蚯蚓粪对黄瓜苗期土传病害的抑制作用

试验表明,蚯蚓对农业有机废弃物进行生物降解的产物－蚯蚓粪,在一定程度上能够控制蔬菜类黄瓜苗期土传病害的发生,并表现出明显的促生长效应,蚯蚓粪控制病害的程度与蚯蚓粪的量有一定的关系,当蚯蚓粪与土体积比为20％时,控制病的程度最大,防效达96．1％,这种作用主要与蚯 蚓粪中的微生物性质有关,蚯蚓粪能大大提高土壤中的微生物量和微生物活性,从而大大增强了病土中与病原菌进行能源竞争的微生物的竞争能力,同时从新鲜蚯蚓粪中成功分离到拮抗活性强,抗菌谱广的拮抗微生物,初步研究结果说明,一般性抑制和特殊性抑制两种机制在蚯蚓粪对病害的控制中起作用。     

Evaluation of Heavy Metals and Associated Health Risks in a Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant's Sludge for Its Land Application

The objectives of this study are to monitor the heavy metal concentrations in sludge samples collected from the Ankara Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (ACWWTP) in Turkey, check if these concentrations comply with the Turkish Regulation (Regulation Regarding the Use of Domestic and Urban Sludges on Soil), and evaluate possible health risks of heavy metals in sludge due to ingestion of sludge by a child. Monthly sludge samples were collected from the ACWWTP during 2012 and analyzed for seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn). According to the results from the study, heavy metal concentrations showed no common seasonal trend. All heavy metal concentrations, except for one sample in which Zn was found to be at the limit value, are below the Turkish Regulation limits. In addition, health risks calculations for the “child ingesting biosolids” pathway, which is one of the most critical pathways identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for land application, were carried out. Among the seven heavy metals, Pb contributed the most to the cumulative non-cancer health risks throughout 2012. Nevertheless, the results showed that cumulative non-cancer health risks associated with this pathway are within the acceptable non-cancer health risk level suggested by USEPA.     

蚯蚓作用下污泥重金属形态变化及其与化学生物学性质变化的关系

城市污泥处理是一项世界性难题,污泥农业利用是其最简单有效的资源化利用方式之一,但污泥中较高的重金属含量限制了其实际推广应用,利用蚯蚓-超富集植物联合修复污泥重金属的方法已引起国内外研究者的关注。以新鲜城市脱水污泥为研究对象,接种赤子爱胜蚓(Eisenia fetida)进行室内培养试验,系统研究蚯蚓作用下污泥重金属形态的变化,及其与污泥氧化还原条件、化学和微生物性质变化的关系,以期为蚯蚓-超富集植物联合修复技术在污泥重金属处理中的应用提供理论依据。结果表明,试验前期蚯蚓在污泥中能正常生长和存活,前20 d总生物量增加了52%。蚯蚓可以显著促进污泥中的Cu、Zn、Cd、Ni等重金属从残渣态和铁锰态等稳定形态向交换态和水溶态等有效形态转化。还可以显著降低污泥中还原性物质的含量,减缓p H值下降速度,降低总有机碳含量,促进铵态氮向硝态氮转化,减少污泥微生物的数量并增加其种群活性。蚯蚓作用下,污泥中重金属的活化程度与还原性物质的含量呈显著负相关,而与微生物种群的活性呈显著正相关(P0.05)。综上所述,蚯蚓可以促进污泥重金属的活化,并改善污泥的肥力条件,为修复植物在污泥中的正常生长和对重金属离子的快速吸收提供有利条件。     

Using event trees to quantify pathogen levels on root crops from land application of treated sewage sludge

