Evaluation of background persistent organic pollutant levels in human from Taiwan: polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls

This study was intended to determine the background levels of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs in the Taiwanese population and to investigate factors potentially related to PCDD/PCDF and PCB levels. The levels of seventeen PCDD/PCDFs in the 251 serum samples collected from the general population in Taiwan ranged from 4.92 to 26.7 pg WHO(1998)-TEQ/g lipid (median: 11.5) and those of the twelve dioxin-like PCBs ranged between 1.74 and 21.6 pg WHO(1998)-TEQ/g lipid (median: 6.14). Five factors, age, gender, region of residence, dietary status, and smoking status, showed statistically significant association with the TEQ level of PCDD/PCDFs. The TEQ level of PCBs was statistically associated with age only, but not with the other four factors. The trends observed between age and the levels of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs were not parallel in young subjects (<30 years old) and old subjects (>30 years old). The levels of PCDD/PCDFs and PCBs increased by 0.16 and 0.03 WHO(1998)-TEQ/g lipid per year for subjects above the age of 30, but there was no evidence of any association between age and the levels for subjects below the age of 30 years. These factors should be considered when investigating relationships between background serum levels of persistent organic pollutants and parameters associated with exposure sources or health outcomes.     

Deposition fluxes of PCDD/Fs in a reservoir system in northern Taiwan

In this study, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) concentrations and depositions in ambient air, water column and sediment were measured at a coupled reservoir-watershed system in northern Taiwan. The atmospheric PCDD/F concentration measured in the vicinity of the reservoir ranged from 4.9 to 39 fg I-TEQ m⁻³ and the Asian dust storm in February accounted for the peak value, which corresponded to a total suspended particle concentration of 128 μg m⁻³. The atmospheric PCDD/F deposition ranged from 1.4 to 19 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹, with higher deposition occurring during winter and spring (long-range transport events). During summer, when atmospheric deposition is lower, consecutive tropical cyclones (typhoons) bring heavy rainfall that enhances soil erosion and creates turbidity-driven intermediate flow. This results in significantly higher PCDD/F deposition in water column of the reservoir at 70 m water depth (179 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹) than at 20 m (21 pg I-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹) during typhoon event. The accumulation rate of PCDD/Fs (9.1 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹) in the reservoir sediments (depth: 0-2 cm) was consistent with PCDD/F deposition obtained from water column (6.1 and 8.3 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹); however, it is significantly higher when compared to the atmospheric deposition (2.0 ng I-TEQ m⁻² y⁻¹). Based on the mass balance between the measurements of atmospheric deposition and sinking particles in water column, around 54-74% of PCDD/F inputs into the reservoir were contributed by the catchment erosion during normal period. However, the PCDD/F input contributed by the enhanced catchment erosion significantly increased to 90% during intensive typhoon events.     

Evaluation of the multiple-ion competition in the adsorption of As(V) onto reclaimed iron-oxide coated sands by fractional factorial design

This study describes the competitive effects of selected ions and natural organic matter on As(V) removal using reclaimed iron-oxide coated sands (RIOCS) in the single- and multi-ion systems. A 2(7-3) factional factorial experimental design (FFD) was employed for screening main competitive factors in this adsorption process. As a result, the inhibitive competition effects of the anions on As(V) removal in the single ion system were in the following sequence: PO(4)(3-)>SiO(3)(2-)>HCO(3)(-)>humic acid (HA)>SO(4)(2-)>Cl(-), whereas the cation Ca(2+) was observed to enhance the As(V) removal. In addition, the optimum initial pH for As(V) removal in single-ion system was 5. Based on the estimates of major effects and interactions from the FFD, PO(4)(3-), SiO(3)(2-), Ca(2+) and HA were important factors on As(V) removal in the multi-ion system. The promoters for the As(V) removal were found to be Ca(2+) and, to a lesser extent, SO(4)(2-). The competitive effects of these ions on As(V) removal were in the order of PO(4)(3-), SiO(3)(2-), HA, HCO(3)(-), and Cl(-). In the single ion system, the efficiencies of As(V) removal range from 75% to 96%, much higher than those in the multi-ion system (44%) at the initial pH 5. Clearly, there were some complex anion interactions in the multi-ion system. To promote the removal of As(V) by RIOCS, it is proposed to lower the pH in the single-ion system, while in the multi-ion system, the increase of the Ca(2+) concentration, or decreases of PO(4)(3-), SiO(3)(2-) and HA concentrations is suggested.     

