Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Environmental monitoring”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Evaluation of 38 years of radiological environmental data for the nuclear research facility in South Africa.

Environmental monitoring has been conducted at the South African National Nuclear Research Facility (Necsa site) for the past 38 years. Included in this monitoring programme was the assessment of water, fish and sediment samples. The objective of this project was to review the data of these assessments to establish if the Necsa activities had any impact on the environment. An assessment of the management of discharge limits was included in the review. Fluctuations in the data reviewed can partly be ascribed to errors in sampling techniques and analysis methods, but mostly to external factors. Two main external factors identified during the review were: dilution effects based on the flowrate in the Crocodile River and the percentage of full capacity of the Hartbeespoort Dam, and the atmospheric fallout from nuclear weapons testing. In this project, the impact of these factors were investigated with the help of correlation coefficient calculations and graphs. It was concluded that the flowrate of the Crocodile River and percentage full capacity of the Hartbeespoort Dam did have an impact on the beta activity measured in water and fish samples, and the (nat)U activities measured in water samples. The measured fallout from nuclear weapons testing in the southern hemisphere also had an impact on the beta activity in water. The assessment of the environmental monitoring data also showed that accidental releases were measurable in the environment. The added routine impact to a member of the public downstream from Necsa was on average an annual dose of 0.54 microSv more than that to a person living upstream from Necsa, which is considered insignificant in international radiation protection norms. The conclusion can be made that the monitoring programme is successful in satisfying its main objective, which is to determine the effects of the discharges on the environment and the immediate population.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Occupational IgE-mediated sensitization and asthma caused by clam and shrimp.

BACKGROUND: To confirm occupational asthma caused by clam and shrimp in a food company worker, the following investigation was planned in 60 other exposed workers (56 participants). METHODS: Before the production period of clam and shrimp, a medical and occupational questionnaire was carried out and skin and RAST testing were done with common inhalants and clam, shrimp, crab, and lobster extracts. During the production period, environmental monitoring was performed with personal and general samplers; inhalation testing with methacholine was proposed to subjects with immediate skin reactivity to clam, shrimp, or both. After the production period, all subjects with an immediate skin reactivity to clam, shrimp, or both and either a history of rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, or bronchial hyperresponsiveness were seen by a specialist. RESULTS: Including the index case in whom occupational asthma to clam and shrimp had been confirmed, four (7%) subjects had a history of rhinoconjunctivitis and two (4%) had a history of asthma during the period of clam production, whereas three (5%) subjects had rhinoconjunctivitis and two (4%) had asthma during the shrimp production. Three (5%) subjects had immediate skin reactivity to clam, and nine (16%) subjects to shrimp. Four (7%) subjects had increased specific IgE antibodies (RAST binding > or = 3%) to clam and eight (14%) to shrimp. Significant associations were found between immunologic reactivity to clam and shrimp on the one hand and to crab and lobster on the other. Environmental monitoring demonstrated clam and shrimp on the air sampling filters. Occupational asthma caused by clam was confirmed by specific inhalation challenges in one subject in addition to the index case. These two subjects had skin reactivity and increased specific IgE antibodies to clam, shrimp, or both. CONCLUSION: By including the initial subject, the prevalence of immediate sensitization is 5% to 7% to clam and 14% to 16% to shrimp. Two (4%) subjects had occupational asthma caused by clam, and one (2%) had occupational asthma caused by shrimp.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Environmental pollutants as co-factors in IgE production.

While there is a general perception that 'pollutants' present in the natural environment may act in concert with genetic factors in the host to precipitate primary allergic sensitization, there is a clear need for more hard data to establish the degree to which this actually occurs in different environmental settings, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. It is evident that animal model systems provide viable avenues for studies on mechanisms, and several laboratories are actively engaged in this work. However, questions relating to the magnitude of these environmental effects on human allergic disease present more substantial problems, which can only be addressed by large-scale epidemiological studies on well-defined populations, backed up by comprehensive environmental monitorings. At present, the best defined area of the human literature is clearly the early postnatal data, which establishes that the first 1-2 months of life are a major risk period for life-long allergic sensitization to seasonal antigens. Broadening of these studies to encompass environmental monitoring, aimed at the identification of environmental cofactors which may synergize with early allergen exposure, is therefore a logical step for the future research.