AIMS: To quantify the incremental exposure of root crops, at point of harvest, to enteric pathogens from sewage sludge applied to agricultural land according to current regulations and guidance (Safe Sludge Matrix). METHODS AND RESULTS: A quantitative risk assessment based on the Source-Pathway-Receptor approach is developed for Cryptosporidium and salmonellas. Event trees are constructed to model the partitioning of pathogens present in raw sewage into sludge at the sewage treatment works and to model to the pathways by which root crops may be exposed to those pathogens after treatment and land application of the sludge. The main barriers are sewage sludge treatment, and decay and dilution of the pathogens in the soil. The exposures are expressed in terms of the arithmetic mean. This represents the total loading and accommodates fluctuations not only in the levels of pathogens present in sewage but also in the removal efficiencies by the various barriers. One source of uncertainty is the degree of by-pass of sludge treatment at operational scale. CONCLUSIONS: The models predict that land application of sewage sludge treated by conventional processes (achieving 2-log removal) increases the exposures of root crops to salmonellas and Cryptosporidium oocysts by counts of 0.070 and 0.033 kg(-1), respectively. These predictions are based on decay periods in the soil of 5 and 12 weeks, respectively, and are therefore worst case in not allowing for the full extent of no harvesting periods. A Monte Carlo simulation predicts that 0.01% of 1-kg batches contained > 50 salmonellas and demonstrates that, for risk assessment, it is acceptable to use the arithmetic mean exposure directly in the dose-response curve. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The predicted numbers of pathogens on root crops at point of harvest provide a basis for modelling the excess risks to humans consuming such crops. The approach underpins scientifically the Safe Sludge Matrix.     

Ecological Risk Assessment of Organochlorine Pesticides in Surface Waters of Lake Taihu,China

The residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface waters from Meiliang Bay, Gonghu Bay, and Xukou Bay of Lake Taihu, China, were investigated, and their ecological risks were assessed using the risk quotient method and probabilistic risk assessment. Environmental concentrations of OCPs in surface water of these bays were relatively lower compared with other rivers or lakes in China. Calculation of risk quotient associated with taxonomic groups indicates moderate ecological risks from OCPs for crustaceans and insects in these bays, while the ecological risks were low for fish and negligible for phytoplankton. The ecological risk quotients associated with individual OCPs were lower than 0.01 in these bays, suggesting a negligible risk to aquatic organisms. Ecological risk from α-HCH was relatively lower compared with DDTs, endosulfans, and γ-HCH. The combined ecological risks were evaluated using probabilistic risk assessment for only eight OCPs owing to a lack of available toxicity data for β-HCH and δ-HCH. The percentage of species with the potential to be at risk from mixture of OCPs was lower than the criteria of 5% in each bay, indicating that the combined ecological risks were acceptable.     

Multiplicity-adjusted inferences in risk assessment: benchmark analysis with quantal response data

A primary objective in quantitative risk or safety assessment is characterization of the severity and likelihood of an adverse effect caused by a chemical toxin or pharmaceutical agent. In many cases data are not available at low doses or low exposures to the agent, and inferences at those doses must be based on the high-dose data. A modern method for making low-dose inferences is known as benchmark analysis, where attention centers on the dose at which a fixed benchmark level of risk is achieved. Both upper confidence limits on the risk and lower confidence limits on the "benchmark dose" are of interest. In practice, a number of possible benchmark risks may be under study; if so, corrections must be applied to adjust the limits for multiplicity. In this short note, we discuss approaches for doing so with quantal response data.     

Land application of treated sewage sludge: quantifying pathogen risks from consumption of crops

AIMS: To predict the number of humans in the UK infected through consumption of root crops grown on agricultural land to which treated sewage sludge has been applied in accordance with the current regulations and guidance (Safe Sludge Matrix). METHODS AND RESULTS: Quantitative risk assessments based on the source, pathway, receptor approach are developed for seven pathogens, namely salmonellas, Listeria monocytogenes, campylobacters, Escherichia coli O157, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia, and enteroviruses. Using laboratory data for pathogen destruction by mesophilic anaerobic digestion, and not extrapolating experimental data for pathogen decay in soil to the full 30-month harvest interval specified by the Matrix, predicts 50 Giardia infections per year, but less than one infection per year for the other six pathogens. Assuming linear decay in the soil, a 12-month harvest interval eliminates the risks from all seven pathogens; the highest predicted being one infection of C. parvum in the UK every 45 years. Computer simulations show that a protective effect from binding of pathogens to particulate matter could potentially exaggerate the observed rate of decay in experimental systems. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm, assuming pathogens behave according to our current understanding, that the risks to humans from consumption of vegetable crops are remote. Furthermore the harvest intervals stipulated by the Safe Sludge Matrix compensate for potential lapses in the operational efficiency of sludge treatment. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The models demonstrate the huge potential impact of decay in the soil over the 12/30-month intervals specified by the Matrix, although lack of knowledge on the exact nature of soil decay processes is a source of uncertainty. The models enable the sensitivity of the predicted risks to changes in the operational efficiency of sewage sludge treatment to be assessed.     

