Serum PCB levels and congener profiles among teachers in PCB-containing schools: a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>PCB contamination in the built environment may result from the release of PCBs from building materials. The significance of this contamination as a pathway of human exposure is not well-characterized, however. This research compared the serum PCB concentrations, and congener profiles between 18 teachers in PCB-containing schools and referent populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples from 18 teachers in PCB-containing schools were analyzed for 57 PCB congeners. Serum PCB concentrations and congener patterns were compared between the teachers, to the 2003-4 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data, and to data from 358 Greater Boston area men.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Teachers at one school had higher levels of lighter (PCB 6-74) congeners compared to teachers from other schools. PCB congener 47 contributed substantially to these elevated levels. Older teachers (ages 50-64) from all schools had higher total (sum of 33 congeners) serum PCB concentrations than age-comparable NHANES reference values. Comparing the teachers to the referent population of men from the Greater Boston area (all under age 51), no difference in total serum PCB levels was observed between the referents and teachers up to 50 years age. However, the teachers had significantly elevated serum concentrations of lighter congeners (PCB 6-74). This difference was confirmed by comparing the congener-specific ratios between groups, and principal component analysis showed that the relative contribution of lighter congeners differed between the teachers and the referents.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings suggest that the teachers in the PCB-containing buildings had higher serum levels of lighter PCB congeners (PCB 6-74) than the referent populations. Examination of the patterns, as well as concentrations of individual PCB congeners in serum is essential to investigating the contributions from potential environmental sources of PCB exposure.</p

Manual synoptic climate classification for the East Coast of New England (USA) with an application to PM2.5 concentration

Version of RecordThis study presents a manual synoptic climate classification for the East Coast of New England with an application to regional pollution. New England weather was classified into 9 all-inclusive weather types: Canadian High, Modified High, Gulf of Maine Return, New England High, Atlantic Return, Frontal Atlantic Return, Frontal Overrunning-Continental, Frontal Overrun-ning-Marine, and Tropical Disturbance. Canadian High and Modified High weather are the domi-nant weather patterns at Boston, Massachusetts, while Tropical Disturbance, Gulf of Maine Return, and New England High weather types are the least frequent. Properties of the weather types were determined at 07:00 h Local Standard Time (LST) each day in Boston. The coldest and driest weather type is the Canadian High, while the hottest, most humid weather is generated by Frontal Atlantic Return. The synoptic weather classification system, applied to airborne fine particle mass concentra-tions with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), showed significant differences in concentra-tions between weather types: transport from the north and northwest had low PM2.5, while transport from the south and southwest had high PM2.5 concentrations. This climate classification system also has potential applications ranging from studies of insect migration to analyses of climate change.Keim, B. D., Meeker, L. D., & Slater, J. F. (2005). Manual synoptic climate classification for the East Coast of New England (USA) with an application to PM2.5 concentration. Climate Research, 28, 143-15

A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois

The Illinois Watershed Management Clearinghouse (IWMC) Web Site provides access to information on watersheds and their management. The IWMC includes educational materials on a wide range of issues, ranging from urban storm water and best management practices to GIS support and watershed maps. IWMC links watershed groups to allow for sharing of information, materials, and technical tools. The site effectively leverages the resources of Illinois agencies into one organized site to better serve the state. IWMC has a large amount of information pertaining to most aspects of watershed management

Serum PCB levels and congener profiles among US construction workers

Abstract Background The presence of PCB in caulking (sealant) material found in masonry buildings has been well-documented in several countries. A recent investigation of 24 buildings in the greater Boston area found that 8 buildings had high PCB levels in caulking materials used around window frames and in joints between masonry blocks. Workers removing caulking material have been shown to have elevated serum PCB levels. Methods This project compared serum PCB levels among male workers who installed and/or removed PCB-containing caulking material from buildings in the greater Boston area with reference serum PCB levels from 358 men from the same area. Serum PCB levels were measured in the same laboratory by liquid-liquid extraction, column chromatography clean-up and dual capillary column GC/microECD analysis. Results When the congener profiles were compared between the reference population and the construction workers, the serum levels of the more volatile, lighter PCBs (di-, tri-and tetrachloro, sum of IUPAC# 6–74) were substantially higher among the construction workers. One of the youngest workers had the lowest total serum PCB levels (sum of 57 congeners) of all 6 workers, but the contribution of more volatile (less chlorinated) PCB congeners (#16, 26,28,33,74,66, and 60) was markedly higher than in other 5 workers and reference men. Only this worker was working on a job that involved removing PCB caulking at the time of the blood sampling. Conclusion While the results of this pilot study are based upon small numbers (6 construction workers who handled PCB caulking), the serum PCB levels among the construction workers exceed the referents. Comparison of the congener profiles suggests that there are substantial differences between the construction workers and the general population samples. These differences, and the similarities of profiles among the construction workers strongly suggest that occupational contact with caulking material can be a major source of PCB exposure for construction workers.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117256/1/12940_2007_Article_124.pd

Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers associated with decreased cervical length in pregnancy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134275/1/aji12545_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134275/2/aji12545.pd

Associations between repeated ultrasound measures of fetal growth and biomarkers of maternal oxidative stress and inflammation in pregnancy

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146468/1/aji13017_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146468/2/aji13017.pd

A titanium-nitride near-infrared kinetic inductance photon-counting detector and its anomalous electrodynamics

We demonstrate single-photon counting at 1550 nm with titanium-nitride (TiN) microwave kinetic inductance detectors. Energy resolution of 0.4 eV and arrival-time resolution of 1.2 microseconds are achieved. 0-, 1-, 2-photon events are resolved and shown to follow Poisson statistics. We find that the temperature-dependent frequency shift deviates from the Mattis-Bardeen theory, and the dissipation response shows a shorter decay time than the frequency response at low temperatures. We suggest that the observed anomalous electrodynamics may be related to quasiparticle traps or subgap states in the disordered TiN films. Finally, the electron density-of-states is derived from the pulse response.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure