Development and application of LC–APCI–MS method for biomonitoring of animal and human exposure to imidacloprid

Imidacloprid (IMI) is a relatively new neuro-active neonicotinoid insecticide and nowadays one of the largest selling insecticides worldwide. In the present study a LC–APCI–MS based method was developed and validated for the quantification of imidacloprid and its main metabolite 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CINA) in urine and hair specimens. The method was tested in biomonitoring of intentionally exposed animals and subsequently applied for biomonitoring of Cretan urban and rural population.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and mercury in fish from lakes of the Tibetan Plateau

High mountains may act as cold traps for globally transported persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury (Hg). In the present study, 60 fish samples were collected from eight alpine lakes across the Tibetan Plateau. Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), total mercury (HgT) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were quantified in the fish muscle tissues to improve the understanding of pollution status and factors regulating the transport and fate of these contaminants on the Plateau. The results showed that lake-averaged ∑₁₄PBDEs concentration was between 0.09 ng g⁻¹ dw and 4.32 ng g⁻¹ dw, which was lower than those reported for European mountains. The total mercury concentration in individual fish ranged from 243 to 2384 ng g⁻¹ dw, and that of MeHg from 131 to 1610 ng g⁻¹ dw, which is much higher than those reported in other mountain fish. The spatial variation of PBDEs and mercury in the Plateau is largely controlled by the specific meteorological patterns.     

Photophysical and photochemical properties of the pharmaceutical compound salbutamol in aqueous solutions

Salbutamol is a potent β₂-adrenergic receptor agonist widely used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. An increasing number of studies have detected salbutamol in natural water systems worldwide. Studies have shown that sunlight degrades salbutamol resulting in the formation of products; some showing higher toxicity to bacteria Vibrio fischeri than the parent compound. In this contribution, steady-state absorption and emission techniques, high-performance liquid chromatography, and transient absorption spectroscopy are used to investigate the photochemistry of salbutamol in aqueous buffer solutions at controlled pH values. Ground- and excited-state calculations that include solvent effects are performed to guide the interpretation of the experimental results. Salbutamol is sensitive to UVB light absorption in the pH range from 3 to 12, forming products that absorb light at longer wavelengths than the parent compound. Quantum yields of degradation reveal that the deprotonated species is 10-fold more photo-active than the protonated species. In line with this result, the fluorescence quantum yield of the protonated species is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the deprotonated species. Transient absorption spectroscopy shows that population of the triplet state occurs with a rate constant of 7.1 × 10⁸ s⁻¹ in the protonated species, while a rate constant of 1.7 × 10¹⁰ s⁻¹ is measured for the deprotonated species. While degradation of the deprotonated species is not affected by the presence of molecular oxygen, a twofold increase in the photodegradation yield of the protonated species in air-saturated conditions is observed.     

燃煤电厂大气污染物排放考核时间间隔的建议

新的《火电厂大气污染物排放标准》和新《环境保护法》实施后,燃煤火电企业的依法治企自觉性不断提高,但由于不同的环保管理文件对超标处罚依据和处罚手段不同,造成政府对企业处罚的自由裁量权加大,对企业造成一定的压力与困惑。结合企业实际运行情况对燃煤电厂大气污染物排放考核时间间隔提出建议。     

广西春旱的时空分布特征及成因分析

利用广西具有气候代表性的32个站点1961-2007年逐日降水量资料,引入季节无雨日作为划分干旱的标准,采用EOF分析等方法,分析了广西春旱的时空分布特征;并用NCEP再分析资料、NOAA海温资料、国家气候中心的74项环流特征量资料等,对广西春旱的成因进行了分析。结果表明:从时间变化看,广西春旱的趋势变化不明显,主要以年际、年代际变化为主,从空间分布看,广西春旱以全区一致性型为主要空间分布型;在春旱年,广西上空对流层低层出现偏南-西南气流距平强辐散异常,伴随有明显的水汽通量辐散异常,同时东亚大槽偏弱,阿留申低压明显减弱,中纬度大陆高压减弱,中高纬环流平直,不利于冷空气南下华南;广西春旱年前冬阿留申低压明显增强,大陆高压也增强,冷空气活动频繁,当前冬印缅槽偏弱时,广西春季发生干旱的可能性较大。     

景观锚链的近海大气腐蚀调查研究

在2007年3月对暴露于湛江观海长廊近8年的景观锚链进行了大气腐蚀调查和研究.现场调查结果显示,各站点锚链均受到不同程度的腐蚀,锈层呈黄褐色,站点2和站点3的锈层易剥落.锚链的扫描电镜结果表明,外表面锈层疏松多孔,并伴有大量的裂纹,内表面局部存在大量诱导腐蚀发生的微孔,表面锈层中均含有S元素和Cl元素.红外光谱分析结果显示,锚链表面锈层均有α-FeOOH.大气湿热气候、高含量的Cl-和H2S是锚链钢严重腐蚀及发生块状开裂的主要因素.     