京津冀城市群土地利用生态风险的时空变化分析

以京津冀城市群为研究区,基于1984、1990、2000、2005、2010和2015年土地利用数据,利用斑块密度、蔓延度和土地利用类型的主观权重构建土地利用生态风险指数,从而揭示京津冀城市群地区6个时间节点的土地利用生态风险空间分布特征。土地利用生态风险划分为5个等级:低风险区、较低风险区、中等风险区、较高风险区和高风险区,将较高风险区和高风险区定义为综合高风险区,然后计算其重心转移轨迹,从而探究土地利用生态综合高风险区的空间转移动态变化规律。结果表明在研究时段内:(1)研究区土地利用生态风险的总体分布规律为城市中心城区周边的土地利用生态风险逐渐加剧,非城市地区低于城市地区,且高风险区、较高风险区的面积呈增加趋势。(2)京津冀城市群13个地级市综合高风险区变化各不相同:北京市、天津市、唐山市和廊坊市的综合高风险区呈现出增加的趋势;承德市、张家口市、保定市、石家庄市、秦皇岛市、邯郸市和邢台市的综合高风险呈现出降低的趋势;而沧州市和衡水市几乎不变。(3)综合高风险区的重心转移方向基本分为三类:朝首都方向、朝东部海洋方向和自身发展方向,且重心转移方向与城市的规划、治理及发展方向联系密切。     

Chemical Mixtures: An Unsolvable Riddle?

It is difficult to overstate the complexity of assessing risks from chemical mixtures. For every valid reason to assess risks from mixtures, there appears an equally valid question as to whether it is possible to do so in a scientifically rigorous and relevant manner. Because so few data exist for mixtures, current mixture assessment methods must rely on untested assumptions and simplifications. That the accuracy of risk estimates improve with the number of chemicals assessed together as mixtures is a valid assumption only if assessment methods for mixtures are better than those based on individual chemicals. On the other hand, arbitrarily truncating a mixture assessment to make it manageable may lead to irrelevant risk estimates. Ideally, mixture assessments should be as broad as necessary to improve accuracy and reduce uncertainty over assessments that only use toxicity data for single chemicals. Further broadening the scope may be ill advised because of the tendency to increase rather than decrease uncertainty. Risk assessment methods that seek to be comprehensive at the expense of increased uncertainty can hardly be viewed as improvements. It would be prudent to verify that uncertainty can be reduced before burdening the risk assessment process with more complexity.     

Human Risk Assessment of Contaminated Soils by Oil Products: Total TPH Content Versus Fraction Approach

Petroleum hydrocarbons may cause risks for humans and the environment that must be properly managed. Some methodologies cluster hundreds of hydrocarbon substances into one single parameter, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) ranged from C10 to C40. Several national policies establish a maximum acceptable concentration in soil to directly consider if a site is seriously contaminated; this scope may be described as a total content approach. Another approach considers TPH division into fractions according to their physico-chemical and toxicological properties, performed in terms of the environmental behavior (aliphatic and aromatic compounds) and the equivalent carbon number (EC). This approach lets us determine the associated risk for human health through the Human Risk Index (HRI). The consequences of application of the total content and fraction approaches is discussed in this study, evaluating the differences in the approach for volatile and semi-volatile hydrocarbons and also in regard to the origin of the contamination. When focusing on volatile substances, the fraction approach is much more restrictive than the total content approach where all oil products are assessed in the same way. When assessing semi-volatile hydrocarbons, their behavior varies depending on the oil product. This work contributes to the implementation of risk-based assessment for petroleum hydrocarbons.     

