Comparisons of indoor active and passive air sampling methods for emerging and legacy halogenated flame retardants in Beijing, China offices

AbstractOne active and two passive air sampling configurations were deployed simultaneously in three offices in Beijing, China to test their comparability for sampling emerging and legacy halogenated flame retardants spanning a large range of octanol–air partition coefficients (KOA). Sampling in each office was carried out for three consecutive 28-day periods in the spring-summer of 2013. The active sampler was run for 2.5 h at different times every day for 28 days to parallel the passive samplers and sample a total volume comparable to that sampled by the passive samplers (∼20 m3). At the end of each 28-day sampling period, a separate active air sample was taken by running the sampler pump continuously for about 2.5 days. The comparability of measured concentrations varied between the air sampling configurations and for different compounds. The predominant compound measured in nearly all samples was BDE-209, a compound known to have heavy use in China. Several emerging flame retardants were also detected including DBE-DBCH, PBT, HBB, DDC-CO, and DBDPE. Very little of the tetra-hexabrominated BDEs associated with the technical PentaBDE product was observed

In vitro inhalation bioaccessibility of phthalate esters and alternative plasticisers present in indoor dust using artificial lung fluids

Phthalate esters (PEs) are plasticiser additives imparting durability, elasticity and flexibility to consumer products. The low migration stability of PEs along with their ubiquitous character and adverse health effects to humans and especially children has resulted in their classification as major indoor contaminants. This study assesses inhalation exposure to PEs via indoor dust using an in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility test (i.e. uptake) for of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and the alternative non phthalate plasticisers bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) and cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH), exposure. Using artificial lung fluids, which mimicktwo distinctively different pulmonary environments, namely artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF, pH = 4.5) representing the fluid that inhaled particles would contact after phagocytosis by alveolar and interstitial macrophages within the lung and Gamble’s solution (pH = 7.4), the fluid for deep dust deposition within the pulmonary environment. Low molecular weight (MW) PEs such as DMP and DEP were highly bioaccessible (> 75 %) in both artificial pulmonary media, whereas highly hydrophobic compounds such as DEHP, DINCH and DEHT were < 5 % bioaccessible via the lung. Our findings show that the in vitro pulmonary uptake of PEs is primarily governed by their hydrophobicity and water solubility, highlighting thus the need for the establishment of a unified and biologically relevant inhalation bioaccessibility test format, employed within the risk assessment framework for volatile and semi-volatile organic pollutants

Dietary Intake Contributed the Most to Chlorinated Paraffin Body Burden in a Norwegian Cohort

Determining the major human exposure pathways is a prerequisite for the development of effective management strategies for environmental pollutants such as chlorinated paraffins (CPs). As a first step, the internal and external exposure to CPs were quantified for a well-defined human cohort. CPs in participants' plasma and diet samples were analyzed in the present study, and previous results on paired air, dust, and hand wipe samples were used for the total exposure assessment. Both one compartment pharmacokinetic modeling and forensic fingerprinting indicate that dietary intake contributed the most to body burden of CPs in this cohort, contributing a median of 60-88% of the total daily intakes. The contribution from dust ingestion and dermal exposure was greater for the intake of long-chain CPs (LCCPs) than short-chain CPs (SCCPs), while the contribution from inhalation was greater for the intake of SCCPs than medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) and LCCPs. Significantly higher concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs were observed in diets containing butter and eggs, respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, other exposure sources were correlated to plasma levels of CPs, including residence construction parameters such as the construction year (p < 0.05). This human exposure to CPs is not a local case. From a global perspective, there are major knowledge gaps in biomonitoring and exposure data for CPs from regions other than China and European countries

Exploring the planetary boundary for chemical pollution

Rockström et al. (2009a, 2009b) have warned that humanity must reduce anthropogenic impacts defined by nine planetary boundaries if “unacceptable global change” is to be avoided. Chemical pollution was identified as one of those boundaries for which continued impacts could erode the resilience of ecosystems and humanity. The central concept of the planetary boundary (or boundaries) for chemical pollution (PBCP or PBCPs) is that the Earth has a finite assimilative capacity for chemical pollution, which includes persistent, as well as readily degradable chemicals released at local to regional scales, which in aggregate threaten ecosystem and human viability. The PBCP allows humanity to explicitly address the increasingly global aspects of chemical pollution throughout a chemical's life cycle and the need for a global response of internationally coordinated control measures. We submit that sufficient evidence shows stresses on ecosystem and human health at local to global scales, suggesting that conditions are transgressing the safe operating space delimited by a PBCP. As such, current local to global pollution control measures are insufficient. However, while the PBCP is an important conceptual step forward, at this point single or multiple PBCPs are challenging to operationalize due to the extremely large number of commercial chemicals or mixtures of chemicals that cause myriad adverse effects to innumerable species and ecosystems, and the complex linkages between emissions, environmental concentrations, exposures and adverse effects. As well, the normative nature of a PBCP presents challenges of negotiating pollution limits amongst societal groups with differing viewpoints. Thus, a combination of approaches is recommended as follows: develop indicators of chemical pollution, for both control and response variables, that will aid in quantifying a PBCP(s) and gauging progress towards reducing chemical pollution; develop new technologies and technical and social approaches to mitigate global chemical pollution that emphasize a preventative approach; coordinate pollution control and sustainability efforts; and facilitate implementation of multiple (and potentially decentralized) control efforts involving scientists, civil society, government, non-governmental organizations and international bodies

The Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison phase 1 simulation dataset

The Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison (GGCMI) phase 1 dataset of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) provides an unprecedentedly large dataset of crop model simulations covering the global ice-free land surface. The dataset consists of annual data fields at a spatial resolution of 0.5 arc-degree longitude and latitude. Fourteen crop modeling groups provided output for up to 11 historical input datasets spanning 1901 to 2012, and for up to three different management harmonization levels. Each group submitted data for up to 15 different crops and for up to 14 output variables. All simulations were conducted for purely rainfed and near-perfectly irrigated conditions on all land areas irrespective of whether the crop or irrigation system is currently used there. With the publication of the GGCMI phase 1 dataset we aim to promote further analyses and understanding of crop model performance, potential relationships between productivity and environmental impacts, and insights on how to further improve global gridded crop model frameworks. We describe dataset characteristics and individual model setup narratives. © 2019, The Author(s)

In Vitro Cell Culture Infectivity Assay for Human Noroviruses

A 3-dimensional organoid human small intestinal epithelium model was used

Berlin statement on legacy and emerging contaminants in polar regions

Polar regions should be given greater consideration with respect to the monitoring, risk assessment, and management of potentially harmful chemicals, consistent with requirements of the precautionary principle. Protecting the vulnerable polar environments requires (i) raising political and public awareness and (ii) restricting and preventing global emissions of harmful chemicals at their sources. The Berlin Statement is the outcome of an international workshop with representatives of the European Commission, the Arctic Council, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), environmental specimen banks, and data centers, as well as scientists from various international research institutions. The statement addresses urgent chemical pollution issues in the polar regions and provides recommendations for improving screening, monitoring, risk assessment, research cooperation, and open data sharing to provide environmental policy makers and chemicals management decision-makers with relevant and reliable contaminant data to better protect the polar environments. The consensus reached at the workshop can be summarized in just two words: “Act now!” Specifically, “Act now!” to reduce the presence and impact of anthropogenic chemical pollution in polar regions by. •Establishing participatory co-development frameworks in a permanent multi-disciplinary platform for Arctic-Antarctic collaborations and establishing exchanges between the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AnMAP) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to increase the visibility and exchange of contaminant data and to support the development of harmonized monitoring programs. •Integrating environmental specimen banking, innovative screening approaches and archiving systems, to provide opportunities for improved assessment of contaminants to protect polar regions

Global gridded crop model evaluation: benchmarking, skills, deficiencies and implications

Crop models are increasingly used to simulate crop yields at the global scale, but so far there is no general framework on how to assess model performance. Here we evaluate the simulation results of 14 global gridded crop modeling groups that have contributed historic crop yield simulations for maize, wheat, rice and soybean to the Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison (GGCMI) of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP). Simulation results are compared to reference data at global, national and grid cell scales and we evaluate model performance with respect to time series correlation, spatial correlation and mean bias. We find that global gridded crop models (GGCMs) show mixed skill in reproducing time series correlations or spatial patterns at the different spatial scales. Generally, maize, wheat and soybean simulations of many GGCMs are capable of reproducing larger parts of observed temporal variability (time series correlation coefficients (r) of up to 0.888 for maize, 0.673 for wheat and 0.643 for soybean at the global scale) but rice yield variability cannot be well reproduced by most models. Yield variability can be well reproduced for most major producing countries by many GGCMs and for all countries by at least some. A comparison with gridded yield data and a statistical analysis of the effects of weather variability on yield variability shows that the ensemble of GGCMs can explain more of the yield variability than an ensemble of regression models for maize and soybean, but not for wheat and rice. We identify future research needs in global gridded crop modeling and for all individual crop modeling groups. In the absence of a purely observation-based benchmark for model evaluation, we propose that the best performing crop model per crop and region establishes the benchmark for all others, and modelers are encouraged to investigate how crop model performance can be increased. We make our evaluation system accessible to all crop modelers so that other modeling groups can also test their model performance against the reference data and the GGCMI benchmark

Shared genetic risk between eating disorder- and substance-use-related phenotypes:Evidence from genome-wide association studies

First published: 16 February 202