广州市居民家庭室内灰尘中传统和新型阻燃剂与塑化剂的污染特征及健康风险评估

近年来,随着阻燃剂多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)和以邻苯二甲酸酯(PAEs)为代表的传统型塑化剂(LPs)的逐步禁用或限用,有机磷系阻燃剂(PFRs)等新型阻燃剂及替代型塑化剂(APs)的生产和使用呈逐年增长的趋势,其环境污染特征和人体暴露健康风险值得引起广泛关注.目前,灰尘已广泛用于室内环境中PBDEs、PFRs和LPs等半挥发性有机污染物(SVOCs)的污染特征评估,而关于室内灰尘中APs的污染特征则鲜有报道.本研究以广州市42户普通居民家庭为研究对象,采集家庭室内灰尘并分析了PFRs、PBDEs、LPs和APs的含量及组成特征.结果表明,PFRs、PBDEs、LPs和APs在室内灰尘中均有广泛检出,其含量分别为593.28～11531.56、13.45～27029.13、40494.83～1154497.16和15365.19～1013352.51 ng·g^-1.大多数家庭中,PFRs和部分APs在灰尘中的含量呈现高于PBDEs和LPs的特征,PFRs和APs等新型污染物的人体暴露健康风险需引起高度关注.采用暴露模型评估人体经灰尘摄入和皮肤接触对目标污染物的日均暴...     

南京市城市典型道路交通噪声控制措施效果初探

针对南京市典型道路的交通噪声控制措施,分别选取低噪声路面、声屏障、隔声窗3种噪声控制措施进行监测,监测显示低噪声路面对整体声级降噪有限,声屏障对于1kHz倍频带以上的中高频隔声相对较好,真空玻璃隔声窗能对低频噪声有显著改善。     

“十一五”期间新疆大气降尘量时空分布特征及影响因素分析

通过对"十一五"期间新疆134个大气降尘监测点位数据进行统计分析发现,"十一五"期间,全疆年均降尘量维持在22.2~24.6 t/km2.月,变化幅度小于10%。一年内降尘主要集中在3~6月份,占全年降尘量的51%。在空间分布上,新疆年均降尘量呈现明显的南疆高于北疆的特征,南疆五地、州的总降尘量占全疆总降尘量的70.2%,为新疆降尘的主要集中区。特殊的气象、生态环境是决定新疆大气降尘时空分布特征的主要因素。     

金属粉尘湿法处理系统的设计和除尘效果分析

为改善金属抛光操作人员的工作环境、降低抛光金属粉尘的爆炸风险,设计一种金属粉尘湿法处理系统,并通过建立多相流动数值模型,探究其内部流场特征与金属粉尘运动规律,分析金属粉尘湿法处理系统的除尘效率。研究结果表明:大粒径的金属粉尘直接重力沉降至水槽中;小粒径(PM10)的金属粉尘易随气流进入风道,进而通过水雾脱除;采用洁净进气源,可以有效降低工人操作环境的粉尘浓度;增加细水雾,可以有效提高金属粉尘湿法处理系统的除尘效率,对PM10的除尘效率从30%提升至82%。     

水平管内不同煤质煤尘爆炸火焰传播特性实验研究

为研究水平管道空间不同煤质煤尘爆炸火焰传播特性,选取褐煤、长焰煤、不粘煤、气煤4种煤尘,对爆炸火焰焰峰特性、火焰加速传播特性、火焰传播距离与持续时间展开研究。研究结果表明:褐煤在500 ms内焰峰的形状由尖锐向平滑再向钝化不断演变,长焰煤与不粘煤在375 ms时焰峰前端出现明显焰体分离现象,分析认为这与管体冷壁效应、空间尺度效应及空间氧气消耗直接相关;气煤在375 ms时焰峰出现大面积火焰碎纹,说明气煤爆炸火焰猛烈传播的持续时间相对较短,整体爆炸强度相对较弱;褐煤与长焰煤爆炸火焰存在2次间断性加速,分析认为这与管体空间受限、常温管壁散热、局部助燃氧气瞬间不足等因素有关;褐煤在爆炸后400～600 ms内火焰2次加速完全,火焰传播距离达740 mm,明显大于长焰煤、不粘煤与气煤,说明低变质褐煤爆炸火焰持续时间更长,火焰传播距离更远且传播更剧烈;虽然气煤火焰最远传播距离比长焰煤大30 mm,但由于气煤火焰在375 ms左右出现大片火焰碎纹,因此气煤整体的爆炸强度小于长焰煤。     

基于风险的危险品道路运输安全容量研究

为了确定危险品道路运输安全容量,保障危险品道路运输安全,基于风险理念,使用对比研究方法,提出危险品道路运输个人风险基准,建立改进的危险品道路运输定量风险评估模型。结合提出的风险基准,提出危险品运输安全容量确定方法,解决了单一类别和多种类别危险品运输安全容量确定问题。研究结果表明:在某城市化工集聚区的实例应用该方法,能够大幅度降低危险品道路运输潜在生命损失,有助于保障危险品道路运输安全。     

钢铁企业大型低位料仓汽车卸料的粉尘控制

某钢企大型低位料仓为汽车卸料,料仓厂房内空高,跨度大,料仓上部贯通,物料落差大,卸料中产生大量粉尘,环境污染问题典型突出。通过对低位料仓汽车卸料产尘特性分析,采取加强生产管理、组织汽车有序卸料、料仓厂房有效密闭、合理设计捕尘方式和布袋除尘系统等措施,能够有效地控制粉尘污染。除尘系统具有投资及运行费用少,除尘效果明显的优点。     

Prevalence of alcohol among nonfatally injured road accident casualties in two level III trauma centers in northern Ghana

Background: Alcohol use is pervasive among motorists on the road in Ghana; however, we do not know the extent to which this behavior is implicated in road accidents in this country.