Preparation of needle trap samplers to extract air compounds from indoor electric-vaporizing sources

In this study, gaseous benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX) were extracted by passive needle trap samplers (NTS) using divinylbenzene (DVB) particles (mesh sizes 60–80, 80–100, and 100–120, respectively) as packed sorbents. An aspirating pump measured sampling flow rates of NTS, and the relations between BTEX mass and sampling flow rates were sufficient to maintain the extraction performance of these self-designed DVB-NTS. Furthermore, this investigation compared the extraction efficiency of NTS with that of the 100-µm polydimethylsiloxane solid-phase microextration (PDMS SPME) fiber when applied to sample heating products from electric-vaporization anti-mosquito mats, and the experimental results indicated that NTS effectiveness increased with decreasing adsorbent particle diameter. Substantially less mass of gaseous BTEX was extracted using 100-µm PDMS SPME fiber than with NTS of 100–120 mesh DVB for 60-min TWA sampling of anti-mosquito mats. The 100–120 mesh DVB-NTS primarily adsorbed 4.2 ng acetone, 13.3 ng dichloromethane, and 4.5–25.3 ng C10–C12 alkanes.

Implications: The needle trap sampler (NTS) has been evaluated to be a device for sampling heating products from electric-vaporization anti-mosquito mats. Based on the experimental results, this investigation assessed NTS as suitable for occupational and environmental health applications.     

A Feasibility Study on the Predictive Emission Monitoring System Applied to the Hsinta Power Plant of Taiwan Power Company

Abstract

The continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) can monitor flue gas emissions continuously and instantaneously. However, it has the disadvantages of enormous cost, easily producing errors in sampling periods of bad weather, lagging response in variable ambient environments, and missing data in daily zero and span tests and maintenance. The concept of a predictive emission monitoring system (PEMS) is to use the operating parameters of combustion equipment through thermodynamic or statistical methods to construct a mathematic model that can predict emissions by a computer program. The goal of this study is to set up a PEMS in a gas-fired combined cycle power generation unit at the Hsinta station of Taiwan Power Co. The emissions to be monitored include nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and oxygen (O₂) in flue gas. The major variables of the predictive model were determined based on the combustion theory. The data of these variables then were analyzed to establish a regression model. From the regression results, the influences of these variables are discussed and the predicted values are compared with the CEMS data for accuracy. In addition, according to the cost information, the capital and operation and maintenance costs for a PEMS can be much lower than those for a CEMS.     

Intensive water quality monitoring in a Taiwan bathing beach

A total of 357 water samples were collected from a public beach in northern Taiwan during beach season, and the densities of enterococci were analyzed by Enterolert methods. The mean enterococci level was 356 MPN/100 ml and ranged from <10 to 2,005 MPN/100 ml, which was classified as high contamination level according to the WHO water quality guideline (95 percentile >1,000 MPN/100 ml). Most of the deteriorated water quality conditions occurred during rainfall. By excluding data from the rain days, the overall beach water quality would be considered in the moderate contamination level (95 percentile 200-1,000 MPN/100 ml). Among the selected microbiological parameters tested, the densities of total coliforms and enterococci exhibited the highest correlation (r = 0.449, p = 0.009), followed by the concentrations of total coliforms and fecal coliforms (r = 0.403, p = 0.02). Nonetheless, no significant correlation was found between enterococci and fecal coliform levels (r = 0.197, p = 0.271).     

