Légköri aerszolok tulajdonságainak és hatásainak ionnyaláb analitikai módszereken alapuló vizsgálata = Study of properties and effects of airborne particles based on ion beam analytical methods

A jelen OTKA projekt célja az volt, hogy folytassuk és bővítsük az ATOMKI Ionnyaláb-alkalmazások Laboratóriumában folyó aeroszol kutatást annak érdekében, hogy új információkat nyerjünk a régióra jellemző aeroszol eredetéről, tulajdonságairól és hatásairól. Főbb eredményeink a következőek: Kiterjesztettük a mintagyűjtést az aeroszol összetevőiben rövid idő alatt bekövetkező változások monitorozása irányába, és számos mintavételi kampány keretében mértük a debreceni városi aeroszol elemi összetevőinek méreteloszlását és órás időbeli változásait. Faktoranalízis segítségével meghatároztuk a városi aeroszol forrásait. Észleltünk rendkívüli emissziós periódusokat és hosszútávú transzport epizódokat. A méreteloszlás adatok bemenő paraméterként szolgáltak sztochasztikus tüdőmodell számításokhoz, amely segítségével kiszámítottuk a különböző részecsketípusok emberi légzőrendszer mentén való lerakódásának valószínűségét. A debreceni pásztázó ion mikroszondán létrehoztunk egy olyan mérő és adatgyűjtő rendszert, amely lehetővé teszi egyedi aeroszol részecskék rutinszerű analízisét a teljes elemtartományban. A mérőrendszert sikeresen alkalmaztuk aeroszol mikrorészecskék vizsgálatára. (1) Azonosítottunk hosszú távú transzportfolyamatokból származó aeroszol részecskéket és információt nyerünk azok kémiai összetételéről és keletkezéséről. (2) Információt nyertünk toxikus fémeket tartalmazó beltéri aeroszol szerkezetéről, összetételéről és forrásairól. (3) Emissziós epizódokból származó részecskék összetételéből sikeresen azonosítottunk több forrást, amire ?bulk? analitikai technikákkal nem volt lehetőség. | The scope of the project was to widen the field of aerosol research carried out in the Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications of the ATOMKI in order to reach a better understanding on the characteristics, origin and effects of the aerosols characteristic to the region. Main results achieved in the project are the following: The available sampling techniques were improved in the direction of monitoring short term changes of the aerosol components. Several sampling campaigns were carried out to determine the mass size distribution and the hourly variation of the aerosol elemental components. Sources of the Debrecen urban aerosol were determined by factor analysis. Emission episodes and long range transport episodes were observed. Mass size distribution data served as input parameter for the determination of lung deposition probabilities by stochastic lung model calculations. A measurement setup was developed at the Debrecen scanning nuclear microprobe facility which enables the total quantitative analysis of microparticles and microstructures for the range of elements H to U. The setup was successfully applied in the following aerosol studies: (1) Identification and characterization of desert dust particles originating from Saharan dust intrusion in the Debrecen atmosphere, (2) Characterization of indoor aerosol containing toxic heavy metal (3) Identification of sources of aerosol particles originating from emission episode

Consumers’ Acceptance and Attitude towards Bioactive Enriched Foods

The aim of our research was to explore the consumers’ attitude towards healthy diet and food consumption and measure the acceptance of these types of products on the product portfolio developed in PATHWAY-27 projects. The benefit of the experiment was to have a better understanding on HTAS based questionnaire with using real prototypes of bioactive enriched foods with potential health claims. The results showed clearly, that unusual appearance and flavour have negative effect on the opinion of the product and the positive health effect also increases the acceptance of the products

Importance of Coordinated Interactions of Multiple Stakeholders for Developing Products with Health Claims

During the development of products with health claims the collaboration and interaction of several disciplines and independent partners is necessary such as the production, quality, marketing, legal functions of the company, the external providers of the knowledge on the constituent having the claimed physiological effect, the clinics carrying out the human intervention studies, statisticians, laboratories providing testing services, etc. This results in a higher dependency from each other and less flexibility compared to the development of a conventional product where mostly in-company functions work together. Therefore systematic coordination of the multiple interactions, careful design of the product and its development process is particularly important