Allergens↗
PubMed2003

Microbial whole-cell sensing systems of environmental pollutants.

The past decade has witnessed the development of a novel class of tools for environmental monitoring: genetically engineered microorganisms 'tailored' to respond in a dose-dependent manner to changes in environmental conditions. Recent advances in the field include the expansion of available reporter functions with multicolored fluorescent proteins, a broadening of the detected chemical effects such as the availability of nutrients and enhancement of the spectrum of reporter microorganisms to include cyanobacteria, yeast and fungi. Most importantly, the stage has been set for the incorporation of such cells into various whole-cell array formats on silicon chips, optic fibres and other configurations. The future of such multiplex detection and analysis systems seems bright.

Biosensing Techniques↗
PubMed2002

[Developing a new spectroscopy analytical method--sonoluminescence].

Sonoluminescence is a weak emission of light when liquid was irradiated by ultrasound. Since the 80 s last century, several researchers began to use this luminescence to chemical analysis, medical detection and environmental monitoring. This paper gives a review on the advancement of this area, including sonoluminescence in cancer detection, as a new atomic emission spectroscopy in elements analysis and environmental monitoring.

Acoustics↗
PubMed1986

[Inhalational exposure to rapidly eliminated substances: possibility and strategies for biological monitoring. A proposal for the use of biological limits equivalent to environmental limits].

Some advantages of biological compared with environmental monitoring and some preparatory steps and difficulties to be overcome during the planning of a biological monitoring program are firstly discussed. Then the biological compartments, their peculiarities and their use in the field of biological monitoring are described. The problem concerning the biological thresholds of the reference normal values and the biological limits corresponding to environmental limits (biological equivalent limits, BEL) is the next topic, followed by the description of the methods for measuring the BELs (in case of linear regression between biological and environmental values) and of the methods for the upper and lower confidence limits (UCL, LCL) of a biological value. They are to be used for a decision of compliance or noncompliance biological exposure. Finally some ways of using biological UCL-LCL and variation coefficients during cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (biological monitoring strategies) are shown.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed1986

Environmental exposure to hexachlorobenzene in the USA.

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a chlorinated hydrocarbon chemical which has various industrial and agricultural uses in the USA. The agricultural use of HCB as a fungicide is relatively minor and is being phased out, but HCB is still used directly in a few industrial processes and is a waste product or impurity associated with the manufacture of various chlorinated solvents and other registered pesticides. A review of available HCB data from ambient environmental monitoring networks (agricultural and urban soils, ambient air, fresh-water fish, starlings, ducks and ready-to-eat foods) of the National Pesticide Monitoring Program resulted in the following general conclusions: Actual mean residue levels of HCB were erratic or steady during the 1970s and showed no major upward or downward trends; The percentages of detectable HCB did show a trend in most of the environmental monitoring networks. The percentage of HCB in the environmental components examined generally increased from the early 1970s to the late 1970s, when it peaked, and then declined into the early 1980s, the most recently available data sets. The reason for the increase of HCB in several environmental components is not clear.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Variations observed in environmental radiation at ground level.

To investigate and monitor environmental radiation at ground level, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) has installed several dosemeters and particle detectors at the new Ambient Radiation Dosimetry Site. The separation of the total ambient dose equivalent rate H*10(env) of environmental radiation into the different contributions is achieved by comparing the data of different detectors: the muon detector MUDOS, a modified neutron dosemeter, proportional counters and ionisation chambers. The response of the latter two dosemeter systems to cosmic radiation was determined at the Cosmic Radiation Dosimetry Site on a lake near PTB. Besides the increase of the ambient dose equivalent rate during rainfall, variations owing to air pressure, solar activity and temperature changes in the upper atmosphere are observed. Without rain and solar effects, smooth variations of the cosmic component at ground level of +/-6.9 nSv h(-1) should be treated as naturally occurring variations during an entire year.

