Indoor and outdoor air pollution and lung cancer in New Hampshire and Vermont

Indoor and outdoor air pollution is known to contribute to increased lung cancer incidence. This study is the first to address the contribution of home heating fuel and geographical course particulate matter (PM₁₀) concentrations to lung cancer rates in New Hampshire, USA. First, Pearson correlation analysis and geographically weighted regression were used to investigate spatial relationships between outdoor PM₁₀ and lung cancer rates. While the aforementioned analyses did not indicate a significant contribution of PM₁₀ to lung cancer in the state, there was a trend towards a significant association in the northern and southwestern regions of the state. Second, case-control data were used to estimate the contributions of indoor pollution and secondhand smoke to the risk of lung cancer with adjustment for confounders. Increased risk was found among those who used wood or coal to heat their homes for more than 10 winters before the age of 18, with a significant increase in risk per winter. Resulting data suggest that further investigation of the relationship between heating-related air pollution levels and lung cancer risk is needed.     

1981~2010年深圳市不同等级霾天气特征分析

利用1981~2010年深圳市地面观测及空气质量监测资料,分析深圳不同等级霾天气的长期变化特征以及大气水平能见度、空气质量与霾的关系.结果表明:深圳霾日数总体呈增多趋势,强度增强,中度以上霾增多;各等级霾日数均呈增多态势,但不同等级霾日占年总霾日的比例变化趋势不同,轻微霾所占比例下降,轻度以上霾上升; 霾天气呈现冬季>秋季>春季>夏季的季节特征,但重度霾却是夏季最多; 霾导致大气水平能见度明显下降,霾日平均能见度较非霾日低6~7km,霾等级越高,能见度下降越明显,霾日能见度日变化幅度较非霾日小;霾日SO2、NO2浓度为非霾日的1.4~1.7倍,PM10是非霾日的2.2倍,大气颗粒物污染加剧可能是深圳能见度恶化、霾天气增多的一个重要原因;针对荔香站霾日SO2浓度日变化不明显,PM10 、NO2浓度呈双峰型分布,与上下班时段吻合,说明机动车的增加也是深圳霾天气增多的主因之一;霾等级越高,空气中PM10、SO2、NO2的浓度越高,从轻微到重度霾各级之间SO2、NO2和PM10浓度增幅大都在15%~20%.     

Assessment of potentially toxic elements in Swiss chard and sediments of Akaki River,Ethiopia

For the determination of 15 potentially toxic elements (V, Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Hg, and Pb) in plant and sediment samples of the Akaki River, Ethiopia, inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry, and a RA-915+ mercury analyzer were applied. Sediment and plant samples were mineralized using a closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion system. The elemental concentrations varied considerably in plant and sediment samples. The minimum concentration was observed for known toxic elements (As, Hg, and Cd) while the highest concentration was observed for the elements of relatively low toxicity Zn, Mn, and Fe. The concentration of Cr, Fe, Pb, Zn, and As in Swiss chard surpassed the maximum permissible levels at specific sites. At some of the sites, the sediment quality guidelines are surpassed for Cu, Zn, and Pb.     

Biochemical and histological alterations induced by a formulation of dicofol in the embryonic liver of Gallus domesticus

In the present investigation, hepatotoxic effect of a commercially available insecticide formulation of dicofol (Colonel–S® 18.5% emulsified concentrate) was studied in the developing chick embryo. Fertilized eggs of Gallus domesticus were immersed in three different dose concentrations, i.e. 250, 500, and 1000 mg L^?1 of Colonel–S on “0” and fourth days of incubation for 60 min at 37 °C and incubated till embryonic day 16. Severe histopathological cellular lesions, such as extensive cell degeneration and necrosis with enlarged blood sinusoids, cytoplasmic vacuolization, and leucocyte infiltrations with congestion or dilation of central vein, appeared in dose-depended manner. Dicofol treatment also caused significant decrease in the levels of total protein, glycogen, and glutathione content and an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity of embryonic liver, whereas glutamic pyruvic transaminase activity showed mixed response.     

Determination of cobalt by air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction

Abstract

A rapid and selective technique for extraction, preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of cobalt in water and pharmaceutical samples by air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry is proposed. 1-Nitroso-2-naphthol is used as a complexing agent and 1-octanol as an extraction solvent. Parameters relevant for analytical effectivity, i.e. pH of sample solution, concentration of complexing agent, volume of extraction solvent, and number of extraction cycles are optimized using a Box–Behnken design. At optimum conditions, a dynamic linear range of 5–600?µg L^?1 is obtained, with a limit of detection of 1.2?µg L^?1. The method is used for determination of Co(II) in environmental water and pharmaceutical samples.     

