Systems-level modeling the effects of arsenic exposure with sequential pulsed and fluctuating patterns for tilapia and freshwater clam

The purpose of this paper was to use quantitative systems-level approach employing biotic ligand model based threshold damage model to examine physiological responses of tilapia and freshwater clam to sequential pulsed and fluctuating arsenic concentrations. We tested present model and triggering mechanisms by carrying out a series of modeling experiments where we used periodic pulses and sine-wave as featured exposures. Our results indicate that changes in the dominant frequencies and pulse timing can shift the safe rate distributions for tilapia, but not for that of freshwater clam. We found that tilapia increase bioenergetic costs to maintain the acclimation during pulsed and sine-wave exposures. Our ability to predict the consequences of physiological variation under time-varying exposure patterns has also implications for optimizing species growing, cultivation strategies, and risk assessment in realistic situations.     

Toxicity of building materials: a key issue in sustainable construction

To avoid the use of toxic building materials is one of the principles of sustainable construction. However and contrary to general beliefs, current residential buildings frequently contain many toxic building materials, some of which even comply with legal regulations. Part of the problem is because architects and civil engineers have no form of knowing the toxicity of building materials. The other part is economically related. Some regulations about toxicity limits are influenced by economic reasons. For instance, although scientific evidence about the toxicity of lead plumbing has existed for quite some time, legal regulations avoid imposing very tight thresholds because of the cost of lead pipe substitution (in Europe that could cost almost 200,000 million euros). It is then no surprise to see that the related Directive (98/83/CE) established a 15-year delay period before the 10 μg/l lead content threshold is enforced. This paper discusses some cases of toxic building materials by reviewing previously published work, it also covers the emission of volatile organic compounds from paints and varnishes, the toxicity of impregnating agents, materials that release toxic fumes during a fire, asbestos-based materials, radioactive materials and lead plumbing.     

Operator dermal exposure and protection provided by personal protective equipment and working coveralls during mixing/loading,application and sprayer cleaning in vineyards

The efficiency of a working coverall combined with personal protective equipment to protect operators against dermal exposure to plant protection products under field conditions was studied. Operators wore a non-certified water-repellent finish polyester/cotton coverall plus a certified gown during the mixing/loading and the cleaning phases. Insecticide foliar application to a vineyard was selected as the exposure scenario. The overall dermal residue levels measured in this study were in the range of data recently collected in Europe. The water-repellent finish working coverall reduced body exposure by a factor of approximately 95%. Wearing a Category III Type 3 partial body gown during mixing/loading and cleaning of the application equipment led to a further protective effect of 98.7%. The combination of a water-repellent finish working coverall and partial body protection during specific tasks provided satisfactory levels of protection and can be considered as suitable protection for the conditions of use studied.     

A Contribution to the Study of the Antidust Respirators’ Real Performance

In most industrial enterprises, hazardous factors are present in quantities exceeding permissible levels. Such a situation requires using antidust respiratory protection. It has been suggested, however, that filters for respirators are not assessed properly and that lab results might not be related to real filtering efficiency in industry. This article contains test results of some commercially available filtering half-masks, including the effect of loading with real dust, high humidity, high temperature, and a combination of loading with dust and high humidity on the half-masks’ performance. The results show that the effect of these factors is considerable and that a combination of loading with silica dust and exposing to high humidity can cause a complete loss of performance.     

Health Risk Assessment of Occupational Exposure to a Magnetic Field From Magnetic Resonance Imaging Devices

Health care staff who operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices are exposed to a static magnetic field of significant spatial heterogenity always produced by MRI magnets during the whole shift. They can also be exposed to pulses of a time-varying magnetic field (gradient field) present only during patients’ examinations. The level of the workers’ exposure depends both on the type of the magnet and on the ergonomic design of each MRI device.

The paper presents methods used for measuring and assessing workers’ exposure. It also discusses the results of inspection measurements carried out next to approximately 20 MRI devices of approximately 0.2–2.0 T. The presented characteristic and overview of the variability of workers’ exposure to a variety of MRI devices supports the need for data on monitoring occupational exposure to MRI. International exposure assessment standards and guidelines (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection [ICNIRP], Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [IEEE], American Conference of Governmental and Industrial Hygienists [ACGIH], European Commission directive), and those established in Poland are also compared.     