Selection of infectious medical waste disposal firms by using the analytic hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis

While Taiwanese hospitals dispose of large amounts of medical waste to ensure sanitation and personal hygiene, doing so inefficiently creates potential environmental hazards and increases operational expenses. However, hospitals lack objective criteria to select the most appropriate waste disposal firm and evaluate its performance, instead relying on their own subjective judgment and previous experiences. Therefore, this work presents an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to objectively select medical waste disposal firms based on the results of interviews with experts in the field, thus reducing overhead costs and enhancing medical waste management. An appropriate weight criterion based on AHP is derived to assess the effectiveness of medical waste disposal firms. The proposed AHP-based method offers a more efficient and precise means of selecting medical waste firms than subjective assessment methods do, thus reducing the potential risks for hospitals. Analysis results indicate that the medical sector selects the most appropriate infectious medical waste disposal firm based on the following rank: matching degree, contractor's qualifications, contractor's service capability, contractor's equipment and economic factors. By providing hospitals with an effective means of evaluating medical waste disposal firms, the proposed AHP method can reduce overhead costs and enable medical waste management to understand the market demand in the health sector. Moreover, performed through use of Expert Choice software, sensitivity analysis can survey the criterion weight of the degree of influence with an alternative hierarchy.     

Volatile organic compound emissions from wastewater treatment plants in Taiwan: legal regulations and costs of control

This study assessed volatile organic compound (VOC) emission characteristics from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in five Taiwanese industrial districts engaged in numerous manufacturing processes, including petrochemical, science-based industry (primarily semiconductors, photo-electronics, electronic products and biological technology), as well as multiple manufacturing processes (primarily pharmaceuticals and paint manufacturing). The most aqueous hydrocarbons dissolved in the wastewater of Taiwanese WWTPs were acetone, acrylonitrile, methylene chloride, and chloroform for the petrochemical districts; acetone, chloroform, and toluene for the science-based districts; and chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons for the multiple industrial districts. The aqueous pollutants in the united WWTPs were closely related to the characteristics of the manufacturing plants in the districts. To effectively prevent VOC emissions from the primary treatment section of petrochemical WWTPs, the updated regulations governing VOC emissions were issued by the Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration in September 2005, legally mandating a seal cover system incorporating venting and air purification equipment. Cost analysis indicates that incinerators with regenerative heat recovery are optimal for treating high VOC concentrations, exceeding 10,000ppm as CH(4), from the oil separation basins. However, the emission concentrations, ranging from 100 to 1000ppm as CH(4) from the other primary treatment facilities and bio-treatment stages, should be collected and then injected into the biological oxidation basins via existing or new blowers. The additional capital and operating costs required to treat the VOC emissions of 1000ppm as CH(4) from primary treatment facilities are less than US$0.1 for perm(3) wastewater treatment capacity.     

Emission characteristics of VOCs from three fixed-roof p-xylene liquid storage tanks

This study evaluates emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) caused by standing loss (L _S) and working loss (L _W) of three vertical fixed-roof p-xylene (p-X) liquid tanks during 1-year storage and filling operation. The annual net throughput of the tanks reached 70,446 t, resulting in 9,425 kg of p-X vapor emission including 5,046 kg of L _S (53.54 %) and 4,379 kg of L _W (46.46 %). The estimated L _W of AP-42 displayed better agreement with the measured values of a VOC detector than the estimated L _S of AP-42. The L _S was best correlated with the liquid height of the tanks, while the L _W was best correlated with the net throughput of the tanks. As a result, decreasing vapor space volume of the tanks and avoiding high net throughput of the tanks in a high ambient temperature period were considered as effective means to lessen VOC emission from the fixed-roof organic liquid storage tank.     

Evaluation and improvement of air quality in school public elevator

Public elevators are an essential requirement in modern high-rise buildings. However, the confined, crowded interior of an elevator provides an ideal breeding ground for all manners of biological aerosols. Consequently, when using an elevator at a university in Taiwan as the research target, this study performs an experimental investigation into the effectiveness of hand-sprayed gaseous chlorine dioxide as a disinfection agent. The air quality before and after disinfection is evaluated by measuring the bioaerosol concentrations of bacteria and fungi, respectively. The average background levels of bacteria and fungi before disinfection are found to be 635.7?±?469.6 and 1296.8?±?966.6 colony-forming unit (CFU)/m³, respectively. Following disinfection, the bacteria and fungi concentrations reduced by an average of 35 and 25 %, respectively. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results showed that the residual bacteria and fungi concentration levels were determined primarily by the number of individuals within the elevator and the elapsed time following disinfection. In general, the present results show that given a maximum of five individuals within the elevator, a disinfection schedule of once every 40 min is sufficient to reduce the bioaerosol concentrations of bacteria and fungi to the levels specified by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).