Current radiological situation in areas of Ukraine contaminated by the Chornobyl accident: Part 2. Strontium-90 transfer to culinary grains and forest woods from soils of Ivankiv district.

Some of the highest 90Sr activity concentrations recorded beyond the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone occur in the Ivankiv district of Ukraine, located approximately 50 km south of the power plant, an area which nonetheless remains important for agricultural production. Although characterized by soils with low exchangeable calcium values, which can enhance the bioavailability of certain radionuclides, information on the transfer of 90Sr to food crops and trees in the region has remained limited to date. Analysis of 116 grain samples (wheat, rye, oat, barley or Triticale) collected from fields in 13 settlements in the region between 2011 and 2019 revealed 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations above Ukrainian limits in almost half of those samples, with annual averages exceeding this limit in four of those nine years (most recently in 2018) and with no clear evidence for a declining trend over time. Analysis of paired sandy soil samples from the same fields yielded concentration ratios for transfer of 90Sr from soils to grains that were on average 3 times higher than that specified by the IAEA. In addition, three quarters of wood samples collected from the trunks of trees (primarily pines) from 12 locations in the same district between 2015 and 2019 contained 90Sr activity concentrations in excess of the Ukrainian limits for firewood (60 Bq/kg), with levels more than four times that limit at one location and again no evidence for decline over time. A single sample of ash collected from a domestic wood-burning oven in the district contained 90Sr at a level 25 times higher than in the most contaminated wood sample collected in this study. Overall these results reveal additional facets of the ongoing legacy of Chornobyl contamination within the Ivankiv district, and the diversity of pathways by which local residents may be exposed to radionuclides. They also highlight the dangers associated with the current lack of routine and comprehensive environmental and food monitoring programs within the region, especially at a time in which the use of locally-sourced wood for biomass energy generation is set to expand markedly.

Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory?

Plastic pollution represents a pervasive and increasing threat to marine ecosystems worldwide and there is a need to better understand the extent to which microplastics (<5 mm) are ingested by high trophic-level taxa, such as marine mammals. Here, we perform a comprehensive assessment by examining whole digestive tracts of 50 individuals from 10 species whilst operating strict contamination controls. Microplastics were ubiquitous with particles detected in every animal examined. The relatively low number per animal (mean = 5.5) suggests these particles are transitory. Stomachs, however, were found to contain a greater number than intestines, indicating a potential site of temporary retention. The majority of particles were fibres (84%) while the remaining 16% was fragments. Particles were mainly blue and black (42.5% and 26.4%) in colour and Nylon was the most prevalent (60%) polymer type. A possible relationship was found between the cause of death category and microplastic abundance, indicating that animals that died due to infectious diseases had a slightly higher number of particles than those that died of trauma and other drivers of mortality. It is not possible, however, to draw any firm conclusions on the potential biological significance of this observation and further research is required to better understand the potential chronic effects of microplastic exposure on animal health, particularly as marine mammals are widely considered important sentinels for the implications of pollution for the marine environment.

Current radiological situation in areas of Ukraine contaminated by the Chernobyl accident: Part 1. Human dietary exposure to Caesium-137 and possible mitigation measures.

