma decomposition and in situ alkaline absorption was devised by coating a layer of Ca(OH)₂ onto the surface of the grounding electrode. It was demonstrated that the Ca(OH)₂ sorbent played an effective role as a scavenger, participating in halide decomposition by capturing reaction products such as HCl and HF, therefore resulting in increased halide decomposition.     

Exposure of aboriginal people to methylmercury due to gold mining in the Amazon, Brazil

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＳｉｎｃｅｔｈｅｅａｒｌｙ 1980’ｓ,ｒａｐｉｄｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｓｉｎｇｏｌｄｍｉｎｉｎｇａｃｔｉｖｉｔｉｅｓｕｓｉｎｇｍｅｒｃｕｒｙａｍａｌｇａｍａｔｉｏｎｔｅｃｈｎｉｑｕｅｉｎｍａｎｙｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｉｎｇｃｏｕｎｔｒｉｅｓｈａｓｂｅｅｎｏｎｅｏｆｔｈｅｍａｉｎｓｏｕｒｃｅｓｏｆｍｅｒｃｕｒｙｐｏｌｌｕｔｉｏｎ ,ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒｌｙｉｎｔｈｅＡｍａｚｏｎａｎｄｏｔｈｅｒｔｒｏｐｉｃａｌｒｅｇｉｏｎｓ(Ｍａｌｍ ,1990 ;Ｒａｍｅｌ,1996;Ｉｋｉｎｇｕｒａ,1996;Ｌａｃｅｒｄａ,…     

Change in genotoxicity of wastewater during chlorine dioxide and chlorine disinfections and the influence of ammonia nitrogen

The effects of chlorine dioxide and chlorine disinfections on the genotoxicity of different biologically treated sewage wastewater samples were studied by umu-test. The experiment results showed that when chlorine dioxide dosage was increased from 0 to 30 mg/L, the genotoxicity of wastewater first decreased rapidly and then tended to be stable, while when the chlorine dosage was increased from 0 to 30 mg/L, the genotoxicity of wastewater changed diversely for different samples. It was then found that ammonia nitrogen did not affect the change of genotoxicity during chlorine dioxide disinfection of wastewater, while it greatly affected the change of genotoxicity during chlorine disinfection of wastewater. When the concentration of ammonia nitrogen was low (< 10–20 mg/L), the genotoxicity of wastewater decreased after chlorine disinfection, and when the concentration of ammonia nitrogen was high (> 10–20 mg/L), the genotoxicity of wastewater increased after chlorine disinfection.     

Reproductive disturbance of Japanese bumblebees by the introduced European bumblebee Bombus terrestris

The European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, is an invasive eusocial species whose distribution is expanding greatly beyond its native range because numerous colonies are imported to or locally produced in non-native countries for pollination of agricultural crops. Closely related species exist in Japan where the unrestricted import and use of B. terrestris has resulted in the establishment of wild colonies. Laboratory studies previously showed that B. terrestris and Japanese native species can copulate and produce fertilized eggs. Although these eggs do not hatch, the interspecific mating can cause a serious reproductive disturbance to native bumblebees. In this study, we determined the frequencies of interspecies mating between B. terrestris males and native bumblebee queens in the wild on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu by analyzing the DNA sequences of spermatozoa stored in spermathecae of native queens. We found that 20.2% of B. hypocrita hypocrita queens and 30.2% of B. hypocrita sapporoensis queens had spermatozoa of B. terrestris males in their spermathecae. Given that a Bombus queen generally mates only once in her life, such high frequencies of interspecific mating with B. terrestris pose serious threats to the populations of native bumblebees in Japan.     

Porous structure of activated carbon prepared from waste newspaper

In an earlier report, we presented a method for preparing activated carbon from waste newspaper as a way to recycle used paper for a purpose other than producing raw material for paper-making. In this article, we consider the porous structure of the activated carbon that affects its adsorption properties for various substances. The specific surface area of activated carbon prepared from waste newspaper was 838 m²/g, the micropore volume was 0.368 ml/g, and the mesopore volume was 0.138 ml/g, which is about the same as commercially available activated carbon. The activated carbon prepared from waste newspaper usually has a high content of ash, which makes little contribution to the adsorption properties. In particular, as compared with reagent-activated carbon, the quantities of mesopores with a pore radius of 3–25 nm and macropores with a pore radius of 25–250 nm were 8 and 14 times larger, respectively. Activated carbon prepared from waste newspaper has a well-developed porous structure, particularly in the mesopore and macropore ranges. Received: July 12, 1999 / Accepted: March 8, 2000     

Maternal exposure to high levels of dioxins in relation to birth weight in women affected by Yusho disease

Background

Studies on the association of maternal exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with decreased birth weight in humans have produced conflicting results. In Japan in 1968, an accidental human exposure to rice oil contaminated with PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs, led to the development of Yusho disease.

Objective

The Yusho cohort was used to evaluate the effect of maternal exposure to PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs on birth weight.

Methods

Blood samples, obtained from 101 Yusho women (190 births) who gave birth after exposure, were analyzed for congeners of seven PCDDs, ten PCDFs, and four non-ortho PCBs.