Towards a quantitative risk assessment for BSE in sewage sludge

AIMS: The aim is to determine the risk of transmission of BSE to humans and cattle through the application of sewage sludge to agricultural land. METHODS AND RESULTS: A quantitative risk assessment based on the Source-Pathway-Receptor approach is developed. Central to the model is the estimation of the arithmetic mean concentration of BSE agent in sewage sludge. The main sources of uncertainty in the risk assessment are the degree to which sewage sludge treatment destroys BSE agent, whether there is a threshold dose for initiation of BSE infection in cattle, and most importantly, the amount of brain and spinal cord material which enters the sewer from the abattoir. Assuming 1% of brain and spinal cord is lost to the sewer from abattoirs, the model predicts a risk of BSE transmission of 7.1 x 10(-5) cow(-1) year(-1) for cattle grazing on land to which sewage sludge has been applied. CONCLUSION: The risks to humans through consumption of vegetable crops are acceptably low. Although the risks to cattle are higher, because of higher exposure to soil and greater susceptibility, the model demonstrates that sewage sludge alone cannot sustain the BSE epidemic in the UK cattle herd. Furthermore, the model suggests that recycling of BSE agent through sewage sludge will not sustain endemic levels of BSE in the UK cattle herd. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The conclusions are consistent with the findings from epidemiological studies which so far have not detected horizontal transmission of BSE (which would include transmission from contaminated pastures). The model demonstrates the importance of containment of brain and spinal cord within the abattoir.     

Evaluating the necessity of additional aquatic plant testing by comparing the sensitivities of different species

At present, at least three and up to five plant species are required to assess the potential risks of herbicides to non-target aquatic plants. Several regulatory authorities are considering whether there should be further requirements based on concerns about the possible selectivity of herbicides (e.g., specific modes of action against dicotyledonous plants). The relative sensitivity of a range of aquatic plants is assessed in our work in order to evaluate the implications of differences in species sensitivity for aquatic risk assessment of herbicides. We therefore present results from ecotoxicological tests performed at Syngenta Crop Protection AG on various aquatic plants and compare them to available studies and results in literature. The criterion used for sensitivity ranking is the EC50 (median effect concentration) value, which allows a better comparison of values from different testing methods and conditions. The overall results obtained in the present work show that the aquatic risk assessment procedure for herbicides based on Lemna sp. and algae is sufficiently protective while identifying potential toxicity to non-target plants. Only few exceptions concerning herbicides with selective modes of action (e.g., auxin simulators) may require additional species testing for proper risk assessment.     

Extrapolation in Risk Assessment: Improving the Quantification of Uncertainty,and Improving Information to Reduce the Uncertainty

Risk assessments inevitably extrapolate from the known to the unknown. The resulting calculation of risk involves two fundamental kinds of uncertainty: uncertainty owing to intrinsically unpredictable (random) components of the future events, and uncertainty owing to imperfect prediction formulas (parameter uncertainty and error in model structure) that are used to predict the component that we think is predictable. Both types of uncertainty weigh heavily both in health and ecological risk assessments. Our first responsibility in conducting risk assessments is to ensure that the reported risks correctly reflect our actual level of uncertainty (of both types). The statistical methods that lend themselves to correct quantification of the uncertainty are also effective for combining different sources of information. One way to reduce uncertainty is to use all the available data. To further sharpen future risk assessments, it is useful to partition the uncertainty between the random component and the component due to parameter uncertainty, so that we can quantify the expected reduction in uncertainty that can be achieved by investing in a given amount of future data. An example is developed to illustrate the potential for use of comparative data, from toxicity testing on other species or other chemicals, to improve the estimates of low-effect concentration in a particular case with sparse case-specific data.     

