河南某市驾校地表灰尘多环芳烃组成、来源与健康风险

采集河南省某市29所驾校的地表灰尘样品,应用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)测定样品中16种优控PAHs含量,用终生致癌风险增量模型(ILCR)评价灰尘PAHs不同暴露情景下(情景1、2、3分别为驾校工作5 a、10 a和20 a)的健康风险,用比值法、成分谱法和主成分因子载荷法揭示PAHs来源.结果表明,驾校灰尘ΣPAHs含量在198.21~3 400.89μg·kg-1之间,平均908.72μg·kg-1.单体PAHs含量较高的是萘、菲、蒽、荧蒽,含量最低的是二苯并[a,h]蒽,低环PAHs占ΣPAHs的55.79%,高环占44.21%.3种情景下的平均健康风险为情景3(3.71×10-7)情景2(1.85×10-7)情景1(9.27×10-8),只有一个驾校(J11)在情景3存在潜在健康风险,其他情景下均无风险.皮肤接触灰尘是最主要的PAHs暴露途径,其占总风险的64.21%;其次是误食途径,占总风险的33.04%;吸入途径可忽略不计.驾校灰尘PAHs主要来源为化石燃料不完全燃烧源和混合源,农田区驾校灰尘PAHs的柴油/天然气动力车排放源、燃煤源和汽油车排放源贡献率分别为56.44%、26.55%和17.01%,工业区驾校混合源、汽油车和炼焦/燃煤排放源贡献率分别为76.26%、22.85%和0.89%,混合区驾校燃煤源、天然气/柴油动力车排放源和汽油车排放源的贡献率分别为45.57%、45.41%和9.02%.灰尘PAHs含量及健康风险与其周边环境、前期土地利用状况密切相关.     

高架道路周边建筑物灰尘重金属污染风险:以常州市为例

在常州环城高架道路两侧6个住宅小区不同楼层采集126个灰尘样品,测定Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、Ni和Cr含量,分析其化学形态和垂直分布特征,采用富集系数和风险评价指数评价其污染程度和生物有效性,并进行潜在生态风险评价和健康风险评价.结果表明,灰尘中Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、Ni和Cr含量均值分别为181.95、709.99、211.24、2.76、101.59和257.55mg·kg-1,均远大于背景值.灰尘中Cd的富集系数为33.05,富集程度为强烈,Cu、Pb和Zn的富集程度为显著富集,它们可能受到自然源、交通源和区域废气传输的综合影响,Ni和Cr富集系数较低,可能主要受自然源影响.随楼层高度的上升,Cd含量呈增加趋势,Pb和Zn含量呈先增加后降低趋势,Cu含量无显著变化.Zn、Cd、Cu和Pb主要以活性态存在,生物有效性较高,Ni和Cr以残渣态为主,生物有效性较低.改进的潜在生态风险评价结果表明,Cd的潜在生态风险极高,对多元素的潜在生态风险起主导作用,且对高层楼的潜在生态风险较大,其它重金属潜在生态风险为中低级.健康风险评价结果表明,Cr对儿童的致癌风险超过安全阈值,其它重金属对成人与儿童致癌风险及非致癌风险均在安全域之内.     

基于Monte Carlo模拟法对水源水体中微囊藻毒素的健康风险评估

调查水源水体中微囊藻毒素MCs(MC-RR、MC-LR和MC-YR)的污染情况,结合调查情况应用蒙特卡洛法(Monte Carlo)模拟量化人群通过饮水途径摄入微囊藻毒素的风险.在珠江西航道沿线设置5个采样点,在2016年1~6月期间共采集90份水样,根据国标(GB/T 20466-2006)推荐的HPLC方法检测水体中的微囊藻毒素,运用专业风险评估软件@Risk7.0,构建非参数概率评估模型,对通过饮水途径摄入微囊藻毒素(暴露)风险进行概率评估.对随机采集90份水源水体中微囊藻毒素MCs质量浓度检测值进行分布拟合,并运用Chi-Squared、Anderson-Darling、Kolmogorov-Smirnov这3种统计方法进行拟合度检验,根据3种评估拟合结果,确定最佳拟合分布模型.结果表明,在检测的90个水样品中,MC-RR的检出率最高,达到51.11%,质量浓度范围为0.001 7~0.386 3μg·L~(-1);其次为MC-LR和MC-YR,检出率分别是47.78%和21.11%,质量浓度范围分别是0.028 5~0.279 6μg·L~(-1)和0.003 0~0.136 2μg·L~(-1),水源水体中3种微囊藻毒素以MC-RR为主,最大检出质量浓度为0.386 3μg·L~(-1),MC-YR的含量最低.采用软件@Risk7.0分布拟合结果显示,MC-LR质量浓度最适的拟合分布为Ext Value Min模型(0.113 91,0.098 462),MC-RR质量浓度最适的拟合分布为Logistic(0.058 064,0.053 044).健康风险评估表明,MC-LR对人体健康危害的风险高于MC-RR的风险,儿童比成人更易于受到MCs污染的威胁.MC-LR对儿童健康危害的致癌年风险数值大于美国环保署(USEPA)推荐的最大可接受风险水平1×10-4;MC-LR对成人的致癌暴露年风险数值大于国际辐射防护委员会(ICRP)推荐的最大可接受风险水平5×10-5,表明水源水体中的MCs对人体健康存在潜在的危害,有必要加强饮用水源水体的保护与监控,为有效控制水源地水质污染和更好地保障人民健康奠定基础.     

