Formation of iodo-trihalomethanes, iodo-haloacetic acids, and haloacetaldehydes during chlorination and chloramination of iodine containing waters in laboratory controlled reactions

Iodine containing disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs) and haloacetaldehydes (HALs) are emerging disinfection by-product (DBP) classes of concern. The former due to its increased potential toxicity and the latter because it was found to be the third most relevant DBP class in mass in a U.S. nationwide drinking water study. These DBP classes have been scarcely investigated, and this work was performed to further explore their formation in drinking water under chlorination and chloramination scenarios. In order to do this, iodo-trihalomethanes (I-THMs), iodo-haloacetic acids (I-HAAs) and selected HALs (mono-HALs and di-HALs species, including iodoacetaldehyde) were investigated in DBP mixtures generated after chlorination and chloramination of different water matrices containing different levels of bromide and iodide in laboratory controlled reactions. Results confirmed the enhancement of I-DBP formation in the presence of monochloramine. While I-THMs and I-HAAs contributed almost equally to total I-DBP concentrations in chlorinated water, I-THMs contributed the most to total I-DBP levels in the case of chloraminated water. The most abundant and common I-THM species generated were bromochloroiodomethane, dichloroiodomethane, and chlorodiiodomethane. Iodoacetic acid and chloroiodoacetic acid contributed the most to the total I-HAA concentrations measured in the investigated disinfected water. As for the studied HALs, dihalogenated species were the compounds that predominantly formed under both investigated treatments.C.P. acknowledges support from the European Union 7th R&D Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 274379 (Marie Curie IOF) and the Secretary for Universities and Research of the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia and the COFUND Programme of the Marie Curie Actions of the EU’s FP7 (2014 BP_B00064). The EU is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. This work has been financially supported by the Government of Catalonia (Consolidated Research Groups 2014 SGR 418-Water and Soil Quality Unit and 2014 SGR 291-ICRA).Peer reviewe

Degradation of contaminants of emerging concern by UV/H2O2 for water reuse: Kinetics, mechanisms, and cytotoxicity analysis.

Advanced oxidation using UV and hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) has been widely applied to degrade contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in wastewater for water reuse. This study investigated the degradation kinetics of mixed CECs by UV/H2O2 under variable H2O2 doses, including bisphenol A, estrone, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and triclosan. Reverse osmosis (RO) treated water samples from Orange County Water District's Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) potable reuse project were collected on different dates and utilized as reaction matrices with spiked additions of chemicals (CECs and H2O2) to assess the application of UV/H2O2. Possible degradation pathways of selected CECs were proposed based on high resolution mass spectrometry identification of transformation products (TPs). Toxicity assessments included cytotoxicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor-binding activity, and estrogen receptor-binding activity, in order to evaluate potential environmental impacts resulting from CEC degradation by UV/H2O2. Cytotoxicity and estrogenic activity were significantly reduced during the degradation of mixed CECs in Milli-Q water by UV/H2O2 with high UV fluence (3200 mJ cm-2). However, in GWRS RO-treated water samples collected in April 2017, the cytotoxicity and estrogen activity of spiked CEC-mixture after UV/H2O2 treatment were not significantly eliminated; this might be due to the high concentration of target CEC and their TPs, which was possibly affected by the varied quality of the secondary treatment influent at this facility such as sewer-shed and wastewater discharges. This study aimed to provide insight on the impacts of post-UV/H2O2 CECs and TPs on human and ecological health at cellular level

