Abstract: In the present work, naturally occurring radionuclides of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were measured in soil samples collected from the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. It was found that the activity concentrations ranged from 12 to 120 Bq kg(-1) for (226)Ra, from 13 to 121 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th and from 204 to 1295 Bq kg(-1) for (40)K. Besides naturally occurring radionuclides, (137)Cs activity concentration was measured in soil, lichen and moss samples and it was found that (137)Cs activity concentration ranged from 27 to 775 Bq kg(-1) with for soil, from 29 to 879 Bq kg(-1) for lichen and from 67 to 1396 Bq kg(-1) for moss samples. Annual effective doses due to the naturally occurring radionuclides and (137)CS were estimated. Ecological half-lives of (137)CS in lichen and moss species were estimated. The decrease of the activity concentrations in the present measurements (2007) relative to those in 1993 indicated ecological half-lives between 1.36 and 2.96 years for lichen and between 1.35 and 2.85 years for moss species. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Serum bromine levels in psoriatic Danes increased 2- to 3-fold during a 4-week bathing course in the Dead Sea. This increase correlated well with the improvement in their clinical and psychic condition. Serum bromine levels in psoriatic Danes were somewhat lower than those in healthy subjects residing in Denmark, but the difference was not significant. Israelis working in the open air in the Dead Sea area (air bromine 20-fold higher than in Jerusalem) had higher bromine levels than psoriatic or healthy Israelis residing in Jerusalem or healthy Israelis working in air-conditioned rooms in the Dead Sea area (p < 0.05), but those levels were still within the normal range. As our animal experimentation indicates that the skin is a major target organ for 82Br, applied either by bathing or as an aerosol, we conclude that the higher bromine levels noticed in the psoriatic Danes after their 4-week stay at the Dead Sea may be equally due to their contact with the bromine-containing aerosol and the high bromine level of the Dead Sea waters.

Abstract: Trace elements can influence dental health, possibly by altering tooth resistance during preeruptive development. Therefore, it was investigated whether lead and fluoride would be incorporated into the calcifying matrices or the cellular parts of tooth germs in vitro. Using laser microprobe mass analysis, the localization of lead and fluoride was studied in the different layers or tooth germs that had been cultured in a medium to which PbCl2 of NaF had been added in different concentrations. Both elements could only be detected in the dentine layer. Hence, the enamel organ in the secretory stage of tooth development excludes lead and fluoride from the enamel, even when enamel formation by the ameloblasts is visibly disturbed. Furthermore, there seemed to be a process of saturation in the accumulation of lead and fluoride in the dentine.

Abstract: A diffusive sampling method for the determination of gaseous acetic and formic acids, using a radial symmetry diffusive sampler, has been optimised for a 7-day exposure time in this study. Sampling rate determinations were performed on data obtained from a dynamic exposure chamber, simulating the indoor conditions of an empty, closed, room, at room temperature and minimal wind speed. Analysis has been performed by means of ion chromatography. The sampling rates for formic acid concentrations of 128 ìg m−3 and 1248 ìg m−3 were determined to be 91.2 ± 3.9 ml min−1 and 111.6 ± 2.8 ml min−1, respectively. The acetic acid sampling rate was independent of the concentration in the range 160 ìg m−31564 ìg m−3, and amounted to 97.3 ± 3.1 ml min−1. Experimentally determined sampling rates showed deviations of 3% for acetic acid, and 321% for formic acid, in relation to theoretically derived values. The blank values were as low as 1.69 ± 0.07 ìg for formic acid and 1.21 ± 0.14 ìg for acetic acid, and detection limits lower than 0.5 ìg m−3 could be achieved, which is an improvement of 9899% compared to previously validated diffusive sampling methods. This study describes the first step of an extended validation program in which the applicability of these types of samplers for the measurement of organic acids will be validated and optimised for the environmental conditions typical for museum showcases.

