Effects of Heating Season on Residential Indoor and Outdoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Black Carbon, and Particulate Matter in an Urban Birth Cohort

Exposure to air pollutants has been associated with adverse health effects. However, analyses of the effects of season and ambient parameters such as ozone have not been fully conducted. Residential indoor and outdoor air levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), black carbon (measured as absorption coefficient [Abs]), and fine particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM)(2.5) were measured over two-weeks in a cohort of 5-6 year old children (n=334) living in New York City's Northern Manhattan and the Bronx between October 2005 and April 2010. The objectives were to: 1) characterize seasonal changes in indoor and outdoor levels and indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios of PAH (gas + particulate phase; dichotomized into Σ(8)PAH(semivolatile) (MW 178-206), and Σ(8)PAH(nonvolatile) (MW 228-278)), Abs, and PM(2.5); and 2) assess the relationship between PAH and ozone. Results showed that heating compared to nonheating season was associated with greater Σ(8)PAH(nonvolatile) (p<0.001) and Abs (p<0.05), and lower levels of Σ(8)PAH(semivolatile) (p<0.001). In addition, the heating season was associated with lower I/O ratios of Σ(8)PAH(nonvolatile) and higher I/O ratios of Σ(8)PAH(semivolatile) (p<0.001) compared to the nonheating season. In outdoor air, Σ(8)PAH(nonvolatile) was correlated negatively with community-wide ozone concentration (p<0.001). Seasonal changes in emission sources, air exchanges, meteorological conditions and photochemical/chemical degradation reactions are discussed in relationship to the observed seasonal trends.     

Theory of planned behaviour, identity and intentions to engage in environmental activism

This study incorporated identity constructs into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to investigate intentions to engage in environmental activism. First year students and participants of a students of sustainability conference (n=169) were administered a questionnaire survey that measured standard TPB constructs as well as environmental group membership and self-identity as an environmental activist. Consistent with predictions, environmental group membership and self-identity were positive predictors of intentions. Thus, greater involvement in environmental groups and a stronger sense of the self as an environmental activist were associated with stronger intentions to engage in environmental activism. There was also evidence that self-identity was a stronger predictor of intentions for participants with low rather than high environmental group membership. In accordance with the standard TPB model, participants with more positive attitudes toward and a greater sense of normative support for environmental activism also had greater intentions to engage in the behaviour. The implications for groups seeking to harness support for activities to protect the environment are discussed.     

加勒比海海洋保护区的娱乐性水下呼吸器潜水活动:使用者支付费用吗?

引言 建立海洋保护区的好处[1]是众所周知的,特别是对于珊瑚礁来说.通过理论上完全禁止在选定海域内进行任何形式的捕鱼活动,由此对捕鱼压力的降低一般可以保持以往目标鱼类[2～4]种群的数量和多样性,导致原来从渔场中消失的物种重新出现[5],而且大大提高大型掠食性鱼类的数量[6].     

Protection of workers’ mental health in Québec: Do general duty clauses allow labour inspectors to do their job?

Given that no specific provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act explicitly deal with psychosocial risk factors, in Québec, occupational health and safety inspectors employed by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) address psychosocial hazards under the Act’s general duty clause. This general duty clause and related provisions require that all employers eliminate hazards at source and protect the health of workers. More specifically, they are required to ensure that the organisation of work does not adversely affect the safety or health of the worker. Since 2004, Québec minimum standards legislation has also provided for the right of workers to an environment that is free from psychological harassment.Written from both a legal and public health perspective, this paper has two primary objectives: first, to better understand the potential and limits of the current legislative framework for the protection of the mental health of workers and second, to describe how scientific knowledge related to high risk situations for the mental health of workers might inform interventions by inspectors for the protection of workers’ mental health.     

The drivers of greenhouse gas emissions: What do we learn from local case studies?

Abstract

What can local case studies contribute to our understanding of the processes underlying the growth in greenhouse gas emissions? Since much abatement and mitigation are local in character, it is important that policy makers identify the mix of local, national and international processes that contribute to changes in greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing upon the results of case studies in Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio, how patterns of emissions in local areas can be connected analytically to the driving forces of environmental change is demonstrated. Emissions at the local level are empirically associated with the same set of trends found at national and international scale, namely, changes in population, affluence‐consumption and technology.     