HvALMT1 from barley is involved in the transport of organic anions

Members of the ALMT gene family contribute to the Al3+ resistance of several plant species by facilitating malate efflux from root cells. The first member of this family to be cloned and characterized, TaALMT1, is responsible for most of the natural variation of Al3+ resistance in wheat. The current study describes the isolation and characterization of HvALMT1, the barley gene with the greatest sequence similarity to TaALMT1. HvALMT1 is located on chromosome 2H which has not been associated with Al3+ resistance in barley. The relatively low levels of HvALMT1 expression detected in root and shoot tissues were independent of external aluminium or phosphorus supply. Transgenic barley plants transformed with the HvALMT1 promoter fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) indicated that expression of HvALMT1 was relatively high in stomatal guard cells and in root tissues containing expanding cells. GFP fused to the C-terminus of the full HvALMT1 protein localized to the plasma membrane and motile vesicles within the cytoplasm. HvALMT1 conferred both inward and outward currents when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes that were bathed in a range of anions including malate. Both malate uptake and efflux were confirmed in oocyte assays using [14C]malate as a radiotracer. It is suggested that HvALMT1 functions as an anion channel to facilitate organic anion transport in stomatal function and expanding cells

Exposure Characterization of Haloacetic Acids in Humans for Exposure and Risk Assessment Applications: An Exploratory Study

Disinfected water is the major source of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in humans, but their inter- and intra-individual variability for exposure and risk assessment applications is under-researched. Thus, we measured HAAs in cross-sectional and longitudinal urine and water specimens from 17 individuals. Five regulated HAAs—mono-, di-, and trichloroacetic acid (MCAA, DCAA, and TCAA) and mono- and dibromoacetic acid (MBAA and DBAA)—and one unregulated HAA—bromochloroacetic acid (BCAA)—were measured. Urinary DCAA, MBAA, DBAA, and BCAA levels were always below the limits of detection (LOD). Measured levels and interindividual variability of urinary MCAA were higher than urinary TCAA. Longitudinal urinary specimens showed MCAA levels peaked in after-shower specimens, while TCAA levels remain unchanged. Correlation between urinary MCAA and TCAA was moderate but statistically significant. The prevalence of MCAA and TCAA in urine suggest they can be considered as biomarkers of HAA. Peak urinary MCAA in post-shower specimens suggest MCAA captures short-term exposure via dermal and/or inhalation, while urinary TCAA captures long-term exposure via ingestion. However, further research is warranted in a large pool of participants to test the reliability of MCAA as exposure biomarker

Probing the Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species by a Porous Self- Assembled Benzophenone Bis-Urea Host

Herein, we examine the photochemical formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by a porous benzophenone-containing bis-urea host (1) to investigate the mechanism of photooxidations that occur within the confines of its nanochannels. UV irradiation of the self-assembled host in the presence of molecular oxygen generates both singlet oxygen and superoxide when suspended in solution. The efficiency of ROS generation by the host is lower than that of benzophenone (BP), which could be beneficial for reactions carried out catalytically, as ROS species react quickly and often unselectively. Superoxide formation was detected through reaction with 5,5- dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide in the presence of methanol. However, it is not detected in CHCl3, as it reacts rapidly with the solvent to generate methaneperoxy and chloride anions, similar to BP. The lifetime of airborne singlet oxygen (τΔairborne) was examined at the air−solid outer surface of the host and host·quencher complexes and suggests that quenching is a surface phenomenon. The efficiency of the host and BP as catalysts was compared for the photooxidation of 1-methyl-1-cyclohexene in solution. Both the host and BP mediate the photooxidation in CHCl3, benzene, and benzene-d6, producing primarily epoxide-derived products with low selectivity likely by both type I and type II photooxidation processes. Interestingly, in CHCl3, two chlorohydrins were also formed, reflecting the formation of chloride in this solvent. In contrast, UV irradiation of the host·guest crystals in an oxygen atmosphere produced no epoxide and appeared to favor mainly the type II processes. Photolysis afforded high conversion to only three products: an enone, a tertiary allylic alcohol, and a diol, which demonstrates the accessibility of the encapsulated reactants to oxygen and the influence of confinement on the reaction pathway