浪涌防护设计思路与常见防护电路

浪涌冲击是电子产品的常见问题之一,它经常造成产品损坏。浪涌防护一直以来是令电子产品设计者头痛的问题。本文从原理上,介绍几种浪涌防护设计的思路与方法,并结合具体案例与电路原理图,进行深层剖析,以期能提供借鉴作用。     

城市湖泊表层沉积物中的重金属污染现状及其风险评价——以武汉墨水湖为例

水体沉积物中的重金属会对生态系统构成直接和间接的威胁.为了研究工业化、城市化过程中城市湖泊沉积物重金属污染现状及其暴露风险，以武汉市墨水湖为研究对象，测定了5种重金属Zn、Cu、Ni、Pb及Cr在表层沉积物中的含量，分析了其污染程度、分布特征，并对其稳定度进行了分析.结果表明，墨水湖表层沉积物重金属污染程度较重，在所有采样点5种重金属含量均高于最低效应阈值（LEL），多数采样点甚至超过了严重效应阈值（SEL）.该湖泊沉积物中重金属分布具有比较明显的空间差异性：排污口区>湖中心水域>城区岸边带>林田岸边带；其稳定程度依次为：Zn < Cu < Ni < Pb < Cr，其中Zn交换态及碳酸盐结合态比例超过50%，稳定程度极低.而Pb、Cr稳定程度较高，其交换态及碳酸盐结合态比例小于10%.像墨水湖这样受纳高污染负荷市政污水、暴雨径流的城市湖泊，其潜在的重金属生物活性，必须引起足够的重视.     

基于风险评价的核应急分区疏散规划*

为保障核事故应急疏散的时效性和安全性,降低核事故损失,基于核辐射时空分布特征,对疏散集中点和疏散路网进行风险评价,提出分区疏散组织策略,结合行政区划法,完成核电站场外疏散区域划分;将总暴露风险作为优化目标,构建基于元胞传输的分区疏散规划模型,并以我国某沿海核电站为研究对象,验证分区疏散方案可行性。研究结果表明:考虑核辐射风险后的分区疏散方案,能够有效提高疏散效率,保障公众安全,降低疏散时间和暴露风险,优化疏散期间交通状况。研究结果可为核应急疏散组织工作提供参考。     

On the potential of iPhone significant location data to characterize individual mobility for air pollution health studies

● We evaluated the accuracy of iPhone data in capturing time-activity patterns. ● iPhone data captured the most important microenvironments and time spent in them. ● iPhone data also accurately captured daily exposure to ambient PM pollution. ● A considerable fraction of the population in the USA may have iPhone data available. ● iPhone data has great potential in air pollution health studies. In many air pollution health studies, the time-activity pattern of individuals is often ignored largely due to lack of data. However, a better understanding of this location-based information is expected to decrease uncertainties in exposure estimation. Here, we showcase the potential of iPhone’s Significant Location (iSL) data in capturing the user’s historical time-activity patterns in order to estimate exposure to ambient air pollutants. In this study, one subject carried an iPhone in tandem with a reference GPS tracking device for one month. The GPS device recorded locations in 10 second intervals while the iSL recorded the time spent in locations the subject visited frequently. Using GPS data as a reference, we then evaluated the accuracy of iSL data in capturing the subject’s time-activity patterns and time-weighted air pollution concentration within the study time period. We found the iSL data accurately captured the time the subject spent in 16 microenvironments (i.e. locations the subject visited more than once), which was 93% of the time during the study period. The average error of time-weighted aerosol optical depth value, a surrogate of particle pollution, is only 0.012%. To explore the availability of iSL data among iPhone users, an online survey was conducted. Among the 349 surveyed participants, 72% of them have iSL data available. Considering the popularity of iPhones, iSL data may be available for a significant portion of the general population. Our results suggest iSL data have great potential for characterizing historical time-activity patterns to improve air pollution exposure estimation.     

铅锌尾矿中重金属在模拟酸雨淋溶下的浸出规律

重金属尾矿污染是世界性难题,污染水体、大气和土壤,对周边的生态环境和人体健康造成严重危害。在我国酸雨范围大且酸雨问题比较严重的背景下,探讨酸雨淋溶下尾矿中重金属的浸出规律将有利于加强我国重金属尾矿的污染控制和管理。采用湖南桃林铅锌尾矿库中的尾矿模拟酸雨条件进行淋溶实验,研究发现重金属Pb、Zn、Cu、Mn含量分别为1252.5,849.4,363.1,280.0mg/kg。其中,Pb、Zn主要以残渣态存在,分别占69.7%和53.8%;Cu主要以有机结合态存在,占67.0%;Mn主要以铁锰氧化态、有机结合态和残渣态存在,共占90.0%。在静态淋溶实验中,固液比越大、模拟酸雨pH值越小,重金属的浸出浓度越大。在动态淋溶实验中,Zn、Mn浸出浓度随时间呈现减小趋势,而Pb和Cu浸出浓度随时间先增大,后减小。