Positive association between concentration of phthalate metabolites in urine and microparticles in adolescents and young adults

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been used worldwide in various products for many years. In vitro studies have shown that exposure to DEHP and its metabolite mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) induces endothelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, exposure to DEHP had been linked to cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases in epidemiological studies. Circulating microparticles have been known to be indicators of vascular injury. However, whether DEHP or its metabolites are independently associated with microparticles in humans remains unknown. From 2006 to 2008, we recruited 793 subjects (12–30 years) from a population-based sample to participate in this cardiovascular disease prevention examination. Each participant was subjected to interviews and biological sample collection to determine the relationship between concentrations of DEHP metabolites MEHP, mono(ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, and mono(2-ethly-5-oxoheyl) phthalate in urine and concentrations of endothelial microparticles (CD62E and CD31 +/CD42a −), platelet microparticles (CD62P and CD31 +/CD42a +), and CD14 in serum. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that an ln-unit increase in MEHP concentration in urine was positively associated with an increase in serum microparticle counts/μL of 0.132 (± 0.016) in CD31 +/CD42a − (endothelial apoptosis marker), 0.117 (± 0.023) in CD31 +/CD42a + (platelet apoptosis marker), and 0.026 (± 0.007) in CD14 (monocyte, macrophage, and neutrophil activation marker). There was no association between DEHP metabolite concentration and CD62E or CD62P. In conclusion, a higher MEHP concentration in urine was associated with an increase in endothelial and platelet microparticles in this cohort of adolescents and young adults. Further studies are warranted to clarify the causal relationship between exposure to DEHP and atherosclerosis.     

Assessment of the endocrine-disrupting effects of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in in vitro models

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), which are candidate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) according to the Stockholm Convention, are of great concern because of their persistent bioaccumulation, long-range transport and potential adverse health effects. However, data on the endocrine-disrupting effects of SCCPs remain scarce. In this study, we first adopted two in vitro models (reporter gene assays and H295R cell line) to investigate the endocrine-disrupting effects of three SCCPs (C10-40.40%, C10-66.10% and C11-43.20%) via receptor mediated and non-receptor mediated pathway. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that all test chemicals significantly induced estrogenic effects, which were mediated by estrogen receptor α (ERα), in the following order: C11-43.20% > C10-66.10% > C10-40.40%. Notably, C10-40.40% and C10-66.10% also demonstrated remarkable anti-estrogenic activities. Only C11-43.20% showed glucocorticoid receptor-mediated (GR) antagonistic activity, with a RIC₂₀ value of 2.6 × 10^− 8 mol/L. None of the SCCPs showed any agonistic or antagonistic activities against thyroid receptor β (TRβ). Meanwhile, all test SCCPs stimulated the secretion of 17β-estradiol (E₂). Both C10-66.10% and C11-43.20% increased the production of cortisol at a high level in H295R cell lines. In order to explore the possible mechanism underlying the endocrine-disrupting effects of SCCPs through the non-receptor pathway, the mRNA levels of 9 steroidogenic genes were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). StAR, 17βHSD, CYP11A1, CYP11B1, CYP19 and CYP21 were upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner by all chemicals. The data provided here emphasized that comprehensive assessments of the health and ecological risks of emerging contaminants, such as SCCPs, are of great concern and should be investigated further.     

区域环境风险评价及其关键科学问题

随着环境中能够检出的有毒污染物种类不断增多,基于制定环境标准来控制有毒污染物的传统方法正在受到挑战,而环境风险评价研究已成为当前环境领域研究的热点.加强风险评价方法研究,认识区域具有潜在风险的有毒污染物环境暴露与环境效应的关系,探讨风险评价中的关键科学问题,为风险管理提供科学依据已显得尤为紧迫.综述和讨论了环境风险评价技术的发展历史和区域生态风险评价存在的科学问题,并对深入开展区域环境风险评价研究提出了建议.     

铜管模拟输配系统中氯胺衰减过程与模拟

研究了氯胺在铜管模拟输配系统中的衰减过程,并利用一级反应动力学模型对氯胺衰减规律进行了模拟;考察了pH、初始氯胺浓度等水质条件与流速等水力条件对氯胺衰减速率的影响.结果表明,pH值是影响氯胺衰减速率与金属铜溶出的重要因素,pH越低氯胺衰减越快;提高氯胺初始浓度可加快氯胺衰减速度,也可增加金属铜的溶出量;流速对氯胺衰减速率的影响不大.此外,衰减动力学过程模拟结果表明,采用一级反应动力学模型可以较好地拟合不同条件下的氯胺衰减规律.从而对于工程中不同条件下消毒剂浓度预测具有重要意义.     

