健康风险评估方法在中国重金属污染中的应用及暴露评估模型的研究进展

经济的快速发展导致中国环境质量日趋恶化.随着健康意识的增强,人们越来越重视污染物暴露人群的健康风险评估.与其他污染物相比,重金属污染区域广,重金属暴露人群多且集中.为了研究重金属暴露条件下人群的健康风险,USEPA 模型、统计模型、地理信息系统、可给性研究的方法已被中国不同学者应用.暴露评估模型作为污染物暴露人群健康风险评估的主要环节,国外的研究已经比较成熟,但相关研究在中国还处于空白阶段.对中国近年来在城市表层土壤（灰尘）、矿区土壤、膳食、地下水和饮用水、大气颗粒物进行重金属风险评估中应用的健康风险评估方法,进行了归纳和评述,并对欧美常用暴露评估模型：环境暴露评估模型、膳食暴露评估模型进行了介绍.中国健康风险评估工作起步晚,在评估的各环节均存在很大缺陷.随着新技术的发展以及人群对环境健康风险认识的深化,健康风险评估将成为中国热门研究领域之一.污染的环境行为、剂量一效应关系、模型、风险信息等方面,将是未来中国健康风险评估研究的重点.     

台州电子垃圾循环区域母乳中多氯联苯的污染现状

本文对浙江省台州市路桥和温岭两个电子垃圾循环区域母乳中多氯联苯(PCBs)污染现状进行了研究.路桥本地人群(n=16)、温岭本地人群(n=27)及在台州居住不足5年的外地人群(n=9)母乳中PCBs的中值浓度分别为195 ng·g-1脂重(lw)、138 ng·g-1lw和59.1 ng·g-1lw.路桥和温岭人群母乳中PCBs浓度显著高于在台州居住不足5年的外地人群(P<0.001),也远高于浙江省及中国背景区域水平.CB-118、CB-153和CB-138是台州母乳中最主要的3种同类物,与台州膳食样本中PCBs的指纹特征类似.路桥本地人群婴儿通过饮用母乳日摄入的PCBs量(EDI)(1024 ng·kg-1bw·d-1)略高于加拿大卫生部建议的成人对PCBs日耐受量(1000 ng·kg-1bw·d-1),温岭本地人群乳儿的EDI值(491 ng·kg-1bw·d-1)远高于我国12个省市EDI的均值(54.6 ng·kg-1bw·d-1),表明台州本地人群母乳喂养的婴儿处于较高的PCBs暴露风险中.母乳中PCBs浓度与母亲年龄、孕前体重指数、产次和婴儿的体重及性别无显著相关性.     

燃煤型砷中毒病区尿砷甲基化代谢和砷致皮肤损伤危险度的关系初探

砷中毒具有特异的皮肤损伤特征。为了研究燃煤型砷中毒病区高砷暴露、人体甲基化代谢能力与皮肤损伤患病风险之间的关系,在陕南典型燃煤型砷中毒村进行了皮肤损伤诊断和流行病学调查,采集尿样并分析总砷及形态砷含量,同时计算了用于表征人体砷甲基化代谢能力的指标包括尿中无机砷、一甲基砷和二甲基砷占总砷的百分含量(i As%、MMA%、DMA%),以及一甲基化率(PMI=MMA/i As)和二甲基化率(SMI=DMA/MMA)。Logistic回归分析结果表明:尿总砷含量(UTAs)是砷致皮肤损伤的危险因素(OR=1.038,95%CI:1.003~1.073),二甲基砷百分含量和SMI是皮肤损伤的保护因素(OR=0.883,95%CI:0.798~0.976;OR=0.724,95%CI:0.535~0.978);且砷致皮肤损伤的危险度随砷暴露水平的增高和甲基化能力的降低而增大。     

API Standard 521 new alternative method to evaluate fire relief for pressure relief device sizing and depressuring system design

