Evaluation of two adsorbents for diffusive sampling and thermal desorption-gas chromatographic analysis of monoterpenes in air

Tube type samplers with two different adsorbents, Chromosorb 106 and Tenax TA, were evaluated by laboratory experiments and field tests for simultaneous diffusive sampling of alpha-pinene, beta-pinene and delta 3-carene and subsequent thermal desorption-gas chromatographic analysis. No statistically significant effects of exposure time, concentrations of monoterpenes or relative humidity were found for samplers with Chromosorb 106 when running a factorial design, with the exception of the adsorption of delta 3-carene, for which some weak effects were noted. Samplers with Tenax TA were affected by the sampling time as well as the concentration for all terpenes, with a strong interaction effect between these two factors. The terpenes showed good storage stability on both adsorbents. No effect of back-diffusion was noted when using Chromosorb 106, while Tenax TA showed some back-diffusion effects. The uptake rates, in ml min-1, for the terpenes on Chromosorb 106 were 0.36 for alpha-pinene, 0.36 for beta-pinene and 0.40 for delta 3-carene. The corresponding average values on Tenax TA were 0.30 for alpha-pinene, 0.32 for beta-pinene and 0.38 for delta 3-carene. The field validation proved that diffusive sampling on Chromosorb 106 agreed well with pumped sampling on charcoal for stationary samples, while the personal samples indicated a discrepancy of 25% between Chromosorb 106 and charcoal samples. Tenax TA generally gave lower results than Chromosorb 106 in all field samples. Samplers packed with Chromosorb 106 could be used to monitor terpene levels in workplaces such as sawmills. The major advantages with this method are the sampling procedure, which is simple to perform compared to other techniques, the easily automated analysis procedure and the possibility to reuse the samplers.     

麦夸里岛毛皮海豹体内小塑料颗粒的来源和生物聚集

本文研究了从麦夸里岛上毛皮海豹(Arctocephalus spp.)粪便中发现的164个塑料颗粒(平均长度为4.1mm).其中41个塑料颗粒的电子显微照片显示,从其形状来看,没有一个可被确定为塑料颗柱原料--通常这样的颗粒是圆柱形和球形的.而海豹粪便中的164个塑料颗粒全都是7种颜色的角形颗粒(原料颗粒通常是透明的或白色的),并可被分为两类①沿晶体线碎裂的和可能是紫外线分解的;②被磨蚀成带有圆角的不规则形状(擦痕明显可见).白色、棕色、绿色、黄色以及蓝色是最常见的颜色.在成分上,它们来自于5种聚合物群聚乙烯93%;聚丙烯4%;多(1-CI-1-聚丁二烯)聚氯丁二烯2%;三聚氰胺-尿素(酚)(甲醛)树脂0.5%以及纤维素(绳纤维)0.5%.较大的群是漂浮的,比重小于海水.这些小塑料是由较大颗粒(碎片)分解而成的.它们看来是被水冲上岸的并在卵石海滩上受到研磨的塑料用品分解而成的.大多数颗粒(70%)肯定是由于经过不断的磨蚀而最后形成今天的形状.据假设,塑料颗粒被冲到海洋中,然后按其大小有选择地被一种中上层鱼--Electrona subaspera--吃掉,而这种鱼后来又被毛皮海豹吃掉.因此,这些塑料颗粒是由这种鱼和海豹在其正常的摄食过程中聚集的.     

Contribution of precursor compounds to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs)

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) are ubiquitous in sludge and water from waste water treatment plants, as a result of their incorporation in everyday products and industrial processes. In this study, we measured several classes of persistent PFASs,precursors, transformation intermediates, and newly identified PFASs in influent and effluent sewage water and sludge from three municipal waste water treatment plants in Sweden, sampled in 2015. For sludge, samples from 2012 and 2014 were analyzed as well.Levels of precursors in sludge exceeded those of perfluoroalkyl acids and sulfonic acids(PFCAs and PFSAs), in 2015 the sum of polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters(PAPs) were 15–20 ng/g dry weight, the sum of fluorotelomer sulfonic acids(FTSAs) was 0.8–1.3 ng/g,and the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and ethanols ranged from non-detected to 3.2 ng/g. Persistent PFSAs and PFCAs were detected at 1.9–3.9 ng/g and 2.4–7.3 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The influence of precursor compounds was further demonstrated by an observed substantial increase for a majority of the persistent PFCAs and PFSAs in water after waste water treatment. Perfluorohexanoic acid(PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid(PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS)had a net mass increase in all WWTPs, with mean values of 83%, 28%, 37% and 58%,respectively. The load of precursors and intermediates in influent water and sludge combined with net mass increase support the hypothesis that degradation of precursor compounds is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination in the environment.     

