Identification of pakchoi cultivars with low cadmium accumulation and soil factors that affect their cadmium uptake and translocation

The selection and use of low-Cd-accumulating cultivar （LCAC） has been proposed as one of the promising approaches in minimizing the entry of Cd in the human food chain. This study suggests a screening criterion of LCACs focusing on food safety. Pot culture and plot experiments were conducted to screen out LCACs from 35 pakchoi cultivars and to identify the crucial soil factors that affect Cd accumulation in LCACs. Results of the pot culture experiment showed that shoot Cd concentrations under the three Cd treatments significantly varied across cultivars. Two cultivars, Hualv 2 and Huajun 2, were identified as LCACs because their shoot Cd concentrations were lower than 0.2 mg. kg-1 under low Cd treatment and high Cd exposure did not affect the biomass of their shoots. The plot experiment further confirmed the consistency and genotypic stability of the low-Cd- accumulating traits of the two LCACs under various soil conditions. Results also showed that soil phosphorus availability was the most important soil factor in the Cd accumulation of pakchoi, which related negatively not only to Cd uptake by root but also to Cd translocation from root to shoot. The total Cd accumulation and translocation rates were lower in the LCACs than in the high-Cd cultivar, suggesting that Cd accumulation in different cultivars is associated with the Cd uptake by root as well as translocation from root to shoot. This study proves the feasibility of the application of the LCAC strategy in pakchoi cultivation to cope with Cd contamination in agricultural soils.     

Major accident management in the process industry: An expert tool called CESMA for intelligent allocation of prevention investments

A tool (called CESMA) was developed to carry out cost–benefit analyses and cost-effectiveness analyses of prevention investments for avoiding major accidents. A wide variety of parameters necessary to calculate both the costs of the considered preventive measures and the benefits related with the avoidance of accidents were identified in the research. The benefits are determined by estimating the difference in (hypothetical) major accident costs without and with the implementation of a preventive measure. As many relevant costs and benefits as possible were included into the tool, based on literature and expert opinion, in order to be able to deliver an all-embracing cost–benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis to assist in the investment decision process. Because major accidents are related to extremely low frequencies, the tool takes the uncertainty of the unwanted occurrence of a major accident into account through the usage of a so-called ‘disproportion factor’. Compared with existing software, the CESMA tool is innovative by striving for an as-accurate-as-possible picture of costs and benefits of major accident prevention, and taking the uncertainties accompanying disastrous events into consideration. Furthermore, an illustrative example of CESMA is presented in the paper.     

有色金属冶炼区铊(Tl)的水环境分布特征与环境对策--以大冶冶炼厂地区的东岗河为例

以大冶冶炼厂地区的东岗河为例,分析有色金属冶炼区铊的水环境分布特征,结果表明：河水中的铊含量明显异常(严重污染区的平均含量为15．07ng／mL。远超过饮用水源水中铊的最高允许浓度0．1ng／mL)．且与水体pH值、Cu^2 、Pb^2 等含量显著相关;铊与Pb等亲铜元素呈类质同像。宏观上与方铅矿、闪锌矿、黄铁矿、黄铜矿等伴生．因此后者成为研究区铊的重要来源。最后,对铊所造成的环境危害效应．提出相应的解决对策,并提醒人们提高对铊污染的警惕性以及加深对铊的研究。     

乌鲁木齐市重污染天气与气象因素变化的影响分析

利用乌鲁木齐市近年来的空气污染监测资料和同期气象观测资料,研究乌鲁木齐市重污染天气的变化特征及其与气象条件的关系,并从气象特点、局地因子等方面的变化分析污染严重的成因,进一步研究造成重污染的物理机制,为今后乌鲁木齐市空气污染综合治理提供科学依据与建议。     

磷元素在饮用水生物处理中的限制因子作用

应用细菌生长潜力(BGP)法,考察了磷元素在淮河流域某地面水厂饮用水生物处理工艺中的限制因子作用原水添加50μg·L^-1KH₂PO₄-P后,BGP可以提高54%,添加其它无机元素和添加磷元素对BGP的影响没有显著差异;原水添加20mg·L^-1C₆H₁₂O₆对BGP的影响要小于添加50μg·L^-1KH₂PO₄-P的影响;原水添加磷后生物滤池对COD_Mn的去除率比对照生物滤池提高了7.5%,其出水明显表现为碳限制型,对照生物滤池出水则为磷限制型.结果说明磷元素是该水厂饮用水生物处理的限制因子,且限制作用强于碳元素,可以通过外加磷源的方法提高饮用水生物处理工艺对有机物的去除效率.     

