Distribution of perfluorochemicals between sera and milk from the same mothers and implications for prenatal and postnatal exposures

The levels of six perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs), four perfloroalkylsulfonates (PFASs), and one sulfonamide were measured in paired samples of maternal serum, umbilical cord serum, and breast milk. The maternal and cord sera were strongly correlated with each other for all measured compounds (r > 0.5 and p < 0.01). Nevertheless, there was a significant difference in compound composition profile between the two sera matrices, with a more depletion of the longer chain compounds in cord serum. The transfer efficiency values from maternal to cord serum (TF_CS/MS) decreased by 70% with each increasing unit of -CF₂ chain within a PFCA group, and for perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), by a half compared to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). In contrast to the strong correlation in concentrations between the two sera matrices, the pattern of compounds in breast milk differed considerably with those in sera. Accordingly, compound- and matrix-specific transfer must be considered when assessing prenatal and postnatal exposure.     

Monitoring of environmental contaminants in raw bovine milk and estimates of dietary intakes of children in South Korea

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are ubiquitous residual contaminants in the environment and in the food chain. Milk is an important matrix for monitoring POP contamination. This study determined the concentrations of POPs including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in raw bovine milk, and the data was used to estimate dietary intakes in South Korea. The average concentrations of PBDEs, HCB, PCDD/Fs, and DL-PCBs in raw milk were 0.29 ng g⁻¹ fat, 0.50 ng g⁻¹ fat, 0.27 pg TEQ g⁻¹ fat, and 0.33 pg TEQ g⁻¹ fat, respectively. No significant relationship was found between the concentrations of analytes and the regions sampled. The dietary intakes of PBDEs from the consumption of milk was calculated to be 0.26, 0.10, and 0.05 ng kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹ for the group of ages 0–6, 7–12, and 13–19, respectively. The dietary intakes of HCB was calculated to be 0.44, 0.16, and 0.09 ng kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹ for the group of ages 0–6, 7–12, and 13–19, respectively. The dietary intakes of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs was calculated to be 0.78, 0.29, and 0.16 pg TEQ kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹ for the group of ages 0–6, 7–12, and 13–19, respectively. These results indicated that the residual levels of PBDEs, HCB, PCDD/Fs, and DL-PCBs in raw bovine milk were within safe levels.     

不同工作环境人群多环芳烃的日暴露总量

研究了100名处于不同工作与生活环境人群14种PAHs化合物的24h个体呼吸(PM10和气相)及饮食暴露量.结果表明,参试人群按PAHs暴露量从大到小顺序排列为焦炉炉顶工人>焦炉炉侧工人>焦炉炉底工人>炼钢管理人员>办公室工作人员.焦炉工人BaP日暴露量可达8~25g/d;焦炉工人PAHs日暴露量为一般人群的几十至上百倍,造成差异的原因主要是不同人群日呼吸暴露量的不同,而饮食暴露量的组间差异不大;除二苯并(a,h)蒽外的13种PAHs化合物日暴露量两两呈显著正相关.     

环境健康风险评价中我国居民暴露参数探讨

暴露参数是人体暴露和健康风险评价中的关键性参数,根据我国居民人群的基本体征参数和相关调查统计数据,在借鉴和参考了美国环境保护署(US EPA)建立暴露参数的方法学基础上,探讨了我国居民呼吸、饮食、皮肤等的暴露参数. 结果表明:我国居民呼吸速率为5.71～19.02 m3/d,18岁以下人群各种活动强度下男性和女性的呼吸速率几乎一样,而18～60岁的男性呼吸速率明显大于女性;我国成年人饮食量为1 176.3 g/d,主要食用米、面及其制品,分别占总饮食量的23%和13%;我国成年男性的皮肤表面积为1.697 m2,成年女性为1.531 m2;我国成年男性平均体质量为62.70 kg,成年女性平均体质量为54.40 kg;我国居民的各种暴露参数与美国相差2.5%～33.3%,若在同等条件下参考国外暴露参数开展暴露和健康风险评价可能带来较大的偏差,开展全国范围内系统的暴露参数调查研究工作迫在眉睫.      

湖南省大气污染物排放与人体暴露水平研究

基于吸入因子概念,建立了污染物排放造成的人体暴露的计算方法.应用CALPUFF长距离扩散模型和多元回归分析对湖南省17个电厂(24个排放源)的一次细颗粒(PM_2.5)、SO₂和NO_x排放进行了研究.结果表明,在半径500km范围内,PM_2.5、SO₄^2-和NO₃^-的平均吸入因子分别为9.73×10^-6、2.39×10^-6和2.47×10^-6.回归分析表明,PM_2.5的吸入因子与烟囱高度及人口数量有很高的相关性(R²=0.83),SO₄^2--吸入因子与烟囱高度无关,与人口数量有较好的相关性(R²=0.64),而NO₃的吸入因子与烟囱高度、人口数量的相关性较高(R²=0.74).基于回归方程和人口分布地图,对湖南省污染排放的吸入因子进行区划,得到的吸入因子等值图反映了人口分布对吸入因子的影响,可用于对该地区的排放源造成的健康影响进行快速评价.     

