Anthropogenic Substances Research Articles

ADONA and perfluoroalkylated substances in plasma samples of German blood donors living in South Germany.

Perfluorinated compounds are fully fluorinated anthropogenic substances that have been used in various products, applications, and industrial processes. Due to their persistence and toxic effects, some of them are restricted, and therefore replacement products have been developed. The aim of the study was to quantify the body burden of different perfluorinated substances in two adult populations living close to or about 80km apart from a former perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) production plant who are exposed via drinking water, and in a control population. In this plant, the replacement emulsifier 3H-perfluoro-3-[(3-methoxy-propoxy)propanoic acid] (ADONA) has been used in the production of fluoropolymers since 2008. We quantified 7 perfluorinated compounds and ADONA in a total of 396 plasma samples collected at different time points. With regard to samples collected in 2015 or 2016, the highest 95th percentile levels were 13.5μg/l for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), 3.0μg/l for perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and 1.5μg/l for perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS). For PFOA, the highest 95th percentile was found at the site close to the facility (85.5μg/l), while in the control region the value was 2.4μg/l. Overall, the concentration of PFOA and PFOS declined over time in all study regions. ADONA was detected only in few samples slightly above the limit of quantification (0.2μg/l). While health risks related to ADONA are unlikely under the present exposure situation, the exposure to PFOA via tap water should be reduced markedly, especially for the population living close to the plant.

ПРИРОДООХОРОННА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ ТЕПЛОЕНЕРГЕТИЧНИХ ВИРОБНИЦТВ ЯК ОБ’ЄКТІВ ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО АНАЛІЗУ

The purpose of the article is to study in accordance with the approved Law of Ukraine "On the basic principles (strategies) of the state environmental policy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030" and the analytical report of ISED "Analysis of state strategic documents on the accounting of the Sustainable Development Goals adapted for Ukraine until 2030", where new aspects of the vision of goals and strategic objectives in the field of environmental protection, goals have been formulated that are to reduce anthropogenic impact on the environment, preserve such a state of the climate system that will make it impossible to increase risks to health, well-being of people and the environment, improve the integrated environmental management system, ensuring environmentally balanced environmental management, the main strategic objectives are the key to the interaction of analysis and activities in the framework of environmental development, analyzed in detail and presented en in the article. In particular, the issues of environmental economics when using heat supply systems - an object of economic analysis and forecasting, formalization of factual data (averaged indicators - a control criterion), which were carried out at the request of passive monitoring mechanisms, information control - in accordance with the principles of integral management, taking into account control criteria. Dedicated system-generalized research principle. Special attention is paid to the fundamental principles of environmental protection, the reasons for viability are provided, due to which this happens. Thanks to the analyzed components of integral control systems, the unresolved problems have been highlighted in terms of the economic efficiency of industrial environmental management with the proposed nanotechnologies. The main satellites of the process of technogenesis are given, in the composition of technological emissions of anthropogenic substances into the atmosphere, with an indicator - a natural resource - assimilation potential as a factor sign of control actions. A conceptual model of the occurrence of asternal costs is also presented, with the case when the economic assessment of the assimilation potential is determined on the basis of a cost mechanism (saving costs for preventing damage).

An in-vitro approach for water quality determination: activation of NF-κB as marker for cancer-related stress responses induced by anthropogenic pollutants of drinking water.

Epidemiological studies show that there is a link between urban water pollution and increase in human morbidity and mortality. With the increase in number of new substances arising from the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries, there is an urgent need to develop biological test systems for fast evaluation of potential risks to humans and the environmental ecosystems. Here, a combined cellular reporter assay based on the cellular survival and the stress-induced activation of the survival-promoting factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and its use for the detection of cytotoxicity and cancer-related stress responses is presented. A total of 14 chemicals that may be found in trace-amounts in ground water levels are applied and tested with the presented assay. The project is embedded within the joint research project TOX-BOX which aims to develop a harmonized testing strategy for risk management of anthropogenic trace substances in potable water. The assay identified carbendazim as a NF-κB-activating agent in mammalian cells.

