Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in fly ash and cinders collected from several municipal incinerators in Japan.

Determination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in fly ash and cinders collected from nine municipal incinerators in Japan was made. The concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs in this study were generally in the same range as those in Europe and North America. However, the rather different congener composition compared with those published already were found: higher percentages of lower chlorinated (di- and tri-) dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and no or trace levels of the octachloro compounds, O8CDD and O8CDF. One possible explanation for this difference may be the higher incineration temperature in Japan. The same ranges of concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs were found in cinders as well as fly ash. The volumes of the cinders are much larger than those of fly ash and therefore the fate and impact of PCDDs and PCDFs in dump sites of these cinders should be studied.

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in foodstuffs from Asian and oceanic countries.

Public concern about the adverse environmental and human health impacts of organochlorine contaminants led to strict regulations on their use in developed nations two decades ago. Nevertheless, DDT and several other organochlorine insecticides are still being used for agriculture and public health programs in developing countries in Asia and the South Pacific. As a consequence, humans in this region are exposed to greater dietary levels of organochlorines. In this review, published information on organochlorine concentrations in foodstuffs from South and Southeast Asia and Oceanic countries has been compiled. Foodstuffs that contribute to human exposures and dietary intakes of organochlorines were examined, and the data compared with those reported from more developed nations. Among various developing countries in Asia, considerable information on organochlorines in foodstuffs has been available from India since the late 1960s. DDT and HCH were the major insecticides in Indian foodstuffs. Concentrations of these insecticides have declined more than two orders of magnitude in farm products, such as food grains and vegetables, in two decades. Milk and milk products are the major sources of dietary exposure to DDT and HCH in India. The residues of these insecticides in dairy products were close to or above the MRLs of the FAO/WHO. Dietary intake of DDT and HCH by Indians was > 100 fold that in more developed nations. Sporadic incidences of greater concentrations (> 1 microgram/g) of aldrin, dieldrin, and heptachlor have been measured in Indian vegetables. Untreated surface waters could be a potential source of DDT and HCH exposure. In most Southeast Asian countries DDT was the common contaminant in animal origin foodstuffs. The higher percentage of p,p'-DDT in meat and fish from Southeast Asian countries, except Japan and Korea, indicated the recent use of DDt in vector control operations. Dietary intakes of DDt and HCH in Southeast Asia were an order of magnitude less than those of Indians but 5- to 10 fold greater than in more developed nations. In addition to DDT, aldrin and dieldrin were prominent in meat collected from Thailand and Malaysia. Aquatic food products from more industrialized countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, contained significant levels of PCBs. In South Pacific countries, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, chlordanes and PCBs were the most prevalent organochlorines in foodstuffs. Food contamination by DDT, HCH, aldrin, and dieldrin was less than in developing countries in Asia but greater than in the U.S. and Japan. Intake of PCBs in Australia was greater than in the U.S. Meat and fish were the major sources of organochlorine exposure by Australians. Human dietary intake of organochlorines has been declining more slowly in developing countries in Asia. Current intakes were at least 5- to 100 fold greater than those in more developed nations, suggesting a greater risk from organochlorine exposure. Factors such as malnutrition, common among rural poor in developing nations, can increase these risks. Of greatest concern is the magnitude of exposure to organochlorines to which infants and children are subjected through human and dairy milk. The estimated intake of DDT by infants was at least 100 fold greater than the ADI of the FAO/WHO. In addition to DDT, excessive exposures to HCH and dieldrin may cause potential health effects in infants because they are more vulnerable to toxic effects. The design and implementation of appropriate epidemiological studies and their integration with monitoring of human, food, and environmental samples would be a major step in assessing the risks of organochlorine residues in foods and controlling or eliminating them. With the continued globalization of trade in food products, and the concomitant risk that food contaminated through point-source pollution may be widely distributed, identification of sources and their control should be matters of

Avoidance by olfaction in a fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), to aquatic contaminants.

