Marine debris and associated organic pollutants in surface waters of Chiloé in the Northern Chilean Patagonia (42°-44°S).

We report the occurrence of plastics and associated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in surface waters from Northern Chilean Patagonia. A total of 200 particles were found during the conducted survey. The highest number of particles found was 0.6 item m-3. We found that 53 % of the collected particles corresponded to plastic, with an average of 0.19 ± 0.18 item m-3. Microplastics (68 %) were the dominant size found in the area, followed by macroplastics (18 %) and mesoplastics (14 %). Most plastic particles were white (55 %) while others were <10 % each. Black and light blue represented 9 %; red, dark blue, and other colors 7 %; and green 6 %. Fragments were the most frequent shape of plastic debris (38 %), followed by Styrofoam (30 %) and fiber (27 %). Higher PBDE levels were found in the central zone, and those were higher than DDT, PeCB, HCB, and PCB levels. This study is the first report on POP occurrence in marine plastic debris from Chiloé Sea in the Northern Chilean Patagonia.

Nitro- and oxy-PAHs in grassland soils from decade-long sampling in central Europe.

Long-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitrated (NPAHs) and oxygenated (OPAHs) derivatives can cause adverse health effects due to their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and oxidative potential. The distribution of PAH derivatives in the terrestrial environment has hardly been studied, although several PAH derivatives are ubiquitous in air and long-lived in soil and water. We report the multi-annual variations in the concentrations of NPAHs, OPAHs and PAHs in soils sampled at a semi-urban (Mokrá, Czech Republic) and a regional background site (Kosetice, Czech Republic) in central Europe. The concentrations of the Σ18NPAHs and the Σ11+2OPAHs and O-heterocycles were 0.31 ± 0.23 ng g-1 and 4.03 ± 3.03 ng g-1, respectively, in Kosetice, while slightly higher concentrations of 0.54 ± 0.45 ng g-1 and 5.91 ± 0.45 ng g-1, respectively, were found in soil from Mokrá. Among the 5 NPAHs found in the soils, 1-nitropyrene and less so 6-nitrobenzo(a)pyrene were most abundant. The OPAHs were more evenly distributed. The ratios of the PAH derivatives to their parent PAHs in Kosetice indicate that they were long-range transported to the background site. Our results show that several NPAHs and OPAHs are abundant in soil and that gas-particle partitioning is a major factor influencing the concentration of several semi-volatile NPAHs and OPAHs in the soils. Complete understanding of the long-term variations of NPAH and OPAH concentrations in soil is limited by the lack of kinetic data describing their formation and degradation.

Outdoor passive air monitoring of semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs): a critical evaluation of performance and limitations of polyurethane foam (PUF) disks.

The most commonly used passive air sampler (PAS) (i.e. polyurethane foam (PUF) disk) is cheap, versatile, and capable of accumulating compounds present both in gas and particle phases. Its performance for particle associated compounds is however disputable. In this study, twelve sets of triplicate PUF-PAS were deployed outdoors for exposure periods of 1-12 weeks together with continuously operated active samplers, to characterize sampling efficiency and derive sampling rates (RS) for compounds belonging to 7 SVOC classes (including particle associated compounds). PUF-PAS efficiently and consistently sampled polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and eight novel brominated flame retardant (nBFR) compounds. Low accuracy and lack of sensitivity was observed for most polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans PCDD/Fs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (under the conditions of this study), with the exception of some congeners which may be used as qualitative markers for their respective classes. Application of compound specific RS was found crucial for all compounds except PCBs. Sampling efficiency of the particle associated compounds was often low.

Monitoring of persistent organic pollutants in Africa. Part 1: passive air sampling across the continent in 2008.

A 6-month air sampling survey was conducted at 26 sites across the African continent with the aim to establish baseline information on contamination of ambient air with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a reference for future monitoring programs in the region. Sampling sites included continental, rural and urban backgrounds, agricultural and industrial sites as well as waste and obsolete pesticide dumps. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides were low at most of the rural background sites, but they raise some concern in big cities. The large temporal variability in the pesticide concentrations suggested seasonal application of gamma-HCHs and endosulfans; levels of p,p'-DDT were often much higher than those of p,p'-DDE and indicated recent application of DDT.

Peripheral blood natural killer cell assay in infertile women.

We have developed a simple assay for the detection of peripheral blood natural killer cells (NK) metabolic activity based on tetrazolium reduction reaction after the cultivation of isolated NK cells with sperm cells. We have adapted a reliable, inexpensive and easy to prepare method in conjunction with the EZ4U system, while target NK cells' isolation was solved using Dynabeads immunomagnetic technology. The intended use of the introduced assay is the detection of pathological NK cells activity in immunological female infertility. The results of our pilot study showed differences in the metabolic activity of peripheral blood NK cells between fertile and infertile women. Additional analyses are necessary to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the introduced test in the immunological diagnostics of infertility.