Assessing seasonal and spatial trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Indian agricultural regions using PUF disk passive air samplers

The first survey of persistent organic pollutant (POP) concentrations in air across several Indian agricultural regions was conducted in 2006-2007. Passive samplers comprising polyurethane foam (PUF) disks were deployed on a quarterly basis at seven stations in agricultural regions, one urban site and one background site. The project was conducted as a sub-project of the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) Network. In addition to revealing new information on air concentrations of several organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the study has demonstrated the feasibility of conducting regional-scale monitoring for POPs in India using PUF disk samplers. The following analytes were detected with relatively high concentrations in air (mean for 2006 and 2007, pg/m³): α- and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) (292 and 812, respectively); endosulfan I and II (2770 and 902, respectively); p,p′-DDE and p,p′-DDT (247 and 931, respectively); and for the sum of 48 PCBs, 12,100 (including a site with extremely high air concentrations in 2007) and 972 (when excluding data for this site).     

The relationships between air pollutants, meteorological parameters and concentration of airborne fungal spores

Fungal spores are an important component of bioaerosol and also considered to act as indicator of the level of atmospheric bio-pollution. Therefore, better understanding of these phenomena demands a detailed survey of airborne particles.The objective of this study was to examine the dependence of two the most important allergenic taxa of airborne fungi - Alternaria and Cladosporium - on meteorological parameters and air pollutant concentrations during three consecutive years (2006-2008). This study is also an attempt to create artificial neural network (ANN) forecasting models useful in the prediction of aeroallergen abundance.There were statistically significant relationships between spore concentration and environmental parameters as well as pollutants, confirmed by the Spearman’s correlation rank analysis and high performance of the ANN models obtained. The concentrations of Cladosporium and Alternaria spores can be predicted with quite good accuracy from meteorological conditions and air pollution recorded three days earlier.     

Is black carbon a better predictor of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon distribution in soils than total organic carbon?

Black carbon (BC) and total organic carbon (TOC) were quantified in the surface soils of Switzerland (N = 105) and Delhi (N = 36), India, to examine their relationships with contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). BC content in Swiss (background) soils (N = 104) varied from 0.41 to 4.75 mg/g (median: 1.13 mg/g) and constituted 1-9% (median: 3%) of TOC. Indian (urban) soils had similar BC concentrations (0.37-2.05 mg/g, median: 1.19 mg/g), with relatively higher BC/TOC (6-23%, median: 13%). Similar to TOC, BC showed significant positive correlation with lighter PAH, but no correlation with heavier PAH in Swiss soils. In contrast, heavier PAH were significantly correlated only with BC in Delhi soils. It seems that TOC governs the distribution of PAH in organic matter rich background soils, while the proximity to emission sources is reflected by BC-PAH association in urban soils.     

2种再生水深度处理工艺对有毒有机污染物去除效果的评价研究

采用固相萃取(SPE)技术和气相色谱/质谱联用(GC/MS)的方法对2个再生水厂的进水和不同深度处理工艺出水中的有毒有机污染物进行了定性和定量分析,讨论了这2种不同再生水深度处理工艺对有毒有机污染物的去除效果.结果表明,厌氧/缺氧/好氧(A2/O)+连续微滤技术(CMF)+加氯消毒处理工艺和水解酸化+膜生物反应器(MB...     

江苏省污染减排与空气质量变化相关性分析

利用2000—2007年大气污染物排放量数据和同期环境空气质量监测数据,分析了江苏省主要大气污染物减排与环境空气质量变化的相关性。结果表明,近年来江苏省SO2排放量与环境空气中SO2浓度存在正相关,而烟尘和粉尘排放总量与空气中可吸入颗粒物的浓度呈现出弱的负相关关系。对江苏省经济发展和环境关系的进一步分析揭示,江苏省环境库兹涅茨曲线呈现出倒U型关系,表明江苏省已经进入经济环境双赢区间,但近年来政策对经济环境关系的影响突出。该研究对中国十二五环境管理政策的制定有着重要的参考意义。     

