Analysis of the Sputum Culture Spectrum of Children with Respiratory Tract Infection in Wuxi Between 2014 and 2021.

Objective: We retrospectively analysed related clinical data to determine the influencing factors to better prevent and treat children's respiratory tract infection. Methods: The study participants were children with respiratory tract infection who had sputum cultured in our hospital between 2014 and 2021. Sputum samples were extracted using negative suction pressure and sent to the hospital microbiological laboratory for testing. The testing results were analysed. Results: A total of 4610 sputum samples were collected, and 508 positive samples were detected. The positive rate of pathogenic bacteria was 11.02%. Escherichia coli infection was more common in male patients (11.11%), whereas Haemophilus influenzae infection was more common in female patients (17.54%); the infection rates of these 2 bacteria are increasing annually. There were 304 (59.84%) strains of gram-negative bacteria, 172 (33.86%) strains of gram-positive bacteria and 32 (6.3%) strains of fungi. In children between 0 and 3 years old, the proportions of gram-negative bacteria were significantly higher than those of gram-positive bacteria in 2016-2017, 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 (p < 0.01). In every age group, the constituent ratio of gram-negative bacteria was significantly higher than that of gram-positive bacteria (p < 0.01) except for the 3-6-year age group. The proportion of Staphylococcus aureus in 2014-2015, 2016-2017, 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 was 25.64%, 25.20%, 22.98% and 16.44%, respectively. The proportion of H. influenzae in 2014-2015 was significantly lower than that in other years (p < 0.01). Haemolyticus staphylococcus and E. coli were more common in newborns, accounting for 19.12%. Conclusion: The pathogens of respiratory tract infection in children change dynamically. There are significant differences in pathogens of respiratory tract infections among different age groups, years and seasons. Clinicians should pay attention to changes in the pathogen spectrum and improve drug resistance monitoring.

Influence on the levels of PAHs and methylated PAHs in surface soil from pollution control in China: Evidence in 2019 data compared with 2005 and 2012 data.

To comprehensively clarify the pollution characteristics of persistent toxic substances, the Soil and Air Monitoring Program Phase III (SAMP-III) was conducted in 2019 in China. In total, 154 surface soil samples were collected across China, and 30 unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (U-PAHs) and 49 methylated PAHs (Me-PAHs) were analyzed in this study. The mean concentrations of total U-PAHs and Me-PAHs were 540 ± 778 and 82.0 ± 132 ng/g dw, respectively. Northeastern China and Eastern China are the two regions of concern with high PAH and BaP equivalency levels. Compared with SAMP-I (2005) and SAMP-II (2012), an obvious upward temporal trend followed by a downward trend of PAH levels was observed in the past 14 years for the first time. The mean concentrations of 16 U-PAHs were 377 ± 716, 780 ± 1010, and 419 ± 611 ng/g dw in surface soil across China for the three phases, respectively. Considering rapid economic growth and energy consumption, an increasing trend from 2005 to 2012 was expected. From 2012 to 2019, the PAH levels in soils across China decreased by 50 %, which was consistent with the decline in PAH emissions. The period of reduction of PAHs in surface soil coincided with the implementation of Air and Soil Pollution Control Actions in China after 2013 and 2016, respectively. Along with the pollution control actions in China, the pollution control of PAHs and the increase in soil quality can be expected in the near future.

Slopes and intercepts from log-log correlations of gas/particle quotient and octanol-air partition coefficient (vapor-pressure) for semi-volatile organic compounds: II. Theoretical predictions vs. monitoring.