江汉湖群典型湖泊生态系统健康评价——以梁子湖、洪湖、长湖、斧头湖、武湖为例

湖泊生态系统健康评价对湖泊生态健康状况评定、环境问题诊断和湖泊生态系统管理具有重要意义.根据江汉湖群实际情况和生态特点,选取江汉湖群五大湖泊—梁子湖、长湖、洪湖、斧头湖和武湖为研究对象,采用野外调查、资料收集并结合GIS技术的研究方法,从生物、水质、生境特征及生态压力4个方面选择15个代表性评价指标,构建江汉湖群典型湖泊生态系统健康评价指标体系,并利用基于模糊综合评价模型的评价方法,对江汉湖群五大湖泊生态系统健康进行评价.结果表明,江汉湖群五大湖泊生态健康综合评价得分值为5.47~7.46,梁子湖得分最高,其余依次为斧头湖、洪湖、长湖和武湖.从湖泊生态系统健康等级看,五大湖泊中梁子湖和斧头湖处于比较健康状态,而洪湖、长湖和武湖处于亚健康状态.通过实例分析表明,本研究建立的湖泊生态系统健康评价方法能够较客观系统地评价江汉湖群生态系统健康状况,具有较高的可行性和可靠性,可作为江汉湖群健康诊断的评价方法.本文研究结果可为江汉湖群的分类管理提供较为重要的参考依据.     

新民市柳河水源地水环境健康风险评价

为了评价新民柳河水源地的供水安全,简要介绍水环境健康风险评价基本方法的基础上,建立了水环境健康风险评价模式.研究结果表明:①柳河水源地地面水基因毒物质为优先控制污染物;而地下水应着力控制躯体毒物质.②对于基因毒物质,监测断面优先控制污染物为As和Cr;而对于躯体毒物质,所有监测断面的优先控制污染物均为氨.③在所有监测断面中,柳河上断面等6处有毒污染物所致健康危害的个人年总风险数量级为10-5-10-4.在日后的管理过程中,应对这6处加大治理力度.④目前环境健康风险评价还没有包括在常规环境评价工作中,建议在今后的评价工作中应该逐步开展这方面的工作,以提高供水安全.     

Empirical and simulated critical loads for nitrogen deposition in California mixed conifer forests

Empirical critical loads (CL) for N deposition were determined from changes in epiphytic lichen communities, elevated NO(3)(-) leaching in streamwater, and reduced fine root biomass in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) at sites with varying N deposition. The CL for lichen community impacts of 3.1kg ha(-1) year(-1) is expected to protect all components of the forest ecosystem from the adverse effects of N deposition. Much of the western Sierra Nevada is above the lichen-based CL, showing significant changes in lichen indicator groups. The empirical N deposition threshold and that simulated by the DayCent model for enhanced NO(3)(-)leaching were 17kg N ha(-1) year(-1). DayCent estimated that elevated NO(3)(-) leaching in the San Bernardino Mountains began in the late 1950s. Critical values for litter C:N (34.1), ponderosa pine foliar N (1.1%), and N concentrations (1.0%) in the lichen Letharia vulpina ((L.) Hue) are indicative of CL exceedance.     