Patterns of catch and trophic signatures illustrate diverse management requirements of coastal fisheries in Solomon Islands

Coastal fisheries are a critical component of Pacific island food systems; they power village economies and provide nutritious aquatic foods. Many coastal women and men actively fishing in this region rely on multi-species fisheries, which given their extraordinary diversity are notoriously difficult to both characterize, and to manage. Understanding patterns of fishing, diversity of target species and drivers of these patterns can help define requirements for sustainable management and enhanced livelihoods. Here we use a 12-month data set of 8535 fishing trips undertaken by fishers across Malaita province, Solomon Islands, to create fisheries signatures for 13 communities based on the combination of two metrics; catch per unit effort (CPUE) and catch trophic levels. These signatures are in turn used as a framework for guiding suitable management recommendations in the context of community-based resource management. While a key proximate driver of these patterns was fishing gear (e.g. angling, nets or spearguns), market surveys and qualitative environmental information suggest that community fishing characteristics are coupled to local environmental features more than the market value of specific species they target. Our results demonstrate that even within a single island not all small-scale fisheries are equal, and effective management solutions ultimately depend on catering to the specific environmental characteristics around individual communities.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01690-z.     

Reducing the risk of invasive forest pests and pathogens: Combining legislation,targeted management and public awareness

Intensifying global trade will result in increased numbers of plant pest and pathogen species inadvertently being transported along with cargo. This paper examines current mechanisms for prevention and management of potential introductions of forest insect pests and pathogens in the European Union (EU). Current European legislation has not been found sufficient in preventing invasion, establishment and spread of pest and pathogen species within the EU. Costs associated with future invasions are difficult to estimate but past invasions have led to negative economic impacts in the invaded country. The challenge is combining free trade and free movement of products (within the EU) with protection against invasive pests and pathogens. Public awareness may mobilise the public for prevention and detection of potential invasions and, simultaneously, increase support for eradication and control measures. We recommend focus on commodities in addition to pathways, an approach within the EU using a centralised response unit and, critically, to engage the general public in the battle against establishment and spread of these harmful pests and pathogens.     

Flexible and robust strategies for waste management in Sweden

Treatment of solid waste continues to be on the political agenda. Waste disposal issues are often viewed from an environmental perspective, but economic and social aspects also need to be considered when deciding on waste strategies and policy instruments. The aim of this paper is to suggest flexible and robust strategies for waste management in Sweden, and to discuss different policy instruments. Emphasis is on environmental aspects, but social and economic aspects are also considered. The results show that most waste treatment methods have a role to play in a robust and flexible integrated waste management system, and that the waste hierarchy is valid as a rule of thumb from an environmental perspective. A review of social aspects shows that there is a general willingness among people to source separate wastes. A package of policy instruments can include landfill tax, an incineration tax which is differentiated with respect to the content of fossil fuels and a weight based incineration tax, as well as support to the use of biogas and recycled materials.     

Challenges in assessing biological recovery from acidification in Swedish lakes

Since the 1980s, Swedish lakes have in general become less acidified. Assessment of biological recovery is, however, hampered by poor pre-acidification data, confounding effects of climate change, and few lakes with annual sampling of fish and other organisms. Only three critically acidified, but non-limed, lakes had two decades of fish monitoring. The lakes had not yet recovered to pre-industrial chemical targets. Fish had low species richness compared to other organism groups. Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and/or European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were the dominant fish species, and the acid-sensitive roach had been lost from one of the lakes. Calcium decreased, possibly approaching pre-acidification concentrations, but exceeded minimum levels needed to sustain some Daphnia species. High or increasing levels of total organic carbon, likely due to reduced acidification and climate change, might influence the biological communities in unexpected ways, for example, facilitating more frequent occurrence of the invasive algae Gonyostomum semen.     

Spatio-temporal trends of PCBs in the Swedish freshwater environment 1981–2012

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been monitored in perch (Perca fluviatilis), pike (Esox lucius), and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in reference lakes since the late 1960s. Temporal trends and spatial patterns are currently monitored in nine and 32 lakes, respectively. Overall, PCB concentrations are decreasing. However, this is not consistent for all congeners across all lakes and species. Perch has comparatively low PCB concentrations relative to suggested target levels, but individual congener concentrations in some lakes are concerningly high. No temporal trend is seen for CB-118 and CB-153 in perch, but significant decreasing trends exist for Arctic char and pike, for which monitoring started earlier than for perch. The lower/higher chlorinated congener ratio decreased over time in most lakes, indicating fewer new emissions. CB-118 and CB-153 concentrations in perch show spatial gradients across Sweden, with higher concentrations found near urban/industrial areas.     

Climate Change and Mitigation

Planet Earth has experienced repeated changes of its climate throughout time. Periods warmer than today as well as much colder, during glacial episodes, have alternated. In our time, rapid population growth with increased demand for natural resources and energy, has made society increasingly vulnerable to environmental changes, both natural and those caused by man; human activity is clearly affecting the radiation balance of the Earth. In the session “Climate Change and Mitigation” the speakers offered four different views on coal and CO₂: the basis for life, but also a major hazard with impact on Earth’s climate. A common denominator in the presentations was that more than ever science and technology is required. We need not only understand the mechanisms for climate change and climate variability, we also need to identify means to remedy the anthropogenic influence on Earth’s climate.