稀土元素日允许摄入限量的差异与农用安全性讨论

比较不同时期提出的稀土元素日允许摄入量(AD I)的差异性发现,随着研究的深入,近期提出的AD I值明显低于早期的AD I值,反映了人们对稀土元素毒性效应有了进一步的认识。根据农产品中稀土元素残留量及其可通过食物链为人们所摄入的现状,分析了稀土农用、稀土厂“三废”对生态环境的污染影响以及潜在的食品安全性问题。     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in food and associated human daily intake assessment considering bioaccessibility measured by simulated gastrointestinal digestion

The concentrations of PBDEs in 299 vegetable and animal-based food samples of 31 species, collected in Shanghai, China, and the bioaccessibility of PBDEs in part of the samples were determined. The PBDE concentrations ranged from 0 to 1245.4 pg g⁻¹ with animal-based food containing more PBDEs than vegetables. The bioaccessibility of PBDEs, determined by a method simulating human gastrointestinal digestion process, were from 2.6% to 39.9% in vegetables, and from 5.2% to 105.3% in animal-based food. For animal-based food, good correlations were observed between the bioaccessibility of PBDEs and the fat content, thus the fat content in animal-based food was able to be used to estimate the bioaccessibility of PBDEs. The total daily intake of PBDEs via ingestion of vegetables and animal-based food for an average Shanghai resident was estimated as 13 235.7 and 13 668.0 pg d⁻¹, respectively, but the amounts available for human absorption were reduced to 2674.4 and 4316.6 pg d⁻¹ after the PBDE bioaccessibility was considered. Finally, the contributions of different food groups to the total daily intake of PBDEs were evaluated. The results revealed that, when not considering the bioaccessibility of PBDEs, vegetables were the leading contributor (49.2%), followed by fish (34.0%). However, the sequence was reversed after the PBDE bioaccessibility was taken into account. The results indicated that human exposure to PBDEs via food ingestion might have been significantly overestimated and the exposure assessment could be misleading if the bioaccessibility of PBDEs was not considered.     

Study of boron behaviour in two Spanish coal combustion power plants

A full-scale field study was carried out at two Spanish coal-fired power plants equipped with electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and wet flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) systems to investigate the distribution of boron in coals, solid by-products, wastewater streams and flue gases. The results were obtained from the simultaneous sampling of solid, liquid and gaseous streams and their subsequent analysis in two different laboratories for purposes of comparison. Although the final aim of this study was to evaluate the partitioning of boron in a (co-)combustion power plant, special attention was paid to the analytical procedure for boron determination. A sample preparation procedure was optimised for coal and combustion by-products to overcome some specific shortcomings of the currently used acid digestion methods. In addition boron mass balances and removal efficiencies in ESP and FGD devices were calculated. Mass balance closures between 83 and 149% were obtained. During coal combustion, 95% of the incoming boron was collected in the fly ashes. The use of petroleum coke as co-combustible produced a decrease in the removal efficiency of the ESP (87%). Nevertheless, more than 90% of the remaining gaseous boron was eliminated via the FGD in the wastewater discharged from the scrubber, thereby causing environmental problems.     

Fish consumption in pregnancy, cord blood mercury level and cognitive and psychomotor development of infants followed over the first three years of life: Krakow epidemiologic study

BACKGROUND: Although the maternal fish consumption is supposed to have beneficial effects on development of infants, it may be harmful for child cognitive development since fish is a common source of methylmercury. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Purpose of the study was to describe the usual pattern of fish consumption during pregnancy in Poland and explain the variability of prenatal mercury exposure due to fish intake by mothers. The other endpoint of the study was the assessment of the cognitive and psychomotor development of infants related to prenatal mercury exposure over the 3-year follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 374 infants born at 33-42 weeks of gestation between January 2001 and March 2003 to mothers attending ambulatory prenatal clinics in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Total mercury level in whole cord blood was measured and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) was used to assess the mental (MDI) and psychomotor developmental index (PDI) in children at 12, 24 and 36 months of age. RESULTS: Self-reported weekly amount of fish consumption during the first two trimesters of pregnancy correlated positively with umbilical cord mercury concentrations (r(s)=0.22, p<0.0001). The corresponding correlation coefficient for the fish consumption in the third trimester of pregnancy was 0.21, p<0.0001. There was an inverse association between mercury exposure and both MDI (beta regression coeff.=-2.8, p=0.01) and PDI scores (beta coeff.=-2.3, p=0.04) at 12 months of age. Subsequent BSID-II testing at 24 and 36 months did not confirm significant association between exposure and cognitive or psychomotor function. The estimates of association between mercury prenatal exposure and the development of infants, which were based on the longitudinal analysis of all BSID-II measurements done in the follow-up (generalized estimating equations statistical model) showed that the performance deficit observed at 12 months of age was of border significance.     

以河床井水为应急水源的可行性研究

为解决城市水源地突发污染事故引起的自来水厂断水问题,提出了以河床井水代替受污染河水作为应急水源的应急预案,在取水口附近的河床打一口水井,当城市水源地发生突发污染事故时,关闭取水头水阀,开启水井水阀,以河床井水作为应急水源,并通过模拟试验验证了其可行性.结果表明,在细沙体积分数为40％的土壤条件下,原水苯胺质量浓度分别为952 mg/L、781 mg/L、580 mg/L、452mg/L、352mg/L、182mg/L的试验中,出水苯胺质量浓度开始超标的时间随土壤渗透系数减小而延迟,与原水苯胺质量浓度无关.当土壤渗透系数为1.94×10-5～ 3.64×10-5 cm/s时,出水苯胺质量浓度开始超标的时间为84～ 144h,以河床井水作为应急水源可以避免由河水突发污染引起的84h内的自来水厂断水事故.土壤对苯胺的吸附量仅占原水中苯胺含量的14.95％～ 2.86％,其对出水苯胺质量浓度开始超标的时间的影响可以忽略,出水苯胺开始出现的时间主要由土壤渗透系数决定.出水苯胺最大质量浓度随原水苯胺质量浓度增大呈线性增加,线性方程为y =0.4979x-3.7029,R2=0.9775.研究表明,以河床井水作为应急水源,能够有效地降低城市因突发污染事故而引起的自来水厂断水的可能性.