Concentrations of brominated flame retardants in dust from United Kingdom cars, homes, and offices: causes of variability and implications for human exposure

Average concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust in 30 homes, 18 offices, and 20 cars were 260,000, 31,000, and 340,000 ng SigmaPBDEs g(-1) respectively. Concentrations of BDEs 47, 99, 100, and 154 in cars exceeded significantly (p<0.05) those in homes and offices. Average concentrations of 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (TBE) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in homes, offices, and cars respectively were lower at 120, 7.2, and 7.7 ng g(-1) (TBE) and 270, 170, and 400 ng g(-1) (DBDPE). BDE-209 concentrations in three samples are the highest to date at 2,600,000 (car), 2,200,000 (home), and 1,400,000 ng g(-1) (home). UK toddlers daily consuming 200 mg dust contaminated at the 95th percentile concentration, ingest 180 ng (Sigma)tri-hexa-BDEs and 310 microg BDE-209 day(-1). For TBE, exposure was lower than for PBDEs and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), while that for DBDPE was similar in magnitude to (Sigma)tri-hexa-BDEs, but less than for BDE-209 and HBCDs. BDE-209 concentrations recorded in ten samples taken at monthly intervals in one room varied 400-fold, implying caution when using single measurements of dust contamination for exposure assessment. Significant negative correlation was observed in one room between concentrations of BDE-47, 99, and 153 and dust loading (g dust m(-2) floor), suggesting "dilution" occurs at higher dust loadings.     

Prevalence, patterns, and effects of shell damage on Geukensia demissa in South Carolina estuarine habitats

Shelled molluscs frequently exhibit a record of damage on exterior surfaces that can evidence past predation attempts and may affect survival and growth. In South Carolina populations of the ribbed marsh mussel, Geukensia demissa, >90% of the individuals and up to 60% of the total shell area are damaged. A trend toward greater amounts of damage occurred on mid-marsh compared to oyster reef mussels from the barrier beach side of inlets. Shell damage effects on survivorship and shell and tissue growth were assessed seasonally during multi- and single-season field experiments. Mussels from a common mid-marsh site were divided into size classes (~50 or 70 mm), treated to create two damage levels (undamaged and damaged), and replaced within mid-marsh exclusion cages to minimize additional shell damage. In both multi- and single-season experiments increased shell damage resulted in significantly greater mortality. Linear shell growth was unaffected by increased damage, but 50 mm mussels grew twice as fast. Shell mass increased 16–50% in the multi-season and single-season winter period, but decreased 7–12% during the single-season summer period. Tissue mass significantly decreased 31–43% in 50 mm damaged mussels, but increased by 33% for 70 mm mussels in both multi-season and the single-season winter period experiments. Shell damage did reduce tissue mass 43% in 70 mm single-season summer mussels. Experimental results indicate shell damage from a simulated increase in predation can affect negatively both survival and growth of marsh mussels. Seasonal timing of shell damage and initial mussel size also influenced the effects of sublethal predation on shell and tissue growth. The previously unrecognized importance of sublethal predation and the resultant significant negative effects of shell damage on survival and growth will affect the distribution and population dynamics of G. demissa in coastal marshes and will influence the overall contribution of ribbed mussels to estuarine ecosystems.     

Leader self‐awareness: An examination and implications of women's under‐prediction

Self‐awareness represents an important aspect of leadership. However, past research on leader self‐awareness has focused on one component of self‐awareness, self versus others' ratings, leaving the second component, the ability to anticipate the views of others, largely neglected. We examined this second component of self‐awareness by focusing on women leaders who have been found to under‐predict how others rate them. In two studies, we measured how women leaders anticipate the views of their bosses in regard to their leadership. In Study 1, 194 leaders rated their leadership, were rated by their bosses, and then predicted how their bosses rated their leadership. While we found that women under‐predict their boss ratings compared with men, we did not find that boss gender or feedback played a role in this under‐prediction. In Study 2, 76 female leaders identified (via open‐ended questions) possible reasons and consequences of under‐prediction for women in organizations. Results from Study 2 reveal the following: (1) the reasons for women's under‐prediction include a lack of self‐confidence, differences in feedback needs, learned gender roles, and self‐sexism; and (2) the perceived consequences of under‐prediction are negative for both women and the organization. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.