Results

Total PCDD TEQ (adjusted beta = − 161.9 g; 95% CI, −265.3 to − 58.6), total PCDF TEQ (adjusted beta = − 105.9 g; 95% CI, −179.5 to − 32.2), and total non-ortho PCBs (adjusted beta = − 178.4 g; 95% CI, −318.3 to − 38.5) levels were inversely associated with birth weight. Significant inverse associations with birth weight were also found for total PCDD TEQ, total PCDF TEQ, and total non-ortho PCB TEQ levels among male, but not female, infants. Significant inverse associations with birth weight were also found for nine congeners among all infants; the adjusted beta coefficients were largest for 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD and smallest for 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF.

Conclusion

In the setting of exposure to high levels of dioxins, maternal blood levels of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs are associated with lower birth weight in Yusho patients. The association exhibited gender-specific differences, as male infants are more susceptible than females to growth restriction induced by in utero dioxin exposures.     

Comparative survey of levels of chlorinated cyclodiene pesticides in breast milk from some cities of China, Korea and Japan

Exposure of mothers to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) was assessed by measuring the levels of 20 OCPs in 70 human breast milk samples pooled from 210 individuals from China, Korea and Japan. The OCPs were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) monitoring. The results showed that β-hexachlorocyclohexane and hexachlorobenzene were one order of magnitude higher in China than in the other nations, whereas chlordanes and polychlorinated biphenyl levels were highest in Japan. Heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, endrin, toxaphenes and mirex were detected in most samples, and levels of these chemicals were significantly higher in Japan (0.8-4.5 ng g⁻¹ lipid), followed by Korea (0.2-4.7 ng g⁻¹ lipid), and lowest in China (less than 1.0 ng g⁻¹ lipid). α- and β-endosulfans were detected at a range of 0.9-1.5 ng g⁻¹ lipid levels in all samples analyzed, and their levels were higher in Korean than in Chinese samples.     

氯代芳香族化合物电化学还原特性的测定及QSPR研究

运用定量结构-性质相关技术研究了萘、联苯、苯、苯酚等4类共87种氯代芳香族化合物的电化学还原特性与分子结构间的定量关系结果表明,化合物的还原电极电位除了与最低未占据分子轨道能EL_UMO有显著相关性以外,还与分子中氯原子个数n_CI存在一定相关性,从而揭示了氯代芳香族化合物电化学还原的内在规律,为有害污染物高级还原处理技术的开发与工艺设计提供了有价值的基础数据.     

Composition of green turtle feeding aggregations along the Japanese archipelago: implications for changes in composition with current flow

In order to develop effective conservation strategies for endangered migratory species, the link between feeding and breeding grounds needs to be clarified. In this study, the genetic compositions of consecutive Japanese feeding aggregations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) along the Kuroshio Current were examined by mixed-stock analyses of mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences. The results indicated that the southern feeding aggregation around Yaeyama (24.3°N, 124.0°E) was sourced from various Pacific rookeries in the Yaeyama, Ogasawara, Western Pacific, and Indian Oceans and Southeast Asia. Among northern feeding aggregations, the Ginoza (26.5°N, 128.0°E) aggregation was also sourced from the Western Pacific Ocean, but the Nomaike (31.4°N, 130.1°E), Muroto (33.2°N, 134.2°E), and Kanto (35.6°N, 140.5°E) aggregations were contributed mostly by the closer Ogasawara rookeries. The reduced contribution from tropical Pacific rookeries to northern feeding aggregations and the significant correlation between genetic differentiation and geographical distance matrices of feeding aggregations indicated that most hatchlings from these regions transported by the Kuroshio Current settle in upstream feeding grounds along the Japanese archipelago, implying that current flow influences the composition of feeding aggregations. Differences in the composition of relatively close neritic feeding aggregations have important conservation implications, for which both regional and multinational conservation strategies are needed.     

Levels and regional trends of persistent organochlorines and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Asian breast milk demonstrate POPs signatures unique to individual countries

Human breast milk samples collected in 2007–2008 from four countries, Vietnam (Hanoi), China (Beijing), Korea (Seoul) and Japan (Sendai, Kyoto and Takayama), were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Comparing with previous surveys, the present study indicates that the DDTs in breast milk from China and Vietnam had gradually decreased during the last decade, but were still 5–10 times higher than those in other nations. The ratios of p,p′-DDE/p,p′-DDT and o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT were higher in Beijing than in the other countries, suggesting that there is less fresh intake of commercial DDT products and a possible exposure to dicofol in China. CHL and PCB levels were relatively higher in mothers from Japan, whereas β-HCH and HCB were more common in Chinese women. In Japan, it is suspected that mothers in the urban/coastal area (Sendai) were more continuously exposed to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) than mothers in the rural/inland area (Takayama). In addition, OCP levels in primiparae were significantly higher than those in multiparae from Japan and Korea. These indicate that both parity and regional factors are major determinants of the levels of OCPs and PCBs in human milk. On the other hand, higher concentrations of PBDEs were observed in mothers' milk from Korea. The congener was dominated by BDE-47 (43–54%), followed by BDE-153 (23–33%) in all regions except for Beijing where BDE-28 (23%) was relatively abundant. In Japanese breast milk, regional and parity-dependent distributions were not observed for PBDEs. Among PBDE congeners, age-dependency was observed for BDE-153, which was negatively correlated (p < 0.05) to the age of mothers in Kyoto (17 participants were housewives), while it increased with age in Sendai (10 participants were clerks). No such correlation was seen for BDE-47, indicating that BDE-47 was ingested and assimilated via different kinetics or routes from BDE-153 in Japan.