Environmental site assessments and audits: Building inspection requirements

Environmental site assessment criteria were originally developed by organizations that focused, almost exclusively, on surface, subsurface, and pollution source contamination. Many of the hazards associated with indoor environments and building structures were traditionally not considered when evaluating sources and entities of environmental pollution. Since a large number of building materials are potentially hazardous, careful evaluation is necessary. Until recently, little information on building inspection requirements of environmental problems has been published. Traditionally, asbestos has been the main component of concern. The ever-changing environmental standards have dramatically expanded the scope of building surveys. Indoor environmental concerns, for example, currently include formaldehyde, lead-based paint, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon, and indoor air pollution. Environmental regulations are being expanded and developed that specifically include building structures. These regulatory standards are being triggered by an increased awareness of health effects from indoor exposure, fires, spills, and other accidents that have resulted in injury, death, and financial loss. This article discusses various aspects of assessments for building structures.     

广州地区孕妇羊水中PCBs暴露水平初步研究

随机采集广州地区非职业PCBs(polychlorinated biphenyls,多氯联苯)暴露单胎孕妇分娩时羊水,分析羊水中PCBs浓度水平;结合孕妇临床资料(年龄、孕周、身体质量指数(body mass index,BMI))以及孕妇居住环境信息等,阐明了广州地区非职业暴露孕妇羊水PCBs蓄积的影响因素。结果表明,∑33PCBs浓度为15.91-324.38 ng·g-1,平均值为114.34±83.52 ng·g-1,中值为84.8 5ng·g-1;其中十氯含量最低,平均浓度为2.66±3.46 ng·g-1,中值为1.47 ng·g-1;六氯PCBs含量最高,平均浓度为28.79±33.84 ng·g-1,中值为17.48 ng·g-1。样本中有31种PCBs同分异构体在孕妇羊水中检出,分别为PCB 8、28、30、49、52、70、74、77、82、87、99、101、105、114、118、126、128、138、153、156、158、166、169、170、179、180、183、187、189、198和209;羊水主要的PCBs暴露以五氯PCBs、六氯PCBs和七氯PCBs为主,主要的同分异构体为PCB 138(4.73%)、179(4.15%)、153(3.92%)、183(3.89%)、166(3.77%)、187(3.74%)以及180(3.67%);暴露水平与美国、西班牙、加拿大等地区相比属于严重水平。统计结果显示,年龄、身体质量指数和孕周与PCBs蓄积有显著性正相关关系;工业区居住的孕妇相与非工业区居住孕妇相比,上述统计结果更为显著。     

被动加标在水生生态风险评价中的应用——以多氯联苯分配系数的测定为例

准确的水生生态风险评价需要可靠的毒性数据,而其获取要求在一定时间范围内,水体中污染物的浓度保持恒定。对疏水性有机污染物进行水体生物毒性测试时,通常采用有机溶剂加标,然而该方式可能因为污染物的挥发和降解、容器壁吸附、生物摄取等问题,水体中污染物浓度持续下降,导致污染物的浓度-效应关系难以明确。近期为了克服这些问题,被动加标用于替代溶剂加标,通过污染物在加标体系中平衡分配来维持精确和恒定的水体浓度,同时还可通过测定加标聚合物中污染物的浓度来监测水体浓度。首先介绍了被动加标方法及其材料选择,讨论了该方法在生态风险评价中的主要应用,包括分配系数的测定、体外细胞测试、体内生物积累及毒性测试,以及沉积物毒性评价等。然后,以测定代表污染物多氯联苯在聚二甲基硅氧烷与水间的分配系数为例,详细说明被动加标的操作流程。最后,讨论了被动加标方法的优缺点,并对其在水生生态风险中的应用前景进行了展望。     

北江中上游地表水和沉积物中PAHs和PCBs污染特征和风险评估

采用气相色谱-质谱法（GC-MS）测定了北江中上游流域地表水和沉积物样品中多环芳烃（PAHs）和多氯联苯（PCBs）类污染物的含量,分析了PAHs和PCBs的污染水平和空间分布,并评估了污染物的健康风险和生态风险.结果表明,16种PAHs单体在所有水样和沉积物样品中均被检出,检出范围分别为41.82~443.04 ng·L^-1和59.58~635.73 ng·g^-1,北江中上游PAHs的污染水平为中、轻度.水中PAHs以二环芳烃和三环芳烃为主,沉积物中以三环芳烃和四环芳烃为主.在水样中检出了17种PCBs,浓度范围0.81~287.50 ng·L^-1,以六氯联苯和七氯联苯为主;沉积物中检出了8种PCBs,含量范围0.13~3.96 ng·g^-1,以五氯联苯和七氯联苯为主.整个调查区域内地表水中PAHs和PCBs的终生致癌风险指数小于10^-4,处于中、低水平;非致癌风险指数均小于1,不存在非致癌风险.采用风险商值（RQ）法对地表水中污染物进行生态风险评价,研究区域内地表水中PAHs和PCBs生态风险总体处于中低风险水平,个别点位存在重度风险的污染物单体,值得引起重视.采用沉积物质量基准法（SQGs）对沉积物中污染物进行生态风险评估,沉积物中PAHs和PCBs均处于较低的生态风险水平.     