生物质废弃物快速热解制取富氢气体的实验研究

采用管式炉对红松锯屑快速热解制取富氢气体进行了实验研究,分析了反应器温度、物料粒径和催化剂对热解产物组成的影响.结果表明高温能加快生物质快速热解进程,减少炭和焦油生成量,利于富氢气体的生成,800℃时气态产物比例可达56.9 wt.%,气态产物中H2体积分数由4.3%(500℃下)上升至17.2%,H2 CO体积分数达68.3%.小粒径能增大热解气态产物的比例,但对气态产物组成的影响很小,这可能与红松锯屑本身质地疏松有关.以与生物质直接混合方式添加的煅烧白云石能使热解产物中H2含量增加,但造成产气过程变缓,炭生成量增多,富氢气体总产量未能得到提高.     

基于专利的区域环境技术创新水平空间分异研究

以环境技术专利表征创新水平,采用绝对指标与相对指标、专利结构布局系数(或特化系数)与技术创新主体结构布局系数,衡量中国各省市环境技术创新水平的空间分异,探讨其不平衡性的原因.研究结果表明,绝对指标评价的环境技术创新水平,呈现"东高西低"的格局;相对指标表征的环境技术创新水平,大部分省市的评价结果基本上在0.1～0.5、0.59～1.04之间,空间分异不明显.东部地区省市发明专利、企业专利特化系数高,如天津、香港、北京、上海的发明专利特化系数均在1.3以上,香港和上海的企业专利特化系数大于2.但是发明专利、公司企业专利--2项最具价值的专利技术创新水平均较高的省市不多,我国环境技术创新水平整体水平不高.     

Roles of semivolatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds in secondary organic aerosol formation and its implication: A review

Secondary organic aerosol(SOA) is a very important component of fine particulate matter(PM_2.5) in the atmosphere. However, the simulations of SOA, which could help to elucidate the detailed mechanism of SOA formation and quantify the roles of various precursors, remains unsatisfactory, as SOA levels are frequently underestimated. It has been found that the performance of SOA formation models can be significantly improved by incorporating the emission and evolution of semivolatile and ...     

The calculated effects of non-exchangeable material on the gas-particle distributions of organic compounds

The behavior of a chemical species in the atmosphere depends on how it partitions between the gas and aerosol particulate phases. Available evidence indicates that this partitioning can be described by a compound- and temperature-dependent constant K = A(TSP)/F, where A and F are the atmospheric concentrations measured in the gas and particulate phases, respectively (ng m⁻³). TSP is concentration (in μg m⁻³) of total suspended particulate matter. K values within some classes of compounds are known to correlate with the corresponding log p_o values where p_o is the vapor pressure of the compound. (For a solid compound, the vapor pressure of the sub-cooled liquid should be used.) Such correlations can break down when portions of the compounds are bound inside the particles. This paper develops equations for predicting the magnitude of this effect. The specific case of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is used as an example. Values for log A(TSP)/F are predicted to be significantly undervalued in a variety of circumstances compared with what would be expected at full equilibrium, even when the fraction of non-exchangeable material is only a few per cent. Similarly, φ values [ = F/(A + F)] can be significantly overvalued. A knowledge of the magnitude of this effect will be necessary for accurate predictive modeling of the fates of chemical species in the atmosphere.     

Performance of a novel vertical-flow settler: a comparative study

By increasing particle concentration and G value （root-mean-square velocity gradient） to enhance flocculation, a novel vertical-flow settler was designed to increase sedimentation effectiveness, and to simultaneously improve operational stabilization. Due to the gradual decrease in upward flow-rate of raw water, a floes blanket would form and suspend in the middle section of the settler, not at the bottom as in a conventional clarifier. Enough large floes, resulted from flocculation or fltration, would continuously settle out of the floes blanket, and simultaneously, the floes in raw water or those forming above the blanket would ceaselessly enter the floes blanket. As a result, the floes concentration in the blanket could keep a dynamic balance. The hydrodynamic shear in the blanket was improved by flow separation, which was induced by the abrupt change in flow channel. Due to the floes blanket and improved hydrodynamic shear, flocculation would be enhanced, which was helpful for removing fine particles in raw water. A comparative study showed that the novel vertical-flow settler had a much better performance in the removal of the particles in raw water than a conventional one, when they treated kaolin suspensions of different concentrations （500, 100 and 50 mg/L, respectively） coagulated by polyaluminum chloride（PAC1） at the up-flow rates of 1 and 2 mm/s, respectively.