Persistent organochlorine contaminants in human tissues of the Czech and Slovak populations

The persistence of lipophilic organochlorine substances leads to their incorporation into the food chain and subsequent uptake by humans. Due to their use in the past, Czech and Slovak countries belong to the countries with a relatively high body burden of organochlorines. Levels of PCBs in human tissues based on the congener‐specific analysis are reported in this paper. Samples were analysed for the most abundant PCB congeners. Prevalent persistent organochlorine pesticides and their isomers/metabolites have also been included. The present study is focused on following areas: i) distribution of analysed substances in the various human tissue samples from selected regions of the Czech and Slovak Republic and ii) comparison with the results from other foreign and local studies.     

Hydrus-1D软件在地下水污染风险评价中的应用

以北京市东南郊再生水灌区为研究区域,应用Hydrus-1D软件构建水流、溶质运移模型,模拟再生水连续灌溉入渗过程中水流在包气带中的运动,并以再生水中的典型有机污染物多环芳烃萘、菲为研究对象,模拟其随灌溉水在包气带中的迁移衰减反应过程,结合MapGIS 6.7,将Hydrus-1D的点模拟结果应用于大面积、区域性的污染评价,通过与研究区地下水萘、菲的背景值进行对比,分级评估地下水污染风险.结果表明,经过50年连续灌溉后,再生水灌区整体地下水萘、菲污染风险较低,萘的污染风险高于菲,灌区内高污染风险区域主要位于凤港减河、红旗干渠与凤官沟交汇处以及东风干渠、永乐河与通大边沟之间.     

Bioaccumulation and adverse effects of trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the common onion Allium cepa as a model in ecotoxicological bioassays

The common onion Allium cepa can be easily used in ecotoxicological bioassays to evaluate the bioavailability and adverse effects of pollutants and complex mixtures like waste, industrial effluent or coal-mining drainage that contain elevated levels of trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, onions were exposed for 7 days to individual metals (1?µg?mL^?1), i.e., aluminium, copper, iron and manganese, or PAHs (1.5?ng?mL^?1), i.e., benzo[a]antracene and benzo[a]pirene. Biological effects, measured as growth inhibition of roots and leaves, were integrated with analysis of bioaccumulation in roots, bulbs and leaves. Copper, iron and benzo[a]pirene caused a significant inhibition in root development of newly formed tissues, whereas only slight variations were caused by other chemicals; the number of new root filaments and the length of the leaves did not show significant variations, thus not representing sensitive parameters to evaluate adverse effects of pollutants in A. cepa. Chemicals bioaccumulation was always significant in roots, whereas levels in bulbs and leaves exhibited increased levels only for manganese, and a decrease for aluminium. The overall results confirmed the sensitivity of the bioassays with A. cepa, suggesting their utility for future applications to evaluate the adverse effects of complex mixtures containing metals or PAHs.     

An interval dynamic multimedia fugacity (IDMF) model for environmental fate of PAHs and their source apportionment in a typical oilfield,China

An interval dynamic multimedia fugacity (IDMF) model with a new validation criterion of interval average logarithmic residual error (IALRE) was developed in this study. The environmental fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their source apportionment in a typical oilfield of China were simulated from 1985 to 2010. The PAH concentrations predicted by the model were in agreement with the measured concentrations, which were indicated by the IALREs calculated at 0.41, 0.63, 0.52, and 0.58 for air, water, soil, and sediment, respectively. The multimedia concentrations of Σ16 PAHs were 29.55, 39.22, 31.98, and 26.69 times greater in 2010 than those in 1985, and were higher than any other year modelled. Additionally, 87.82% of PAHs remained in the soil in 2010. PAH source emission into the soil was the major modelled source, whereas PAH degradation in the air was the major modelled loss pathway; the dominant transfer process between the adjacent compartments was atmospheric deposition from air to soil. It was demonstrated that high-temperature combustion was the major source of PAHs in the air and soil, whereas biomass and coal combustion were attributed to water and sediment compartments. The IDMF model was effective in the dynamic source apportionment of PAHs.     

