The sex disparity in risky driving: A survey of Colombian young drivers

Objective: The overrepresentation of young drivers in poor road safety outcomes has long been recognized as a global road safety issue. In addition, the overrepresentation of males in crash statistics has been recognized as a pervasive young driver problem. Though progress in road safety evidenced as a stabilization and/or reduction in poor road safety outcomes has been made in developed nations, less-developed nations contribute the greatest road safety trauma, and developing nations such as Colombia continue to experience increasing trends in fatality rates. The aim of the research was to explore sex differences in self-reported risky driving behaviors of young drivers, including the associations with crash involvement, in a sample of young drivers attending university in Colombia.

Methods: The Spanish version of the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS-Sp) was applied in an online survey to a sample of 392 students (225 males) aged 16–24 years attending a major university. Appropriate comparative statistics and logistic regression modeling were used when analyzing the data.

Results: Males reported consistently more risky driving behaviors, with approximately one quarter of all participants reporting risky driving exposure. Males reported greater crash involvement, with violations such as speeding associated with crash involvement for both males and females.

Conclusion: Young drivers in Colombia appear to engage in the same risky driving behaviors as young drivers in developed nations. In addition, young male drivers in Colombia reported greater engagement in risky driving behaviors than young female drivers, a finding consistent with the behaviors of young male drivers in developed nations. As such, the research findings suggest that general interventions such as education, engineering, and enforcement should target transient rule violations such as speeding and using a handheld mobile phone while driving for young drivers in Colombia. Future research should investigate how these interventions could be tailored specifically for the Colombian cultural context, including how their effects can be evaluated, prior to implementation.     

Factors affecting the quantitative uncertainty of the estimated short-term intake. Part I—Calculation methods

ABSTRACT

The calculation of the combined uncertainty of the international estimated short-term intake (IESTI) of ethephon residues in apples is shown as an example. The ethephon residues in apples were reported by the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). The apple consumption data were taken from the IESTI (international short-term intake) calculation template used by the JMPR. The IESTI was calculated with the currently used method (case 2a) and a proposed one recommended by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)/RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health) Scientific Workshop co-sponsored by FAO and WHO. In this example, the ratio of IESTI_proposed/IESTI_current and their combined relative uncertainty are about 2.8, and 1.7, respectively. The larger IESTI and uncertainty obtained with the proposed equation are the consequence of calculation only with the large portion (LP) instead of its combination with unit mass, and the MRL instead of the highest residue (HR). The LP is the major contributor to the combined uncertainty. Both the calculated IESTI and its combined uncertainty depend on the actual food – pesticide residue combination, and should be calculated for each case.     

4A沸石去除水中Pb2＋的研究

在静态条件下,研究了4A沸石对废水中Pb2＋的吸附性能,并探讨了影响吸附的因素。实验表明：当温度为30℃,废水pH为5～6,0．01g4A沸石对100mg／LPb2＋溶液10mL吸附20min,Pb2＋的去除率可达到99％以上。在实验研究条件下,4A沸石对Pb2＋的吸附符合Langmuir和Freundlich等温吸附方程,相关系数为0．9819和0．9998。经计算,4A沸石对Pb2＋的饱和吸附量为125mg／g。4A沸石吸附水中Pb2＋达到吸附平衡的时间较短;溶液pH值的变化对吸附效果影响不显著;温度从室温略微升高,Pb2＋的去除率略有增大。吸附在4A沸石上的Pb“可回收利用,处理后的4A沸石可以再生,且重复使用性能较好。     

新型二氧化铅电极处理染料废水

利用高压塑片法制备掺杂镧和活性炭以及聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)的新型二氧化铅电极,采用X衍射(XRD),循环伏安曲线(CV),扫描电镜(SEM)等手段对电极性能进行表征,研究了其电催化处理有机染料废水(亚甲基蓝)的降解效果,并对反应机理进行了相关研究。研究表明,该电极具有良好的抗腐蚀能力,对亚甲基蓝具有较好的降解效果。通过与普通二氧化铅电极比较,该电极在染料脱色和去除COD方面都有较明显优势,显示出较好的工业应用前景。     