Migration of pentachlorophenol in artificial and natural sediments of Puck Bay

Abstract Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is an anthropogenic substance, toxic to humans. The major source of this compound in the environment are wastes from factories producing PCP and materials (textiles, wood) treated with PCP. In 2008, a dossier was prepared to support the inclusion of PCP in Annex I to the Protocol of the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The draft decision to add PCP along with its salts (NaPCP) and esters (PCPL) in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention was adopted during the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention in 2015. The aim of present study was to assess the status of contamination in Puck Bay with this harmful substance. The surface bottom sediments of Puck Bay were contaminated with pentachlorophenol to varying degrees, ranging from 17.4 ± 5.6 ng g-1 d.w. to 230.1 ± 20.8 ng g-1 d.w. The majority of samples collected from deepwater areas of Puck Bay were contaminated with PCP above 25 ng g-1 d.w. (value of Predicted No Effect Concentration). It has been assessed that bottom currents occurring in Puck Bay can affect sediments deposited at the Gdynia dumping site.

Implementation of a novel bioassay as a global indicator of endocrine disruption in public drinking water supplies

Introduction: Some natural and anthropogenic substances in drinking water sources are known or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), but few are measured in U.S. public water supplies (PW...

The Trophic Status of the Lubuk Lampam Floodplain in South Sumatera, Indonesia

The Lubuk Lampam floodplain’s ecosystem i s naturally affected by the fluctuation of the water surface. This ecosystem also receives anthropogenic substances such as nutrient s and other chemicals , especially from the oil palm plantation and its industrial processing activities . The main objective of this research was to determine the trophic status of the floodplain using the trophic level index (TLI) and Carlson’s trophic state index (TSI). The water quality and the fish samples were collected and analy z ed from 7 stations representing various types of floodplain habitat. The results showed that the trophic status of Lubuk Lampam was hypereutrophic (very nutrient-rich) . This was also supported by the high increase of the body weight (“b” value more than 3) and the high gonadoso m atic index (GSI) of the studied fishes, i.e. Osteochilus vittatus 2.53-6.81% (male) and 3.00-15.86% (female); Helostoma temminckii 0.28-3.33% (male) and 1.30-10.43% (female); and Channa striata 0.33-0.59% (male) and 0.21-2.73% (female).

Engineered nanomaterials as a potential metapedogenetic factor: A perspective

Chemical action as an anthropogenic factor in soil formation was suggested 50years ago as a part of the metapedogenetic process. Initially, agricultural practices such as irrigation with saline water and soil liming by natural carbonated earth materials (marling) were considered as examples of chemical contamination that alter soil properties. Over the years, however, new anthropogenic substances have emerged, and their disposal on the land surface, whether intentionally or by accident, is acting as another metapedogenetic factor, leading to formation of contemporary soils with altered properties. In this context, potential transformation of natural soils may occur as a result of exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Due to the relatively small amounts used to date, and their size and associated chemical properties, the impact of ENMs on soil may be questioned. We argue here, however, that ENMs disposed on the land surface are irreversibly retained in the soil matrix, accumulating over time and becoming a metapedogenetic factor. In support of this hypothesis, we present examples from the literature which demonstrate that deposition of carbon-based and metal-based ENMs may cause, under specific conditions, changes to the matrix and properties of soil constituents and formation of contemporary anthropogenic soils. These examples reconfirm the hypothesis that chemicals are a factor in anthropogenically-induced metapedogenesis.