Air Pressure↗
PubMed1984

[Necessity for total trichloride compound measurement in screening tests for workers exposed to trichloroethylene or 1,1,1,-trichloroethane].

In 9 series of physical examinations legally required for trichloroethylene (TCE) workers, levels of urinary total trichloride compounds (TTC) were revealed to be generally high in 323 specimens, including 250 male ones, collected from a medium sized company. Sixty four specimens (19.8%), including 56 male ones (22.4%), exceeded 300 mg/l which are regarded to correspond to the threshold limit for TCE in the air of the work site. Four specimens had over 900 mg/l. In all 323 specimens, however, no abnormalities were found with respect to specific gravity of blood, hemoglobin concentration and urinary tests. TTC concentration values increased in specimens in the last 4 physical checkups, compared with the values measured in the first 5. The cause of this increase seemed to be related to increases in the number of products and the hours of overtime work. Symptoms felt by these workers gradually subsided as they were continuously exposed to TCE for more than 2 or 3 years. Some workers of long service had a tendency toward addiction to TCE. In the legally required environmental monitoring of TCE, and other harmful organic solvents, the 8 workplaces fell into either classification 1 or 2, indicating that the environmental conditions are not harmful. More importantly, the above evaluations did not take into account long hours of overtime put in by those workers. Turning to the checkups of 1,1,1-trichloroethane workers, the results of legally required physical checkups and environmental monitoring were almost the same as those for TCE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetone↗
PubMed2005

Improvement of heavy metal stress and toxicity assays by coupling a transgenic reporter in a mutant nematode strain.

Previous studies have demonstrated that wild type Caenorhabditis elegans displays high sensitivity to heavy metals in a lethality test at a level comparable to that of other bioindicator organisms. Taking advantage of the genetics of this model organism, we have tested a number of mutant strains for enhanced sensitivity in heavy metal induced lethality and stress response. These mutants are defective in genes controlling dauer formation, longevity or response to reactive oxygen species (ROS). Among the tested mutants, a double mutant daf-16 unc-75 strain was identified to have superior sensitivity. It has a 6-, 3- and 2-fold increase in sensitivity to cadmium, copper and zinc, respectively, as compared with that of wild type animals. When a fluorescent reporter transgene was coupled with this double mutant for stress detection, a 10-fold enhancement of sensitivity to cadmium over the wild type strain was observed. These transgenic animals, superior to most of the model organisms currently used in bioassays for environmental pollutants, offer a fast and economic approach to reveal the bioavailability of toxic substance in field samples. This study also demonstrates that combination of genetic mutations and transgenesis is a viable approach to identify sensitive indicator animals for environmental monitoring.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Coordination of environmental specimen banking in the Nordic countries, its mission and strategy.

Under the authority of the Nordic Council of Ministers and their Working Group for Environmental Monitoring, a project for coordination of environmental specimen banking in the Nordic countries started in 1991. The project covers the established and planned central environmental specimen banks in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The aim of the project is to coordinate and harmonize procedures and methods used in specimen banking such as, collection of material, transport, preparation and storage. In order to increase the possibilities for future international cooperation in monitoring and ecotoxicological scientific work, the Project Group will form the strategy for the continuing work in the Nordic countries. The Project Group will propose adaptation to commonly utilized methods for morphometric measurements of specimens and collection of some common species for future monitoring. The national responsibility for specimen banking in an international perspective will be emphasized.

Denmark↗
PubMed2002

Ionomer-coated electrodes and nanoelectrode ensembles as electrochemical environmental sensors: recent advances and prospects.

This Minireview focuses on recent advances in the use of ionomer-coated electrodes and nanoelectrode ensembles for the determination of redox ions at trace concentration level with special stress on applications for environmental monitoring. After an overview on the most recent developments of ionomer-coated electrodes, attention is directed towards their use for speciation analysis in environmental samples. In particular, some examples such as the selective determination of inorganic and metallorganic species of different toxicity and the redox state speciation of multiply charged ions are discussed. The second part of the Minireview deals with the development and electroanalytical use of a new kind of nanostructured electrode, named nanoelectrode ensembles, which are prepared by template synthesis within the pores of microporous guest membranes. Advantages, peculiarities, and limits of such devices are discussed together with perspectives for their use in electroanalytical sensing at trace and ultratrace concentration levels in environmental samples.