This study reports for the first time temporal trends for the period of 2011-2016 in 137Cs content in cow's milk originating from private farms and households of 14 settlements located in the territories of the Rivne region, Ukraine. These areas are still radioactively contaminated as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) in 1986. In 2016, the average 137Cs activity concentration in milk exceeded the Ukrainian Permissible Level (PL) for adults of 100 Bq/l in samples from 6 settlements and the PL for children of 40 Bq/l in 8 settlements, reaching activity concentration of around 500 Bq/l in some samples. Estimated annual effective doses calculated utilizing two different methodologies were in the range of 1.4-2.6 mSv/year and 1.2-1.8 mSv/year, respectively. The estimated effective period of milk semi-purification (T1/2_eff) from 137Cs in these settlements was in the range from 8 to 17 years. The estimated ecological period of milk semi-purification (T1/2_eco) from 137Cs was in the range from 11 to 36 years. The optimization of the remedial actions strategy for investigated settlements exposed to an effective dose above 1 mSv/year (as estimated in 2016) has shown that a diversity of measures can decrease effective dose for a representative person to below 1 mSv/year. Such measures include application of Ferrocyn to cows, mineral fertilization of potato fields, information campaigns on consumption of wild mushrooms and other forestry products, and feeding pigs with uncontaminated fodder. The total costs of such measures are estimated to be about 71,000 Euro per year for the combined population (8336 inhabitants) of the six villages investigated in this study that showed the highest median residual 137Cs activity concentrations in milk, with a subsequent decrease in cost in the future. This would result in an averted collective dose of 11 man-Sv, at an average cost of 6.5 kEuro/man-Sv averted. In the absence of governmental programs for implementation of necessary protective measures to reduce radiological risks to impacted populations, the exceedance of PL for the activity concentration of 137Cs in cow's milk for adults of 100 Bq/l in the Chernobyl-affected areas of Ukraine could persist for many more years - until at least 2040.

Multi-residue analysis of pesticides in surface water by liquid chromatography quadrupole-Orbitrap high resolution tandem mass spectrometry.

A quantitative targeted screening method for the determination of residues of a broad group of more than 250 pesticides in surface water samples was developed and validated. Substances were isolated from the sample matrix by solid-phase extraction (SPE), using hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced polymeric sorbents (HLB), and analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) - Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Compounds were quantified in full scan acquisition mode, while accurate data dependant MS2 analysis was simultaneously triggered for the unambiguous identification of the targeted substances. This analytical protocol combines simplicity and robustness, with quantitative recoveries for 215 of the pesticides, negligible matrix effects during electrospray ionisation (ESI) and limits of quantification (LOQs) below 5 ng L-1 for 204 of the analysed compounds. Method capabilities were checked at qualitative and quantitative levels, analysing a set of four river water samples from rural areas in the Southwest of England. A total of 33 different pesticides were found in these samples with MCPA present at the highest concentration, in excess of 130 ng L-1. Retrospective examination of the LC-HRMS chromatograms permitted the identification of an additional pesticide and a group of nine antimicrobials and veterinary drugs that were also present in the processed samples.

Butter as an indicator of regional persistent organic pollutant contamination: further development of the approach using polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The potential for use of butter as a widely available, relatively uniform lipid-rich matrix for the determination of spatial distributions of persistent organic pollutants has already been demonstrated. The present study determines the contributions to toxicity equivalence (TEQ) from polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using butter samples from 24 countries world wide. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs ranged from 0.07 to 5.69 pg SigmaWHO-TEQ g(-1) lipid. For most samples, PCDD/F TEQ fell within ranges reported for European dairy products over the last decade (0.3-2 pg x g(-1) lipid I-TEQ), though a single sample from Spain was a notable exception. Other than this sample, the highest values were recorded for samples from the Netherlands and Italy, with those from India, China and Tunisia also being relatively high. The contribution from non-ortho-PCBs was particularly significant in samples from Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Tunisia, India and Argentina. Although overall TEQs were generally highest in European and Mediterranean butters, elevated levels were also apparent in industrializing regions of Asia (India, China) and Latin America (Argentina). More detailed regional studies would be necessary to identify likely dioxin and PCB sources in each case. Nevertheless, this study supports the utility of butter as a monitoring matrix that may be especially applicable in regions for which monitoring programmes are currently lacking.

The global distribution of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in butter.