Behavioral tests using a fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), from which the olfactory organs were resected confirmed that fish avoid aquatic contaminants such as surfactants and pesticides mainly by olfaction. Control medaka (non-resected) exhibited significant avoidance to 10, 20 and 30 microg liter(-1) of LAS (sodium linear laurylbenzene sulfonate), 90 and 100 microg liter(-1) of fenitrothion (dimethyl 4-nitro-m-toryl phosphorothionate), and 500 microg liter(-1) of POE-ether (polyoxyethylene lauryl ether). By contrast, medaka with bilateral nose resections (BNRM) exhibited no avoidance to 10-50 microg liter(-1) of LAS, 90 and 100 microg liter(-1) of fenitrothion, and 500 microg liter(-1) of POE-ether. Although medaka with unilateral nose resection (UNRM) avoided some concentrations of these toxicants, the UNRM exhibited no avoidance to 10 and 40 microg liter(-1) of LAS and 90 microg liter(-1) of fenitrothion. That is, the avoidance response of the UNRM was less distinct than that of the controls. This difference may have been caused by the deterioration of detecting ability and the paralyzation or adaptation of olfaction.

Rare earth elements (REEs) in naturally grown plants in relation to their variation in soils.

The concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in plant leaves, soils in which they grow, and mother rocks were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). Concentration levels of REEs in most plants were low. However, one of the herb species, pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) and two species of ferns (Dicranopteris dichotoma and Athyrium yokoscence) revealed relatively high concentrations of REEs. In the case of pokeweed, the REE distribution pattern reflected well that of its soils. On the whole, high concentrations of REEs in plants were related to REE concentrations in the soils in which they grow. These observations are promising to evaluate the possible contamination of environment by REEs resulting from their increased usage in modern industry.

Global contamination by persistent organochlorines and their ecotoxicological impact on marine mammals.

The present paper overviews the global contamination by persistent organochlorines and their ecotoxicological implications on marine mammals. The recent pattern of contamination by organochlorine residues in the coastal environment is prominent in tropical regions due to continuous usage in the low-latitude developing countries. The major emission source of organochlorines is probably the tropical belt and large quantities of volatilized contaminants are dispersed through the atmosphere on global terms. Reflecting this, a considerable contamination was observed in open ocean tropical waters as well as in the Arctic and nearby waters. The study of the mass transfer of organochlorines at the air-water interface suggests that the oceanic water bodies, particularly Arctic waters, act as a sink for persistent contaminants. In this regard, the marine mammals, particularly cetaceans, are one of the animal groups receiving high concentrations of persistent organochlorines arising out of a worldwide contamination. They can amplify much greater amounts of toxic contaminants through feeding and also pass them in large quantities from one generation to the next through lactation. Unfortunately, these animals have a smaller capacity for degradation of these contaminants due to the specific mode of cytochrome P-450 enzyme systems. These drug-metabolizing enzyme systems may be related to the possible effects of persistent organochlorines, particularly coplanar PCBs. Furthermore, the residue levels of these contaminants in marine mammals are unlikely to decline in the near future. Considering all these facts, it may be concluded that marine mammals are one of the most vulnerable and possible target organisms with regard to long-term toxicity of hazardous man-made chemicals in the future.

Most toxic and highly bioaccumulative PCB congeners in cod-liver oil of Baltic origin processed in Poland during the 1970s and 1980s, their TEQ-values and possible intake.

Five samples of cod-liver oil of Baltic origin, collected between 1971 and 1989, have been analysed for 15 selected polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners including the ten most toxic non-, mono-and di-ortho coplanar, IUPAC nos. 60, 77, 105, 118, 126, 138, 169 and 170 and another five highly bioaccumulative members (IUPAC nos. 28 + 32, 52, 101, 153 and 180). The method of measurement was capillary GC-MS. Cod-liver oils collected in 1971, 1975, 1980, 1985 and 1989 contained 3.0, 2.5, 6.7, 2.9 and 3.1 micrograms g-1 respectively, of selected PCBs (IUPAC nos. 28 + 32, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180). The concentration of total PCBs in these oils were 8.0, 6.7, 17, 8.0 and 9.5 micrograms g-1, respectively for the years 1971-89, which indicates both persistency and steady state of these pollutants in the Baltic Sea. These cod-liver oils also showed high concentrations of the ten most toxic coplanar PCBs; their TEQ-values (Safe, 1990) were between 900 and 2300 micrograms g-1. 2,3', 4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC no. 118), 2,3,3', 4,4'-pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC no. 105) and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (IUPAC no. 126) contributed most to the total TEQs of the ten coplanar members, occupying 47, 19 and 17%, respectively (totally 83%). A possible intake of these toxic PCBs from cod-liver oil by children or adults was estimated to be between 4.5 and 35 pg TEQ daily and for total PCBs between 34 and 260 micrograms daily.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mussels as bioindicators of PCB pollution: a case study on uptake and release of PCB isomers and congeners in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) in Hong Kong waters.