The logarithm of gas/particle (G/P) partition quotient (logKP) has been found to have a linear relationship with logKOA (octanol-air partition coefficient) with slope mo and intercept bo and logPL (subcooled liquid vapor pressure) with slope mp and intercept bp. In the sister paper of the present work, analytical equations to predict the slope mo and intercept bo based on logKOA and predict the slope mp and intercept bp based on logPL are developed using steady state theory. In this work, the equations are evaluated using world-wide monitoring data (262 pairs for mo and bo values and 292 pairs for mp and bp values produced from more than 10,000 monitiring data worldwide) for selected seven groups of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polyclorinated biphenyl (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), and other selected halogenated flame retardants. The slopes and intercepts predicted by the steady state equations reproduce the trends observed in monitoring regression results for the seven SVOC groups, with 44.4% of the variation of monitoring mo values accounted for by logKOA and 48.2% of the variation of monitoring mp values accounted for by logPL. Theoretically, the values of mo can be any value between 0 and 1 dependent on the values of KOA, and are not constrained to 1 as in equilibrium theory. Likewise, the values of mp can be any value between 0 and -1 dependent on the values of PL, and not constrained to -1 predicted by the equilibrium theory. The influence of sampling artifacts on the G/P partitioning of SVOCs has most likely been overemphasized by the equilibrium theory. Thus, the equilibrium approach should be abandoned in favor of the steady state approach for calculating the G/P partition quotients for SVOCs with high KOA values (>1011.38) or low PL values (<10-4.92).

PAHs in Chinese atmosphere Part II: Health risk assessment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants in atmosphere, which attracted more attentions due to their influence on human health. In this study, a national scale cancer risk (CR) assessment with atmospheric PAHs were conducted based on one year monitoring program at 11 cities across China. The annual mean concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and BaP equivalency (BaPeq) were 4.56 ± 7.78 ng/m3 and 8.45 ± 14.1 ng/m3, respectively, which were both higher than the new ambient air quality standards of China (GB 3095-2012, 1 ng/m3). Concentrations of BaP and BaPeq in northern Chinese cities were almost 2 times higher than those in southern Chinese cities. The CR values induced by the dermal contact exposure were two orders of magnitude higher than that by the inhalation exposure. Children and adults were the most sensitive age groups with the dermal contact exposure and the inhalation exposure to atmospheric PAHs, respectively. For the total CR values, 99.7% of its values were higher than the reference level of 10-6. No significant difference of the total CR values was observed between northern Chinese and southern Chinese cities for children and adults. In order to quantify the uncertainties of CR assessment, Monte Carlo Simulation was applied based on the specific distributions of the exposure factors cited from the Exposure Factors Handbook of Chinese Population. The results indicated that almost 90% probability of the total CR values were higher than 10-6, indicating potential cancer risk. Sensitive analysis indicated that atmospheric concentration, outdoor exposure fraction, particle amount adhered to skin, and cancer slope factor should be carefully considered in order to increase the accuracy of CR assessment with PAHs in atmosphere.

PAHs in Chinese atmosphere: Gas/particle partitioning.

The gas/particle (G/P) partitioning behavior is an important factor for the environmental fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmosphere. Based on one year monitoring program at 11 urban sites across China, 7647 pairs of gaseous and particulate concentrations were obtained for 16 priority PAHs, which provided a good opportunity to study the G/P partitioning behavior of PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs in both gas and particle phases were not in the same level among the 11 sites with a difference of more than one orders of magnitude. Along with the increase of molar weight of PAHs, the proportion of concentration in particle phase was increasing. In particle phase, the concentrations of ∑16PAHs in northern Chinese cities were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in southern Chinese cities with the average concentrations of 83.4 ±â€¯151 ng/m3 and 33.4 ±â€¯45.5 ng/m3, respectively. However, non-significant difference was found with ∑16PAHs in gas phase. The values of log KP (the G/P partitioning coefficient/quotient) ranged from -5.65 m3/µg to 2.34 m3/µg, with the mean value of -2.01 ±â€¯1.65 m3/µg for the 16 PAHs. The values of log KP for individual PAHs at the 11 sites were not in the same level. Furthermore, significant difference (p < 0.05) with log KP of the 16 PAHs was found between northern Chinese cities and southern Chinese cities except for Acy, Flu and DahA. More than one orders of magnitude difference with KP were observed for different congeners and different rings PAHs, which are mainly caused by their physical-chemical properties. The results of this study provided large database of KP, which is necessary and important to the research field of the G/P partitioning of PAHs.

