Brominated flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls in human breast milk from several locations in India: potential contaminant sources in a municipal dumping site

This study investigated the status of contamination of organohalogen compounds (OCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated flame retardant (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in human milk samples from several locations in India. The levels of OCs were significantly higher in the milk of mothers living in and near municipal dumping site than other locations indicating that the open dumping sites for municipal wastes act as potential sources of these contaminants in India. The PCB concentrations observed in this study tended to decrease compared to those in the matched locations reported previously, probably due to the restriction of technical PCB usage in India. PBDE levels in human milk were two to three folds lower than those of PCBs in all the sampling locations investigated. Congener profiles of PCBs and PBDEs were different between samples from the dumping site mothers and general populations in other areas suggesting the presence of region-specific sources and pathways. HBCDs were detected in human milk from only two sites, with much lower concentrations and detection frequencies compared to PCBs and PBDEs. When hazard quotients (HQs) of PCBs and PBDEs were estimated for infant health risk, the HQs in some milk samples from the dumping site exceeded the threshold value (HQ > 1) of PCBs, indicating the potential risk for infants in the specific site.     

单体米黄大理石矿粉对小麦产量及各器官重金属含量的影响

采用盆栽法,研究大理石矿粉对小麦产量及对成熟期小麦根、茎叶、果实中重金属含量的影响。结果表明:添加大理石矿粉会显著影响小麦的生长及产量(P<0.05),添加矿粉的量不大于60g/kg时,小麦的结实小穗数、穗粒数、千粒重和产量随添加量的增加而增加,而含量再继续增大时,对小麦产量的促进作用将减弱;低含量的大理石矿粉能缓解Pb、Cu、Zn对小麦的毒害,而高含量的对小麦的影响各异,小麦各器官中重金属Cd、Cr与添加大理石矿粉含量呈显著正相关;重金属对小麦各器官的影响排序,根:Cd>Cr>Pb>Cu>Zn,茎叶:Cd>Cr>Cu>Pb>Zn,果实:Cd>Cr>Pb>Zn>Cu。在大理石开采区应该采取一定的措施,避免大量的大理石矿粉散入周围的耕地。     

纳米TiO2光催化降解有机磷农药的研究

通过实验,探讨了用纳米TiO2光催化处理有机磷农药模拟废水和实际应用的有机磷农药的可行性.实验表明,以测定不同时间PO43-的浓度来衡量有机磷的降解率,并以此来衡量有机磷农药及其中间产物降解的程度是合理的.光催化降解甲胺磷和水胺硫磷的结果,显示了有机磷农药的降解率与其结构有关.实际应用的有机磷农药也可用光催化降解.     

Mitigation of hydrogen fluoride aerosols by dry powders

Fluid bed tests were used to determine overall reaction rates for eight different dry powders of low hazard and toxicity before and after reaction with HF. In flow chamber tests, a representative oxide, hydroxide and carbonate were used to measure the efficiency of mitigation of an HF aerosol cloud. The results show that dry powders provide a valid alternative to water spray mitigation. Powder efficiencies are higher than water efficiencies at constant weight ratio.

At present, no attempt has been made to provide any technical designs or layouts for powder mitigation systems. However, the technology for smaller systems is available through manufacturers of dry powder chemical fire extinguisher equipment. When these powders are kept dry and under nitrogen atmosphere, a shelf life of several years can be expected.     

粉料无尘装车机工作原理及其在冶金厂矿的应用

介绍集装车与防尘统一于一体的无尘装车技术及具有设备本质安全化特点的无尘装车机在解决粉状物料装车作业时的扬尘问题,保护作业工人健康,维护厂区环境方面的重要优越性。     

利用粉煤灰处理含碱污水的试验研究

为了探讨火电厂除灰水中的粉煤灰（含炉渣）对炼油厂含碱污水中石油类、ＣＯＤ(ｃｒ)等污染物的吸附处理效果,根据某单位现场情况,将炼油厂含碱污水送入火电厂除灰沟→经充分混合排入储灰场→并经长时间沉降分离的流程进行模拟试验,结果表明：由于粉煤灰的吸附作用,显著降低了炼油厂含碱污水中的石油类、ＣＯＤ(ｃｒ)、挥发酚、碳化匕物等污染物。     

Determination of Q1, an unknown organochlorine contaminant, in human milk, Antarctic air, and further environmental samples

