Evaluation of a battery of biotests to improve waste ecotoxicity assessment (HP 14), using incineration bottom ash as a case study.

The assessment of waste ecotoxicity (hazardous property HP14 in the European Union) is fundamental for proper waste classification and safe application/disposal. Biotests are relevant for evaluating waste complex matrices, but their efficiency is crucial to encourage their adoption at the industrial level. This work aims at evaluating possibilities of improving the efficiency of a biotest battery previously suggested in the literature, regarding test selection, duration, and/or laboratory resources optimization. Fresh incineration bottom ash (IBA) was the case study. The test battery analysed included standard aquatic (bacteria, microalgae, macrophytes, daphnids, rotifers, fairy shrimp) and terrestrial (bacteria, plants, earthworms, collembolans) organisms. The assessment followed an Extended Limit Test design (three dilutions of eluate or solid IBA) and the Lowest Ineffective Dilution (LID-approach) for ecotoxicity classification. The results emphasize the importance of testing different species. It was also evidenced that tests with daphnids and earthworms may be shortened to 24 h; the miniaturization of tests is suitable as e.g. differential sensitivity of microalgae and macrophytes was captured with low variability; alternative testing kits can be used when methodological difficulties are found. Microalgae were more sensitive than macrophytes. Similar results were found for the Thamnotoxkit and daphnids test for eluates with natural pH, so the former may be used as an alternative. B. rapa was the most sensitive organism, suggesting that it may be tested as the only terrestrial plant species and that minimum test duration is appropriate. F. candida does not appear to add information to the battery. The differences in sensitivity of A. fischeri and E. fetida compared to the remaining species were not significant enough to exclude them from the battery. Thus, this work suggests a biotest battery to test IBA comprising aquatic tests - Aliivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata (miniaturised test), and Daphnia magna (24 h when clear deleterious effects are observed) or Thamnocephalus platyurus (toxkit) - and terrestrial tests - Arthrobacter globiformis, Brassica rapa (14 d), and Eisenia fetida (24 h). Testing waste with natural pH is also recommended. The Extended Limit Test design considering the LID-approach seems useful in waste testing, particularly for the industry, involving low effort, test material requirements, and few laboratory resources. The LID-approach allowed for differentiating ecotoxic from non-ecotoxic effects and captured different sensitivities between species. Ecotoxicological assessment of other waste may benefit from these recommendations, but caution should be taken given the properties of each waste type.

Environmental benchmarks based on ecotoxicological assessment with planktonic species might not adequately protect benthic assemblages in lotic systems.

Freshwater ecosystems face widespread diffuse and point-source contamination. Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) have been used as a tool to determine chemical concentration benchmarks that represent protective levels for most species in the environment. Here we used a SSD approach to assess on the adequacy of standard planktonic organisms to reflect the response of benthic communities, critically supporting the structure and function of lotic ecosystems. For the purpose, SSDs reflecting non-lethal responses of standard planktonic and selected benthic organisms were built based on EC50 values (collected in the literature or estimated following testing herein) regarding three model contaminants: potassium dichromate (PD), 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) and lead chloride (LC). The derived HC5 estimates were discriminatory between chemicals and the uncertainty associated with the estimate was remarkably low. The HC5 estimates with corresponding uncertainty were generally within the same order of magnitude for the three chemicals tested, with better discrimination between chemicals regarding their hazardous potential being achieved for benthic organisms: DCP was clearly less hazardous than PD, but LC tends to be as hazardous as PD and DCP (assuming the confidence interval ranges). Moreover, benthic communities were more sensitive to both DCP and PD, in this later case the HC5 being lower by more than one order of magnitude than that found for planktonic communities; for LC, confidence intervals overlapped, preventing a feasible assumption regarding differential sensitivity of the compared communities. Microphytobenthos was highlighted as the most sensitive group to the three tested chemicals in SSDs covering the benthic compartment, while SSDs with planktonic organisms did not consistently show trends in sensitivity ordering. Overall, our results suggest that protective benchmarks retrieved from SSDs built with the responses of standard planktonic organisms (which are the most commonly used for regulation purposes) do not adequately protect benthic communities.

TCF bleaching of wheat straw pulp using ozone and xylanase. Part A: paper quality assessment.

The XOAZRP TCF sequence was applied to bleach wheat straw pulp. Following each bleaching stage, the properties of the pulp (viz. kappa number, standard viscosity, borohydride viscosity and brightness) and of the resulting effluents were determined. The performance of the reagents was analyzed through the studies of xylanase treatment and crystallinity and scanning electron microscopy of the pulps. Finally, the pulp was refined at 1000 revolutions in a PFI mill and the mechanical properties of the resulting paper were determined and compared with those of paper from a eucalyptus pulp. Despite its shortcomings, wheat straw pulp can be effectively bleached with the proposed TCF sequence.