Occurrence and Source Effect of Novel Brominated Flame Retardants (NBFRs) in Soils from Five Asian Countries and Their Relationship with PBDEs.

This paper presents the first comprehensive survey of 19 novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in soil samples collected among five Asian countries. High variability in concentrations of all NBFRs was found in soils with the geometric mean (GM) values ranging from 0.50 ng/g dry weight (dw) in Vietnam to 540 ng/g dw in the vicinity of a BFR manufacturer in China. In urban, rural, and background locations, the GM concentrations of ∑19NBFRs decreased in the order of Japan > South Korea > China > India > Vietnam. Correlations among different NBFR compounds were positive and statistically significant (p < 0.05), suggesting that they originate from similar sources. Evidence for simultaneous application between polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and NBFRs were also noted. Principal component analysis of NBFR concentrations revealed specific pollution sources for different NBFRs coming from urban, BFR-related industrial, and e-waste sites. For the first time, this study demonstrates a "point source fractionation effect" for NBFRs and PBDEs. The concentrations of all NBFRs and PBDEs were negatively and significantly correlated with the distance from BFR-related industrial and e-waste regions. Positive and significant correlation between population density and NBFR concentrations in soils was identified. Our study revealed that the primary sources effects were stronger than the secondary sources effects in controlling the levels and distribution of NBFRs and PBDEs in soils in these five Asian countries.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in Surface Soils across Five Asian Countries: Levels, Spatial Distribution, and Source Contribution.

A total of 23 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners were measured in soil samples collected in areas with no known point source [urban/rural/background (U/R/B) sites] and in areas with known point source [brominated flame retardant (BFR)-related industrial sites (F sites) and e-waste recycling sites (E sites)] across five Asian countries. The highest PBDE concentrations were found in BFR-related industrial and e-waste recycling sites. The concentrations of PBDEs in U/R/B sites decreased in the following order: urban > rural > background sites. Total PBDE concentrations were dominated by BDE-209, while BDE-17, -85, -138, -191, -204, and -205 were the least abundant compounds. In both urban sites and rural sites, the mean concentrations of total PBDEs (∑23BDEs) in soils decreased in the following order: Japan > China > South Korea > India > Vietnam. The concentrations of PBDEs in soils were comparable with those reported in other studies. Among the three commercial PBDE mixtures, relatively large contributions of commercial penta-BDE were observed in Vietnam, whereas deca-BDE was the dominant form in mixtures contributing from 55.8 ± 2.5 to 100.0 ± 1.2% of the total PBDEs in soils collected from other four countries. Regression analysis suggested that local population density (PD) is a good indicator of PBDEs in soils of each country. Significant and positive correlation between soil organic content and PBDE level was observed in Chinese soil for most nondeca-BDE homologues with their usage stopped 10 years ago, indicating its important role in controlling the revolatilization of PBDEs from soil and changing the spatial trend of PBDE in soil from the primary distribution pattern to the secondary distribution pattern, especially when primary emission is ceased.

Endothelial Aquaporin-1 (AQP1) Expression Is Regulated by Transcription Factor Mef2c.

Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) is expressed in most microvasculature endothelial cells and forms water channels that play major roles in a variety of physiologic processes. This study aimed to delineate the transcriptional regulation of AQP1 by Mef2c in endothelial cells. Mef2c cooperated with Sp1 to activate human AQP1 transcription by binding to its proximal promoter in human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Over-expression of Mef2c, Sp1, or Mef2c/Sp1 increased HUVEC migration and tube-forming ability, which can be abolished AQP1 knockdown. These data indicate that AQP1 is a direct target of Mef2c in regulating angiogenesis and vasculogenesis of endothelial cells.

Research on persistent organic pollutants in China on a national scale: 10 years after the enforcement of the Stockholm Convention.