Q1, an organochlorine component with the molecular formula C(9)H(3)Cl(7)N(2) and of unknown origin was recently identified in seal blubber samples from the Namibian coast (southwest of Africa) and the Antarctic. In these samples, Q1 was more abundant than PCBs and on the level of DDT residues. Furthermore, Q1 was more abundant in seals from the Antarctic than the Arctic. To prove this assumption, gas chromatography-electron-capture negative ion mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI-MS), which is sensitive and selective for Q1, allowed for screening of traces of Q1 even in samples with particularly high levels of other organochlorine contaminants. Q1 was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from a skua liver sample. A 1:1 mixture with trans-nonachlor in electron-capture detectors (ECDs) was used to determine the relative response factor with ECNI-MS. The ECNI-MS response of Q1 turned out to be 4.5 times higher than that of trans-nonachlor in an ECD. With GC/ECNI-MS in the selected ion-monitoring mode, four Antarctic and four Arctic air samples were investigated for the presence of Q1. In the Antarctic air samples, Q1 levels ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 fg/m(3). In Arctic air samples, however, Q1 was below the detection limit (<0.06 fg/m(3) or 60 ag/m(3)). We also report on high Q1 levels in selected human milk samples (12-230 microg/kg lipid) and, therefore, suggested that the unknown Q1 is an environmental compound whose origin and distribution should be investigated in detail. Our data confirm that Q1 is a bioaccumulative natural organochlorine product. Detection of a highly chlorinated natural organochlorine compound in air and human milk is novel.     

Influence of the oxide content on the ignition energies of aluminium powders

Some results of determination of ignition energies for an aluminium powder with various oxide contents are presented. Common use of processes like high-speed cutting produce explosive dust clouds, so that we focused this study on hazard of metallic powders. An industrial aluminium powder has been used for this work. An original process, based on the principle of electrochemical anodisation, has been developed to increase, under control, the oxide coating of particles.

The sensitivity study to spark ignition was performed in an Hartmann explosion tube of 1.3L. The Langlie test method was applied to evaluate the energies leading to a probability of ignition of 50% (E₅₀) of the selected samples. The results confirm that the ignition energies increase with the oxide content of the powder.     

Spore inhibition-based enzyme substrate assay for monitoring of aflatoxin M1 in milk

A spore germination-based concept and its transformation into a field level prototype for monitoring aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in milk was developed. Initially, 15 strains of Bacillus spp. procured from different culture collection were screened for AFM₁ sensitivity using spot assay and marker strain showing inhibition at 0.5 ppb was selected based upon maximum zone of inhibition. The selected strain B. megaterium 2949 was further screened for different enzymes activities and subsequently its spores were produced to an extent of 73.13% ± 3.197% in newly developed sporulation medium containing beef extract (0.0075% ± 0.0004%), yeast extract (0.015% ± 0.001%), peptone (0.0375% ± 0.0016%), and sodium chloride (0.0375% ± 0.0018%). A spore germination-based concept/ assay was optimized by immobilizing spores in eppendorf with pretreated milk (80°C/15 min) containing germinant and chromogenic substrate followed by incubation at 37°C. The appearance of sky blue color within real time of 45 min indicated spores germination and release of specific marker enzyme such as acetyl esterase and its specific action on chromogenic substrate which demonstrates absence of AFM₁ in milk. However, if there was no color change, presence of AFM₁ at 0.5 ppb MRL was denoted by Codex. The developed concept on AFM₁ detection was validated and a correlation of 0.97 was established with AOAC approved Charm 6602 and ELISA at Codex MRL with minimal false positive and negative results. The cost effective test has potential application in dairy farms, manufacturing, and R&D units for routine monitoring of AFM₁ in milk.     

Experimental investigation of the performance of modified expanded graphite powder doped with zinc borate in extinguishing sodium fires

Sodium is the main cooling medium in the circuit of fourth-generation nuclear reactors, and its leakage constitutes a severe fire hazard because of its high chemical activity. In this study, expandable graphite (EG), which is a traditional sodium fire-extinguishing agent, was modified with zinc borate (ZB) as an intercalator, and the modified EG_ZB was characterized. Moreover, the effectiveness of the modified EG_ZB in extinguishing sodium fires was tested using a self-developed fire-extinguishing experimental device. This study's results indicated that EG, EG_ZB had a smaller particle size, higher thermal stability, higher fire-extinguishing speed, and lower powder mass consumption than EG. During the fire-extinguishing process, ZnO decomposed by ZB captured free radicals and inhibited the combustion reaction. Furthermore, B₂O₃ was adsorbed on the surface of the EG layer, which strengthened covering and asphyxiation. The findings of this study provide crucial information for effectively controlling fires caused by active metals and metallo-organic compounds.