蚊香和佛香燃烧过程中苯系物的排放研究

利用小型烟雾箱对6种市售蚊香和5种佛香燃烧过程进行采样研究,定量分析释放的5种苯系物(苯、甲苯、乙苯、对/间二甲苯、邻二甲苯),利用单室质量平衡模型分别计算排放系数.结果表明,蚊香和佛香的不同品牌之间苯系物的排放系数相差较大,蚊香中5种苯系物的平均排放因子分别是77,101,94,250,94μg/g,佛香中5种苯系物的平均排放因子依次是732,598,2084,2349,221μg/g.蚊香与佛香燃烧释放物中含量最高的苯系物均是间/对二甲苯,分别占总含量的41%、39%.取测得的最大排放速率,采用室内空气质量模型模拟一般条件下蚊香和佛香燃烧释放苯系物对室内空气的影响,分析结果显示,燃烧蚊香造成室内苯、甲苯和乙苯的最大模拟浓度分别是31,45,86μg/m3,燃烧佛香造成室内苯、甲苯和乙苯的最大模拟浓度为65,66,187μg/m3.     

The correlation of total and extractable heavy metals from soil and domestic sewage sludge and their transfer to maize ( Zea mays L.) plants

A study to understand the mobility and transport of heavy metals (HMs) from soil and soil amended with sewage sludge to maize plants was carried out. The total and ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid (EDTA)-extractable HMs in agricultural soil and untreated domestic sewage sludge samples, and the correlation between the total and extractable metals in soil and sewage sludge were carried out. Pot experiments were performed to study the transfer of HMs to maize grains, grown in soil (control) and in soil amended with sewage sludge (test samples). The total and extractable HMs in soil, sewage sludge, and maize grains were analysed by FAAS/ETAAS (flame atomic absorption spectrometer/electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer) after digestion in microwave oven. Statistically significant correlations were obtained between the total contents of Cu, Cd, As and their respective extractable fractions in soil, while in domestic wastewater sludge (DWS) the better correlation was observed only for Ni and Cd. The edible part of maize plants (grains) from test samples presented high concentration of Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cu, As, and Cr concentrations (80.7–85.6, 3.8–3.95, 2.35–2.5, 0.75–0.82, 3.21–3.29, 0.23–0.27, and 0.22–0.29?mg?kg^?1, respectively). Good correlations were found between metals in exchangeable fractions of both soil and DWS and total metals in control and test samples of maize grains. The transfer factor of all HMs from DWS to maize grains was also determined.     

Standard purity and response factors of perfluorinated compounds

It has been reported that the relative response factors of isotopically labeled standards and unlabeled standards of the same perfluorinated compounds could be different. Individual (100 ng mL^?1) solutions of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry under negative-ion electrospray to detect any impurities present down to 0.5%–0.1% relative to the major component. Purity of the standards ranged from approximately 86% to ≥ 97%. Standard solutions of unlabeled and isotopically labeled materials were analyzed to compare the response factors of isotopically labeled analytes versus their nonlabeled counterparts in three different matrices at equivalent concentrations: organic solvent (methanol), serum extract, and water present individually and concurrently. Not all labeled analytes have the same response factor as their nonlabeled complement, and in at least one case the matrix in which the standard is present may cause significant suppression of response. Standard solutions of electrochemical fluorination produced PFOA and PFOS were quantified under multiple reaction monitoring mode, using calibration curves prepared from standards consisting primarily of linear standards only. The use of linear only standards may cause under-prediction of concentrations, and that the working range of these standards may be limited.     

Predicting the acute lethality of a chlorinated benzene mixture in soils: a comparison of solid-phase microextraction,body residue,and solvent extraction techniques

When predicting the adverse effect(s) of chemical pollution on an exposed organism, a measurement of body residue is often considered a more accurate estimate of dose than those estimates derived from a solvent extraction or solid-phase microextraction of the polluted exposure medium. The magnitude of this perceived difference in accuracy, and thus the accuracy of the corresponding toxicity prediction, were investigated in the present two-phase study. In Phase I, an acute lethality response was correlated with dose estimates derived from body residue, solvent extraction, and SPME. In Phase II, acute lethality was predicted from Phase I data. The accuracy of Phase II toxicity predictions was determined by comparing predicted mortality to observed mortality. Although this study revealed that body residue indeed provided the most accurate prediction of toxicity, the margin of this comparatively greater accuracy suggests that alternative methods may provide equally viable dose estimates and, subsequently, equally viable toxicity predictions.     

Rainwater composition as a function of the cloud type

The influence of the type of clouds that produce precipitation in the rainwater composition was analyzed. Logroño, a remote station in the North of Spain was chosen for the analyses. Results prove that the rainwater composition from Cumulonimbus is different to the composition of the rainwater from the other clouds. In addition, the source of NO₃ ^? and SO₄ ^2? is studied in the different types of clouds. It is shown that the source is the soil except Stratocumulus formed from Cumulus in which the source is the gas‐particle conversion.