透明度与公众知情权:为更有效OECD灾害管理而努力

在化学安全信息分享问题上,政府和工业界正在付出更多的努力.有许多国家和国际的法律手段,保障公众知情权.在这一点上,OECD已经开发出指导方针并且采用了一批关于化学安全的决定和建议.与公众的沟通,是政府、工业界和社会的共同责任,而公私合作是基础.当化学作业风险信息被广泛了解的时候,社会通常是受益的.然而,有一种忧虑认为,把某些类特定信息公诸于众,会危及安全.     

Syndromic encephalocele in a fetal case with a 1p35-pter deletion and a 14q32-qter duplication inherited from a maternal balanced translocation

Occipital encephalocele belongs to the family of neural tube defects, which occur in one among 2000 to 5000 live births. Syndromic encephaloceles include Meckel–Gruber syndrome and various chromosomal abnormalities. We report on a fetal case (13 WG) with bilateral cleft lip and palate, choanal atresia, occipital encephalocele, bilateral club feet, bilateral multicystic kidneys, enlarged bladder and urethral atresia. The fetal chromosome analysis showed a maternally inherited unbalanced translocation between the short arm of chromosome 1 and the long arm of chromosome 14, resulting in 1p35-pter deletion and 14q32-qter duplication (46,XY,der(1),t(1;14)(p35;q32)). Since the chromosomal breakpoints have not previously been implicated in syndromic encephalocele, this observation is of interest for the identification of other genes responsible for occipital encephalocele. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbonation of wellbore cement by CO2 diffusion from caprock

To evaluate the risk of corrosion of cement by geosequestered CO₂, samples are being retrieved from wells placed in natural CO₂ deposits [e.g., Crow et al., 2009]. If the cement passing through the cap rock is carbonated, it may indicate that annular gaps or cracks have allowed carbonic acid to come into contact with the cement. However, it must be recognized that the pore water in the cap rock has become saturated with CO₂ over geological time. After the well is placed, the CO₂ will diffuse toward the cement and react with it. A simple analysis of the diffusion kinetics demonstrates that carbonation depths of millimeters to centimeters can be expected from this reaction within the lifetime of a well, in the absence of any cracks or gaps. Therefore, the occurrence of carbonation in cement sealing natural CO₂ deposits must be interpreted with caution.     

Reproduction of the invasive slipper limpet, Crepidula fornicata, in the Bay of Brest, France

The reproduction of Crepidula fornicata was studied in the Bay of Brest in order to characterise the first step of the reproductive cycle of this invasive species. The survey was carried out from 2000 to 2003 and different parameters were measured, namely, the percentage of the different sexual stages, the straight length of the shell and the percentage of brooding females using a survey of the embryonic development and the fecundity. The juvenile frequency increases generally from mid-June or mid-August, depending on the year. In 2001 and 2003, a first peak was observed as early as May, but it was followed by a rapid disappearance of the individuals. The sex-ratio female/male increased from 0.22 to 0.46 between 2001 and 2003. The sex change between intermediates and females took place mainly in summer and was well marked in 2001 and 2003. The survey of the embryonic development in the egg capsules brooded by the females provided an annual phenology of the laying and hatching processes. The laying period extends from February to September with three to four major periods of egg-laying per year and corresponding hatching periods about 1 month later. Each female lays two to four times per year on average. The first egg-laying concerned fewer females than subsequent ones, except in 2003, and exhibited a higher fecundity. The annual mean of the number of eggs for each stage was not significantly different, thus indicating no significant mortality rate during embryonic development. For the C. fornicata population in the Bay of Brest, several reproductive characteristics tend to highlight its invasive capacity: (1) a long reproductive period, (2) reproduction in a ‘multi-trials’ process equivalent to a spreading out of the risks and (3) a relatively high fecundity.     

Prenatal overgrowth and mosaic trisomy 15q25-qter including the IGF1 receptor gene

Overgrowth is rarely associated with chromosomal imbalances. Here, we report on a male foetus presenting with overgrowth and additional material on the short arm of one of the chromosome 15 in 12% of lymphocytes and 50% of amniotic cells. Parents' karyotypes were normal, indicating a de novo origin for this unbalanced rearrangement. Complementary studies using cytogenetic and FISH studies showed that this additional material resulted in a 15q25-qter trisomy and confirmed the presence of three copies of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) gene, included in the trisomic region. Autopsy performed after termination of pregnancy revealed isolated overgrowth and absence of visceral malformations. The possible mechanisms and origins for the formation of this mosaic pure trisomy are complex. The present observation emphasises the hypothesis that the overgrowth phenotype, frequently reported in patients with trisomy including the 15q26 region, might be causally related to a dosage effect of the IGF1R gene, as well as the importance of chromosome analysis in patients with overgrowth. It also confirms that the overgrowth is of prenatal onset in those observations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Survival of Nucella lapillus in a tributyltin-polluted area in west Brittany: a further example of a male genital defect (Dumpton syndrome) favouring survival

A male genital defect was reported in a Nucella lapillus (L.) population at Dumpton Gap (England). This defect was termed Dumpton syndrome (DS) and appears to be a genetic feature. Its main characteristic is the absence of penis (aphally) in males and in females. In 1992, such a phenomenon was discovered in populations in the vicinity of Brest (Brittany, France). DS-affected females exhibit fewer tributyltin-induced imposex characteristics than expected in normal individuals. The percentage of female sterilization is thus lower, favouring population survival. In consequence, the DS is considered to be a pollution-resistance feature. Comparison with the Dumpton population revealed similarities and differences in the DS characteristics. It is thus hypothesized that the DS observed at the two locations is due to two different biological mechanisms. Indeed, aphallic males with a split prostate were observed but no underdevelopment of their vas deferens and testis was noted in the present study. In this gonochoristic gastropod species, the most DS-affected males in Brest possess an ovotestis and it is thus hypothesized that feminity is remnant in N. lapillus. Incidence of abnormality is ten times higher in females than in males. This suggested that a sex-difference operates in the Brest phenomenon.