An Avoidable Tragedy at the Sea Cliff (Rincon) Oil Field

Three men were killed and four others were injured during a well drill operation on Hobson Well C-10A in the Sea Cliff Oil Field (also known as Rincon Oil Field), in Ventura County, California, United States, on August 10, 1994, as a result of errors made by the work supervisors at the site. The oil field was under management by Vintage Petroleum, Ltd., which was sued for negligence by the families of the deceased and injured. The coroner's autopsy examination concluded that the cause of the deaths was due to the inhalation of the toxic gas carbon monoxide (CO). This gas was assumed to have been released from the firing of high-energy guns (HEGs) using carbon-rich explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) in an oxygen-depleted environment, during a fracking operation by Schlumberger Corporation on Well C-10A. The author of this article was appointed as an expert witness by Schlumberger to evaluate if the coroner's conclusion was correct. A series of chemical analytical analyses were conducted on the vapor phase of samples, in addition to dissolved components in water from Well C-10A and two adjacent wells. Stable isotope analyses were also conducted on hydrogen (H₂), methane (CH₄), nitrogen (N₂), CO, and water (H₂O) 3 weeks after the accident, as well as on four additional occasions from September to December 1994. Control test analyses were performed on the products from HEG firings, using the same explosives as those used in the perforation of Well C-10A in control chambers at a Schlumberger facility in Houston, Texas. The conclusion reached was that the dominant products of PETN detonations are H₂, CH₄, CO, and N₂. However, the isotope ratios (D/H and ¹³C/¹²C) of methane in the control experiments were different in Well C-10A, following the detonation on August 10, 1994, than those resulting from controlled PETN explosions. The conclusion reached in this study was that the fracking of the well at a depth of around 2,150 ft had increased the permeability of the sediment layers in the Padres Zone at that depth to allow the rapid release of a large quantity of natural gas, primarily CH₄, which supersaturated the water in the well. This event caused the formation of a large bubble, which ballooned out of the well to the surface, displacing air in the location where the men were working, and thus causing asphyxiation, which resulted in the death of the three men. The judge accepted this interpretation.     

一种毒气事故避难所效果评估方法

目前我国针对公众防护只有疏散这一单一方法,现实情况下往往疏散不利导致大量人员伤亡,而同时避难策略由于缺乏理论和评估依据,往往难以推广。为了更好的全面保障毒气泄漏事故周边居民的生命安全,提出一套避难场所的效果评估方法。该方法主要包括房屋气密性测试、屋外浓度场计算、屋内浓度场计算分析、屋内致死概率分析。并举出实际应用案例,展现该方法的多种数据支撑作用。最终给出该方法对于制定避难策略过程中关键影响因素。该方法的提出为高含硫气田、化工园区周边公众防护策略的实施,提高其周边居民安全具有重要意义。     

Effects of mid-trimester induced abortion on the subsequent pregnancy

The outcome of the pregnancy following (a) a mid-trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP) for fetal neural tube defect (NTD) (77 women=group 1); (b) mid-trimester TOP for fetal Down's syndrome (13 women=group 2); (c) delivery of a baby with NTD (119 women=group 3) was studied. The prenatal fetal loss was relatively high in all groups. In group 1 it was similar to that found in other studies after first trimester TOP, in group 2 it was associated with advanced maternal age and the unexpected finding in group 3 was not attributable to advanced maternal age. It is suggested that a previous NTD per se might increase the risk of fetal loss in the next pregnancy. A previous mid-trimester TOP for NTD was not associated with an increase in premature labour, small for dates babies or congenital abnormality in the next pregnancy, but there was a slight increase in the number of babies weighing less than 2500 g.     

ASMs模型中异养菌减衰系数之间的关系及其测定

国际水协(IAWQ)推出的ASM1、ASM2、ASM2D号模型中描述微生物的衰亡过程采用了死亡-再生模式,而ASM3号模型中描述微生物的衰亡则采用了传统减衰模式,文章从两种减衰模式的机理出发,指出了两者之间的区别与联系,并详细推导了两种减衰模式中各参数之间的关系,以此得出了异养菌传统减衰系数bH'和死亡-再生减衰系数bH的测定计算方法。文中在20℃条件下,对以印染废水为主的实际污水处理厂活性污泥的异养菌减衰系数bH'和bH进行了测定,所得结果分别为0.20和0.50。     

