Effects of prevalent freshwater chemical contaminants on in vitro growth of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Many surface and ground waters in the continental US are contaminated with a variety of chemical pollutants, which are usually present in concentrations in the ppm and ppb range. The effects of these pollutants on coliform bacteria, which are prominent members of the aquatic flora, are poorly understood. Using a microtiter plate assay, isolates of Escherichia coli (from chicken intestine and fresh water), and an isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae (from bovine milk) were exposed to varying concentrations of common pollutants over a 24 h period. The herbicides/pesticides simazine, atrazine, and diazinon; the VOCs trichloroethene and MTBE; the estrogens estradiol and estrone; and caffeine, all failed to inhibit bacterial growth at ppm levels. Only ethylene glycol, and the herbicide 2,4-D, significantly inhibited bacterial growth compared to controls. These results suggest that the replication of coliform bacteria in fresh waters is not adversely impacted by many common pollutants.     

Spore release by the green alga Ulva: a quantitative assay to evaluate aquatic toxicants

A toxicity test using spore release of the aquatic green alga, Ulva, was developed and evaluated by assessing the toxicity of different organic and inorganic chemicals and elutriates of sewage or waste sludge. The toxic ranking of four metals was: Cu (EC50 of 0.040mgL(-1))>Cd (0.095mgL(-1))>Pb (0.489mgL(-1))>Zn (0.572mgL(-1)). The EC50 for TBTO ranged from 24 to 63microgL(-1). The most toxic VOC was formalin (EC50 of 0.788microlL(-1)) and the least toxic was acetone. Spore release was significantly inhibited in all elutriates; the greatest and least toxic effects were for industrial sewage (3.29%) and filtration bed (10.08%), respectively. The bioassay is simple, inexpensive and sensitive. The cosmopolitan distribution of Ulva means that the test would have a potential application worldwide.     

汽车车内有机挥发物(VOC)的检测

本文介绍了汽车VOC的危害以及国内外对汽车VOC的一些研究,同时对汽车整车、零部件及材料的VOC检测方法进行简单介绍,并分析了汽车内饰件产生VOC的主要来源。     

Characterization of odorous charge and photochemical reactivity of VOC emissions from a full-scale food waste treatment plant in China

Food waste treatment plants (FWTPs) are usually associated with odorous nuisance and health risks, which are partially caused by volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. This study investigated the VOC emissions from a selected full-scale FWTP in China. The feedstock used in this plant was mainly collected from local restaurants. For a year, the FWTP was closely monitored on specific days in each season. Four major indoor treatment units of the plant, including the storage room, sorting/crushing room, hydrothermal hydrolysis unit, and aerobic fermentation unit, were chosen as the monitoring locations. The highest mean concentration of total VOC emissions was observed in the aerobic fermentation unit at 21,748.2-31,283.3 μg/m³, followed by the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit at 10,798.1-23,144.4 μg/m³. The detected VOC families included biogenic compounds (oxygenated compounds, hydrocarbons, terpenes, and organosulfur compounds) and abiogenic compounds (aromatic hydrocarbons and halocarbons). Oxygenated compounds, particularly alcohols, were the most abundant compounds in all samples. With the use of odor index analysis and principal components analysis, the hydrothermal hydrolysis and aerobic fermentation units were clearly distinguished from the pre-treatment units, as characterized by their higher contributions to odorous nuisance. Methanthiol was the dominant odorant in the hydrothermal hydrolysis unit, whereas aldehyde was the dominant odorant in the aerobic fermentation unit. Terpenes, specifically limonene, had the highest level of propylene equivalent concentration during the monitoring periods. This concentration can contribute to the increase in the atmospheric reactivity and ozone formation potential in the surrounding air.     

南京市交通干道大气环境中挥发性有机物的研究

使用Tenax管在常温下富集采样 ,研究了南京市交通干道大气环境中苯系物的污染状况和季节变化规律 ,监测过程历时 1年。同时在中山陵设点采样 ,以作背景研究。经过GC/MS联用仪分析测定 ,共检出 140多种挥发性有机物 ,其中含量较高的是苯系物。结合获得的大气中苯系物的比值以及采样点的周围环境 ,对苯系物进行源分析 ,表明苯系物主要来源于汽车尾气的排放 ,其污染程度与气候变化有关。     

Spatial Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds from a Community-Based Air Toxics Monitoring Network in Deer Park,Texas, USA

In the summer of 2003, ambient air concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured at 12 sites within a 3-km radius in Deer Park, Texas near Houston. The purpose of the study was to assess local spatial influence of traffic and other urban sources and was part of a larger investigation of VOC spatial and temporal heterogeneity influences in selected areas of Houston. Seventy 2-h samples were collected using passive organic vapor monitors. Most measurements of 13 VOC species were greater than the method detection limits. Samplers were located at 10 residential sites, a regulatory air monitoring station, and a site located at the centroid of the census tract in which the regulatory station was located. For residential sites, sampler placement locations (e. g., covered porch vs. house eaves) had no effect on concentration with the exception of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE). Relatively high correlations (Pearson r > 0.8) were found between toluene, ethylbenzene, and o,m,p-xylenes suggesting petroleum-related influence. Chloroform was not correlated with these species or benzene (Pearson r < 0.35) suggesting a different source influence, possibly from process-related activities. As shown in other spatial studies, wind direction relative to source location had an effect on VOC concentrations.     

