Occurrence of phthalate esters in the eastern coast of Thailand.

In this work, we investigated possible contamination of phthalates in seawater and sediment around the eastern coast of Thailand in the area of Chonburi, Rayong, and Chanthaburi. The main focus was on Pradu Bay east of Map Ta Phut, a well-known industrial and economic hub in Thailand. Among six selected phthalates of interest, diethyl phthalate (DEP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) were not found in any sample, while the concentrations of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and dioctyl phthalate (DnOP) were very low or undetectable in most samples. In December 2014, the concentration of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in Pradu Bay were 0.23-0.77 and 0.31-0.91 µg L-1 in seawater, respectively and non-detected (ND)-0.80 and ND-1.65 µg g-1 for 11 out of 20 sediment samples. DBP and DEHP were considered as the predominant congeners. A surface mapping system provided us an overview concentration distribution of DBP and DEHP congeners in seawater and sediment in Pradu Bay, showing a correlation between water and sediment and allowing a prediction of a possible point source. A comparison with the EU standard concentration limit in surface water confirmed that the phthalate concentration in this area was acceptable. However, continuous monitoring of phthalate congeners in the matrices should be done to detect a possible increase in their concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to determine concentrations of phthalates in seawater and sediment along the east coast of Thailand.

High-Throughput and Low-Cost Analysis of Trace Volatile Phthalates in Seafood by Online Coupling of Monolithic Capillary Adsorbent with GC-MS.

A simple, sensitive, and high-throughput method was developed for the determination of six volatile phthalate esters-dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP)-in seafood samples by using monolith adsorbent in a capillary coupled to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system. The freeze-dried samples were subjected to an ultrasonication with hexane, followed by vortex mixing. The liquid extract was quantitatively determined by a direct application to an online silica monolith capillary adsorbent coupled with a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometric detection. Method validation in seafood matrix gave recoveries of 72.8-85.4% and a detection limit of 6.8-10.0 ng g(-1) for bivalve samples. Reusability of the monolith capillary for trapping coextracted matrix was up to six times, allowing high-throughput analysis at the parts per billion level. When compared with the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) method, no significant difference in the result was observed, confirming the method was valid and applicable for the routine analysis of phthalates in seafood samples for food and environmental laboratories.

Mobility determination of lead isotopes in glass for retrospective radon measurements.

In retrospective radon measurements, the 22-y half life of (210)Pb is used as an advantage. (210)Pb is often considered to be relatively immobile in glass after alpha recoil implanted by (222)Rn progenies. The diffusion of (210)Pb could, however, lead to uncertain wrong retrospective radon exposure estimations if (210)Pb is mobile and can escape from glass, or lost as a result of cleaning-induced surface modification. This diffusion was studied by a radiotracer technique, where (209)Pb was used as a tracer in a glass matrix for which the elemental composition is known. Using the ion guide isotope separator on-line technique, the (209)Pb atoms were implanted into the glass with an energy of 39 keV. The diffusion profiles and the diffusion coefficients were determined after annealing at 470-620 degrees C and serial sectioning by ion sputtering. In addition, the effect of surface cleaning on diffusion was tested. From the Arrhenius fit, the activation enthalpy (H) was determined, which is equal to 3.2 +/- 0.2 eV, and also the pre-exponential factor D(0), in the order of 20 m(2)s(-1). This result confirms the assumption that over a time period of 50 y (209)Pb (and (210)Pb) is effectively immobile in the glass. The boundary condition obtained from the measurements had the characteristic of a sink, implying loss of (209)Pb in the topmost surface at high temperatures.

WITHDRAWN: Measurement of beam focus quality in biomedical nuclear microscopy.

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Computer simulation and experimental studies of implanted 210Po in glass resulting from radon exposure.

Retrospective radon exposure measurements rely on an understanding of how the depth distribution of the implanted activity in glass is influenced by processes such as implantation, diffusion, corrosion, and cleaning. In this study, the implantation depth of 210Po was found by step-wise etching with two different etchants to obtain the depth distribution. The depth profiles are compared with results from simulations using the SRIM computer program. Theoretically estimated distributions showed good agreement with experimental 210Pb (or 210Po) activity depth profiles obtained by sequential etching. The maximum depth of implanted activity was about 100 nm, and activity deeper than about 70 nm is associated with the second alpha decay from 214Po activity previously implanted in the glass matrix. However, there was no depth interval where the activity was solely due to a single decay from the surface. The results also show that measurement of the depth profile for both "old" and controlled 222Rn exposure