As a signatory of the Stockholm Convention and the largest developing country, China plays a very important role in implementation of the convention to reduce and finally eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the world. In the past ten years after the enforcement in 2004, Chinese Government and scientists have made great progress on the study of POPs. The present work aims to provide an overview on recent studies on POPs in China, with particular focus on usage/emission inventory, residue inventory, and pollution status of POPs on national scale. Several legend (old) and new target POPs were comprehensively summarized with progress on inventory. Furthermore, several national scale monitoring programs have been selected for the occurrence, spatial and temporal trends of POPs in China, which are compared with Asian data and Global data. Based on the observed results, some important scientific issues, such as the primary and secondary distribution patterns, the primary and secondary fractionations, and air-soil exchange of POPs, are also discussed. It is proposed that more studies should be carried out for the new targeted POPs in future for both the national and global interests.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Chinese surface soil: occurrence and distribution.

In this study, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in 157 concurrently collected soil samples in 2005 over China. Higher concentration of ∑16PAHs was found in urban soil, followed by rural and background soil. The results indicated that PAHs in Chinese surface soil showed a primary distribution pattern, which was confirmed by the positive correlation with emission inventory. Based on the results of literature over the past 10 years (2004-2013) in China, the spatial distribution of PAHs in urban and rural soil was established. An obvious geographical distribution with PAH concentration was found, as higher in Eastern China and lower in Middle and Western China. Furthermore, PAH pollution in Chinese riverbank soil was summarized and showed higher levels, indicating their potential sources from polluted rivers. According to our knowledge, this is the first time to comprehensively study the PAH pollution status in Chinese surface soil on the national scale based on monitoring results.

Prediction of gas/particle partition quotients of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in north temperate zone air: an empirical approach.

Gas/particle (G/P) partitioning process is an important factor governing the transport and fate of chemicals in the atmosphere. Based on a large dataset of more than 700 pairs of air samples in gaseous and particulate phases with a wide ambient temperature range of 60°C from -22°C to +38°C obtained from our Chinese POPs Soil and Air Monitoring Program, Phase 2 (China-SAMP-II), we investigated G/P partitioning behavior of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) in Chinese air. We derived for the first time empirical equations to predict the values of slopes and intercepts for both subcooled-liquid-vapor-pressure (PL)-based and octanol-air-partition-coefficient (KOA)-based models as functions of temperature, and thus predicted partition quotient (KP) without assuming an equilibrium status and free of artifacts. These equations have been successfully applied to predict the values of KP for PBDEs in air of China and other countries in the north temperate zone (NTZ) and also at an Arctic site in East Greenland, and our results matched the monitoring data well at background, rural, urban, and suburban sites, but not at e-waste sites due to the unpredictable PBDE emissions at these sites. Our equations predicted that the ranges of slopes were 0.02-0.82 for logKP-logKOA plots and -0.82 to -0.02 for logKP-logPL plots at temperatures ranged of 60°C from -22°C to +38°C. Our new KOA-based equation was compared with the Harner-Bidleman equation that was derived at a condition of equilibrium, and the results indicated that our new equation has a better performance than the Harner-Bidleman equation in describing G/P partitioning behavior of PBDEs in air as functions of logKOA. We also found for the first time that the G/P partitioning of PBDE congeners would become saturated in the particulate phase respect to the gas phase if the ambient temperature is low enough. A criterion to classify the equilibrium and nonequilibrium status for PBDEs was also established using logKOA. The study presented in this paper provides a useful tool for environmental scientists in both monitoring and modeling research on G/P partitioning behavior for PBDEs in air.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in air across China: levels, compositions, and gas-particle partitioning.