Objectives: The main objective of this research was to establish the prevalence of alcohol in the blood of nonfatally injured casualties in the emergency departments (EDs) in northern Ghana.

Method: Participants were injured road traffic crash victims, namely, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers seeking treatment at an ED. The study sites were 2 level III trauma centers located in Wa and Bolgatanga. Participants were screened for alcohol followed by breath tests for positive participants using breathalyzers.

Results: Two hundred and sixty-two accident victims visited EDs, 58% of whom were in Wa. Among the victims, 41% were hospitalized and 57% experienced slight injuries. The vast majority (76%) of the casualties were motorcyclists, 13% were pedestrians, 8% were cyclists, and 2% were drivers. Casualties who had detectable alcohol in their blood were predominantly vulnerable road users. In all, 34% of participants had detectable blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and the mean BAC for all casualties who tested positive and could give definitive BACs was 0.2265 (226 mg/dl). The prevalence of alcohol use was 53% among cyclists, 34% among motorcyclists, 21% among pedestrians, and 17% among drivers. Male casualties were more likely to test positive for alcohol than females. In addition, the prevalence of alcohol was significantly higher among injured casualties in Bolgatanga compared to Wa.

Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of alcohol use among nonfatally injured casualties in northern Ghana and injury severity increased with BAC. AUDIT screening in the hospital, alcohol consumption guideline, road safety education with an emphasis on minimizing or eliminating alcohol consumption, and enhanced enforcement of the BAC limit among motorists are recommended.     

Changes in motorcycle-related injuries and deaths after mandatory motorcycle helmet law in a district of Vietnam

Objective: Our study measured the change in head injuries and deaths among motorcycle users in Cu Chi district, a suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City.

Methods: Hospital records for road traffic injuries (RTIs) were collected from the Cu Chi Trauma Centre and motorcycle-related death records were obtained from mortality registries in commune health offices. Head injury severity was categorized using the Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS). Rate ratios (RRs) were used to compare rates pre- and post-law (2005/2006–2009/2010). Cu Chi's population, stratified by year, age, and sex, was used as the denominator.

Results: Of records identifying the transportation mode at the time of injury, motorcyclists accounted for most injuries (3,035, 87%) and deaths (238, 90%). Head injuries accounted for 70% of motorcycle-related hospitalizations. Helmet use was not recorded in any death records and not in 97% of medical records. Males accounted for most injuries (73%) and deaths (88%). The median age was 28 years and 32 years for injuries and deaths, respectively. Compared to the pre-law period, rates of motorcycle injuries (RR = 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49–0.58), head injuries (RR = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.31–0.39), severe head injuries (RR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34–0.63), and deaths (RR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53–0.89) significantly decreased in the post-law period.

Conclusions: Rates of head injuries and deaths among motorcycle riders decreased significantly after implementation of the mandatory helmet law in Vietnam. To further examine the impact of the motorcycle helmet law, including compliance and helmet quality, further emphasis should be placed on gathering helmet use data from injured motorcyclists.     

Structural equation model analysis for the evaluation of overall driving performance: A driving simulator study focusing on driver distraction

Objective: The present research relies on 2 main objectives. The first is to investigate whether latent model analysis through a structural equation model can be implemented on driving simulator data in order to define an unobserved driving performance variable. Subsequently, the second objective is to investigate and quantify the effect of several risk factors including distraction sources, driver characteristics, and road and traffic environment on the overall driving performance and not in independent driving performance measures.

Methods: For the scope of the present research, 95 participants from all age groups were asked to drive under different types of distraction (conversation with passenger, cell phone use) in urban and rural road environments with low and high traffic volume in a driving simulator experiment. Then, in the framework of the statistical analysis, a correlation table is presented investigating any of a broad class of statistical relationships between driving simulator measures and a structural equation model is developed in which overall driving performance is estimated as a latent variable based on several individual driving simulator measures.

Results: Results confirm the suitability of the structural equation model and indicate that the selection of the specific performance measures that define overall performance should be guided by a rule of representativeness between the selected variables. Moreover, results indicate that conversation with the passenger was not found to have a statistically significant effect, indicating that drivers do not change their performance while conversing with a passenger compared to undistracted driving. On the other hand, results support the hypothesis that cell phone use has a negative effect on driving performance. Furthermore, regarding driver characteristics, age, gender, and experience all have a significant effect on driving performance, indicating that driver-related characteristics play the most crucial role in overall driving performance.

Conclusions: The findings of this study allow a new approach to the investigation of driving behavior in driving simulator experiments and in general. By the successful implementation of the structural equation model, driving behavior can be assessed in terms of overall performance and not through individual performance measures, which allows an important scientific step forward from piecemeal analyses to a sound combined analysis of the interrelationship between several risk factors and overall driving performance.