Novel speciation analysis of copper in river water: observation of soluble anionic copper–ligand complexes

In natural water, copper is believed to be complexed with organic materials such as humic and fulvic acids, as well as anthropogenic substances such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The nature of the complexes is known to be a main factor in determining copper toxicity to aquatic biota, as well as its geochemical transport. In this study, organically chelated copper species in river water were revealed to be classified into hydrophobic and anionic components using column cartridge separation techniques based on C18 and anion exchange. The amounts of anionic ligated copper species in the tested water samples ranged from 0 to 46 nM, and the average contribution of the anionic ligated copper to the total dissolved copper concentration was around 30 %. Several water samples contained discharged sewage effluents with high contents of EDTA, which may be the main chelating agent responsible for copper retention on the anionic ion exchange cartridge column. However, most of the river water samples were not contaminated with EDTA, and therefore, fulvic substances are expected to be responsible for retention. As this is the first observation of anionic copper species in the natural aquatic environment, further geochemical and biological studies of these substances should be undertaken.

Beyond control - The Uncertainties and Diverging Images of Swedish Chemicals Regulation

Today,industrialised societies are frequently confronted with new warnings deliveredby experts about risks associated with anthropogenic substances. Such warnings aretypically not related to any definitive consequences but rather to admissionsof great uncertainty about effects, and thus they contrast sharply to politicalpromises of non-toxic environments and a highly regulated production ofchemicals. It is the argument of this article that the high uncertaintysurrounding chemicals allows for the proliferation of radically divergent andparadoxical images of chemicals regulation and its functionality. The articleanalyses the rationality underlying the system of chemicals control in Sweden,a country often priding itself on having one of the most progressivelegislations in the world. The regulation and control performed by the twocentral agencies involved in the control of chemicals are studied through textanalysis and interviews, and the concluding discussion frames chemicalsregulation by theories on post-politics and post-ecologism.

First observations of the fourth generation synthetic halocarbons HFC-1234yf, HFC-1234ze(E), and HCFC-1233zd(E) in the atmosphere.

Halogenated alkenes are a class of anthropogenic substances, which replace ozone-depleting substances and long-lived greenhouse gases in the foam-blowing, refrigeration, and solvent sectors. We report the first multiyear atmospheric measurements of the hydrofluorocarbons HFC-1234yf (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene, CF3CF═CH2), and HFC-1234ze(E) (E-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene trans-CF3CH═CHF), and the hydrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC-1233zd(E) (E-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-ene trans-CF3CH═CHCl) from the high altitude observatory at Jungfraujoch and from urban Dubendorf (Switzerland). When observations started in 2011 HFC-1234yf was undetectable at Jungfraujoch (mole fractions <0.003 ppt, parts-per-trillion, 10(-12)) but since then the percentage of measurements with detectable mole fractions has steadily increased to 4.5% in 2014. By contrast, in 2014 HFC-1234ze(E) was detectable in half of our samples at Jungfraujoch and in all samples at Dubendorf demonstrating the wide use of this compound within the air mass footprints of the stations. Our back trajectory analysis for the Jungfraujoch observations suggests high emission strength of HFC-1234ze(E) in the Belgium/Netherlands region. HCFC-1233zd(E) is present at very low mole fractions (typically <0.03 ppt) at both stations, and features pronounced seasonality and a general absence of pollution events during our 2013-2014 measurements. This is indicative of the presence of significant emissions from source locations outside the footprints of the two stations. Based on a simple one-box model calculation we estimate globally increasing HCFC-1233zd(E) emissions from 0.2 Gg yr(-1) in 2013 to 0.5 Gg yr(-1) for 2014.

THE GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONING OF HYDROCARBON EMISSIONS RESULTING FROM SOIL CONTAMINATION

Synchronization economy of oil mining and mineral waters is associated with planning the functions of spa treatment. Environmental protection of the spa areas also applies to preserve their technical and cultural heritage. This article attempts to determine the places of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbon pollution substances. Their presence in the soil affects the quality of the environment. As a result, maps are produced showing directions of research: (1) the natural background of biodiversity, and (2) potential anthropogenic pollution. They are assessed in the context of the health and human life, protection of the environment and the possibility of damage to the environment. Research is conducted in communes of the status of the spa – for special protection.