Air samples were concurrently collected using high volume air samplers for 24 h every week from September 2008 to August 2009 at 15 sites (11 urban, 1 suburban, and 3 background/rural) across China. Twelve polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners (BDE-17, -28, -47, -66, -85, -99, -100, -138, -153, -154, -183, and -209) were measured. Total PBDE concentrations (∑12PBDEs) in air (gas + particle phases) were in the range of 11.0-838 pg m(-3) with a mean of 232 ± 72 (mean ± SE) pg m(-3). The site with the highest concentration was Guangzhou (838 ± 126 pg m(-3)), followed by Beijing (781 ± 107 pg m(-3)). Significant positive correlations were found between PBDEs levels and urban population (R = 0.69, P < 0.05) and gross industrial output values (R = 0.87, P < 0.001) as well. BDE-209 was the dominating congener with the contribution of 64 ± 23% to ∑12PBDEs, followed by BDE-47(8 ± 8%) and -99(6 ± 5%) at all urban and suburban sites. At background/rural sites, however, BDE-47 was the dominating congener, followed by BDE-99, together accounting for 52 ± 21% of ∑12PBDEs, while BDE-209 was only 11 ± 2%. It was found that PBDEs at the 15 sites showed a primary distribution and fractionation pattern. This study produced more than 700 pairs of air samples in gaseous and particulate phases with a wide temperature range of ∼60 °C, providing a good opportunity to investigate gas-particle partitioning for individual PBDE congeners. The results of gas-particle partitioning analysis for PBDEs using both subcooled-liquid-vapor pressure (PL)-based and octanol-air partition coefficient (KOA)-based models indicated that PBDEs in air at all sampling sites had not reached equilibrium because the slope values (mO) in the KOA-based equation and the opposite slope values (mP) in the PL-based equation at all 15 sampling sites were less than 1. It also found that both mO and -mP were significantly and positively correlated with the annual average temperatures of sampling sites and also significantly and negatively correlated with the mole masses of PBDE congeners, indicating a general trend that the higher the temperature at the sampling site and the lower the mole mass of the PBDE congeners are, the closer to the equilibrium the congeners approach and vice versa. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the correlations of the slope values for both the KOA-based and PL-based equations with temperatures at sampling sites and mole masses for individual PBDE congeners.

A meta-analysis on the effect of corticosteroid therapy in Kawasaki disease.

UNLABELLED: The current recommended therapy for Kawasaki disease (KD) is the combination of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin. However, the role of corticosteroid therapy in KD remains controversial. Using meta-analysis, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy in KD by comparing it with standard IVIG and aspirin therapy. We included all related randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials by searching Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Pub Med, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Japanese database (Japan Science and Technology) as well as hand searches of selected references. Data collection and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of corticosteroids. Our search yielded 11 studies; 7 of which evaluated the effect of corticosteroid for primary therapy in KD, and 4 investigated the effect of corticosteroid therapy in IVIG-resistant patients. Meta-analysis of these studies revealed a significant reduction in the rates of initial treatment failure among patients who received corticosteroid therapy in combination with IVIG compared to IVIG alone (odds ratio (OR) = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.32~0.79; p = 0.003). Furthermore, the use of corticosteroids reduced the duration of fever and the time required for C-reactive protein to return to normal. Our data did not show any significant increase in the incidence of coronary artery lesions or coronary aneurysms (OR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.35~1.28; p = 0.23) in the corticosteroid group. CONCLUSION: Corticosteroid combined with IVIG in primary treatment or as treatment of IVIG-resistant patients improved clinical course without increasing coronary artery lesions in children with acute KD.

Questionnaires to examine Back Pain Beliefs held by health care professionals: a psychometric evaluation of Simplified Chinese versions.