应用POMS复合膜分离去除废气中挥发性有机污染物

依靠POMS平板单层膜或POMS卷式膜上选择性分离层的选择性溶解和渗透作用,常温负压分离回收废气中乙酸乙酯等挥发性有机污染物(VOC)组分.结果表明,膜两侧操作压差和原料气流量对乙酸乙酯分离效率影响较大;当原料气处理量为1.770 0～2.810 0 m3/(m2·h)、膜两侧操作压差为0.08 MPa,POMS卷式膜乙酸乙酯渗透速率可达7.86 × 10-7 mol/(s·m2·Pa);乙酸乙酯为1 500～4 500 mg/m3时,其去除率可达80%.测得几种VOC组分在POMS复合膜中的溶解吸附量都比较可观,由此预测该膜处理废气中VOC可取得很好的净化效果.甲苯在POMS复合膜中的溶解吸附量低于乙酸乙酯,其实验测得渗透速率也小于乙酸乙酯.甲苯去除率也能达到80%.     

Environmental sampling of volatile organic compounds during the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California

Trace analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during wildfires is imperative for environmental and health risk assessment. The use of gas sampling devices mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to chemically sample air during wildfires is of great interest because these devices move freely about their environment, allowing for more representative air samples and the ability to sample areas dangerous or unreachable by humans. This work presents chemical data from air samples obtained in Davis, CA during the most destructive wildfire in California's history - the 2018 Camp Fire – as well as the deployment of our sampling device during a controlled experimental fire while fixed to a UAV. The sampling mechanism was an in-house manufactured micro-gas preconcentrator (µPC) embedded onto a compact battery-operated sampler that was returned to the laboratory for chemical analysis. Compounds commonly observed in wildfires were detected during the Camp Fire using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS), including BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m+p-xylene, and o-xylene), benzaldehyde, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, naphthalene, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene and 1-ethyl-3-methylbenzene. Concentrations of BTEX were calculated and we observed that benzene and toluene were highest with average concentrations of 4.7 and 15.1 µg/m³, respectively. Numerous fire-related compounds including BTEX and aldehydes such as octanal and nonanal were detected upon experimental fire ignition, even at a much smaller sampling time compared to samples taken during the Camp Fire. Analysis of the air samples taken both stationary during the Camp Fire and mobile during an experimental fire show the successful operation of our sampler in a fire environment.     

杭州市交通干线空气中挥发性有机物研究

研究了杭州市四季交通干线空气中挥发性有机物分布和浓度特征,得出汽车尾气是市区交通干线空气中挥发性有机物的主要污染来源,且有机物浓度与交通干线繁忙程度成正比,杭州市交通干线空气中挥发性有机物污染以春季最为严重,秋季最轻。     

Effect of outside air ventilation rate on volatile organic compound concentrations in a call center

A study of the relationship between outside air ventilation rate and concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated indoors was conducted in a call center office building. The building, with two floors and a total floor area of 4600 m², is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Ventilation rates were manipulated with the building's four air handling units (AHUs). VOC and CO₂ concentrations in the AHU returns were measured on 7 days during a 13-week period. VOC emission factors were determined for individual zones on days when they were operating at near steady-state conditions. The emission factor data were subjected to principal component (PC) analysis to identify groups of co-varying compounds. Potential sources of the PC vectors were ascribed based on information from the literature. The per occupant CO₂ generation rates were 0.0068–0.0092 l s⁻¹. The per occupant isoprene generation rates of 0.2–0.3 mg h⁻¹ were consistent with the value predicted by mass balance from breath concentration and exhalation rate. The relationships between indoor minus outdoor VOC concentrations and ventilation rate were qualitatively examined for eight VOCs. Of these, acetaldehyde and hexanal, which likely were associated with material sources, and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, associated with personal care products, exhibited general trends of higher concentrations at lower ventilation rates. For other compounds, a clear inverse relationship between VOC concentrations and ventilation was not observed. The net concentration of 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol monoisobutyrate isomers, examples of low-volatility compounds, changed very little with ventilation likely due to sorption and re-emission effects. These results illustrate that the efficacy of ventilation for controlling VOC concentrations can vary considerably depending upon the operation of the building, the pollutant sources and the physical and chemical processes affecting the pollutants. Thus, source control measures, in addition to adequate ventilation, are required to limit concentrations of VOCs in office buildings.