scholarly journals Nitro- and oxy-PAHs in grassland soils from decade-long sampling in central Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wietzoreck ◽  
B. A. M. Bandowe ◽  
J. Hofman ◽  
J. Martiník ◽  
B. Nežiková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Oxidative Potential ◽  
Terrestrial Environment ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Background Site ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

AbstractLong-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitrated (NPAHs) and oxygenated (OPAHs) derivatives can cause adverse health effects due to their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and oxidative potential. The distribution of PAH derivatives in the terrestrial environment has hardly been studied, although several PAH derivatives are ubiquitous in air and long-lived in soil and water. We report the multi-annual variations in the concentrations of NPAHs, OPAHs and PAHs in soils sampled at a semi-urban (Mokrá, Czech Republic) and a regional background site (Košetice, Czech Republic) in central Europe. The concentrations of the Σ18NPAHs and the Σ11+2OPAHs and O-heterocycles were 0.31 ± 0.23 ng g−1 and 4.03 ± 3.03 ng g−1, respectively, in Košetice, while slightly higher concentrations of 0.54 ± 0.45 ng g−1 and 5.91 ± 0.45 ng g−1, respectively, were found in soil from Mokrá. Among the 5 NPAHs found in the soils, 1-nitropyrene and less so 6-nitrobenzo(a)pyrene were most abundant. The OPAHs were more evenly distributed. The ratios of the PAH derivatives to their parent PAHs in Košetice indicate that they were long-range transported to the background site. Our results show that several NPAHs and OPAHs are abundant in soil and that gas-particle partitioning is a major factor influencing the concentration of several semi-volatile NPAHs and OPAHs in the soils. Complete understanding of the long-term variations of NPAH and OPAH concentrations in soil is limited by the lack of kinetic data describing their formation and degradation.

scholarly journals Long-Term Trends in PAH Concentrations and Sources at Rural Background Site in Central Europe

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radek Lhotka ◽  
Petra Pokorná ◽  
Naděžda Zíková
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
Rural Background ◽  
Background Site ◽  
Range Transport ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Probable Origin ◽  
Bivariate Probability

An increased burden due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is a long-term air quality problem in Central and Eastern Europe. Extensive PAH monitoring has been implemented at the National Atmospheric Observatory Košetice (NAOK), a rural background site in the Czech Republic, as a representative for Central Europe. Data from NAOK are used for evaluation of PAH concentration trends and source apportionment. In total, concentrations of 14 PAHs in particulate matter (PM10) and in the gas phase between 2006 and 2016 were evaluated. The highest concentrations were measured at the beginning of the study period in 2006. Mean annual concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene, for example, showed a weak, however statistically significant decreasing trend. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to determine the sources of PAHs at NAOK, with three factors resolved. The probable origin areas of PMF factors were identified by the conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF) and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) methods. The NAOK is affected by local sources of PAHs, as well as by regional and long-range transport. The PAH concentrations correlate negatively with industrial production and traffic intensity. High PAH emissions have been linked to local heating, suggesting that the planned replacement of obsolete combustion sources in the households could improve the overall air quality situation, not only with respect to PAHs.

scholarly journals Atmospheric deposition of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in central Europe analyzed by GC-MS/MS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Jin ◽  
Benjamin A. Musa Bandowe ◽  
Minghui Zheng ◽  
Guorui Liu ◽  
Barbora Nežiková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Quadrupole Mass ◽  
Deposition Fluxes ◽  
Background Site ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
First Time

AbstractChlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs and BrPAHs) are persistent organic pollutants that are ubiquitous in the atmospheric environment. The sources, fate, and sinks in the atmosphere of these substances are largely unknown. One of the reasons is the lack of widely accessible analytical instrumentation. In this study, a new analytical method for ClPAHs and BrPAHs using gas-chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry is presented. The method was applied to determine ClPAHs and BrPAHs in total deposition samples collected at two sites in central Europe. Deposition fluxes of ClPAHs and BrPAHs ranged 580 (272–962) and 494 (161–936) pg m−2 day−1, respectively, at a regional background site, Košetice, and 547 (351–724) and 449 (202–758) pg m−2 day−1, respectively, at a semi-urban site, Praha-Libuš. These fluxes are similar to those of PCBs and more than 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of the parent PAHs in the region. Seasonal variations of the deposition fluxes of these halogenated PAHs were found with maxima in summer and autumn, and minima in winter at Košetice, but vice versa at Praha-Libuš. The distribution of ClPAHs and BrPAHs between the particulate and dissolved phases in deposition samples suggests higher degradability of particulate BrFlt/Pyr and BrBaA than of the corresponding ClPAHs. A number of congeners were detected for the first time in the atmospheric environment.