Levels of Persistent Organochlorine Residues in Eggs of Greater Flamingos from the Guadalquivir Marshes (Doñana), Spain

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residue levels were determined in 53 unhatched eggs from greater roseus flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). Eggs were collected in 1996 from the National Park of Doñana (Guadalquivir marshes, Southwest Spain), immediately after one breeding colony abandoned the nesting site due to predator attacks. The main metabolite of p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, was the OCP residue found at higher concentrations, with a geometric mean of 721 ng/g wet weight. Residues of other pesticides, including some hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, aldrin, heptachlor, and heptachlor-epoxide, were detected at much lower concentrations. The sum of PCBs was 528 ng/g, with PCB congeners #187 and #153 being the most prominent in eggs. The pattern observed in these compounds of industrial origin corresponded more to Aroclor 1260 than to any other commercial mixture. Levels of organochlorine residues indicate a medium degree of exposure, and they are not considered of any concern for the flamingo population. In particular, neither p,p′-DDE nor PCB levels were found to be correlated with the eggshell thickness.     

青海省西宁市和天峻县大气颗粒物中有机氯农药和类二噁英多氯联苯的水平与分布

本研究测定了青海省西宁市与海西蒙古族藏族自治州天峻县夏、冬两季大气颗粒物中有机氯农药(OCPs)和类二噁英多氯联苯(DL-PCBs)的浓度水平.结果表明,青海省大气颗粒物中OCPs主要为DDTs、HCHs.西宁市DDTs和HCHs的平均水平分别为:35 pg·m-3、5.9 pg·m-3(夏季)和93 pg·m-3、11 pg·m-3(冬季),天峻县DDTs和HCHs的平均水平分别为:83pg·m-3、6.4 pg·m-3(夏季)和28 pg·m-3、6.7 pg·m-3(冬季).与亚洲其它地区相比,青海省大气颗粒物中OCPs处于较低水平.西宁市大气颗粒物中DL-PCBs的平均水平分别为:0.52 pg·m-3(夏季),0.99 pg·m-3(冬季),天峻县为:0.58 pg·m-3(夏季)、0.52 pg·m-3(冬季).西宁市夏、冬两季OCPs的平均水平均大于天峻县,而两地DL-PCBs的平均水平相当.本研究中高原地区DL-PCBs的分布特点及变化规律与极地地区的研究相比存在一定的相似性,而DDTs和HCHs则存在差异性.     

Chemical dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from dielectric oils

We studied the chemical dechlorination of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in some dielectric oils via nucleophilic substitution of the chloro atoms by polyethylene alkoxide. The influence of temperature, ultrasounds, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and base type was investigated. Our findings show that dechlorination of PCBs by chemical treatment is effective at moderate temperature (90–100°C) and is strongly dependent on the nature of matrix oil. Stirring affects the process yield by influencing the homogeneity of the oil/glycol two-phase system. Ultrasounds can improve the process efficiency by making operating conditions less severe. Selected article from the 6th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro organized by Prof. Dr. Branimir Jovancicevic ().     

Examination of dioxin fluxes recorded in dated aquatic-sediment cores in the Kanto region of Japan using multivariate data analysis

Past dioxin (coplanar polychlorinated biphenyl (Co-PCB), 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDF)) fluxes recorded in dated aquatic-sediment cores were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The data set consisted of samples from four cores collected from the Kanto region of Japan. Time trends and spatial differences in the dioxin flux were examined, and the potential relationship to emission sources was investigated. Twenty-five compounds and 58 core slices, corresponding to the later half of the 20th century, were subjected to the analysis. The PCA of both log-transformed and maximum-value-standardized data successfully divided the dioxin compounds into a small number of groups, and three similar clusters of Co-PCBs, PCDDs and penta- to hepta-CDFs were identified. PCB formulations used in the past are judged to have been responsible for the major part of the Co-PCB flux recorded in the sediment cores. However, the relationship to emission sources needs further investigation. It is suggested that most 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDDs and PCDFs are different from Co-PCBs in their emission sources or movements in the environment. The subcore clusters obtained from the PCA of log-transformed data show that the cores from different sampling areas exhibited distinct dioxin fluxes and compositions. Common time trends among the cores were more effectively summarized by the PCA of maximum-value-standardized data focusing on relative time trends. PC scores show that recently the flux of each dioxin compound in the four cores has been generally declining after having reached a peak.     

Decreased blood level of β2-microglobulin in the employees of a factory which produced polychlorinated biphenyls

Under the project of evaluating the health status of the employees of CHEMKO factory (East Slovakia) which produced PCBs between 1955 and 1985, the level of β₂-microglobulin (β₂-m) was measured in the serum of 242 subjects from CHEMKO (Group A) and two control groups from much less polluted areas: 1. 277 females from a small mountainous village (Group B), 2. 179 adults from the area of a large city of Ko ice (Group C). The level of thymidine kinase (TK) was measured in the groups A and B only. In addition, age-matched groups of 155 women each from all areas were evaluated. In both the whole group and the age-matched group from CHEMKO the level of β₂-m was significantly lower (P<0.001) than that in the respective control groups, while no difference was found in the level of TK. In conclusion, it is suggested that the decrease of β₂-m in CHEMKO employees might be related to the immunotoxic effects of organochlorines.