How too much care kills species: Grassland reserves,agri-environmental schemes and extinction of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Colias myrmidone</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from its former stronghold

We describe a rapid extirpation of a strong population of globally threatened butterfly, Colias myrmidone, from the White Carpathians, Czech Republic. The area is renowned for a high plant and insect diversity associated with savannah-like Carpathian meadows, traditionally managed by mowing once a year and subsequent autumn grazing. Although many meadows fell victim to land consolidation schemes in the 1970s and 1980s, over 2000 hectares have been preserved in a dense network of reserves. The reserve management practised since the mid-1990s has consisted of uniform machine mowing of entire areas and this was further accelerated after accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, when agri-environmental schemes (AES) required two cuts per year. This starkly conflicted with the life history of C. myrmidone, because both spring and autumn cuts interfere with larval development. Despite intensive surveys, only five and then two C. myrmidone individuals were seen in the area in 2005 and 2006, respectively, rendering the species effectively extinct. Conservation authorities failed by neglecting early warning signals issued by amateur entomologists, and by ignoring the basic tenets of conservation of insect diversity, such as the need to maintain heterogeneity of resources. Unless AES provide for this crucial aspect of habitat suitability for invertebrates, they may turn from a great hope into a massive failure.     

Estimation of Multimedia Inorganic Arsenic Intake in the U.S. Population

Arsenic is widely distributed in the environment by natural and human means. The potential for adverse health effects from inorganic arsenic depends on the level and route of exposure. To estimate potential health risks of inorganic arsenic, the apportionment of exposure among sources of inorganic arsenic is critical. In this study, daily inorganic arsenic intake of U.S. adults from food, water, and soil ingestion and from airborne particle inhalation was estimated. To account for variations in exposure across the U.S., a Monte Carlo approach was taken using simulations for 100,000 individuals representing the age, gender, and county of residence of the U.S. population based on census data. Our analysis found that food is the greatest source of inorganic arsenic intake and that drinking water is the next highest contributor. Inhalation of airborne arsenic-containing particles and ingestion of arsenic-containing soils were negligible contributors. The exposure is best represented by the ranges of inorganic arsenic intake (at the 10^th and 90^th percentiles), which were 1.8 to 11.4 µg/day for males and 1.3 to 9.4 µg/day for females. Regional differences in inorganic arsenic exposure were due mostly to consumption of drinking water containing differing inorganic arsenic content rather than to food preferences.     

Diethylhexyl phthalate in plastic bags and glass bottles for blood preservation]

The amount of di-(-2 ethyl hexyl) phtalate (D.E.H.P.) is measured in the liquid contained in plastic bags or glass bottles for blood storage. Comparisons between the results show that D.E.H,P. has an equal level in plastic and glass container liquid except for one blood packs series. Particular attention has been paid to obtain solvents and glassware free from D.E.H.P., and to the specificity and the sensitivity of the detection method: a mass fragmentographic technic has been used.     

Release of diethyl-2-hexyl phthalate from stored blood on contact with polyvinyl chloride

Softness and flexibility of PVC are due to the addition of plasticizers in high concentration; the most used of them for blood storage bags is DEHP. In this work, a method for labelling DEHP with 14C from 14C phtalic anhydrid is given. A piece of PVC from a commercial blood bag is labelled, in our laboratory, with 14C DEHP and used to follow the kinetics of DEHP leaching in blood during storage. It is also used to study the influence of some parameters such as lipids amount of blood, shaking, and plastic sterilisation on this leaching. DEHP leaching is a three steps phenomenon and the level is not correlated to lipids content of blood. Thermal treatment of PVC and shaking have an influence on leaching. DEHP is not metabolised during blood storage at 4 degrees C and can not be detected as free molecule; it is absorbed on plasmatic proteins.