The effect of the tramway track construction on the aerosol pollution in Debrecen, Hungary

In this study the effect of a new tramway track construction on the atmospheric aerosol concentration and composition in Debrecen, Hungary, was investigated. The tramway track construction started in 2011 and it was finished in 2013. PM2.5 and PM10 daily samples were collected with a Gent type filter unit in an urban background site 2 times a week. In addition, a sampling campaign direct next to the construction site was performed with 2-stage personal samplers between the 21st and 30th of September, 2011 – four hours a day, during work- ing hours. We studied the change in concentration and composition of fine and coarse fraction aerosol in comparison with the average of the past 5 years. An additional goal was to investigate the personal aerosol exposure near to the construction sites. In the urban background site a significant increase could be observed both for the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations for 2012 and 2013. In the elemental composition the concentration of Fe, Mn, Ni, and Cr increased significantly for the construction period. The PM10 concentrations measured direct next to the construction site were 10–20 higher than those measured at our urban background site or the data provided by the Hungarian Air Quality monitoring network. Days with very high Pb pollution level (3000 ng/m3) was also recorded

Városi aeroszol analízise Kelet-Magyarország régióban = Characterization of urban aerosol in East-Hungary region

A projekt célja légköri aeroszol tulajdonságainak és hatásainak vizsgálata volt Kelet-Magyarországi régióban. Célunk az ATOMKI IBA Laboratóriumában zajló kutatások folytatása, valamint bővítése volt új, nemzetközi szinten is jelentős vizsgálatokkal. Fontosabb eredmények: -Meghatároztuk a városi aeroszol forrásait, azok napszaki, napi és szezonális változásait. Egyedi részecske analízis segítségével azonosítottuk emissziós epizódok és a Cl eredetét. Új analitikai technikát, gyorsítós tömegspektrometriát alkalmaztunk az aeroszol fosszilis és biomassza eredetű komponensének szétválasztására. -Komplex felmérést végeztünk egy elektronikai alkatrészeket előállító cég gyártó csarnokában. A munkahelyi aeroszol összetételét, méretét, forrásait, keletkezési módját határoztuk meg ionnyaláb mikroanalitikával. -Megkezdtük debreceni iskolák felmérését. A tantermekben magas szálló por koncentrációt mértünk, amelynek számos külső és belső forrását azonosítottuk: pl. közlekedés, háztartási fatüzelés, tisztítószerek, meszelt falak, szőnyegek és kémiai kísérletek. -Az aeroszoltól származó terhelés becslésére kiszámítottuk a különböző részecskék emberi légzőrendszer mentén való lerakódásának valószínűségét. -Meghatároztuk egy átlagos kelet-európai város (Debrecen) aeroszol koncentrációjának, elemi összetevőinek és forrásainak hosszú távú tendenciáit és szezonális változásait 1993-2010 között. Kimutattunk Európa forrásterületeire jellemző elemösszetétel „ujjlenyomatokat” is. | The objective of the project was to study the properties of atmospheric aerosol in Debrecen and East-Hungary region by continuing and expanding the aerosol research in the IBA Lab of the ATOMKI with emphasis on characterization of urban aerosol sources and of investigation of indoor aerosol and personal exposure. Main achievements: - Urban aerosol sources and their hourly, daily, weekly and seasonal variation were determined. Origin of Cl and emission episodes was identified with the help of single particle analysis. To separate the fossil and biomass component of carbonaceous aerosol a new techniques, accelerator mass spectrometry was introduced. - A complex survey of the working environment of an electronic product company was made. Composition, size, sources, formation mechanism and evolution of workplace aerosols were determined. - A survey has been started in schools. Several outdoor and indoor sources contributed to the high level classroom pollution, e.g. traffic, heating and cleaning chemicals, wall paint, the carpets or the experiments in laboratories. - To estimate the exposure due to aerosols deposition probabilities along the human respiratory tract was calculated. - Long term tendencies and seasonal variation of the elemental concentrations, mass concentrations and of sources of urban aerosol in an average east-European city (Debrecen) were determined. Characteristic elemental fingerprints of different source areas of Europe were identified

Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of Triclosan on Aquatic Ecosystems