Abstract: Shelf sediments of the southern North Sea, were studied with a microanalytical [electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA)] and two bulk [X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF)] techniques. The investigation proved that the promptness of the microanalytical method is combined with a reasonable analytical reliability. XRD studies of such a type of sediments with monotonous mineral composition are not able to provide mineralogical information beyond the main well-crystalline minerals and the mineralogical quantitative characteristic of the sediment based on XRD estimations are incorrect. The EPXMA mineralogical interpretations are based on the statistical evaluation of a huge data set (thousands of mineral particles) and provide a rather correct quantitative determination of the main minerals. The comparative EPXMAXRF study revealed that the Al, Si, K, Ca, Fe and to some extent Ti contents estimated by EPXMA are fairly reliable. In this respect the accuracy of the EPXMA-based mineral identification of the pure silicates, pure aluminosilicates, and Al-, Ca-, Fe- and Ti-containing minerals with simple composition is very high. Mg-calcite, augite and apatite determinations are assessed to be correct. The supposed accuracy of the clay mineral determinations is slightly lower (7080%) than that of the other main minerals due to the complex and varying composition of the clays. The identification of XRD-invisible accessory minerals and quantification of their presence in the sediments is an essential advantage of the EPXMA, which makes it a useful approach in tracing the origin of the sediments, the pathways of their transport and the geochemical processes they have undergone. However, the EPXMA has several flaws, which need to be solved in the future sediment investigations: (1) calibration with natural standards is needed in order to provide a higher accuracy of the mineral determinations; (2) any EPXMA study of sediments needs to be secured with XRF examinations of selected samples since EPXMA gives only semi-quantitative information about the abundance of the elements; (3) ultra-thin window EPXMA of low-Z elements has to be used since some of them (O, C) are always present in the main sediment components: silicates, aluminosilicates, carbonates and metal oxyhydroxides; (4) the interpretations of the clay fraction have to be supported with detailed XRD investigations of selected samples, while the mineralogy of the silt and sand fractions needs to be backed up with optical microscopy studies. The information from different analytical techniques (EPXMA with XRFXRD-optical microscopy of selected samples) combined with the knowledge about the most possible minerals in a given environment, would give the most reliable results in studying mineralogical composition of shelf sediments.

Abstract: Air pollution caused by the lime production industry has become a serious problem with potential effects to human health, especially in developing countries. Colombo is a city included in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba (capital of Parana State) in South Brazil. In Colombo city, a correlation has been shown between the lime production and the number of persons who need respiratory treatment in a local hospital, indicating that the lime industry can cause deleterious health effects in the exposed workers and population. This research was conducted to deal firstly with the characterization of the size distribution and chemical compositions of particles emitted from lime manufacturing and subsequently to assess the deposition rate of inhaled dolomitic lime aerosol particles in the human respiratory tract. The elemental chemical composition and particle size of individual atmospheric particles was quantitatively elucidated, including low-Z components like C, N and 0, as well as higher-Z elements, using automated electron probe microanalysis. Information concerning the bulk composition is provided by energy-dispersive X-ray detection. The majority of the respirable particulate matter identified was composed of aluminosilicates, Ca-Mg oxides, carbon-rich particles, mixtures of organic particles and Ca-Mg carbonates, soot and biogenic particles. In view of the chemical composition and size distribution of the aerosol particles, local deposition efficiencies in the human respiratory system were calculated, revealing the deposition of CaO center dot MgO at extrathoracic, tracheobronchial and pulmonary levels. The results of this study offer evidence to the threat of the fine and coarse particles emitted from dolomite lime manufacturing, allowing policy-makers to better focus their mitigation strategies in an effective way, as well as to the dolomite producers for the purpose of designing and/or implementing improved emission controls.

Abstract: Elemental analysis for all of the light elements up through chlorine by elastic scattering of 16 MeV protons has been shown to be feasible. Basic problems associated with such measurements are discussed including kinematics, angular distribution, and sample backings. Spectra are presented for air particulate matter for both a total filter (Nuclepore) and a size fractionated air impactor (polystyrene backed) sample. The method is absolute, non destructive and can be used in conjunction with proton induced x-ray fluorescence to quantitatively analyze all elements in the same sample in minutes of time.

