Search

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have potential health risk to human. In this paper, human serum samples collected from Jiading District, Shanghai aged from 23 to 87 years old (12 male and 33 female) were analyzed for 17 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). A novel method for the elimination of background contamination of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) generated from instrument by the modification of high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has also been developed and validated. The limit of detection (LOD) for all monitored PFCs range from 0.02 to 0.18 ng mL−1. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) for PFOS and PFOA was 2.23 and 1.60 ng mL−1, respectively, and for other PFCs it ranged from 0.04 to 0.88 ng mL−1. Of the 17 PFCs analyzed in Shanghai serum, eleven were found. The dominating PFCs in all samples were perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and PFOA with a fraction of 49.5%, 34.2%, respectively. The median total concentration of each serum samples was 53.43 ng mL−1 with a range from

A comprehensive investigation was conducted to the urban (Pudong) and suburban soils in Shanghai. A total of 154 soil samples were analyzed for 26 PAHs including highly carcinogenic dibenzopyrenes (DBPs). The total concentrations ranged from 25.8 to 7380 μg kg(-1) for Σ26PAHs and 18.8 to 6320 μg kg(-1) for 16 USEPA priority PAHs (Σ16PAHs), respectively. The BaP toxic equivalent (BaPeq) concentrations were between 6.41 and 2880 μg kg(-1) for Σ24PAHs, 1.11 and 620 μg kg(-1) for Σ16PAHs and 2.72 and 2250 μg kg(-1) for Σ4DBPs. The high PAH contamination in green land soils might originate mainly from local road traffic and industrial activities, and sewage sludge application or waste water irrigation for soil. Seven sources of soil PAHs in Shanghai were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The mean risk quotient (m-RQ) values indicated that there were medium to high ecological risks in 9.10% of soil samples, pyrene (Pyr), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) and benz[a]anthracene (BaA) were the major ecological risk drivers under agricultural use. The cancer risk (CR) values were within the acceptable range at 35.7%, 35.1% and 31.2% of sampling sites for children, youths and adults, respectively. The total lifetime carcinogenic risk (TLCR) values at 57.8% of sampling sites were within the acceptable range. Overall, cancer risks of soil PAHs in all sampling sites in the studied area were below the highest acceptable risk, suggesting that soil PAHs are unlikely to pose a significant cancer risk for population based on ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation exposure pathways.

The irradiation degradation of selected estrogens quinestrol (QS) , norethindrone (NET) and dienestrol (DS) were evaluated by electron beam . Processes using electron beam can efficiently degradate QS, NETand DS, usually at reaction dosage lower than 6KGy. Especially remarkable is the high degradation efficiency shown by oxygen saturation which is extremely favored by acidic environment. The order of the degradation rate: DS > NET> QS by different analysis methods such as HPLC. Among electron beam irradiation carried out, higher removal of 90% from solution was observed. In addition, the estrogenic activity of QS, NET and DS was carried out by rotifer test.

In this paper, a novel DNA-length-dependent fluorescent sensor was constructed based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer. In the self-assembled multilayers (Quartz/GO/PDDA/Tx-DNA/PDDA/ZnO@CdS), ZnO@CdS and graphene oxide(GO) were employed as an energy donor and an energy acceptor, respectively. Single-stranded Tx-DNA (x represents different chain length of DNA) and poly(diallydimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) were used as a linker. In the presence of complementary Px-DNA, the formation of double-stranded DNA leads to a change in chain length and achieves the purpose of changing the distance between ZnO@CdS and GO. Thereby, it enhances the efficiency of energy transfer between ZnO@CdS and GO resulting in the quench of fluorescence of ZnO@CdS, and thus different length DNA sequence was detected.

Here reproduction and death toxicity data were selected for 4-nonylphenol based on endocrine disrupting properties of the reproductive system. Assessment factor (AF) and species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curve were employed to derive criteria maximum concentration (CMC) and criteria continuous concentration (CCC) of three different 4-nonylphenols for protection of aquatic life. The results showed that the CMC and CCC based on SSD method and death toxicity data for three different 4-nonylphenols (CAS No: 104405, 25154523, 84852163) were 26.7, 13.6, 3.84 μg L−1 and 8.86, 2.21, 0.97 μg L−1, respectively. Based on SSD and reproductive toxicity data, the CCC values of different 4-nonylphenols (CAS No: 104405, 25154523) were 1.59 and 1.34 μg L−1, respectively. The CCC values obtained by the AF for three different 4-nonylphenol (CAS No: 104405, 25154523, 84852163) were 0.165, 1.03, 0.74 μg L−1 and 0.5, 0.5, 0.1 μg L−1, respectively, based on death toxicity data and reproductive toxicity data. The CCC values obtained by AF were all lower than the corresponding criteria values obtained by SSD, and the CCC values based on reproductive toxicity data were less than those based on the death toxicity data. This study provides a useful method for deriving water quality criteria for endocrine disruptors.