Since the 1950's, API Standards have provided guidance on determining relief loads for equipment exposed to pool fires. The API method is empirical based on tests performed in the 1940's. There is increasingly widespread interest in analytical methods based on heat transfer principles to model fire heat input. The API committee agreed to include an analytical method in the 6th edition of API Standard 521 to establish relief loads for pressure relief devices and to design depressuring systems for the fire scenario. The analytical method provides more flexibility than the empirical method but has limitations (e.g., too many permutations are possible leading to potential under-sizing of the pressure relief device).This paper discusses the basis for the empirical method in API Standard 521 and provides comparisons of the empirical and analytical method with two more recent large-scale pool fire tests. This pool fire test data indicates that the empirical method will provide a conservative estimate of pool fire heat input for most applications and is still the method of choice when designing pressure relief systems. However, these recent tests indicate the empirical method needs to be modified when a vessel or equipment is partially confined by adjacent embankments or walls equal or greater than the vessel height. In such cases, the wetted area exponent should be 1.0 instead of 0.82.The analytical method is useful in determining time-versus-temperature profiles for heating unwetted vessels of varying wall thicknesses and materials of construction. These profiles, which depend upon the type of fire (e.g., unconfined pool fire, jet fire, etc.), can be combined with tensile strength and stress-rupture data to specify a depressuring system's pressure-versus-time profile. This will minimize failure and/or mitigate the effects of failure due to overheating from fire exposure.     

对羧基苯偶氮硫代若丹宁固相萃取光度法测定环境样品中的铅

合成了新试剂对羧基苯偶氮硫代若丹宁(CPATR),并用红外光谱、核磁共振氢谱和元素分析鉴定其结构。研究了CPATR与铅的显色反应,在pH3 8的HAc—NaAc缓冲介质中,吐温-80存在下,CPATR与铅反应生成2∶1稳定络合物,该络合物可被WatersSep-PakC18小柱固相萃取,小柱上富集的络合物用乙醇洗脱后富集倍数可达50倍,在乙醇介质中,λmax=500nm,体系摩尔吸光系数ε=8.01×104L·mol-1·cm-1。铅含量在0 05～4 0mg/L内符合比耳定律。本方法可用于环境样品中铅含量的测定,结果满意。     

沈阳市环境铅污染对儿童健康的影响

实地调查采样、结合GIS技术进行室内综合分析,系统研究了沈阳市大气、土壤、灰尘中铅污染对儿童健康的影响.结果表明,沈阳市环境中铅暴露普遍,铅污染较严重,铅浓度空间分异大,已形成4个高浓度中心.并且大气铅浓度有明显的日、季和年变化规律沈阳市环境铅污染已经影响了儿童健康,0～10岁儿童(ZPP＞2.3μmol/L)血铅范围是10.98～511.2μg/L,平均值是135.59μg/L,40%的儿童血铅水平超标.儿童血铅与大气铅相关性最大,其次是土壤和灰尘.实行无铅汽油之后,大气铅污染有了很大改善,但是土壤和灰尘中的铅容易以扬尘的方式再次进入大气,存在潜在风险,应引起有关部门足够的重视.     

2002~2009年兰州PM10人体健康经济损失评估

参考近年来公开发表的国内外流行病学文献,筛选出PM10的健康效应终点和适合于兰州地区的暴露-反应关系系数,对2002~2009年兰州地区PM10人体健康经济损失进行了计算.结果表明2002年以来兰州地区PM10人体健康经济损失并未明显升高,而是逐年波动;年损失值均在10亿元以上,其中2009年最高为16.6亿元; PM10人体健康经济损失与GDP的比值呈明显下降的趋势.     