Humic substances

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Freshwater bodies which chemistry is dominated by dissolved humic substances (HS) seem to be the major type on Earth, due to huge non-calcareous geological formations in the Northern Hemisphere and in the tropics. Based on the paradigm of the inertness of being organic, direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms are mostly neglected. However, dissolved organic carbon, the majority of which being HS, are natural environmental chemicals and should therefore directly interact with organisms. Major results that widened our perspective on humic substance ecology come from experiments with the compost nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, which behaved contradictorily to textbook knowledge and provoked an in-depth re-consideration of some paradigms. APPROACH: To overcome old paradigms on HS and their potential interactions with organisms, we reviewed recent international literature, as well as 'grey' literature. We also include results from own ongoing studies. RESULTS: This review focuses on direct interactions of dissolved HS with freshwater organisms and disregards indirect effects, such as under-water light quenching. Instead we show with some macrophyte and algal species that HS adversely interfere with photosynthesis and growth, whereby closely related algal species show different response patterns. In addition to this, HS suppress cyanobacteria more than eukaryotic algae. Quinones in the HS appear to be the effective structure. Furthermore, HS can modulate the offspring numbers in the nematode C. elegans and cause feminization of fish and amphibians--they possess hormone-like properties. The ecological consequences of this potential remain obscure at present. HS also have the potential to act as chemical attractants as shown with C. elegans and exert a mild chemical stress upon aquatic organisms in many ways: induction of molecular chaperons (stress proteins), induction and modulation of biotransformation and anti-oxidant enzymes. Furthermore, they produce an oxidative stress with lipidperoxidation as one clear symptom or even stress defense strategy. Stronger chemical stresses by HS may even lead to teratogenic effects as shown with fish embryos; all physiological responses to HS-mediated stress require energy, which were compensated on the expense of yolk as shown with zebra fish embryos. One Finnish field survey supports the view of a strong chemical stress, as the weight yield in fish species decreases with increasing HS content in the lakes. DISCUSSION: HS exert a variety of stress symptoms in aquatic and compost organisms. According to current paradigms of ecotoxicology, these symptoms have to be considered adverse, because their compensation consumes energy which is deducted from the main metabolism. However, the nematode C. elegans looks actively for such stressful environments, and this behavior is only understandable in the light of new paradigms of aging mechanisms, particularly the Green Theory of Aging. In this respect, we discuss the mild HS-mediated stress to aquatic and compost organisms. New empirical findings with HS themselves and HS building blocks appear to be consistent with this emerging paradigm and show that the individual lifespan may be expanded. At present the ecological consequences of these findings remain obscure. However, a multiple-stress resistance may be acquired which improves the individual fitness in a fluctuating environment. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that dissolved HS have to be considered abiotic ecological driving forces, somewhat less obvious than temperature, nutrients, or light. PERSPECTIVES: The understanding of the ecological control by dissolved humic substances is still fragmentary and needs to be studied in more details.     

Comparison of forest edge effects on throughfall deposition in different forest types

This study examined the influence of distance to the forest edge, forest type, and time on Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, and NH₄⁺ throughfall deposition in forest edges. The forests were dominated by pedunculate oak, silver birch, or Corsican/Austrian pine, and were situated in two regions of Flanders (Belgium). Along transects, throughfall deposition was monitored at distances of 0-128 m from the forest edge. A repeated-measures analysis demonstrated that time, forest type, and distance to the forest edge significantly influenced throughfall deposition of the ions studied. The effect of distance to the forest edge depended significantly on forest type in the deposition of Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, and NO₃⁻: the edge effect was significantly greater in pine stands than in deciduous birch and oak stands. This finding supports the possibility of converting pine plantations into oak or birch forests in order to mitigate the input of nitrogen and potentially acidifying deposition.     

Children and the Sphere standard on mental and social aspects of health

Most of the world's children live in resource-poor countries where people are at a relatively high risk of exposure to catastrophic situations arising from conflict and natural disasters.(6) Given the potential social, psychological and psychiatric consequences of exposure to disaster, mental health and psychosocial support programmes are increasingly part of humanitarian aid. A minimum standard on mental and social aspects of health is included in the recently revised Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere Handbook) (Sphere Project, 2004). Most recommendations for mental health and psychosocial interventions in guidance documents are based on expert opinion rather than research. Consequently, interventions are being implemented without full understanding of their potential benefit or harm. This paper offers a child-focused review of the evidence for each of the interventions described as indicators for the Sphere standard on mental and social aspects of health. It suggests some, but limited, support for each of them. However, the evidence base needs substantial strengthening.     

Review of the effects of in-stream pipeline crossing construction on aquatic ecosystems and examination of Canadian methodologies for impact assessment

Pipeline crossing construction alters river and stream channels, hence may have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. This review examines the effects of crossing construction on fish and fish habitat in rivers and streams, and recommends an approach to monitoring and assessment of impacts associated with these activities. Pipeline crossing construction is shown to not only compromise the integrity of the physical and chemical nature of fish habitat, but also to affect biological habitat (e.g., benthic invertebrates and invertebrate drift), and fish behavior and physiology. Indicators of effect include: water quality (total suspended solids TSS), physical habitat (substrate particle size, channel morphology), benthic invertebrate community structure and drift (abundance, species composition, diversity, standing crop), and fish behavior and physiology (hierarchy, feeding, respiration rate, loss of equilibrium, blood hematocrit and leukocrit levels, heart rate and stroke volume). The Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) approach, which is often applied in Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM), is recommended as a basis for impact assessment, as is consideration of site-specific sensitivities, assessment of significance, and cumulative effects.