Developing a risk indicator to comparatively assess environmental risks posed by microbial and conventional pest control agents

Selected biological control agents and conventional pesticides were used to critically review the applicability of a newly developed Risk Indicator (RI) system. Five basic components are proposed for the calculation of the overall environmental risk score: persistence of the active ingredient, dispersal potential, range of non-target organisms that are affected, and direct and indirect effects on the ecosystem. Several risk measurement systems were reviewed; risk categories in the proposed system were modified from a model developed for classical biocontrol agents. Additionally, one new category was included, to assess the risks to vertebrate non-target species. Besides a detailed discussion of the new RI model, the suitability of the model was demonstrated by calculating the risk scores for 17 selected products. It became obvious that the environmental risk score varied greatly within the assessed chemical products, and also within the group of biological products. The use pattern greatly influenced the estimated environmental risk posed by any given product. The overall environmental risk score varied between a very low risk score of 24 (Coniothyrium minitans, soil application) and a near maximum risk score of 4275 (high risk reference DDT, foliar spray). The proposed model can be used to communicate environmental risk and to design lower risk integrated pest management strategies. It is suggested that the proposed RI system may serve to define low risk and reduced risk pesticides. Yet, it remains debatable whether the RI will be useful in determining acceptability of data waivers for regulatory purposes.     

Assessment of Human Health and Ecological Risks Posed by the Uses of Steel-Industry Slags in the Environment

Steel-industry slag, a co-product of iron and steel production, is produced and sold for use in a wide range of applications. A comprehensive study of the potential human health risks associated with the environmental applications (e.g., fill, roadbase, landscaping) of iron- and steel-making slag was performed using characterization data for 73 samples of slag collected from blast furnaces, basic oxygen furnaces, and electric arc furnaces. Characterization data were compared to regulatory health-based “screening” benchmarks to determine constituents of interest. Antimony, beryllium, cadmium, trivalent and hexavalent chromium, manganese, thallium, and vanadium were measured above screening levels and were assessed in an application-specific exposure assessment using standard U.S. Environmental Protection Agency risk assessment methods. A stochastic analysis was conducted to evaluate the variability and uncertainty in the inhalation exposure and risk estimates, and the oral bioaccessibility of certain metals in the slag was quantified. The risk assessment found no significant hazards to human health as a result of the environmental applications of steel-industry slag. However, site-specific ecological risk assessment may be required for slag applications in and around small water bodies with limited dilution volume, because high pH and aluminum were found to leach at levels that may be harmful to aquatic life     

Glycogen-lead relationship in the earthworm Dendrobaena rubida from a heavy metal site

Control individuals contained no lead in the chloragocytes but high alpha-glycogen rosette reserves. Starvation of contaminated earthworms for 4d caused a lead loss and the chlorgocytes possessed fewer debris vesicles than those of unstarved worms, suggesting that the debris vesicles may be the route for at least some of the lead loss. No glycogen deposits were observed in the chloragocytes of starved or unstarved earthworms from contaminated soil. Maintenance of contaminated earthworms in potting compost caused lead losses similar to those sustained by starvation, but the chloragocyte cytoplasm possessed beta-glycogen reserves. Specimens maintained in lead-spiked potting compost showed lead levels similar to those of earthworms taken directly from contaminated soil. No beta-glycogen accumulations were observed under this enriched regime. Although the possible interference of lead in carbohydrate metabolism is discussed, the results do not wholly support metabolic inhibition by lead. It is hypothesised that lead sequestration is energy-demanding and that in the absence of an energy-rich diet glycogen stores fail to accumulate. In the presence of an organic-rich medium, elevated lead levels preclude glycogen formation, because of the high sequestration-demand, but at lower lead levels beta-glycogen deposits occur if a high organic diet is available.     

不同类型土壤小麦-水稻轮作体系施用含重金属污泥的环境效应

采用贵州黄壤、石灰土和浙江水稻土,通过盆栽试验探讨了在3种土壤上施用含不同浓度重金属的污泥对小麦、水稻生长及锌(Zn)镉(Cd)吸收性的影响.结果表明： 不同土壤施用同种污泥所产生的重金属污染风险不同,在黄壤和水稻土上施用高浓度重金属污泥对作物的污染风险较高.一次施用Zn、Cd浓度分别为1789、8.47 mg·kg-1的污泥1.6%,使黄壤小麦籽粒中Zn、Cd浓度分别达109、0.08 mg·kg-1;第二次施用后种植水稻,糙米中Zn、Cd浓度达52.0、0.54 mg·kg-1.而施用污泥后石灰性土壤的两种作物其可食部分均无重金属污染风险.土壤醋酸铵提取态Zn是影响麦粒和糙米中Zn浓度的主要因素,而土壤醋酸铵提取态Cd对麦粒和糙米中Cd浓度无明显影响.施用高浓度重金属污泥使3种土壤Zn、Cd全量显著提高,且两次施用后土壤全量Zn均超过国家土壤环境质量二级标准.     

