Chromosomal aberrations and DNA damage in human populations exposed to the processing of electronics waste

Background, aim, and scope  It has been known that the pollutants of electronic wastes (E-wastes) can lead to severe pollution to the environment. It has been reported that about 50% to 80% of E-wastes from developed countries are exported to Asia and Africa. It has become a major global environmental problem to deal with ‘E-wastes’. E-waste recycling has remained primitive in Jinghai, China. This not only produces enormous environmental pollution but also can bring about toxic or genotoxic effects on the human body, threatening the health of both current residents and future generations living in the local environment. The concentration of lead in the blood of children in the E-waste polluted area in China is higher than that of the control area. But little is known about the cytogenetic effect to human beings caused by the pollution of E-wastes. In the present study, experiments have been performed to investigate the genetics of permanent residents of three villages with numerous E-waste disposal sites and to analyze the harmful effects of exposure to E-wastes. Materials and methods  In total, 171 villagers (exposed group) were randomly selected from permanent residents of three villages located in Jinghai County of Tianjin, China, where there has been massive disposal of E-wastes. Thirty villagers were selected from the neighboring towns without E-waste disposal sites to serve as controls. Chromosomal aberrations and cytokinesis blocking micronucleus were performed to detect the cytogenetic effect, dic + r (dicentric and ring chromosome), monomer, fragments (acentric fragments, minute chromosomes, and acentric rings), translocation, satellite, quadriradial, total aberrations, and micronuclear rate were scored for each subject. DNA damage was detected using comet assay; the DNA percentage in the comet tail (TDNA%), tail moment (TM), and Olive tail moment (OTM) were recorded to describe DNA damage to lymphocytes. Results  The total chromosome aberration rates (5.50%) and micronuclear rates (16.99%) of the exposure group were significantly higher than in the control group (P = 0.000). The percentage of DNA in the comet tail, tail moment, and Olive tail moment detected by comet assay showed that there was a significant difference in DNA damage in the exposure group (P = 0.000). The chromosome aberration, micronucleus rate, and DNA damage observed in women were significantly higher than those in men. Chromosome aberration and micronuclear rates of both smokers and non-smokers in the exposure group are obviously higher than that in the control group (P = 0.000). Discussion  The use of outdated (and unsafe) ways to deal with E-wastes can lead to exposure to a variety of substances harmful to human health. The components of pollution may enter the human body through the air, drinking water, and food chain to damage human genetic material, resulting in genomic instability. The rates of chromosomal aberration, micronucleus formation, and the degree of DNA damage in women in the group exposed to electronic waste were significantly higher than in men. The reason for this may be concerned with the traditional lifestyle of the local residents or the difference of sensitivity to the exposure to E-wastes or any others. Further investigations are needed to provide evidence to demonstrate this. Conclusions  Here, we report the obviously cytogenetic toxicity to the exposure population by the E-waste pollution for the first time. E-waste pollution may be a potential agent of genetic mutation, and may induce cytogenetic damage within the general population exposed to the pollution. These findings need to be considered, and steps should be taken to protect the current population and future generations from the effects of pollution with E-wastes. Recommendations and perspectives  The above results remind us that the impact of E-waste recycling on environmental quality of Jinghai should be evaluated soon. Moreover, it is urgent for the government to prohibit E-waste import and its processing by outdated ways. The future studies such as pollutant details of drinking water, air, and soil in the area as well as epidemiological investigations on the harmful effect to children must be performed eagerly. All the data available do provide a compelling case for immediate action in both countries to address workplace health and safety and waste management. Qiang Liu and Jia Cao contributed equally to this study and share the first authorship.     

面向对象的灾害信息遥感提取框架及其应用

我国自然灾害频发,遥感技术可快速、大范围地获取地表的重大自然灾害信息,具有巨大的应用价值.但目前高分辨率遥感影像处理面临一定的困难,尚无十分有效且快速的分类与目标提取算法,面向对象影像处理技术是该领域的研究热点.通过详细分析面向对象影像处理方法与高分辨率影像的特点,构建了面向对象遥感影像技术的灾害信息提取框架,并将该提取框架应用于地震灾害的损毁分析,为相关灾害应用研究提供参考.     

灾害无形损害的评价研究——心理损害与伦理创伤产生的原因与抚慰

随着人类社会的发展,灾害对社会破坏程度的评价标准逐渐提高,从单纯的物质损害上升到对人们精神损害的评价.心理损害与伦理创伤是灾后社会要面对的一个重大问题,究其产生的原因及如何合理处置是我们制度评价体系要研究的重要课题.     

地震中造成建筑物毁损的耦合效应

通过对北川地震灾区损毁建筑物的实地调查,指出震区建筑物毁损是由地质背景条件、建设场区地基土特性及建筑施工技术等多种因素的耦合效应造成的.地震诱发滑坡、崩塌、砂七液化等次生地质灾害造成建筑物场区失稳、失效,是震区建筑物毁损的重要原因.震区房屋毁损的特点是砖混结构和复杂建筑破坏严重,框架结构房屋和建筑幕墙等其他建筑破坏各有特点.在综合分析使建筑物毁损的耦合效应的基础上,提出了提高震区设防烈度、科学选址及吸收国内外先进抗震经验的思路,为灾后重建工作积累科学资料.     