STUDY DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To perform a psychometric evaluation of Simplified Chinese versions of back pain beliefs questionnaires for use in health care professionals living in mainland China. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Back pain beliefs are of importance in the development of chronic low back pain (LBP) and disability. Different types of beliefs exist with regard to LBP and these include inevitable consequences of LBP and fear-avoidance beliefs. LBP beliefs held by health care providers are also known to influence their patients' pain beliefs and can contribute to the development of chronic LBP and disability. At present, validated questionnaires such as the Back Beliefs Questionnaire, Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale, and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire are commonly used to investigate back pain beliefs held by health care professionals working in western countries. There are no published nor validated Simplified Chinese versions to allow investigation of back pain beliefs in health care professionals living in mainland China. METHODS: The English versions of the earlier mentioned questionnaires were translated and culturally adapted into Simplified Chinese using the double-back-translation method. A psychometric evaluation of the translated questionnaires was conducted on 65 health care professionals (rehabilitation medicine specialists, osteopaths, and nurses), with and without LBP, practicing in Shanghai, China. The questionnaires were completed twice within 7- to 10-day period. RESULTS: The Back Beliefs Questionnaire, Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale, and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (work and physical subscales) had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α range: 0.70-0.87) and construct validity (r = 0.40-0.49, P < 0.05), good reproducibility (Intraclass correlation coefficients, ICC(2,1) range: 0.85-0.93) and an absence of any floor or ceiling effects. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the Simplified Chinese versions of back pain beliefs questionnaires are valid and reliable. Therefore, these questionnaires can be used in research involving Chinese health care professionals living in mainland China.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urban street dust and surface soil: comparisons of concentration, profile, and source.

Street dust and surface soil samples in urban areas of Dalian, a coastal city in Liaoning Province, China, were collected and analyzed for 25 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentrations, distribution, and sources of PAHs in dust and soil were determined. The concentrations of total PAHs in street dust ranged between 1890 and 17,070 ng/g (dry weight), with an average of 7460 ng/g, whereas the concentrations of total PAHs in surface soil varied greatly, from 650 to 28,900 ng/g, with a mean value of 6440 ng/g. Statistical paired t-test confirmed that total PAH concentrations have no significant difference between street dust and surface soil. Mean PAH concentrations in two type samples were much higher at industrial sites than at business/residential or garden sites. PAHs were dominated by higher molecular weight PAH (4- to 6-ring) homologues, which accounted for about 73% and 72% of total PAHs in street dust and surface soil, respectively. Principal component analysis was used in source apportionment of PAHs in dust and soil. Pyrogenic and petrogenic sources contributed 70% and 22.4% of total PAHs in street dusts, and fossil fuel (coal and petroleum) and biomass combustion accounted for 64.4% and 5.6% of total PAHs in pyrogenic sources, respectively. In surface soil, total PAHs were dominated by pyrogenic sources. The diagnostic ratios of benz[a]anthracene/chrysene confirmed that PAHs in street dust and surface soil of a Dalian urban zone might come mostly from the emission of local sources.

Levels, distributions and profiles of polychlorinated biphenyls in surface soils of Dalian, China.

Surface soil (0-5 cm) samples from 14 sampling sites including rural and urban areas of Dalian, a coastal city in Liaoning Province, China, were collected and analyzed for 84 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Total 57 PCB congeners were identified and mean concentration of total PCBs among all the sites was 2.8 microg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) with a range of 1.3 (rural site) to 4.8 microg kg(-1) dw (urban site). For the urban sites, total PCB concentrations in the soil samples collected in industrial area are highest, followed by those from business/residential sites and the garden sites, but the differences are not significant. Higher percentage of lighter weighted molecular PCBs were found in the rural site than urban sites in Dalian, possibly indicating the "urban fractionation effect". Total seven dioxin-like PCBs (CB-77, 81, 105, 114, 118, 123, and 126) have been found in Dalian soils and the mean concentration (in microg kg(-1) dw) among all the sites of CB-105 (0.17) is higher than any other dioxin-like PCBs, followed by that for CB-81 (0.14) and for 118 (0.06). No significant correlation relationship between the concentrations of dioxin-like PCBs and those of total PCBs was found. The toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations (in ng kg(-1)dw) of these seven dioxin-like PCBs in 14 soil samples range from 0.006(7) to 4.885(7) (with a mean 1.372(7)) for humans and mammals, from 0.001(7) to 0.37(7) (with a mean 0.14(7)) for fish, and from 0.01(7) to 31.47(7) (with a mean 17.23(7)) for birds.