Environmental contamination with metals as a risk factor causing developing autoimmune thyroiditis in children in zones influenced by emissions from metallurgic enterprises

Chemical environmental factors trophic for the endocrine system and its organs produce negative influence on it that becomes apparent through growing incidence and pathomorphism of endocrine diseases. Our test group was made up of 102 children with diagnosed autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) who were chronically exposed to metals (lead, manganese, nickel, chromium, and zinc) being components in emissions from metallurgic enterprises in Perm region. Our reference group included 46 children with AIT who lived beyond zones influenced by the aforementioned enterprises in areas with the sanitary-hygienic situation being relatively favorable. We comparatively analyzed the results of clinical and ultrasound examinations that focused on evaluating children’s thyroidal and immune state. A growth in incidence with thyroiditis amounted to 63.6 % on the test territory over 10 years and it was 1.6 times higher than on average in the region (40.8 %); there was no growth in the indicator detected on the reference territory. Concentrations of chromium, nickel, lead, zinc, and manganese higher than regional background level were 1.7–5.5 times more frequently detected in blood of children from the test group against the reference one. A number of AIT cases was higher among exposed boys (by 2.0 times, p = 0.070); exposed children also had higher Ig A, M, and G contents in blood serum (by up to 2.9 times, p = 0.015–0.056), higher TSH levels (by 2.0 times, p = 0.096), and lower free T4 contents (by 5.4 times, p = 0.057). Diffuse damage to the thyroid gland was by 1.3 times more frequent under exposure to adverse factors created by metallurgic production; AIT combined with other diseases was also more frequent (p = 0.041). Rates and growth in incidence of thyroid gland diseases and thyroiditis are by 1.3–2.3 times higher among children and teenagers living on territories where metallurgic enterprises are located against the same indicators on territories where sanitary-hygienic situation is relatively favorable. We detected less apparent gender-related differences in AIT frequency, a greater number of improper thyroidal state, elevated risks of diffuse changes in the thyroid gland and activation of humoral immune response that was by 2.2–3.4 times more frequent together with concomitant damage to other systems under elevated contents of metals in blood.

Spatial Variation in Cadmium and Mercury and Factors Influencing Their Potential Ecological Risks in Farmland Soil in Poyang Lake Plain, China

Due to the irreversibility of heavy metal pollution, the presence of heavy metals in farmland soil is associated with severe ecological risks that endanger both the environment and human health. Cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) are two toxic heavy metals found widely in polluted soil. Cd is not readily fixed in the soil and is therefore easily accumulated by plants, while Hg has a wide range of pollution sources. The aims of this study were to explore the spatial variation in Cd and Hg concentrations in farmland soil in Poyang Lake Plain, China, and to assess their potential ecological risks as influenced by natural and human factors. A total of 283 soil samples were obtained from Fengcheng city, central Jiangxi Province. Data were then analyzed using geostatistics, the potential ecological risk index, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and Geodetector. The results showed moderate variation in soil Cd and Hg concentrations, with a remarkable difference in their spatial distribution. Cd concentrations in the northwest and northeast of Fengcheng were below the regional background level in Jiangxi; in most remaining areas, Cd concentrations were between the regional background level and national risk screening value. Areas with Hg concentrations lower than the regional background level were largely concentrated in the south, east and north of Fengcheng, and gradually increased towards the central, where they exceeded the regional background level but were below the national risk screening value. Overall, the potential ecological risk level of Cd was predominantly low, while that of Hg was moderate. The comprehensive potential ecological risk was low in most areas for both Cd and Hg, with some scattered areas of moderate risk. Moreover, the comprehensive potential ecological risk index of both Cd and Hg was significantly correlated with soil pH, total phosphorous, elevation, distance from a river (p < 0.01), and distance from a road (p < 0.05). The most significant factor influencing the comprehensive potential ecological risk index of these two heavy metals was soil pH of 5.2–5.6, followed by total p ≤ 0.52 mg kg−1. In conclusion, moderate pollution of Cd and Hg occurred in farmland soil in Poyang Lake Plain where their comprehensive potential ecological risk level was generally low and mainly influenced by soil pH and total phosphorous.

