Search results for "Environmental Monitoring"
showing 10 items of 609 documents
Mosses as biomonitors of atmospheric heavy metal deposition : Spatial patterns and temporal trends in Europe
2010
In recent decades, mosses have been used successfully as biomonitors of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals. Since 1990, the European moss survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals. Although spatial patterns were metal-specific, in 2005 the lowest concentrations of metals in mosses were generally found in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and northern parts of the UK ; the highest concentrations were generally found in Belgium and south-eastern Europe. The recent decline in emission and subsequent deposition of heavy metals across Europe has resulted in a decrease in the heavy metal concentration in mosses for the majority of metals. Since 1990, the concentration in mosses has decli…
Residential Exposure to PM2.5 Components and Risk of Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Denmark: A Nationwide Register-Based Case-Control Study
2020
In a recent study, we observed an increased risk of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) associated with exposure to fine atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC). In this nationwide register-based case-control study, we focus on specific components of PM2.5 in relation to childhood NHL in Denmark (1981&ndash
Investigating the changes in extreme rainfall series recorded in an urbanised area
2002
The aim of this study is to investigate and quantify changes in the rainfall regime of the metropolitan area of Palermo characterised by increasingly strong urbanisation. The rainfall data, considered in this study, were collected on a yearly basis from eight rain gauges within and outside the metropolitan area of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. A preliminary analysis made on the annual total rainfall depths showed a global reduction of total annual rainfall, with two different trends: more regular for the series observed in the rain gauges within the urbanised area and more variable for the series observed in the rain gauges outside the area. A further analysis has been performed using the series …
Malaria resurgence risk in southern Europe: climate assessment in an historically endemic area of rice fields at the Mediterranean shore of Spain
2010
Abstract Background International travel and immigration have been related with an increase of imported malaria cases. This fact and climate change, prolonging the period favouring vector development, require an analysis of the malaria transmission resurgence risk in areas of southern Europe. Such a study is made for the first time in Spain. The Ebro Delta historically endemic area was selected due to its rice field landscape, the presence of only one vector, Anopheles atroparvus, with densities similar to those it presented when malaria was present, in a situation which pronouncedly differs from already assessed potential resurgence areas in other Mediterranean countries, such as France an…
Identification of magnetic particulates in road dust accumulated on roadside snow using magnetic, geochemical and micro-morphological analyses
2010
The aim of this study is to test the applicability of snow surveying in the collection and detailed characterization of vehicle-derived magnetic particles. Road dust extracted from snow, collected near a busy urban highway and a low traffic road in a rural environment (southern Finland), was studied using magnetic, geochemical and micro-morphological analyses. Significant differences in horizontal distribution of mass specific magnetic susceptibility (χ) were noticed for both roads. Multi-domain (MD) magnetite was identified as the primary magnetic mineral. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of road dust from both roads revealed: (1) angular-shaped particles (diameter ∼1–300 μm) mo…
Lead isotopic fingerprint in human scalp hair: The case study of Iglesias mining district (Sardinia, Italy)
2017
The Sulcis-Iglesiente district (SW Sardinia, Italy) has been, until recently, one of the most important Italian polymetallic mining areas for the extraction of lead. Epidemiological studies conducted over several decades have indicated this site at high risk of environmental crisis with possible adverse effects on the public health. In the present paper we discuss Pb isotope signatures in human scalp hair and road dust collected from the Sulcis-Iglesiente area in order to trace the exposure of populations to potential Pb sources. A total of 23 determinations (20 on hair samples and 3 on road dust samples) of lead isotope ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/206Pb) were carried out. The obtained re…
More accuracy to the EROD measurements—The resorufin fluorescence differs between species and individuals
2012
Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity is a biomarker of exposure to planar aromatic hydrocarbons, and it is often measured from the S9 fraction. The effect of the liver S9 fraction of seven boreal freshwater fish species on the fluorescence of resorufin was studied. The S9 fractions diminished resorufin fluorescence by 40–80%, and there were large differences between species. Thus, using a resorufin standard curve without the S9 fraction leads to a large underestimation of the EROD activity. Therefore a microwell plate EROD method was developed that takes into account the effect of each sample on resorufin fluorescence. At least two mechanisms were involved in the decrease of the flu…
Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragments versus information dependent acquisition for suspected-screening of pharmaceuticals in sed…
2019
The aquatic ecosystems are dynamic environments often affected directly or indirectly by a myriad of anthropogenic contaminants that need to be properly identified. In this study, liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QqTOF-MS) suspected-screening was applied to mussels and riverine sediment both, non-spiked and spiked with a mixture of 32 pharmaceuticals. Three data acquisition methods –sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH), in fix (FSWATH) and variable (VSWATH) window modes and Information Dependent Acquisition (IDA)– were compared to determine the most suitable acquisition technique. The results obtained in the spike…
Habitat degradation correlates with tolerance to climate-change related stressors in the green mussel Perna viridis from West Java, Indonesia
2013
It is unclear whether habitat degradation correlates with tolerance of marine invertebrates to abiotic stress. We therefore tested whether resistance to climate change-related stressors differs between populations of the green mussel Perna viridis from a heavily impacted and a mostly pristine site in West Java, Indonesia. In laboratory experiments, we compared their oxygen consumption and mortality under lowered salinity (-13 and -18 units, both responses), hypoxia (0.5 mg/l, mortality only) and thermal stress (+7 degrees C, mortality only). Mussels from the eutrophied and polluted Jakarta Bay showed a significantly smaller deviation from their normal oxygen consumption and higher survival …
A microplate version of the SOS/umu-test for rapid detection of genotoxins and genotoxic potentials of environmental samples
1991
Abstract The umu-microtest is a miniaturized automated short-term test version proposed for screening of umuC-dependent mutagenic potentials of chemicals relevant to environmental pollution, river water and industrial waste water. The test is based on the SOS/umu-test and has been modified in order to allow extensive testing of environmental samples. Genetically engineered Salmonella typhimurium (TA1535/pSK1002) are incubated on a microplate rotor in a sloping position for 2 h with the test samples, followed by addition of fresh culture medium to reach a 10-fold dilution of the incubation medium. 2 h later, the activity of the β-galactosidase, which reflects umuC induction, is determined co…