Assessment of air pollution in Nagasaki City: determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrated derivatives, and some metals

Air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their nitrated derivatives (NPAHs), and some metals on airborne particles in Nagasaki city, Japan were determined over a period of 12 months by high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence, fluorescence and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. The average concentrations (range) were 18.24 (4.07-41.54) ng/m3 for total PAHs, 0.91 (0.23-4.10) pg/m3 for NPAHs, 7.95 (1.71-16.31) ng/m3 for Pb, 11.56 (3.35-24.96) ng/m3 for Mn and 3.79 (0.97-14.71) ng/m3 for Ni (n = 136). The toxic equivalency factors adjusted concentration of total PAHs determined in Nagasaki city area was 2.33 ng/m3. Concentrations of total PAHs and NPAHs in winter were higher than those in summer. In a weekly variations study, total PAHs and NPAHs concentrations, as well as traffic volume showed a similar tendency with all values higher during weekdays and lower at the weekend. The correlation coefficients between total PAHs or NPAHs and traffic volume were 0.781 and 0.818, respectively. These results suggested that one of the main sources for NPAHs and PAHs in a city area might be motor vehicles.     

Formation of PCDDs and PCDFs during the combustion of polyvinylidene chloride

In laboratory-scale combustion of polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) with a quartz tubular furnace designed and fabricated to provide the desired combustion temperature and mixing state of combustion gas with air, it was found that at 800 degrees C or higher the level of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans [corrected] (PCDDs/PCDFs) resulting from PVDC combustion was no higher than that from heating air alone, and thus far below the levels which resulted from PVDC combustion at 750 degrees C or lower. The results provide the first laboratory confirmation of the relation between PVDC incineration temperature and PCDD/PCDF formation, and of the primary importance of high temperature, turbulence for mixing between air and combustion gas, and sufficient residence time, as governing factors for the minimization of PCDD/PCDF formation in municipal solid waste incinerators.     

Seasonal trends in reduced leaf gas exchange and ozone-induced foliar injury in three ozone sensitive woody plant species

Seasonal trends in leaf gas exchange and ozone-induced visible foliar injury were investigated for three ozone sensitive woody plant species. Seedlings of Populus nigra L., Viburnum lantana L., and Fraxinus excelsior L. were grown in charcoal-filtered chambers, non-filtered chambers and open plots. Injury assessments and leaf gas exchange measurements were conducted from June to October during 2002. All species developed typical ozone-induced foliar injury. For plants exposed to non-filtered air as compared to the charcoal-filtered air, mean net photosynthesis was reduced by 25%, 21%, and 18% and mean stomatal conductance was reduced by 25%, 16%, and 8% for P. nigra, V. lantana, and F. excelsior, respectively. The timing and severity of the reductions in leaf gas exchange were species specific and corresponded to the onset of visible foliar injury.     

Continuous monitoring of conventional parameters to assess receiving water quality in support of combined sewer overflow abatement plans.

As part of its long-term control plan for combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement, the city of Buffalo, New York, maintained a network of Hydrolab Datasondes (Hydrolab-Hach Company, Loveland, Colorado) to assess receiving water-quality effects by continuously logging dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, conductivity, and turbidity. Although the effect of individual CSOs could be visualized, turbidity levels entering the Buffalo River from the upper watershed often were greater than from CSO discharges. Turbidity data showed that the Buffalo River was a net-sediment sink. Low dissolved oxygen levels were observed in the summer during dry weather, baseflow, and watershed-wide storms and CSO events. Some CSOs did not produce dissolved oxygen sags in the receiving waters, but others did. This information, together with the sampling done for organic and inorganic contaminants, can aid the decisionmaking process when prioritizing outfalls for abatement work and provides a baseline against which receiving water-quality improvements can be measured.     

Fate of atrazine and chlorpyrifos during solid state fermentation--examination of processes

Solid state fermentation (SSF) was investigated as a means to dispose of two commonly used pesticides, chlorpyrifos (O,O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate) and atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine). SSF experiments were carried out in bench-scale bioreactors (equipped with CO2 and volatile organic traps) containing a mixture of lignocellulosic materials and a radiolabeled pesticide. Ethyl acetate-extractable, alkali soluble, and alkali insoluble fractions were evaluated for radioactivity following a 60-d incubation period at 40 degrees C. The majority of the [2,6-pyridyl-14C]chlorpyrifos was associated with the ethyl acetate extract (about 74%), 17% was trapped as organic volatiles by polyurethane foam traps and < 0.5% of the chlorpyrifos was mineralized to CO2. Only small amounts of the radioactivity were associated with alkali soluble (0.0003%) and alkali insoluble (0.3%) fractions. In the [14C-U-ring]atrazine bioreactors, very little of the radioactivity volatilized (<0.5%) and less than 0.5% was mineralized to CO2. Approximately 57% of the applied radioactivity was associated with the ethyl acetate extract while 9% and 24% of the radioactivity was associated with the alkali soluble (humic and fulvic acids) and alkali insoluble fractions, respectively. Possible reaction mechanisms by which covalent bonds could be formed between atrazine (or metabolites) and humic substances were investigated. The issue of bound atrazine residue (alkali soluble fraction) was at least partially resolved. Oxidative coupling experiments revealed that formation of covalent bond linkages between amino substituent groups of atrazine residue and humic substances is highly unlikely.     