In this study we explored the use of butter as a sampling matrix to reflect the regional and global scale distribution of PCBs and selected organochlorine pesticides/metabolites in air. This was because persistent organic pollutants (POPs) concentrate in dairy fats, where concentrations are controlled by feed intake (primarily from pasture/silage), which is in turn primarily controlled by atmospheric deposition. Butter sigmaPCB concentrations varied by a factor of approximately 60 in 63 samples from 23 countries. They were highest in European and North American butter and lowest in southern hemisphere (Australian, New Zealand) samples, consistent with known patterns of historical global usage and estimated emissions. Concentrations in butter reflected differences in the propensity of PCB congeners to undergo long range atmospheric transport from global source regions to remote areas and the relatively even distribution of HCB in the global atmosphere. Concentrations of p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, and HCH isomers all varied over many orders of magnitude in the butter samples, with highest levels in areas of current use (e.g. India and south/central America for DDT; India, China, and Spain for HCH). We conclude that butter is sensitive to local, regional, and global scale spatial and temporal atmospheric trends of many POPs and may therefore provide a useful sampling medium for monitoring purposes. However, to improve the quantitative information derived on air concentrations requires an awareness of climatic and livestock management factors which influence air-milk fat transfer processes.

Identificación y trascendencia ambiental de contaminantes orgánicos y metales pesados asociados con la curtiembre Arlei S. A., Las Toscas, Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina 2000

La curtiembre Arlei S.A. está localizada cerca de la Ruta 11, en Las Toscas, Provincia de Santa Fe. Esta curtiembre tiene una red de lagunas en las cuales se descargan los residuos líquidos. Estos efluentes, luego de pasar por las lagunas, desembocan en el Arroyo Las Toscas, un afluente del Río Paraná. Greenpeace tomó cinco muestras en mayo y en agosto de 2000, que incluían efluentes industriales, sedimentos asociados y desechos sólidos provenientes de un sitio donde se habían depositado residuos de la curtiembre Arlei S.A.. El análisis de estas muestras para compuestos orgánicos y metales pesados mostró lo siguiente: Los efluentes y lodos provenientes de las lagunas de la curtiembre Arlei S.A. contenían una alta concentración de cromo. Los contaminantes orgánicos encontrados en estas muestras fueron predominantemente hidrocarburos alifáticos (tanto lineales como cíclicos) y alquil bencenos. La muestra de efluente industrial AM0043 también contenía ésteres de ftalato, compuestos fenólicos, fenantreno y trazas de 1,4-diclorobenceno; El alto nivel de cromo encontrado en la muestra de desecho sólido AM0044 proveniente del sitio donde se enterraban desechos de la curtiembre Arlei S.A. indica la naturaleza altamente contaminada de los residuos allí arrojados e ilustra la posibilidad de que exista una contaminación más extensa en el ambiente que rodea este sitio. La mayoría de los contaminantes orgánicos detectados en esta muestra fueron hidrocarburos alifáticos. Además, en esta muestra también se encontró hidroxitolueno butilado (HTB)

Identificación y trascendencia ambiental de contaminantes orgánicos y metales pesados asociados con la curtiembre Arlei S. A., Las Toscas, Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina 2000

La curtiembre Arlei S.A. está localizada cerca de la Ruta 11, en Las Toscas, Provincia de Santa Fe. Esta curtiembre tiene una red de lagunas en las cuales se descargan los residuos líquidos. Estos efluentes, luego de pasar por las lagunas, desembocan en el Arroyo Las Toscas, un afluente del Río Paraná. Greenpeace tomó cinco muestras en mayo y en agosto de 2000, que incluían efluentes industriales, sedimentos asociados y desechos sólidos provenientes de un sitio donde se habían depositado residuos de la curtiembre Arlei S.A.. El análisis de estas muestras para compuestos orgánicos y metales pesados mostró lo siguiente: Los efluentes y lodos provenientes de las lagunas de la curtiembre Arlei S.A. contenían una alta concentración de cromo. Los contaminantes orgánicos encontrados en estas muestras fueron predominantemente hidrocarburos alifáticos (tanto lineales como cíclicos) y alquil bencenos. La muestra de efluente industrial AM0043 también contenía ésteres de ftalato, compuestos fenólicos, fenantreno y trazas de 1,4-diclorobenceno; El alto nivel de cromo encontrado en la muestra de desecho sólido AM0044 proveniente del sitio donde se enterraban desechos de la curtiembre Arlei S.A. indica la naturaleza altamente contaminada de los residuos allí arrojados e ilustra la posibilidad de que exista una contaminación más extensa en el ambiente que rodea este sitio. La mayoría de los contaminantes orgánicos detectados en esta muestra fueron hidrocarburos alifáticos. Además, en esta muestra también se encontró hidroxitolueno butilado (HTB)