[Estimation of costs attributable to nosocomial infection: prolongation of hospitalization and calculation of alternative costs]. / Estimación del coste atribuible a la infección nosocomial: prolongación de la estancia hospitalaria y cálculo de costes alternativos.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infection represents a prolongation of hospital stay and an increase of costs. The aim of the study was to estimate attributable costs by means of two methods: calculation of costs resulting from an increase of hospital stay and calculation of costs attributed to services. METHODS: A matched case-control study was carried out with a cohort population. An appropriate control was found for 63 patients with surgical site infection, for 30 patients with respiratory infection and for 55 with urinary infection. The estimation of costs attributable to services includes the case-control pairs with surgical site infection and was performed of the sum of costs of diagnostic and therapeutic services rendered in the care of the surgical site infection. RESULTS: The median of postoperative stay was 21 days for cases with surgical site infection vs 10 days for controls (p < 0.001); the median length of stay was 21.5 days for cases with respiratory infection vs 11.5 days for controls (p < 0.01); and for urinary infection the median length of stay was 21 days for cases vs 15 days for controls (p < 0.01). The surgical site infection cost attributed to extra days was 310,310 pesetas and the surgical site infection cost attributed to service cost was 220,546 pesetas. CONCLUSIONS: Nosocomial infection produces a increase median hospital stay of 7-10 days. In absence of a precise accounting system, the prolongation of hospital stay was considered as the more objective date to estimate the costs.

[Evaluation of health interventions. 2. To evaluate a maternal-child protection program]. / L'evaluation des actions de sante: 2. evaluer un programme de protection materno-infantile.

PIP: The process of evaluating maternal-child health services in Tokombere, North Cameroon, is described to illustrate the use of different indicators to evaluate different aspects of a health program. The maternal-child health program in Tokombere calls for children 5 and under and their parents to meet once each month for health education and weighing of children to screen for nutritional problems. Vaccinations are provided elsewhere during regular campaigns. The 1st step in evaluating the program is to determine whether a maternal-child health program actually exists in the village and whether it meets regularly. Attendance at the maternal-child health services can be evaluated by calculating the proportion of children 1-5 years old who attended at least 3 meetings during the year. To ascertain the proportion, attendance can be taken at each meeting, or the proportion can be estimated by checking at a single well-attended meeting to see how many children have attended 2 other meetings in the past year. The total number of children can be estimated through a survey, by asking the village head, or by consulting the census or vital register, if they exist. Indicators of the effectiveness of the maternal-child health program in screening for and treating malnutrition include the proportion of children for whom a growth curve is completed and correctly interpreted, the proportion of children identified as malnourished, and the proportion of children among those identified at the maternal-child health meeting who are followed up until their weight returns to a satisfactory level. The most difficult aspect of the valuation is determining its impact on the health status of children. Often quantitative measures are impossible, and even with qualitative measures it may be impossible to distinguish between the effects of the program and effects of other actions or of general social development. THe infant mortality rate, if available, may be a useful indicator, as may the existence of other development projects prompted by the maternal-child health program. The Tokombere project demonstrates the importance of having a series of indicators to measure different aspects of project functioning. The evaluation should be repeated periodically to assess trends and longterm impact. Each result or trend should be examined and explained in order that program weaknesses can be identified and corrected.^ieng

Evaluación del Programa Centros de Alimentación y Estimulación del Lenguaje en tres regiones del país / Evaluation of Feeding and Language Stimulation Centers Program in 3 Chilean regions

Con el propósito de evaluar la efectividad del programa de Centros de Alimentación y Estimulación del Lenguaje (CADEL) en mejorar el crecimiento y desarrollo de sus beneficiarios se estudiaron 366 preescolares desnutridos o en riesgo de desnutrición que asistían a 22 centros ubicados en tres regiones del país. Al ingreso, 4 y 8 meses después, se midió el peso y la talla en condiciones estandarizadas y se calculó la adecuación a los estandares NCHS/OMS (peso-edad y peso-talla). En la Región Metropolitana se evaluó además el desarrollo psicomotor por medio de la prueba TEPSI, al ingreso y 8 meses después. El incremento promedio mensual de peso y talla fue de 144 ñ 83 g y 0,54 ñ 0,16 cm, lo que representa 72 y 90%, respectivamente, del crecimiento normal, lo que fue insuficiente para corregir el estado nutricional (p N.S.). El desarrollo psicomotor, en cambio, se modificó positivamente (coordinación, motricidad y global p <0,05) y no así el lenguaje. Se concluye que el problema representa una alternativa no tradicional, de bajo costo, que permite ampliar la cobertura de los servicios de atención preescolar en las familias de extrema pobreza. La incorporación más efectiva de la familia y el esfuerzo de las actividades educativas y de estimulación podrían mejorar la eficiencia del programa