Mechanistic aspects of the thermal formation of halogenated organic compounds including polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins. Part V†: Hypotheses and summary

The hypotheses on the de novo syntheses of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDDs), based on known literature, are presented. Polychlorinated benzenes and polychlorinated phenols are probably key intermediates.

In the present article, hypotheses that may account for the presence of polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDDs) in the effluents from municipal and industrial incinerators are put forward. These hypotheses are based on the previously surveyed literature (Ref. 203–206) and experimental results on laboratory scale and thermodynamic calculations are considered. The interconnections of various reaction steps are speculative and no technological information was added to account for conditions in real incinerators. Conclusion of the discussions on the related subject matter, presented in the Parts I‐IV (Ref. 203–206), are also described in this paper.     

Determination of metallic cobalt in the atmosphere

Due to the fact that, among the different chemical species, metallic cobalt is characterized by the highest toxicity, in this paper is proposed a procedure for its determination in the atmospheric paniculate. The air is filtered on a cellulose or glass fiber membrane, to collect the paniculate containing among the other species, metallic cobalt: the determination is based on a selective dissolution of the metallic cobalt possibly present followed by its determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The typical interferences that can be present in the matrix are discussed and suggestions for their minimisation are proposed. By the following procedure is also possible to determine separately the sum of the insoluble and water soluble cobalt compounds.     

中国东部春季一次强冷锋活动空气污染输送过程分析

利用CMAQ(4.7.1)和HYSPLIT后向轨迹模式,结合长岛和洪泽湖站点污染物观测数据,对2011年3月31日—4月3日影响我国东北部地区的一次典型强冷锋天气空气污染过程进行模拟分析,验证表明模式能较好地模拟此次强冷锋过程. 由结果可知,此次强冷锋前后污染物浓度呈先升后降又上升的现象. 在冷锋移动过程中,锋前出现一条高浓度污染带,锋面将污染物抬升至800～500 hPa的高度,使污染物在对流层中层快速向西太平洋传输;冷锋对当地污染物的去除不仅有水平方向的推动作用,还会使污染物向高空输送. 锋面过后污染物浓度急剧降低,冷锋对长岛站点SO₂、O₃、NO_x、PM_2.5的清除率分别为90.87%、34.10%、50.56%、72.69%,对洪泽湖站点则分别为82.53%、50.45%、65.11%、36.80%. 锋面过去1~2 d后,高压控制天气形势下污染物再次开始积累、浓度回升. 冷锋前后污染物形成一个“积累—锋前抬升—高空平流输送—锋后大风清除—积累”的循环.      

我国空气质量健康指数的初步研究

收集我国16个城市2001~2010年每日PM10、SO2和NO2浓度和居民日死亡数,采用经典的时间序列研究方法和贝叶斯层次模型,分析在全国水平上各污染物与居民每日总死亡率的暴露反应关系,据此构建我国空气质量健康指数(AQHI).比较AQHI与现行空气污染指数(API)和空气质量指数(AQI)预测居民日死亡率的能力.结果显示,AQHI的构建公式为:AQHI=10/16.4×100×[exp(0.00019×PM10)-1+exp (0.00061×NO2)-1].AQHI预测居民每日总死亡率、心血管疾病死亡率和呼吸系统疾病死亡率的强度和精确度均优于现行的API与AQI.     

长江三角洲城市群霾的演变特征及影响因素研究

重建了长江三角洲1961~2007年霾气候数据序列,分析了霾日数的时空变化特征及城乡差异,并探讨了大气污染以及地面和近地层气象条件对霾发生的影响.结果表明,利用湿度—能见度指数参与霾气候序列重建的方法具有一定的合理性和科学性.过去47a间,长江三角洲霾日数总体上呈逐渐增多的趋势,并且四季霾日数都增加.空间上,整个长江三角洲霾日数基本上都呈增加趋势,并以杭州和南京增加最多.近30a来长江三角洲大城市、中等城市和城镇乡村站间霾日数变化具有明显差异.地面气象要素中风速和最长连续无降水日数与霾发生具有较好的对应关系.在霾天气过程和对应的清洁过程,近地层温度、位势高度和风场也都具有明显的差异.长江三角洲霾变化趋势与我国京津冀、珠江三角洲等地的变化一致.区域大气污染物排放量的增加,尤其是细颗粒物的增加是霾出现频率增加的可能原因,全球气候变化以及区域城市化造成的气象条件改变也有利于霾日的增加.