Identificación de contaminantes orgánicos y metales pesados en muestras recolectadas del incinerador de desechos peligrosos y hospitalarios Trieco, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

El incinerador Trieco está situado en el área Dock Sud de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Este incinerador está autorizado para incinerar tanto desechos químicos peligrosos como desechos hospitalarios. Los residuos que Trieco está autorizado a incinerar incluyen compuestos de metales pesados como cromo, cobre, zinc, cadmio, mercurio y plomo, así como un amplio rango de compuestos orgánicos. Los compuestos orgánicos permitidos incluyen compuestos orgánicos clorados y otros compuestos orgánicos halogenados, con la excepción de policlorodibenzo dioxinas y policlorodibenzo furanos (Secretaría de Política Ambiental de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2000).Se encontró que las cenizas del incinerador se almacenan en barriles dentro del terreno de la planta. Muchos de estos barriles están en muy malas condiciones, y no están sellados para evitar la propagación de las cenizas en el ambiente

Identificación de contaminantes orgánicos y metales pesados en muestras recolectadas del incinerador de desechos peligrosos y hospitalarios Trieco, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

El incinerador Trieco está situado en el área Dock Sud de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Este incinerador está autorizado para incinerar tanto desechos químicos peligrosos como desechos hospitalarios. Los residuos que Trieco está autorizado a incinerar incluyen compuestos de metales pesados como cromo, cobre, zinc, cadmio, mercurio y plomo, así como un amplio rango de compuestos orgánicos. Los compuestos orgánicos permitidos incluyen compuestos orgánicos clorados y otros compuestos orgánicos halogenados, con la excepción de policlorodibenzo dioxinas y policlorodibenzo furanos (Secretaría de Política Ambiental de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2000).Se encontró que las cenizas del incinerador se almacenan en barriles dentro del terreno de la planta. Muchos de estos barriles están en muy malas condiciones, y no están sellados para evitar la propagación de las cenizas en el ambiente

Concentrations of phthalate esters and identification of other additives in PVC children's toys.

This study was intended to provide data on the composition of soft PVC toys, addressing the widest practicable range of chemical additives and including non-phthalate additives. The study also included toys from as many countries as possible, since for many, no data were available. A total of 72 toys were purchased in 17 countries. The majority (64) were PVC or had PVC sections. In almost all the soft PVC toys analysed, phthalates comprised a sizeable proportion (most frequently 10-40%) of the total weight of the toy. The predominant phthalates detected were diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Other phthalates identified in high concentrations in some toys include isomeric mixes of diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). The estrogenic chemical nonylphenol was isolated from 13 toys, while 2 toys were found to contain the fungicide Fungitrol 11 (Folpet). 78% of PVC toys contained one or more extractable organic compounds in addition to those reported above.

Organochlorine residues in fish oil dietary supplements: comparison with industrial grade oils.

The market for fish oils as dietary supplements is of global importance. Although it is widely recognised that lipophilic organic chemicals, particularly organochlorines, can accumulate in fish oils, dietary supplements are not routinely considered when estimating average daily intakes for these contaminants. This paper reports levels of organochlorine residues in 44 fish oils, collected from 15 countries between 1994 and 1995, including 38 purchased over the counter as dietary supplements. Despite controls on the use of persistent organochlorine substances, appreciable quantities are found in oils sold as dietary supplements. Levels are discussed in relation to the significance of fish oil dietary supplements as contributors to daily intake of PCBs and pesticide residues.