Effect of the chemical composition of organic extracts from environmental and industrial atmospheric samples on the genotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons mixtures

Particulate organic matter (PM) present in the atmosphere is a complex mixture of chemicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that may exert adverse health effects including respiratory and cardiovascular disturbances and cancer. In this study, airborne samples from environmental or industrial areas exhibiting different physicochemical composition were compared for their capacities to induce DNA damage in human hepatocytes HepG2. DNA strand breaks and DNA adducts formed by benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE), the most reactive metabolite of the carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), were measured with the comet assay and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/mass spectrometry, respectively. Cells were exposed to organic matter extracted from PM. Experiments were performed either at a constant concentration of B[a]P or at concentrations corresponding to fixed air volumes. Results show that industrial extracts tend to produce more benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-N ²-2′-deoxyguanosine (BPDE-N ²-dGuo) DNA adducts than strand breaks, whereas the opposite was observed with environmental extracts. The chemical composition of the extracts significantly impacts the nature and levels of DNA damage. The amount of B[a]P and interaction with other contaminants in the extracts need to be considered to explain the formation of DNA damage. These results emphasize the use of in vitro tests as promising and complementary tools to widely used toxic equivalent factor (TEF) approach in order to assess health hazards related to chemical exposure of the general population.     

寿光土壤中多环芳烃的污染特征及风险评估

以山东省寿光市为研究区域,采集了39个土壤样品,分析了26种PAHs的含量.结果表明,26种多环芳烃的浓度范围为120~1486μg/kg,平均值为(415±312)μg/kg.16种优控PAHs的浓度范围为84~1076μg/kg,平均值为(289±211)μg/kg.与我国其他区域非点源污染土壤相比,寿光市土壤中PAHs含量处于中等水平.采用克里格(Kriging)插值方法对寿光市土壤中PAHs的空间分布特征进行预测发现,该市PAHs高污染区位于东部开发区和西部工业园,高环与低环PAHs在空间分布上有明显差异.主成分分析结果显示,该市土壤中PAHs有3个主要来源,分别为液体化石燃料燃烧源、石油源以及煤燃烧源,其对主要来源的贡献率分别为44.7%、31.7%和23.6%.相关性分析表明,低环和高环PAHs与土壤有机质含量均显著相关,但低环PAHs的相关系数明显高于高环PAHs,表明低环PAHs更容易受到土壤中有机质的影响,而高环PAHs则受控于近距离沉降.对照荷兰的土壤管理标准,寿光市土壤中Flt和Phe超标较严重,TEQBaP以及致癌风险计算结果表明,寿光市土壤PAHs处于较低风险水平.     

Comparison of metabolic nitramine degradation by denitrifying species

The biodegradation of two popular nitramine energetics were investigated. The HMX (octa‐hydro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine) was mineralized by anaerobic mixed denitrifiers in digested sewage sludge culture. An initial HMX concentration of 120 mg/L decreased to a non‐detectable level (> 99% removal efficiency) in 8 days of incubation under strict anaerobic conditions. It was, however, not effectively metabolized by single denitrifying species, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis in a nitrogen limiting condition under their optimum growth conditions. The other nitramine energetic, ADN (ammonium dinitramide), was mineralized well in the anaerobic mixed culture. The initial ADN concentration of 250 mg/L was reduced to non‐detectable levels (> 99% removal efficiency) in 5 days of incubation under anaerobic conditions. These results show that the anaerobic mixed culture, compared to the pure monoculture, is superior in the degradation of nitramine energetics.     

Anaerobic decolorization of an azo dye by a mixed culture

Wool dyeing wastewater contains xenobiotic compounds that can be removed by biotechnological processes. Studies on various dyes showed that anaerobic processes are suitable to alter azo dyes as a first step of the biodegradation process. These compounds are reduced by anaerobic consortia to aromatic amines and its ultimate degradation can be achieved by a further aerobic treatment.