基于高频AQI数据的关中城市群空气污染规律探索

基于高频分时AQI及各污染物浓度数据,本文使用"AQI小时指数"、首要污染物等进行统计分析并建立VAR模型对关中城市群空气污染的总体情况、日内波动规律以及城市间空气污染的关联规律做了不同层次的挖掘。研究结果表明:(1)关中城市群的空气质量整体较差,春、冬季空气污染程度明显大于夏季,空气污染的"季节效应"和"集簇性"明显,且主要表现为颗粒物污染。(2)空气质量的日内波动规律在春、冬两季表现为下半天优于上半天,夏季夜间优于白天。但在不考虑四季AQI小时指数图"相位"差异的情况下,四季空气污染的日内波动呈现出明显的相似性。(3)各城市空气污染存在明显的关联规律。城市群内一个城市空气污染的恶化会加剧其他城市的空气污染,并且对其他城市空气污染的影响峰值会在24小时之内出现,且该影响会随着空间和时间尺度的增大而逐步衰减。     

Which compounds contribute most to elevated airborne exposure and corresponding health risks in the Western Balkans?

A majority of ongoing monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is currently focused on chemicals emphasized in the Stockholm Convention. Quantitative detection of other substances (especially those with numerous anthropogenic sources such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) is, however, also needed since their concentrations are usually several orders of magnitude higher. A goal of this study was to determine how various groups of compounds contribute to total human health risks at the variety of sampling sites in the region of Western Balkan. Distribution of the risks between the gas and particulate phases was also addressed. Results showed that inhalation exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) does not represent a significant risk to humans, while polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) re-volatilized to the atmosphere from contaminated soils and buildings can pose a problem. PCB evaporation from primary sources (currently used PCB-filled transformers or non-adequate storage facilities) generally resulted in much higher atmospheric concentrations than evaporation from the secondary sources (soils at the sites of war destructions). A majority of the human health risks at the urban sites were associated with PAHs. Between 83 and 94% of the cumulative risk at such sites was assigned to chemicals sorbed to particles, and out of it, PAHs were responsible for 99%.     

Time and cost characterisation of emissions from non-road diesel equipment for infrastructure projects

The construction process contributes to pollutant emissions, particularly through the operation of diesel- and gasoline-powered equipment. In the past decade, a series of investigations were undertaken to quantify these emissions for a variety of non-road construction equipment performing different activities and undergoing different duty cycles, and a model to estimate quantities of six types of pollutant was developed. This paper uses that model to estimate emissions for four street and utility construction projects which no one has done previously. We combined information from company records with standard construction industry manuals to estimate total emissions for the projects and to examine the pollution patterns and magnitudes. The street construction projects all had similar emission profiles with a large peak at the beginning and a steady output of emissions throughout the duration of the project. For example, in two of the projects studied, half of all CO₂ emissions were produced before the projects were 40% completed. Results showed that demolition and earthwork are the activities with the largest contribution. The equipment types with the largest contribution are backhoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers and trenchers. Trenchers, for example, produced 30% of all emissions on the projects on which they were used.     

Environmental pollutants and type 2 diabetes: a review of human studies

The incidence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent decades and become one of the leading health problems worldwide. Lifestyle and dietary changes alone cannot account for the dramatic rise of diabetes, while an increasing number of publications have reported the possible relationships between exposure to environmental pollutants and risk of diabetes. In the present review, our objective was to summarize the human studies on environmental pollutants, which includes persistent organic pollutants, pesticides (not on the Stockholm Convention list), bisphenol A, and phthalates, and the risk of diabetes. Currently published results suggest a positive relationship between certain persistent organic pollutants (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, hexachlorobenzene, and polychlorinated biphenyls) and bisphenol A exposure and risk of diabetes. For pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and phthalates, there are insufficient studies to reach conclusions and therefore more studies, especially prospective studies, are needed along with in vivo and in vitro studies to understand the underlying mechanisms.