Effects of repeated pesticide exposure on the peripheral and central nervous systems

This study was designed to compare organic farmers (comparison group) and pesticide-using farmers (pesticide group) in terms of neurobehavioral performance and sensorimotor function. The subjects were recruited in October 2004 from Chungnam Province and the neighboring Jeolla Province in western South Korea. Psychological assessment was carried out using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Bender Gestalt test. Neuroselective sensory nerve conduction threshold was measured at both left and right middle fingers by using an electrodiagnostic device to determine current perception thresholds (CPTs). Three independent CPT measurements were obtained from each test site by using sinusoidal stimuli at three frequencies. CPT testing showed no difference between the two groups. No significant differences were found in the large myelinated (2000?Hz stimulation; cutaneous touch, pressure), small myelinated (250?Hz stimulation; mechanoreceptive, pressure, temperature, fast pain) and small unmyelinated (5?Hz stimulation; polymodal nociceptive, temperature, slow pain, postganglionic sympathetic) C-fibers. Furthermore, there was no difference found between the pesticide and comparison groups in psychological variables, including intelligence quotient, orientation, memory, calculation, similarities, visual sensitivity, and psychomotor speed. In conclusion, chronic pesticide exposure has no apparent effect on either the peripheral or central nervous system in Korean farmers.     

Evaluation of potential toxic effects of occupational inhalation exposure to licorice root dust

Licorice, a plant indigenous to southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern China, exhibits several pharmacological properties, including estrogenic, anti-tumoral, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, and anti-tussive activities. Prolonged use of licorice is known to produce headaches, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, edema, lethargy, dyspnea, sodium retention and loss of potassium in humans. However, to date, the potential adverse health effects due to occupational inhalation exposure of licorice root dust remains unknown. This study was, therefore, undertaken to address this issue. In this cross-sectional study, individuals (30 workers) occupationally exposed to licorice root dust at a licorice producing plant in Shiraz, Iran were recruited. Similarly, 30 healthy male unexposed employees at a telecommunications industry, with identical demographic and socioeconomic status, without any past or current exposure to licorice dust or habitual ingestion of this compound, served as the referent group. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured. Further, individuals underwent electrocardiography, clinical examination and blood chemistry tests. To assess the extent to which subjects were exposed to licorice root dust, atmospheric concentrations of this compound were also measured in the plant. There were no differences in age, weight, height and duration of exposure to licorice dust or length of employment between exposed and referent groups. Atmospheric measurement of licorice dust showed that concentration exceeded the permissible limit of 5 mg m^?3. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures of exposed subjects were significantly higher than those of the referent group. Similarly, blood analysis revealed that serum concentrations of potassium and platelet counts were significantly lower in exposed subjects than in referent individuals. Questionnaire data demonstrated that symptoms such as headaches, lethargy, and vertigo were more common in exposed subjects. No abnormal changes were noted in the electrocardiographs of exposed or referent subjects. Our findings provide evidence that inhalation exposure to high concentrations of licorice dust is associated with an increased prevalence of headache, lethargy, and vertigo, as well as hypertension and hypokalemia. None of these changes resulted in increased morbidity and mortality in exposed workers.     

Dissolution behavior of metals from particulate matter emissions

Exposure to air particulate matter (PM) is linked to numerous health effects. In order to improve the understanding of the role of its metallic components, their solubility was examined by using serial short-contact dissolutions totalling 1?h and additional sequential contact periods of 1, 4, and 8 days. The dissolution experiments were performed in solutions containing the main biological electrolytes. ICPMS determinations were used to quantify the dissolved metals. The total compositions were determined after closed vessel microwave digestion. Large variations in the rate and completeness of the dissolutions were observed. Fast and extensive dissolutions within the short-contact time (e.g., Zn, Cd) as well as slow dissolutions persisting during the last contact period (e.g., Ni, Cu, Sb, Pb) were found for smelting emissions. The multi-element determinations also made it possible to identify relationships between dissolution of different metals and define gradual composition changes of residual PM. When comparing with dissolutions performed in de-ionized water, similar major fractions were observed at short-contact time for minor components of smelting or combustion emissions (e.g., V, Ni, Cd), suggesting a preponderance of easily available forms at the surface of the relatively inert particle cores. The use of these time sequential methods may help in (1) modeling metal partitioning in biological media and (2) investigating the causes of adverse effects attributed to air PM.