生物炭修复Cd,Pb污染土壤的研究进展

随着矿产开采、冶炼等工业活动以及污水灌溉、施用污泥和劣质化肥等农业活动的进行,Cd,Pb等有害重金属不断进入农业环境中,对农田、菜地等造成污染。生物炭作为重要的土壤改良剂,在对Cd,Pb污染土壤的修复中表现出巨大的潜力。从生物炭的特性及制备、修复效果及其影响因素、修复机理等方面,对近年来国内外有关生物炭修复Cd,Pb污染土壤的研究成果和现状进行了总结,并对生物炭修复Cd,Pb污染土壤的发展前景和未来研究方向进行了展望。     

2005年中国气态α HCH的人体暴露和健康风险分析

为评估由我国大气中α HCH所导致的人体健康风险,利用CanMETOP 模拟的2005年日均α HCH大气浓度,基于吸入因子和致癌风险进行研究。结果表明年吸入因子呈东部>西部,北部>南部的特征,东中和东北部地区的吸入因子分别主要由人口密度和α HCH大气浓度贡献,东中和东南部地区的个体健康损失小于东北地区,东中和东南部地区年内逐月吸入因子分配较为均匀,而东北地区主要集中的夏季,东北地区个体致癌风险系数明显高于中部和南部。推测由其它污染物所形成的暴露风险具有类似的时空分布。加之夏季东北地区集中降水所形成的湿沉降以及气温升高等因素,使摄食暴露和皮肤接触暴露增大,东北地区人群的复合暴露风险将显著大于其它地区     

An occupational exposure assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans in firefighters

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are unintentional byproducts of combustion and industrial processes. Firefighters face the risk of occupational exposure to PCDD/Fs. Congener-specific analyses of 17 PCDD/Fs were performed on 20 serum samples collected from firefighters and fire scene investigators, and four soot samples that had deposited on the surfaces of the fire helmets and were collected after the firefighters had fought fires. The PCDD/F concentrations on the helmets that were contaminated by being worn at the fire scenes were 63-285 times higher than those on a clean helmet. The median serum PCDD/F concentration of the 16 firefighters (12 pg WHO₂₀₀₅-TEQ g⁻¹ lipid) was not different from those of the males from the general Taiwanese population (9.4 pg WHO₂₀₀₅-TEQ g⁻¹ lipid). However, the median PCDD/F level in the four fire scene investigators (15 pg WHO₂₀₀₅-TEQ g⁻¹ lipid) was higher than those in the male from the general Taiwanese population (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the serum samples from the firefighters and fire scene investigators, and the soot samples from the fire scenes presented similarly distinctive PCDD/F profiles that had elevated proportions for 10 PCDF congeners. Limited data indicated that the fire scene investigators were occupationally exposed to PCDD/Fs at the fire scenes. We suggested that the firefighters were not occupationally exposed to PCDD/Fs at the fire scenes due to appropriate protection. However, the fire scene investigators may have had more occupational exposure to PCDD/Fs due to poor protection, and further research must be performed to confirm this.     

Abnormal glucose regulation in pyrethroid pesticide factory workers

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between pyrethroids occupational exposures, and risk of abnormal glucose regulation. Data from total of 3080 subjects in two pesticide factories were used. This was a population-based case-controlled study in China. In total, 18.3% of subjects with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and 6.5% of subjects with diabetes, and the prevalence of abnormal glucose regulation was 24.8%, 86 subjects had known type 2 diabetes and 114 had newly diagnosed diabetes. The prevalence of subjects with abnormal glucose regulation increased from 21.3% in the controls to 29.3% in the exposures (χ² = 33.182, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression was used to control potential confounders and calculate odd ratios as the estimate of effect. An indication of increased risk for abnormal glucose regulation was noted for exposure to pyrethroids (OR = 1.482, 95%CI = 1.238-1.774). Abnormal glucose regulation is common in subjects exposed to pyrethroids. The present investigation indicates the adverse health effects of pyrethroids are underestimated.     