Whole organism responses and intersex severity in rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) following exposures to municipal wastewater in the Grand River basin, ON, Canada. Part A

Municipal wastewater effluents (MWWEs) contain anthropogenic substances that can exhibit endocrine-disrupting activity. These complex mixtures have been observed to exert adverse effects on fish. Rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum, RBD) is a small benthic fish that is widespread throughout the Grand River, Ontario, Canada, and has been previously shown to be adversely affected by MWWE exposure in this watershed. The objectives of this study were to quantify biological responses in this sentinel species and intersex severity in male fish, in relation to the area of urbanization. It focused on RBD populations adjacent to wastewater outfalls in the Grand River watershed. In May 2011, nine sites across the urban gradient were selected to evaluate the impact of MWWEs. Endpoints for energy storage (i.e. condition factor, k; liversomatic index, LSI) as well as reproductive endpoints (i.e. gonadosomatic index, GSI; gonad development, hormone production), and intersex were assessed in the fish. Rainbow darter showed a high incidence of intersex downstream of the wastewater outfalls, especially below the largest treatment plant outfall at Kitchener (∼85%). We applied an intersex index (score from 0 to 7) that considers the number of eggs within the testis and the stage of maturation of the egg. RBD exposed downstream of the largest wastewater outfall at Kitchener had a score of 3.81±0.37 compared to upstream to the urban areas where there were no intersex males found other than a single individual with a score 1 (average intersex score of site 0.06±0.06). In addition, several fish associated with the Kitchener outfall had macroscopic vitellogenic eggs in the testes (intersex scores 5 and 6). The sub-population of fish located at the wastewater outfall also showed a tendency towards skewed sex ratios (greater proportion of females to male fish) compared to the population at the reference sites. Male fish inhabiting the urbanized area of the Grand River also showed reduced levels of testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT). Intersex males had the lower levels of 11KT relative to the upstream reference fish but could not be distinguished from normal males collected at the exposed sites. Despite the high levels of intersex at these sites, no relationships were evident among intersex severity and other measured endpoints such as GSI, LSI or in vitro steroid production. The effects observed appear to be associated with urbanization and exposure to treated MWWEs in the watershed. Although intersex incidence and severity was a very good indicator of wastewater exposure, intersex could not be directly linked to other effects in this wild population. The effects of MWWEs on transcriptional changes in adult RBD exposed to the effluents are reported in the corresponding report (Part B).

Spatial variations of δ18O and ion species in the snowpack of the northwestern Greenland ice sheet

To determine the transport processes of water vapor and aerosols over the northwestern Greenland ice sheet, we undertook a glaciological observation at a coastal site on the northwestern part of the ice sheet and revealed spatial variations in δ 18 O and in the concentrations of chemical substances in surface snow and the snowpack. On the outlet glacier (the Meehan glacier), water vapor and sea salt were transported from the coast. On the inland ice sheet in northwestern Greenland, water vapor, mineral dust, anthropogenic substances such as NO 3 - and SO4 2- , and CH3SO3 - from marine phytoplankton were transported from the west coast of Greenland via the central part of the Greenland ice sheet. 18 O, ion species

Environmental Organic Photochemistry: Advances and Perspectives

This review is a survey of recent advances in environment related aspects of organic photochemistry. Besides presenting general concepts, the manuscript is mainly focused on the photoreactivity of natural organic matter, and on the photochemistry of anthropogenic substances under natural light irradiation.