Using mRNA to investigate the effect of low-pressure ultraviolet disinfection on the viability of E. coli

UV can induce damages on mRNA consistently among different genes. SOS response was more active after UV treatment. Programmed cell death was not found to be more active after UV treatment. The efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection has been analyzed and validated by numerous studies using culture-based methods, yet the discovery of the viable but nonculturable state necessitates the investigation of UV disinfection based on viability parameters. Paired regulators of the SOS response system, recA-lexA, and the programmed cell death system, mazEF, in Escherichia coli were chosen as the target genes, and the effect of UV irradiation on the mRNAs of the four genes was studied. This research showed that, after UV irradiation, the responses of the mRNAs were highly consistent, with reduction percentages of approximately 60% at 20 mJ/cm², 70% at 40 mJ/cm², and 90% at 80 mJ/cm², and these reductions were believed to be the result of direct UV damage to nucleic acids. After 24 h of dark incubation, recA and lexA were both upregulated but to a lesser extent for repressor lexA; and mazE and mazF were both downregulated. This result implies that UV irradiation induces the dark repair system more actively, and the cells will proceed to death at a rate similar to that associated with natural decay.     

内蒙古癌死亡率与土壤环境中化学元素的关系

利用中国癌死亡率与土壤环境中化学元素的相关性研究成果，研究了内蒙古癌死亡率与土壤环境中化学元素：As、Cd、Co、Cu、Hg、Mn、Ni、Pb、Se、V、Li、Na、K、Rb、Cs、Mg、Ca、Sr、Ba、B、Al、Ga、In、Tl、Sc、Y、La、Ce、Pr、Nd、Tb、Dy、Ho、Er、Tm、Yb、Lu、Th、U、Sn、Ti、Zr、Hf、Sb、Bi、Ta、Te、Mo、W、Br、I、Fe等52个元素含量的关系。     

大气细颗粒物控制对我国城市居民期望寿命的影响

收集我国2013年74个环保重点城市的细颗粒物(PM2.5)浓度.采用《全球疾病负担2010》提供的PM2.5与4种主要疾病死亡率的暴露反应关系系数,构建74个城市的城区居民寿命表,评估PM2.5造成的期望寿命损失和不同PM2.5控制目标对居民期望寿命的影响.结果显示,2013年我国74个城市的PM2.5污染可使居民期望寿命减少1.48岁;如果PM2.5年均水平降低10%、25%,可分别使期望寿命增加0.05岁和0.15岁;若进一步降低,达到国二标准、国一标准和世界卫生组织的空气质量指导值水平,可使期望寿命分别增加0.42岁、1.04岁和1.26岁.本研究提示,大气PM2.5污染是决定我国城市居民期望寿命的重要因素,降低PM2.5浓度可显著增加居民的期望寿命.     

安徽省宁国市元竹枯死原因与防治对策研究

文章探讨了安徽省宁国市中溪镇元竹大面积枯死的原因.在现场调查、污染监测和综合分析的基础上,排除了污染、病虫害致死和元竹而开花死亡的可能性,得出该区元竹枯死是由于非污染生态工程道路改建、水利水电工程和河道采砂等人为活动所导致元竹区的局部生态系统破坏,致使该区地下水位的不正常变动,从而引起大面积不规则分布的元竹干枯或浸泡死亡.文中最后根据该区生态环境状况,给出了防治元竹枯死的生态对策与建议,为防治其它地区的元竹枯死提供了参考和经验.     

聚糖原菌富集实验及其内源过程探究

细胞衰减是微生物内源过程的一个重要组成部分,可分为由细胞死亡引起的数量衰减和由细胞活性降低引起的活性衰减两部分.通过挥发性脂肪酸（VFA）吸收速率(VFAUR)测定、荧光原位杂交技术（FISH）以及LIVE/DEAD细胞染色技术,研究了富集聚糖原菌（GAOs）在序批式反应器（SBR）系统中好氧环境下的衰减特征.结果表明,当T=30℃、进料中m(COD)∶m(P)=100时,SBR系统中GAOs富集比例达94%.测定和计算表明,SBR富集系统中GAOs衰减速率和死亡速率分别为0.132 d^-1和0.034 d^-1,其数量衰减和活性衰减占其细胞总衰减比例分别为26%和74%.可见,GAOs数量衰减只占其细胞总衰减中很小一部分,而绝大部分衰减由活性衰减所引起.