Risk of Intestinal Parasitic Infections in People with Different Exposures to Wastewater and Fecal Sludge in Kampala,Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundThere are health risks associated with wastewater and fecal sludge management and use, but little is known about the magnitude, particularly in rapidly growing urban settings of low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the point-prevalence and risk factors of intestinal parasite infections in people with different exposures to wastewater and fecal sludge in Kampala, Uganda.MethodologyA cross-sectional survey was carried out in September and October 2013, enrolling 915 adults from five distinct population groups: workers maintaining wastewater facilities; workers managing fecal sludge; urban farmers; slum dwellers at risk of flooding; and slum dwellers without risk of flooding. Stool samples were subjected to the Kato-Katz method and a formalin-ether concentration technique for the diagnosis of helminth and intestinal protozoa infections. A questionnaire was administered to determine self-reported signs and symptoms, and risk factors for intestinal parasite infections. Univariate and multivariate analyses, adjusted for sex, age, education, socioeconomic status, water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors, were conducted to estimate the risk of infection with intestinal parasites and self-reported health outcomes, stratified by population group.Conclusions/SignificanceUrban farmers are particularly vulnerable to infections with soil-transmitted helminths, S. mansoni, and intestinal protozoa. Hence, our findings call for public health protection measures for urban farmers and marginalized communities, going hand-in-hand with integrated sanitation safety planning at city level.     

Climate change vulnerability for species—Assessing the assessments

Climate change vulnerability assessments are commonly used to identify species at risk from global climate change, but the wide range of methodologies available makes it difficult for end users, such as conservation practitioners or policymakers, to decide which method to use as a basis for decision‐making. In this study, we evaluate whether different assessments consistently assign species to the same risk categories and whether any of the existing methodologies perform well at identifying climate‐threatened species. We compare the outputs of 12 climate change vulnerability assessment methodologies, using both real and simulated species, and validate the methods using historic data for British birds and butterflies (i.e. using historical data to assign risks and more recent data for validation). Our results show that the different vulnerability assessment methods are not consistent with one another; different risk categories are assigned for both the real and simulated sets of species. Validation of the different vulnerability assessments suggests that methods incorporating historic trend data into the assessment perform best at predicting distribution trends in subsequent time periods. This study demonstrates that climate change vulnerability assessments should not be used interchangeably due to the poor overall agreement between methods when considering the same species. The results of our validation provide more support for the use of trend‐based rather than purely trait‐based approaches, although further validation will be required as data become available.     

基于生态系统服务的城市化区域生态风险表征方法研究

快速城市化导致城市周边区域生态系统服务损失并引发生态风险。以多种类型的生态系统服务作为生态风险的评价终点,构建了基于服务价值量的城市化区域生态风险表征方法,以北京市为例对方法进行了应用,并进行了风险评价结果的不确定性分析和参数敏感性分析。案例研究显示2015年北京市生态风险总体处于低风险接近中等风险水平,低风险和极低风险区域面积占全市的50%以上,主要分布于北京市西部和北部,高风险和极高风险区域面积占20%左右,主要分布于中心城区。生态风险空间格局特征表明北京市城市区域的扩张造成周边区域生态系统服务的下降,导致生态风险水平的上升。研究提出的生态风险指数同生态系统服务当量因子间具有显著的线性关系,可用于估算生态系统服务价值。不确定性和参数敏感性分析表明生态风险指数计算结果变异较小,指数具有较高的可靠性。研究方法能够综合表征城市化区域的生态风险,定量表征结果便于决策者理解,具有应用于风险评价和管理实践的价值。