Phthalate exposure in pregnant women and their children in central Taiwan

Phthalate exposure was found to be associated with endocrine disruption, respiratory effects, reproductive and developmental toxicity. The intensive use of plastics may be increasing the exposure to phthalates in Taiwanese population, particularly for young children.We studied phthalate metabolites in pregnant women and their newborns in a prospective cohort from a medical center in Central Taiwan. One hundred maternal urine samples and 30 paired cord blood and milk samples were randomly selected from all of participants (430 pregnant women). Eleven phthalate metabolites (MEHP, 5OH-MEHP, 2cx-MEHP, 5cx-MEPP, 5oxo-MEHP, MiBP, MnBP, MBzP, OH-MiNP, oxo-MiNP, and cx-MiNP) representing the exposure to five commonly used phthalates (DEHP, di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP), DnBP, BBP, DiNP) were measured in urine of pregnant women, cord serum and breast milk after delivery, and in urine of their children. Exposure was estimated with excretion factors and correlation among metabolites of the same parent compound. Thirty and 59 urinary samples from 2 and 5 years-old children were randomly selected from 185 children successfully followed.Total urinary phthalate metabolite concentration (geometric mean, μg L⁻¹) was found to be higher in 2-years-olds (398.6) and 5-years-olds (333.7) than pregnant women (205.2). Metabolites in urine are mainly from DEHP. The proportion of DiNP metabolites was higher in children urine (4.39 and 8.31%, ages 2 and 5) than in adults (0.83%) (p < 0.01). Compared to urinary levels, phthalate metabolite levels are low in cord blood (37.45) and milk (14.90). DEHP metabolite levels in women’s urine and their corresponding cord blood are significantly correlated. Compared to other populations in the world, DEHP derived metabolites in maternal urine were higher, while phthalate metabolite levels in milk and cord blood were similar. The level of phthalate metabolites in milk and cord blood were comparable to those found in other populations. Further studies of health effects related to DEHP and DiNP exposure are necessary for the children.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine compound levels in brown trout (Salmo trutta) from Andean Patagonia, Argentina

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs and endosulfan residues were analyzed in muscle, liver, gonads, gills and stomach content of brown trout (Salmo trutta) from the Andean Patagonia. PBDEs, PCBs and DDTs levels were positively correlated with lipid content, while less hydrophobic endosulfans showed a poor correlation. Endosulfan levels were about 99.9% of total contaminant (highest levels in liver 500 × 10³ ng g⁻¹ lipid weight), with α-/β-isomers ratio >1 in all organs. These results are in agreement to the current-use of the technical endosulfan and also suggest acute exposure to this insecticide. Conversely, DDT/DDE ratio reflects fish exposure to old DDT sources, showing a DDE predominance. Gills had the highest levels of DDTs, PCBs and PBDEs, indicating they represent the main uptake pathway for such hydrophobic compounds from water column. PCBs showed the lowest levels in all organs and the PBDEs/PCBs ratios >1 agree with worldwide trends. PBDEs levels in gonads, gills, liver and muscle exceeded 80 ng g⁻¹ (lipid weight) and were higher than other values reported in the Southern Hemisphere. BDE-47 was the predominant congener, suggesting higher bioaccumulation potential and possible brown trout metabolism of higher congeners. Since there is no point source of PBDEs in the region and residues were dominated by lower brominated congeners, atmospheric transport could be the main source of these compounds. This first report of PBDEs levels in fish from Argentina contributes to the knowledge about environmental trends of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in remote areas such as the Andean Patagonia.