汶川8.0级地震绵阳市游仙区水库震害调查与分析

5.12汶川特大地震给四川省水库造成了严重的震害和巨大的经济损失。依据绵阳市水库地震灾害的现场科学考察资料,对绵阳市游仙区44座高危险情以上的水库土坝的震损现象做了初步总结和分析。发现这些震损水库基本上都建于1950~1980年,未经抗震设计,典型震害现象包括水库坝顶中部及坝轴线两侧纵向裂缝、坝体纵横向裂缝和坝坡局部滑裂等,并有水库泄水构筑物震损、防浪墙倒塌、上游坡护坡下滑、坝坡挡土墙倒塌等。这说明对小型水库土坝进行抗震设防是必要的,今后应深入研究小型水库土坝的震害机制,以指导水库土坝的抗震设计。     

汶川地震砌体结构的震害与改进砌体结构抗震性能的途径和方法

介绍了汶川8级地震中砌体结构房屋的震害情况,归纳分析了砌体结构房屋在地震中的震害特征及其原因,总结出了砌体结构抗震"选材合理、整体设计、注重细节、确保质量"的总体原则,提出了采用"高宽比"来设计窗间墙的宽度、房屋底层中部加设圈梁的建议,讨论了采用隔震技术、墙体开缝耗能、"隐形构造柱"和"捆绑"抗震、设置减震缝及耗能砂浆抗震技术来改进砌体结构抗震性能的新途径和新方法,最后对砌体结构的发展提出了建议。     

饱和混凝土单轴拉伸动态统计损伤本构模型

饱和混凝土中孔隙自由水的存在对材料的力学性能有显著的影响,动态工况中主要表现为自由水的粘性效应,且该效应随细观损伤引起的微裂纹密度的改变而变化。本文结合太沙基"有效应力原理",建立了饱和混凝土考虑动态应变率效应的单轴拉伸统计损伤模型,将材料宏观力学性能同细观损伤机理有机地结合起来,综合考虑了动态条件下惯性效应和自由水粘性效应的影响,认为材料自身的惯性效应引起材料破坏形态以及细观损伤演化过程的改变;水的粘性效应则调整了混凝土基体的受力状态。通过算例和试验结果比较,表明该模型可预测等应变率加载情况下饱和混凝土材料均匀损伤阶段的动态拉伸本构行为,形象地描述了饱和混凝土材料动态损伤演化机制。     

Aporrectodea caliginosa, a suitable earthworm species for field based genotoxicity assessment?

There is a growing interest for the application of biomakers to field-collected earthworms. Therefore we have evaluated the usability of native populations of endogeic, widely distributed earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa in the assessment of soil genotoxicity using the Comet assay. Validation of the Comet assay on earthworm coelomocytes has been established using commercially available Eisenia fetida exposed to copper, cadmium, and pentachlorophenol, along with A. caliginosa exposed to copper in a filter paper contact test. Neutral red retention time (NRRT) assay was conducted on copper exposed and field-collected earthworms. Significant DNA and lysosomal damage was measured using Comet and NRRT assays in native populations of A. caliginosa sampled from the polluted soils in the urban area in comparison to the earthworms from the reference site. The results of this study confirm the employment of A. caliginosa as a suitable species for the in situ soil toxicity and genotoxicity field surveys.     

Occurrence of emerging organic contaminants in a tropical urban catchment in Singapore

The aim of this study was to test in a short term laboratory experiment the accumulation and physiological effects of As in the epiphytic lichen Xanthoria parietina. Arsenic content in treated samples increased progressively with increasing concentration in treatment solutions. Treatment of X. parietina thalli with 0.1, 1, 10 ppm As solutions caused significant decrease of viability, measured as intensity of respiratory activity, and damages to cell membranes, assessed by increase of electric conductivity of rinsing water and lipid peroxidation products. Soluble proteins content decreased and H₂O₂ content increased already at the lowest As concentration tested (0.01 ppm). Photosynthetic efficiency, measured in terms of F_V/F_M ratio, decreased significantly only at the highest As concentration (10 ppm). It was concluded that As exposure causes physiological stress both on the mycobiont and the photobiont and that cell membrane damage, expressed in terms of electric conductivity of rinsing water, is the parameter most affected by As treatment.     

Dimethoate-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in Oncorhynchus mykiss

The present study was conducted in order to investigate pro-oxidant activity of dimethoate in liver and brain tissues following sublethal pesticide exposure for 5, 15 and 30 d by using SOD, GPx, CAT enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation as biomarkers as well as DNA damaging potential via detecting% Tail DNA, Tail moment and Olive tail moment as endpoints in erythrocytes of Oncorhynchus mykiss in an in vitro experiment. Antioxidant enzyme activities were found to elicit two staged response which was an initial induction followed by a sharp inhibition in liver tissue while a sustained increase in GPx activity and slight stimulation in SOD activity were detected in brain tissue. Lipid peroxidation showed an ascending pattern throughout the exposure period in both tissues and a decreasing trend was determined in tissue protein levels which was proved to be positively correlated with duration. Similar findings were obtained from outcomes preferred to quantify DNA damage and TM was decided to reflect the extent of damage more sensitively because of determined positive correlation with concentrations applied. Considering these results, it can be concluded that oxidative stress condition evoked by dimethoate could not be responded effectively and genotoxic nature of pesticide was proven by determined clastogenic effect possibly via being an alkylation agent or stimulating the production of reactive species.