2,2',3,3',4,4',5,5',6,6'-bromdiphenyl ether (BDE-209) solutions were irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) and electron beams. Organic compounds were fully removed by each type of radiation. The absorbed energy of the ionizing radiation (electron beams) needed for removal was much lower than that of UV photocatalysis. BDE-209 removal using the ionizing radiation was accelerated drastically by dosage. It is suggested that pH value of solution affect the decomposition rates. Radiolysis with the high pH value showed consistently high rate and high efficiency of BDE-209 removal.

A gas chromatography coupled with negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS) was developed for the determination of two dechlorane plus (DP) isomers in human serum sample. Target compound and serum lipid were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction. After the sulfuric acid treatment to remove extracted lipids from the samples, samples were further cleaned up with a silica/sulfuric acid column. Identification and quantification of DP were carried out by MS. The detection limit of instrument was 0.5–0.7 pg. The detection limit of the method was 15–20 pg per sample. Recoveries of DP spiked in human serum samples were in the range of 70.2%–85.7%. The developed method was further validated in human serum. DP concentrations were analyzed in 20 electronics dismantling workers and 20 reference humans; DP concentration in dismantling workers and reference humans were 7.8–465 ng g−1 lipid and 0.93–50.5 ng g−1 lipid, respectively.

The occurrence and fate of 12 commonly used antibiotics, two fluoroquinolones (FQs), three sulfonamides (SAs), three macrolides (MLs), two β-lactams and two tetracyclines (TCs), were studied in four sewage treatment plants (STPs) and their receiving water, the Huangpu River, Shanghai. The levels of selected antibiotics in the STPs ranged from ngL(-1) to μgL(-1), while ofloxacin (OFL) was predominant (reach up to 2936.94ngL(-1)). The highest and lowest proportions were of FQs (STP 1, STP 2 and STP 3) and TCs (in four STPs) respectively in both influents and effluents. And the second-highest proportion was of FQs in STP 4 (only 2% lower than the highest). What could be inferred was that the usage of TCs were extremely low while the usage of FQs were larger than other antibiotics in our study area. The elimination of antibiotics through these STPs was incomplete and a wide range of removal efficiencies (-442.8% to 100%) during the treatment was observed. Based on the mass loadings as well as the per-capita mass loadings of target antibiotics in four STPs, OFL was considered the primary contaminant herein. In the Huangpu River, 3 antibiotics were not detected in any water samples, while the detection frequencies of 4 antibiotics were 100%. The highest concentration detected in the river was 53.91ngL(-1) of sulfapyridine (SD). The Spearman correlation analysis of antibiotics in STPs and the nearby water samples suggests that the antibiotics discharged from some STPs might influence the receiving water to some extent. Moreover, most of the hazard quotient (HQ) values in STP effluents were one order magnitude higher than those in their receiving water. However, there is no imminent significant ecotoxicological risk caused by any single compound in the effluents and receiving waters.

The fertilized eggs of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were exposed to estrone (E1) at 5-5000 ng L-1 for 15 d, and the hatched fry were exposed continuously to the same concentrations for the additional 15 d. Adverse effects on hatchability, time to hatching, and gross abnormalities occurred at 50 ng L-1 or above. Then the fry were divided into a continual exposure group, and a water recovery group. When the fry were exposed to E1 for another 60 d, there was a decrease in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) of males and the influence disappeared in the water recovery group. The gonadosonatic index (GSI) of females at 500 ng L-1 decreased significantly in another 60 d exposure. While the fry were maintained in dechlorinated tap water for 60 d, a significant decrease in female GSI was observed at 50 ng L-1 or above. An increased GSI was found in males in both continual exposure and water recovery groups at all E1 treatments. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that vitellogenin-I (Vtg-I) gene expressions in the female liver were significantly down-regulated at 50 ng L-1 in the continual exposure group, and at 500 ng L-1 in the water recovery group, while male Vtg-I genes were significantly up-regulated for all E1 treatments. In addition, all E1 treatments caused sex reversal of males. These results suggest that E1 at 5 ng L-1 or above have unrecoverable impacts on the gonadal growth and development of medaka, even if only early life stages were exposed to E1. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.