Long-term trends in fog occurrence in the Czech Republic, Central Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 711 ◽  
pp. 135018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Hůnová ◽  
Marek Brabec ◽  
Marek Malý ◽  
Anna Valeriánová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Long Term Trends

scholarly journals Occurrence and Assessment of Chemical Contaminants in Drinking Water in Tunceli, Turkey

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veysel Demir ◽  
Sezai Ergin
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
City Center ◽  
Chemical Contaminants ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The City ◽  
Drinking Water Samples

The objective of this study was to analyze drinking water samples from 21 sites in the city center and seven municipalities of Tunceli, Turkey, in order to determine the presence of nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, bromate, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), trihalomethanes (THMs), and some other chemicals. In all locations, the concentrations of chemicals investigated were below the permissible limits set by local and international organizations for drinking water. Low levels of nitrate (4.79 ± 4.20 mg/L), fluoride (0.11 ± 0.08 mg/L), and THMs (6.63 ± 5.14 μg/L) were detected in all locations. A low level of tetra, chloroethane, which is suspected to be a human carcinogen, was also detected in 8 locations in the range of 0.26–0.43 μg/L. These contaminants may pose adverse health effects or minimum hazard due to long-term exposure. In all locations, bromate, benzene, total PAH, 1-2 dichloroethane, vinyl chloride, acrylamide, and epichloridine levels in drinking water samples were under detection limits.

scholarly journals 9-year trends of PM<sub>10 </sub>sources and oxidative potential in a rural background site in France

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucille Joanna Borlaza ◽  
Samuël Weber ◽  
Anouk Marsal ◽  
Gaëlle Uzu ◽  
Véronique Jacob ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Oxidative Potential ◽  
Specific Chemical ◽  
Rural Background ◽  
Particulate Pollution ◽  
Background Site ◽  
Long Term Study

Abstract. Long-term monitoring at sites with relatively low particulate pollution could provide an opportunity to identify changes in pollutant concentration and potential effects of current air quality policies. In this study, a 9-year sampling of PM10 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter below 10 µm) was performed in a rural background site in France from February 28, 2012 to December 22, 2020. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) method was used to apportion sources of PM10 based on quantified chemical constituents and specific chemical tracers from collected filters. Oxidative potential (OP), an emerging health-metric that measures PM capability to potentially cause anti-oxidant imbalance in the lung, was also measured using two acellular assays: dithiothreitol (DTT) and ascorbic acid (AA). The contribution of PMF-resolved sources to OP were also estimated using multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. In terms of mass contribution, the dominant sources are secondary aerosols (nitrate- and sulphate-rich), associated with long-range transport (LRT). However, in terms of OP contributions, the main drivers are traffic, mineral dust, and biomass burning factors. There is also some OP contribution apportioned to the sulphate- and nitrate-rich sources influenced by processes and aging during LRT that could have encouraged mixing with other anthropogenic sources. The study indicates much lower OP values than in urban areas. A substantial decrease (58 % reduction from year 2012 to 2020) in the mass contributions from the traffic factor was found, however, this is not clearly reflected in its OP contribution. Nevertheless, the findings in this long-term study in the OPE site could signal effectiveness of implemented emission control policies, as also seen in other long-term studies conducted in Europe, mainly for urban areas.

A long-term chronology of summer half-year hailstorms for South Moravia, Czech Republic

2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Brázdil ◽  
K Chromá ◽  
H Valášek ◽  
L Dolák ◽  
L Řezníčková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Summer Half ◽  
South Moravia

Repeated Occupational Exposure to Low-level Blast in the Canadian Armed Forces: Effects on Hearing, Balance, and Ataxia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Nakashima ◽  
Oshin Vartanian ◽  
Shawn G Rhind ◽  
Kristen King ◽  
Catherine Tenn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Blast Overpressure ◽  
Blast Exposure

ABSTRACT Introduction Recently, there has been increasing concern about the adverse health effects of long-term occupational exposure to low-level blast in military personnel. Occupational blast exposure occurs routinely in garrison through use of armaments and controlled blast detonations. In the current study, we focused on a population of breaching instructors and range staff. Breaching is a tactical technique that is used to gain entry into closed spaces, often through the use of explosives. Materials and Methods Initial measurements of blast overpressure collected during breaching courses found that up to 10% of the blasts for range staff and up to 32% of the blasts for instructors exceeded the recommended 3 psi exposure limit. Using a cross-sectional design, we used tests of balance, ataxia, and hearing to compare a sample of breachers (n = 19) to age-and sex-matched military controls (n = 19). Results There were no significant differences between the two groups on the balance and ataxia tests, although the average scores of both groups were lower than would be expected in a normative population. The prevalence of hearing loss was low in the breacher group (4 of 19), and hearing thresholds were not significantly different from the controls. However, the prevalence of self-reported tinnitus was significantly higher in the breacher group (12 of 19) compared with the controls (4 of 19), and all breachers who were identified as having hearing loss also reported tinnitus. Conclusions Our results suggest that basic tests of balance, ataxia, and hearing on their own were not sensitive to the effects of long-term occupational exposure to low-level blast. Some of the blast exposure levels exceeded limits, and there was a significant association of exposure with tinnitus. Future studies should supplement with additional information including exposure history and functional hearing assessments. These findings should be considered in the design of future acute and longitudinal studies of low-level blast exposure.

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