Abstract: Background: It has been hypothesized that ambient particulate air pollution is able to modify the autonomic nervous control of the heart, measured as heart rate variability (HRV) . Previously we reported heterogeneous associations between particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and HRV across three study centers. Objective: We evaluated whether exposure misclassification, effect modification by medication, or differences in particle composition could explain the inconsistencies. Methods: Subjects with coronary heart disease visited clinics biweekly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ; Erfurt, Germany ; and Helsinki, Finland for 68 months. The standard deviation (SD) of NN intervals on an electrocardiogram (ECG ; SDNN) and high frequency (HF) power of HRV was measured with ambulatory ECG during paced breathing. Outdoor levels of PM2.5 were measured at a central site. In Amsterdam and Helsinki, indoor and personal PM2.5 were measured during the 24 hr preceding the clinic visit. PM2.5 was apportioned between sources using principal component analyses. We analyzed associations of indoor/personal PM2.5, elements of PM2.5, and source-specific PM2.5 with HRV using linear regression. Results: Indoor and personal PM2.5 were not associated with HRV. Increased outdoor PM2.5 was associated with decreased SDNN and HF at lags of 2 and 3 days only among persons not using beta-blocker medication. Traffic-related PM2.5 was associated with decreased SDNN, and long-range transported PM2.5 with decreased SDNN and HF, most strongly among persons not using beta blockers. Indicators for PM2.5 from traffic and long-range transport were also associated with decreased HRV. Conclusions: Our results suggest that differences in the composition of particles, beta-blocker use, and obesity of study subjects may explain some inconsistencies among previous studies on HRV.

Abstract: Soil samples from an abandoned uranium mine have been investigated in order to determine the molecular phases of uranium compounds. The experiments were carried out with soil particulate matter, collected randomly from the area of the formerly exploited ore. To select the particles rich with uranium, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray attachment (SEM/EDX) was applied first. Afterwards, the particles were relocated and measured by l-Raman spectrometry (MRS). Residues of the main deposit, uraninite UO2, were detected, along with its alteration products. In terms of Raman scattering properties, uranium oxides are quite sensitive to the laser beam wavelength, which results in very specific features of their Raman spectra. In this paper the Raman spectra of uranium oxides of different origin and oxidation states, measured with 514 and 785 nm lasers, are also presented

Abstract: This paper describes results of applying the palynological and carbon isotopic analysis of the organic fraction of Total Suspended Particles (TSP) to discriminate distinct pollution sources and assess the anthropogenic impact for the investigated areas. The samples of atmospheric particles were collected in Czerniawa and Cieplice (two health resorts in Lower Silesia, SW Poland) twice a year in summer and winter season (from July 2006 to February 2008). The palynological spectra represent in the vast majority local plant communities without a noticeable contribution of long-transported plant particles. Palynological analysis revealed also differences in the specificity of the two sampling areas, i.e. the higher contribution of identified organic material in Czerniawa stands for more natural character of this site, but is also responsible for the higher allergic pressure when compared to Cieplice. The carbon isotopic composition of TSP varied seasonally (ä13C value from −27.09 in summer to −25.47 in winter). The increased ä13C value in winter (heating period) is most probably caused by uncontrolled contribution of coal soot. On the basis of isotopic mass balance the calculated contribution of anthropogenic organic particles in the atmosphere reached in winter season 72% in Czerniawa and 79% in Cieplice.

Abstract: The vertical profiles of 20 major and trace metals were investigated along a 180-cm-long sediment core, which was sampled at Kiss-Janosne-Holt Tisza, an oxbow lake located in the upper part of the Tisza River in Hungary. The vertical profiles showed sharp peaks at different depths, reflecting historical pollution events and unusual changes of river water characteristics. Five different groups of metals, containing metals which were strongly correlated and showing a similar behaviour, could be distinguished by factor analysis. Six areas, with variable degrees and types of contamination, were classified in the sediment core with cluster analysis. The most polluted sections were found in the upper 50-cm part (significantly contaminated by Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg) and the deeper 100120-cm part (characterised by high concentrations of metals associated with mining activities, such as Fe and Mn, as well as Cu, Zn and Pb). In recent years, important pollution events, such as the one which took place in March of 2000, were the reason for pollution of the upper sediment layers, whereas mining activities during the last century were responsible for the pollution of the deeper core sections.