Canine \u3cem\u3eRD3\u3c/em\u3e Mutation Establishes Rod-Cone Dysplasia Type 2 (\u3cem\u3ercd2\u3c/em\u3e) as Ortholog of Human and Murine \u3cem\u3erd3\u3c/em\u3e

Rod-cone dysplasia type 2 (rcd2) is an autosomal recessive disorder that segregates in collie dogs. Linkage disequilibrium and meiotic linkage mapping were combined to take advantage of population structure within this breed and to fine map rcd2 to a 230-kb candidate region that included the gene C1orf36 responsible for human and murine rd3, and within which all affected dogs were homozygous for one haplotype. In one of three identified canine retinal RD3 splice variants, an insertion was found that cosegregates with rcd2 and is predicted to alter the last 61 codons of the normal open reading frame and further extend the open reading frame. Thus, combined meiotic linkage and LD mapping within a single canine breed can yield critical reduction of the disease interval when appropriate advantage is taken of within-breed population structure. This should permit a similar approach to tackle other hereditary traits that segregate in single closed populations

The High Resolution IRAS Galaxy Atlas

An atlas of the Galactic plane (-4.7 deg < b < 4.7 deg) plus the molecular clouds in Orion, Rho Oph, and Taurus-Auriga has been produced at 60 and 100 micron from IRAS data. The Atlas consists of resolution-enhanced coadded images having 1 arcmin -- 2 arcmin resolution as well as coadded images at the native IRAS resolution. The IRAS Galaxy Atlas, together with the DRAO HI line / 21 cm continuum and FCRAO CO (1-0) line Galactic plane surveys, both with similar (approx. 1 arcmin) resolution, provide a powerful venue for studying the interstellar medium, star formation and large scale structure in our Galaxy. This paper documents the production and characteristics of the Atlas.Comment: To appear in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. Replaced June 2, 1997. Text unchanged. Missing tables added. Wrong figure sequence corrected. The Atlas images can now be accessed on line at http://crystal.ipac.caltech.edu:8001/applications/IGA

HST/NICMOS Imaging of Disks and Envelopes Around Very Young Stars

We present HST/NICMOS observations with 0.1" (15 AU) resolution of six young stellar objects in the Taurus star-formation region. The targets of our survey are three Class I IRAS sources (IRAS 04016+2610, IRAS 04248+2612, and IRAS 04302+2247) and three low-luminosity stars (DG Tau B, Haro 6-5B, and CoKu Tau/1) associated with Herbig Haro jets. The broad-band images show that the near-infrared radiation from these sources is dominated by light scattered from dusty circumstellar material distributed in a region 10 - 15 times the size of our solar system. Although the detailed morphologies of the individual objects are unique, the observed young stellar objects share common features. All of the circumstellar reflection nebulae are crossed by dark lanes from 500 - 900 AU in extent and from less than 50 to 350 AU in apparent thickness. The absorption lanes extend perpendicular to known optical and millimeter outflows in these sources. We interpret the dark lanes as optically thick circumstellar disks seen in silhouette against bright reflection nebulosity. The bipolar reflection nebulae extending perpendicular to the dust lanes appear to be produced by scattering from the upper and lower surfaces of the disks and from dusty material within or on the walls of the outflow cavities. Out of five objects in which the central source is directly detected, two are found to be subarcsecond binaries. This mini-survey is the highest resolution near-infrared study to date of circumstellar environments around solar-type stars with age <= 1 Myr.Comment: 34 pages, 4 figures; also available at http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/brandner/topics/disks/disks.html ; accepted for publication in AJ (March 1999 issue

Obituary for Tamara Grummt

Tamara Grummt passed away on January 26, 2020 in Oelsnitz/Vogtland, Germany. Tamara was one of the scientific pioneers in the field of environmental toxicology, namely genotoxicity and hygiene of drinking and bathing waters. Her passing is not only a great loss to environmental research and to the global environmental toxicology community—we have lost an outstanding personality with the heart in the right place, who has become, for many of us, a wonderful friend