Sulfur isotope analysis for representative regional background atmospheric aerosols collected at Mt. Lulin, Taiwan

Air pollution resulted from fossil fuel burning has been an environmental issue in developing countries in Asia. Sulfur-bearing compounds, in particular, are species that are regulated and monitored routinely. To assess how the species affect at local and global scales, regional background level has to be defined. Here, we report analysis of sulfur isotopes in atmospheric sulfate, the oxidation end product of sulfur species, in particulate phase collected at the Lulin observatory located at 2862 m above mean sea level in 2010. The averaged sulfate concentration for 44 selected samples is 2.7 ± 2.3 (1-σ standard deviation) μg m−3, and the averaged δ34S is 2.2 ± 1.6‰, with respect to the international standard Vienna Canyon Diablo Troilite. Regardless of the origins of air masses, no noticeable difference between the low-altitude Pacific and high-altitude free troposphere sulfate aerosols is observed. Also, no identifiable seasonal cycle in seen. Correlation analysis with respect to coal burning tracers such as lead and oil industry tracers such as vanadium shows sulfate concentration is in better correlation with vanadium (R2 = 0.86, p-value < 0.001) than with lead (R2 = 0.45, p-value < 0.001) but no statistically significant correlation is found in δ34S with any of physical quantities measured. We suggest the sulfate collected at Lulin can best represent the regional background level in the Western Pacific, a quantity that is needed in order to quantitatively assess the budget of sulfur in local to country scales.

SPREADING OF TRITIUM IN SURFACE WATER OF THE SITE OF THE PEACEFUL UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR EXPLOSION «CRYSTAL» IN 2018

The content of technogenic radionuclide tritium in surface water of peaceful underground nuclear explosion «Crystall» site is considered. The volumic activity of tritium in surface water of the explosion well reaches 12 Bq/l in 2018. It is 630 times less than the intervention limit of drinking water (7600 Bq/kg) according to radiation safety standards. At once it is in 5,5 times higher than the regional background level of tritium activity in river water (in the order of 2,2 Bq/l). The work is done with the help of liquid-scintillation spectrometry on state assignment of IGM SB RAS and on the project No. 18-45-140020 «Features of nuclear technogenesis by the example of the object of the peaceful underground nuclear explosion «Crystal» supported by the Russian foundation for basic research (RFBR).

Exploiting stagnant conditions to derive robust emission ratio estimates for CO₂, CO and volatile organic compounds in Paris

We propose an approach to estimate urban emission ratios that takes advantage of the enhanced local urban signal in the atmosphere at low wind speed. We apply it to estimate monthly ratios between CO2, CO and some VOCs from several atmospheric concentration measurement datasets acquired in the centre of Paris between 2010 and 2014. We find that this approach is not very sensitive to the regional background level definition and that, in the case of Paris, it samples all days (weekdays and weekends) and all hours of the day evenly. A large seasonal variability of the ΔCO ∕ ΔCO2 ratio in Paris is shown, with a difference of around 60 % between the extreme values and a strong anti-correlation (r2 = 0.75) with atmospheric temperature. The comparison of the ratios obtained for two short measurement campaigns conducted in two different districts and two different periods (autumn and winter) shows differences ranging from −120 to +63 %. A comparison with a highly resolved regional emission inventory suggests some spatial variations of the ratio within the city.

A new method for estimating emission ratios in the urban atmosphere: examples of ratios to CO₂, CO and volatile organic compounds in Paris

We propose a new approach to estimate urban emission ratios that takes advantage of the enhanced local urban signal in the atmosphere at low wind speed. We apply it to estimate monthly ratios between CO2, CO and some VOCs from several atmospheric concentration measurement datasets acquired in the centre of Paris between 2010 and 2014. We find that this approach is little sensitive to the regional background level definition and that, in the case of Paris, it samples all days (weekdays and weekends) and all hours of the day evenly. A large seasonal variability of the ΔCO/ΔCO2 ratio in Paris is shown, with a difference of around 60 % between the extreme values and a strong anti-correlation (r2 = 0.75) with atmospheric temperature. The comparison of the ratios obtained for two short measurement campaigns conducted in two different districts and two different periods (fall and winter) shows differences ranging from −120 to +63 %. A comparison with a highly resolved regional emission inventory suggests some spatial variations of the ratio within the city, although most of these differences seem to be rather driven by the seasonal variability.