Studies on degradation rate of an wool acid dye were performed in batch systems inoculated with anaerobic biomass. A commercial diazo dye, Acid Red 73, was added to the synthetic medium in which glucose was used as sole carbon source.

Results indicated that the Acid Red 73 was partially degraded by a mixed culture of anaerobic bacteria and a decolorization of 90% was obtained. Kinetics studies on removal of the colour showed that the decolorization rate was several times faster than the degradation rate of glucose for a range of dye concentrations between 60 mg/L and 400 mg/L. A first order kinetic model was used for dye concentrations up to 200 mg/L. For higher concentrations a model similar to the Michaelis‐Menten equation was better fitted to the experimental data.     

Thymic involution produced by diesel exhaust particles and their constituents in mice

Epidemiological studies suggest that diesel exhaust particles (DEP) contribute to an increase in allergic diseases. To assess the effects of DEP on the central immune system, mice were exposed to DEP by intraperitoneal (IP) administration. Exposure to DEP resulted in severe thymic involution accompanied by a reduction in the number of thymocytes, especially in cortical CD4⁺CD8⁺ double positive and double negative subsets. Core carbon particles associated with a mixture of chemical compounds in DEP did not appear to be responsible for the DEP-induced thymic involution because carbon graphite does not affect neither the number nor the CD4/CD8 profile of thymocytes. Extraction of DEP by ether, acidic and basic solvents showed that several independent fractions including the neutral ether fraction, which contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), induced thymic involution. Among major PAH components of DEP, benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF) were very potent inducers of thymic involution at an ED50 of less than 100?ng per mouse body. Nonetheless, DEP treatment of mice with targeted disruption of genes encoding the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), AHR nuclear translocator (ARNT), or microsomal epoxide hydolase (mEH) indicated that DEP produced thymic involution even in the absence of PAH-induced AHR/ARNT signal transduction or mEH-mediated PAH catabolism. On the other hand, BaP-mediated thymic involution was completely dependent on AHR, partially dependent on ARNT in T cells, and independent of mEH. These results indicate that DEP-induced thymic involution is mediated both by PAH-AHR/ARNT-dependent and -independent mechanisms.     

北京官厅水库特征污染物筛查及其健康风险评价

水源水中存在数以万计的污染物,需要根据不同水源污染特征筛查相应的特征污染物,并确定其对人体产生的健康风险。针对官厅水库及其出入库河流的表层水样,采用气相色谱质谱方法,对77种有机污染物进行了目标筛查和定量分析;采用非目标筛查的方法,对1 655种有机污染物进行了定性筛查。定量分析检出43种挥发性有机物(VOCs),浓度为nd～8.17 μg·L^-1;8种羰基化合物,浓度为nd～5.04 μg·L^-1;7种嗅味物质,浓度为nd～1 421.58 ng·L^-1。在检出的58种污染物中,有国家生活饮用水卫生标准(GB5749-2006)的共有23种,有国家地表水环境质量标准(GB3838-2002)的22种,浓度均未超过相关标准。对所检出的污染物进行了危害识别,发现5种嗅味物质浓度均超过了其嗅阈值。对其中有基础毒性数据的17种污染物进行了致癌风险评价,对37种污染物进行了非致癌风险评价。研究表明,17种污染物致癌风险处于10^-6～10^-5水平,而37种污染物的非致癌风险处于10^-2水平,均低于国际认同的风险控制阈值。定性筛查出80种具有潜在健康风险的有机污染物,作为进一步深入研究的目标污染物。据此,2012年调查中官厅水库水中的有机微污染对人体健康的风险总体上处于较低水平。其中,苯系物在官厅水库中普遍存在,六氯丁二烯和巴豆醛是主要的风险特征污染物,2-异丙基-3-甲氧基吡嗪(IPMP)、2-异丁基-3-甲氧基吡嗪(IBMP)和2,4,6-三氯茴香醚(TCA)是主要的致嗅特征污染物。