The uptake and release of PCB isomers and congeners were examined in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) through a transplantation experiment in two locations in Hong Kong waters. Rapid rates of uptake and release of relatively less lipophilic lower-chlorinated PCBs were observed in the mussels, indicating that the primary mechanism of bioaccumulation of lipophilic pollutants in P. viridis complies with the concept of equilibrium partitioning. Thus, data for contaminant concentrations are most appropriately based upon lipid weights of samples when using mussels as bioindicators of aquatic PCB pollution. Considering the kinetic parameters of PCBs based on lipid weight-related data, it is concluded that P. viridis has the ability to respond rapidly to changes in ambient levels of PCBs. This is significant in determining the usefulness and limitations of mussels as bioindicators for monitoring programmes investigating aquatic pollution by PCBs.

Lead poisoning in swans in Japan.

We investigated the occurrence, source and exposure time of lead poisoning in whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus cygnus) and Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) in Japan during the winters of 1984-1987. Concentrations of lead in various tissues and physiological evidence of lead shot in some birds indicated that lead shotgun pellets were the source of lead, and exposure occurred after the birds arrived in Japan. Mortality probably occurred within 30 days after exposure to, and retention of, lead shot in the gizzard.

Congener-specific data of polychlorinated biphenyl residues in human adipose tissue in Poland.

Adipose tissue of inhabitants of the Gdansk city located at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea and of the province of Skierniewice of inland Poland have been investigated for congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by the capillary GC-MS technique. PCB IUPAC No. 153 was a high contributor of the congener occupying 23% of the total PCB content, and together with No. 138 of 18% and No. 180 of 13% were the most prevalent members. Samples taken from Gdansk citizens in 1990 contained 1.5 +/- 1.3 micrograms/g of total PCBs on a fat weight basis while the citizens from the province of Skierniewice, sampled in 1979, contained 1.2 +/- 0.4 micrograms/g, which seemed to indicate a persistent PCB exposure in Poland. Among Gdansk citizens, randomly selected autopsy samples of liver cancer from dead persons contained 4.7 micrograms/g of PCBs, while in all other samples the level was between 0.75 and 1.9 micrograms/g of PCBs. TCDD TEQ of 13 detectable coplanar members of PCBs in adipose tissue of Gdansk, and Skierniewice inhabitants, was 210 and 190 pg/g on a lipid weight basis, respectively, including 45 and 59 pg/g of non-ortho, 142 and 110 pg/g of mono-ortho and 24 and 16 pg/g of di-ortho chlorobiphenyls. A fingerprint of chlorobiphenyl composition in the samples examined was virtually the same for human adipose tissue taken in 1990 from the coastal city of Gdansk and in 1979 from the inland province of Skierniewice, in spite of geographic variations and sampling intervals.

Heavy metal concentrations in sediments from Manila Bay, Philippines and inflowing rivers.

Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd and Co were determined in surface and core sediments collected from Manila Bay and in surface sediments from inflowing rivers. Core profiles revealed highly fluctuating and enriched Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu concentrations on the surface, suggestive of recent inputs coming from anthropogenic sources. Concentrations of Pb, Zn, and to a lesser extent Cu and Cd were higher in riverine sediments as compared with marine sediments, which may be attributed to the proximity of these riverine sites to pollutant sources. Comparison of metal concentration levels obtained with other areas in the world revealed elevated values for Pb and Cd, indicating a considerable amount of pollution in the area. Continuous monitoring and further studies of the area are recommended to ascertain long-term effects that may have not yet been reached.