The precautionary principle as a provisional instrument in environmental policy: The Montreal Protocol case study

Abstract Environmental studies identify possible threats to the health of the public or the environment when the scientific certainty of risk is low, but the potential cost is high. Governments may respond by invoking the Precautionary Principle, holding that scientific certainty is not required to take actions that reduce possible risk. EU guidelines suggest that precautionary measures remain provisional until sufficient scientific certainty is generated. Here I study the Scientific Assessments produced for the Montreal Protocol, and the scientific community that generates them, and ask whether a long-standing program of scientific investigation and monitoring can generate sufficient scientific certainty to move beyond dependence on the Precautionary Principle. When the Montreal Protocol was ratified, many scientists strongly suspected that anthropogenic substances like chlorofluorocarbons were depleting stratospheric ozone. Although the risk was uncertain, the perceived cost to public health of ozone depletion was high. A quarter century after formulating the Montreal Protocol, science can define the conditions for ozone depletion with great certainty, but uncertainty remains in determining the scale and distribution of the attributable increase in damaging ultra-violet (UV) radiation. Organisations, such as NASA, and scientists that contribute to the Scientific Assessments comprise the community in which the scientific consensus of risk is based. Many of these scientists act both as “honest brokers” and “issue advocates”, and through their shared interest in policy, may act to narrow the range of policy options. For example, modelled projections of low certainty are reported by Montreal Protocol contributing organisations to promote the importance of adhering to the Montreal Protocol. More comprehensive models of atmospheric chemistry incorporate more factors with interdependencies between variables. Consequently, outcomes projecting high risk and greater uncertainty are projected. As new reports of uncertain risk are propagated by studies from contributing organisations, continued application of the Precautionary Principle is required. The Montreal Protocol case suggests that when environmental studies introduce new concerns that trigger a policy response, the Precautionary Principle will act to perpetuate the research activity of contributing organisations, and extend the implementation of precautionary measures. Given the self-renewing nature this process, the precautionary measures are then not provisional.

The Question of Aborted-Fetus Use in Determining the Fate of Anthropogenic Substances

The Question of Aborted-Fetus Use in Determining the Fate of Anthropogenic Substances

Caesium-137 distribution, inventories and accumulation history in the Baltic Sea sediments

The Baltic Sea is susceptible to pollution by hazardous substances due to limited water exchange, shallowness, and the large catchment area. Radionuclides, particularly 137Cs, are one of the most hazardous anthropogenic substances present in the Baltic environment. This study was conducted to present 137Cs present contamination that should further be a subject of reliable monitoring when the new Nuclear Power Plant is put into operation in the northern Poland. The sea-wide, up to date distribution of 137Cs activities and inventories in the Baltic Sea bottom sediments are presented. The 137Cs activity concentrations were measured in 30 cm long sediment cores collected at 22 sampling stations. Sediment accumulation rates were quantified by 210Pb geochronology to follow the history of 137Cs accumulation. The 137Cs inventories and fluxes were calculated. Most of the Baltic Sea sediments accumulated 137Cs in the range from 750 to 2675 Bq m−2. The Bothnian Bay is severely contaminated by 137Cs with inventories up to 95,191 Bq m−2. This region is moreover characterized by extremely large patchiness of 137Cs inventories. The 137Cs annual fluxes are highest at the two stations located at the Bothnian Bay (342 Bq m−2 and 527 Bq m−2) due to large Chernobyl 137Cs contamination of that region and high sediment accumulation rates. When these stations are excluded, the recent, annual mean value of 137Cs load to the Baltic Sea deposits is 38 ± 22 Bq m−2. The distribution of radio-caesium inventories over the Baltic Sea nowadays reflects the pattern of Chernobyl contamination. The radio-caesium deposited in surface sediments is not permanently buried, but may be resuspended and redeposited by currents, bioturbation or anthropogenic activities.

Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Has Contrasting Effects on Prey Capture by Two Co-Occurring Wolf Spider Species

Anthropogenic substances have the potential to affect animal behavior either because they present a novel stimulus or because they interfere with natural chemical communication pathways. Such shifts can alter the dynamic between predators and potential prey, which might affect population success as well as the strength of food web linkages. We examined the foraging of two wolf spiders, Tigrosa helluo and Pardosa milvina (Araneae, Lycosidae), that are abundant in agroecosystems where they are routinely exposed to herbicides. We tested the hypothesis that the presence of a commercial formulation of a glyphosate-based herbicide would affect the prey capture behavior of these two wolf spiders. We tested the larger Tigrosa foraging on Pardosa or crickets (Acheta domesticus) and the smaller Pardosa foraging on crickets. Tigrosa subdued crickets more quickly and with fewer lunges than it took them to capture Pardosa. The presence of herbicide allowed Tigrosa to orient toward and capture both prey species more quickly but it did not affect the number of lunges required to subdue either prey. Herbicide did not affect the timing of prey capture for Pardosa but it did cause them to use more lunges in the process. Thus, herbicide had contrasting effects on foraging behavior of these two agrobiont predators, which means that it could shift the direction and strength of food web linkages in complex ways.

Suitable test substances for proof of concept regarding infochemical effects in surface waters

Abstract Background Infochemical effects have been defined as the manipulation of the odour perception of organisms by anthropogenic substances which may result in ecologically relevant behavioural disorder. However, the environmental relevance of infochemical effects has not yet been confirmed by experimental observations. This project aims to test for infochemical effects on chemical communication in water bodies with systematic experimental investigations. The first crucial step is to select suitable test substances. Repellents (PT 19 biocides) and odourants may be assumed to affect the response of aquatic populations and communities. These mostly polar and stable compounds may disturb chemical communication between organisms and may cause organismic effects like drift (downstream dislocation of e.g. crustacean and insect larvae in streams). Repellents enter surface waters mainly indirectly via wastewater discharges from sewage treatment plants or directly by being washed off from the skin and clothes of bathers. Results In this literature study, suitable chemicals were selected for confirmatory assessments of suspected infochemical effects by laboratory tests in a subsequent second part of the project. The use pattern and physico-chemical properties of the substances selected, in combination with their limited biological degradability, indicate potential aquatic relevance with possible chronic impact caused by disturbed communication. After due consideration of advantages and limitations, three PT 19 repellents appear suitable test compounds for proof of concept in the subsequent experimental part of the project: • DEET (CAS 134-62-3) • Icaridine (CAS 119515-38-7) • EBAAP (CAS 52304-36-6) Another promising candidate for infochemical effects is isophorone (CAS 78-59-1), a natural attractant and an anthropogenic high production volume solvent. Conclusions Four chemicals were selected with the expectation that they may be suitable test substances for experimental proof of concept of infochemical effects in the subsequent part of the project. The experimental results may then help to answer the question of whether PT 19 biocides and other odourants entering aquatic ecosystems give rise for concern about potential infochemical effects.

The link between springtime total ozone and summer UV radiation in Northern Hemisphere extratropics

The link between stratospheric ozone decline and ultraviolet (UV) radiation increase at the Earth's surface is well established. In the Northern Hemisphere extratropics, stratospheric ozone is accumulated from autumn to spring as a result of transport from its source region in the tropics. The amount of accumulated ozone varies from year to year due to natural dynamical variability and chemical destruction by natural and anthropogenic substances. Observational and modeling studies show that these total ozone anomalies persist in the extratropics from spring to summer. Here we analyze time series of ground‐based UV measurements and satellite retrievals of total ozone and UV radiation and demonstrate that there is a strong link between springtime total ozone and summer UV anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere extratropics. In some regions, the interannual variability in springtime ozone abundance explains 20–40% of the summer UV variability, and this relation can be used for improving seasonal UV forecasts. Using chemistry transport models, we estimate the influence of polar chemical ozone loss on the summer UV north of 35°N. We estimate that the massive Arctic ozone depletion 2011 increased the March–August cumulative erythemal clear‐sky UV dose in the Northern Hemisphere extratropics by 3–4% compared to the climatology, with about 75% of the increase accumulated after the breakup of the polar vortex. This result strongly suggests that the effect of seasonal ozone anomaly persistence should be included in the assessment of the impacts of polar ozone losses.