Fate of parathion in artificially fortified grape juice processed into wine

"Semellon" grape juice fortified with a high level of 25 ppm parathion was fermented using Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus. After 12 days inte parathion levels in the wine and lees were 10.3 and 156 ppm, respectively; the paraoxon, aminoparathion, and p-nitrophenol levels in the wine were 0.16, 0.20, and 4.5 ppm, respectively, and in the lees were 0.04, 3.1 and 10 ppm, respectively. Thus, hydrolysis of parathion to p-nitrophenol and parathion sorption to sedimented particulate matter were important pathways for parathion residue reduction in the wine. The 56-day-old finished wine just prior to bottling contained 8.8 ppm parathion, 0.04 ppm paraoxon, 0.21 ppm aminoparathion, and 3.0 ppm p-nitrophenol. Two months storage at 24 degrees, 12 degrees, 4 degrees, and -20 degrees C had no effect on paraoxon and aminoparathion residue levels in the wine; parathion residues in wine decreased at all storage temperatures.     

Changes in concentration of five PCDD/F congeners after cooking beef from treated cattle

A large piece of meat taken from a single animal, which had been dosed with five selected PCDD/Fs, was prepared and cooked by a selection of different methods; burgers (fried, grilled, barbecued), roasts (cooked using conventional and microwave ovens) and stews (open pan and pressure cooked). For some of the cooking methods, concentration changes, on a whole product basis, were observed between raw and cooked product. However, in all cases these could be explained simply through changes arising from loss of water and elimination of PCDD/Fs with released fat. The total amounts of PCDD/Fs present in the system (including in released fat) remained unchanged. Dietary intake of PCDD/Fs could therefore be reduced by the removal of visible fat from meat before cooking and by discarding any fat released from foods during the cooking process.     

Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes and chemical treatment methods for COD and color removal from a polyester and acetate fiber dyeing effluent

In this paper, a comparison of various advanced oxidation processes (O3, O3/UV, H2O2/UV, O3/H2O2/UV, Fe2+/H2O2) and chemical treatment methods using Al2(SO4)3.18H2O, FeCl3 and FeSO4 for the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color removal from a polyester and acetate fiber dyeing effluent is undertaken. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) showed a superior performance compared to conventional chemical treatment, which maximum achievable color and COD removal for the textile effluent used in this study was 50% and 60%, respectively. Although O3/H2O2/UV combination among other AOPs methods studied in this paper was found to give the best result (99% removal for COD and 96% removal for color), use of Fe2+/H2O2 seems to show a satisfactory COD and color removal performance and to be economically more viable choice for the acetate and polyester fiber dyeing effluent on the basis of 90% removal.     

Sorption and mobility of metronidazole, olaquindox, oxytetracycline and tylosin in soil

Laboratory studies were conducted to characterise four different antibiotic compounds with regard to sorption and mobility in various soil types. Distribution coefficients (Kd values) determined by a batch equilibrium method varied between 0.5 and 0.7 for metronidazole, 0.7 and 1.7 for olaquindox and 8 and 128 for tylosin. Tylosin sorption seems to correlate positively with the soil clay content. No other significant interactions between soil characteristics and sorption were observed. Oxytetracycline was particularly strongly sorbed in all soils investigated, with Kd values between 417 in sand soil and 1026 in sandy loam, and no significant desorption was observed. Soil column leaching experiments indicated large differences in the mobility of the four antibiotic substances, corresponding to their respective sorption capabilities. For the weakly adsorbed substances metronidazole and olaquindox the total amounts added were recovered in the leachate of both sandy loam and sand soils. For the strongly adsorbed oxytetracyline and tylosin nothing was detected in the leachate of any of the soil types, indicating a much lower mobility. Results from defractionation and extraction of the columns (30 cm length) showed that 60-80% of the tylosin added had been leached to a depth of 5 cm in the sandy loam soil and 25 cm in the sand soil.     

Comparison of particulate mass, chemical species for urban, suburban and rural areas in central Taiwan, Taichung

Aerosol samples for PM2.5, PM(2.5-10) and TSP were collected from June to September 1998 and from February to March 1999 in central Taiwan. Ion chromatography was used to analyze the acidic anions: sulfate, nitrate and chloride in the Universal samples. The ratios of fine particle concentrations to coarse particle concentrations displayed that the fine particle concentrations are almost greater than that of coarse particle concentrations in Taichung area. The average concentrations of PM2.5, PM(2.5-10) and TSP in urban sites are higher than in suburban and rural sites at both daytime and night-time. Chloride dominated in the coarse mode in daytime and in fine mode in night-time. Nitrate can be found in both the coarse and fine modes. Sulfate dominated in fine mode in both daytime and night-time.