2A12铝合金在模拟溶液中的周浸腐蚀行为

采用干湿周浸实验、失重法和电化学阻抗谱研究了2A12铝合金在0.6mol/L NaCl和0.6mol/L NaCl 0.02mol/L NaHSO3两种溶液中的腐蚀行为与规律, 利用扫描电镜(SEM)、能谱(EDX)和红外光谱(FTIR) 观察分析腐蚀产物表面形貌、结构和组成,测试了材料的力学性能.研究表明,随腐蚀时间的延长,腐蚀产物不断增多,失重增加,力学性能下降,阻抗模值逐渐减小;腐蚀产物形貌以团状和块状为主,在0.6mol/L NaCl溶液中腐蚀产物主要为铝的氯化物和氧化铝,在0.6mol/L NaCl 0.02mol/L NaHSO3溶液中腐蚀产物主要为氧化铝、铝的硫酸盐水合物和铝的氯化物;由于NaCl和NaHSO3共同作用,2A12合金在0.6mol/L NaCl 0.02mol/L NaHSO3溶液中腐蚀电流密度高,阻抗模值相对较小,腐蚀速率较高,腐蚀后失重大,力学性能下降幅度较大,腐蚀更严重.     

SO2在碳钢初期大气腐蚀中的作用

通过自建的模拟大气腐蚀系统,借助金相显微镜、扫描电镜(SEM/EDX)、X-射线衍射(XRD)和x-射线光电子能谱(XPS),研究了SO2对碳钢初期大气腐蚀行为的影响,并进一步用原子力显微镜从更微观的角度观察了在SO2环境中初期阶段腐蚀形貌变化.研究结果表明:在SO2污染大气环境中,随SO2浓度的升高碳钢腐蚀加快.在体积分数为5×10(-6)SO2的大气环境中,碳钢和耐候钢表面腐蚀主要以条状物生长,随着SO2浓度的升高,腐蚀产物的形貌发生改变,在体积分数为5×10(-5)SO2的大气环境中,条状锈和胞状锈同时生长.在锈层中S元素以FeSO4·4H2O的形式存在,腐蚀产物中还有γ-FeOOH.SO2在初期阶段加速了碳钢的腐蚀,降低了碳钢的耐蚀性.     

火电厂烟气排放对广州大气环境的影响

广州市是酸雨、可吸入颗粒物污染严重的地区之一,这与其能源结构以煤为主有关.广州发电厂以燃煤为主,其周围大气采样数据分析显示燃煤电厂可对周围大气环境造成较大影响,是酸雨前体物、可吸入颗粒物的主要排放源.酸雨破坏了生态环境,也阻碍了经济的发展;燃煤排放的烟尘细颗粒物属于可吸入颗粒物,其上附着的As、Cr等微量元素多为致癌物质和致基因毒性诱变物质,对周围居民的健康危害极大.最后, 对当前的环境保护工作及存在的问题进行了阐述.     

Impacts of Upstream Building Width and Upwind Building Arrangements on Airflow and Pollutant Dispersion in a Street Canyon

A two-dimensional numerical model for evaluating the wind flow and pollutant dispersion within a street canyon was first developed using the FLUENT code, which was then validated against a wind tunnel experiment. Then, the effects of the upstream building width and upwind building arrangement on the airflow and pollutant dispersion inside an isolated street canyon were investigated numerically. The numerical results revealed that: (1) the in-canyon vortex center shifts downwards as the upstream building width increases; (2) the recirculation zone covers the entire upstream building roof for the cases when W/H = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 (W is the upstream building width and H is the building height), whereas the flow reattaches the upstream building roof for the cases when W/H = 2.5 and 3.0; (3) when the upstream building width is shorter than the critical width W_C (= 2H), an increase in the upstream building width leads to an increase in the pollution level on the leeward wall of the canyon and a decrease in the roof-level concentrations at the upstream building; (4) when the upstream building width is longer than the critical width, the roof-level concentrations at the upstream building are negligibly small and the pollution level on the leeward wall of the canyon is almost unaffected by a further increase in the upstream building width; (5) when the buildings are placed upwind of the canyon, the flow attaches the upstream building roof and, therefore, almost none of the pollutants are distributed on the upstream building roof; and (6) the pollution levels inside the canyon and on the downstream building roof increase significantly with the number of upwind buildings.