The synthetic broad-spectrum antibacterial agent triclosan is one of the most commonly encountered emerging micro-pollutant in the aquatic environment due to the extensive use since 1968 mainly in cosmetics and household cleaning products and the partial elimination from wastewater. Its low water solubility, high sorption coefficient to organic matter, accumulation potential in fatty tissues and its low acute toxicity determined by conventional ecotoxicological tests suggest that its risk is more related to chronic effects requiring risk assessment based on more sensitive ecotoxicological methods. In this paper the short- and midterm ecotoxicological effects of triclosan were investigated using various test systems taking into account ecological complexity and environmental relevance. Acute single-species, simplified microcosm experiments and complex multi-species microcosm experiments were conducted with the determination of sublethal physiological and behavioral endpoints including the Daphnia magna heartbeat rate and feeding activity, the Heterocypris incongruens movement parameters and the Lemna minor chlorophyll content and root length. All physiological and behavioral endpoints indicated sensitively the adverse effect of triclosan in the concentration range of 4–25.6 µg/L. In some cases, responses of selected organisms in single-species laboratory tests did not correspond to those of the higher levels of test systems. Daphnia sensitivity increased with the level of the test system for all chosen endpoints except the heartbeat rate. Considering the varying ecological complexity of the assembled test systems, according to our results the exposure time and the different combinations of exposure routes were the most decisive parameters in terms of triclosan ecotoxicity and endpoint sensitivity

ONE-YEAR-LONG CONTINUOUS AND SYNCHRONOUS DATA SET OF FOSSIL CARBON IN ATMOSPHERIC PM2.5 AND CARBON DIOXIDE IN DEBRECEN, HUNGARY

Radiocarbon investigation of atmospheric PM2.5 aerosol synchronized with 14CO2 observations began in Debrecen in the winter of 2010. The aim of the study was to determine the contemporary and fossil carbon fractions in the aerosol and to set them against the fossil CO2 excess data referring to the same period. The mass of the collected PM2.5 mode on prebaked quartz filters was determined gravimetrically, while its total carbon mass was calculated from the pressure of CO2 gas produced after the combustion of the filters. As a result of the applied sampling and preparation method, the stable, nonvolatile carbon forms were principally studied. 14C measurements of the tiny aerosol bulk samples were performed using the EnvironMICADAS accelerator mass spectrometer at ATOMKI. The sample preparation method was tested using several blanks, standards, and real samples. Test results showed good reproducibility for the applied aerosol sample preparation and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analyses. Atmospheric fossil CO2 excess data were calculated according Levin et al. (2003), using the 14C results of collected CO2 samples measured by the gas proportional counting system at ATOMKI. Mass concentration of PM10 involving the PM2.5 mode in the city air exceeded the daily average of 50 μg/m3 (24-hr limit value in the EU) several times in 2011, mainly during the winter. The results showed that recently derived carbon most likely from domestic wood burning was causing the elevated carbon mass concentration of PM2.5 in Debrecen at the time. In the course of the 1-yr-long continuous and systematic comparison of fossil carbon mass concentration of PM2.5 mode and mole fraction of fossil excess of atmospheric CO2, similar and synchronous trends were observed during the studied period in Debrecen

Medieval Tuscan glasses from Miranduolo, Italy: A multi-disciplinary study

Twenty transparent glass fragments from Miranduolo were analysed by Variable Pressure - Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive System (VP-SEM-EDS), Particle Induced X-Ray Emission and Particle Induced Gamma-Ray Emission (PIXE/PIGE) and Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (LAICP- MS). The fragments are dated from mid-13th to mid-14th century CE, when the first Tuscan glass-making workshops emerged. Miranduolo did not have an in situ glass-making workshop. Hence, the aim was to determine the glass production technology and raw material provenance. All the glasses are of plant ash (PA) sodalime- silica (Na-Ca-Si) composition, with eighteen being made with Levantine plant ash (LPA), one with Barilla plant ash (BPA), and one Na-Ca-Si glass with high magnesium and low potassium (HMg-LK). The production of LPA glasses can be distinguished according to the use of different sand typologies as former. It seems probable that glasses were produced regionally from multiple Tuscan glass factories