Electrodes↗
PubMed2006

Monitoring biological effects of pollution in the Baltic Sea: neglected--but still wanted?

In the Baltic Sea, studies regarding biological effects of contaminants are relatively few, partly due to political and economical reasons, specific hydrographic characteristics, and a strong eutrophication-targeted research focus during the past three decades. The development of a monitoring strategy concerning biological effects and its implementation into environmental monitoring programmes in the Baltic Sea is lagging behind the progress currently taking place in most of western and southern Europe. The pan-European project BEEP (Biological Effects of Environmental Pollution on Marine Coastal Ecosystems, 2001-2004) included the Baltic Sea as one of the target areas for the evaluation of a suite of biological effects indicators in European coastal waters. The main aims of the BEEP project are described and how the expected outcome for the Baltic Sea could provide the needed "baseline" information and expertise for a biological effect monitoring and contribute to harmonise environmental monitoring programmes within the EU.

Baltic States↗
PubMed1995

[The contribution of space biology and medicine to the solution of ecological problems].

Space biology and medicine solving the problems of space exploration by a man is thereby contributed to the solution of the ecological problems. Theoretically, it is an enrichment of the existing ideas of the biosphere and biological consequences of an anthropogenic effect on the biosphere. Practically, these are: the novel means and methods of the environmental monitoring; the databases of the ecology of a healthy man; the countermeasures and methods to prevent and protect a man from the impacts of unfavourable environmental factors.

Aerospace Medicine↗
PubMed1999

Application of DNA arrays to toxicology.

DNA array technology makes it possible to rapidly genotype individuals or quantify the expression of thousands of genes on a single filter or glass slide, and holds enormous potential in toxicologic applications. This potential led to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-sponsored workshop titled "Application of Microarrays to Toxicology" on 7-8 January 1999 in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. In addition to providing state-of-the-art information on the application of DNA or gene microarrays, the workshop catalyzed the formation of several collaborations, committees, and user's groups throughout the Research Triangle Park area and beyond. Potential application of microarrays to toxicologic research and risk assessment include genome-wide expression analyses to identify gene-expression networks and toxicant-specific signatures that can be used to define mode of action, for exposure assessment, and for environmental monitoring. Arrays may also prove useful for monitoring genetic variability and its relationship to toxicant susceptibility in human populations.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1983

Biological monitoring of environmental contaminants: chlorinated hydrocarbons in eggs of hens.

High concentrations of persistent chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide residues were detected by gas-liquid chromatography with an electron capture detector (3H), in eggs of hens collected from Lucknow under the pesticide monitoring programme. The present study reveals extremely high contamination of eggs, particularly with DDT and HCH residues. The eggs may be an important source of DDT and HCH build-up in the human body. Residue levels of p,p'-DDT and its metabolites p,p'-DDE and alpha, beta and gamma-isomers of HCH were higher in eggs of poultry-farm hens compared to those of domestic hens. Egg yolk contained higher levels compared with egg white, because of the lipophilic nature of pesticides and the high lipid content in the yolk. Average levels of total DDT and HCH residues in the yolk and white in the whole egg of a poultry-farm hen were found to be 18.5 and 4.6 micrograms respectively, whereas the average levels were 7.4 and 4.1 micrograms, respectively, in the whole egg of a domestic hen.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

A system for rapid large-area monitoring of gamma dose rates in the environment based on MCP-N (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) TL detectors.

One lesson learned from the Chernobyl accident was that the spatial distribution of far-field contamination was strongly non-uniform due to local variation of atmospheric conditions, such as wind direction, rain etc. An environmental monitoring system using highly sensitive thermoluminescent LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N) detectors has been completed and field-tested. The system consists of 3000 MCP-N detectors in 1000 TLD cards (three TLDs per card), two Mikrolab automatic TL readers, heating ovens, and specially developed software which includes a database for rapid evaluation of results. The main dosimetric parameters of MCP-N dosemeters, such as thermally-induced fading, light sensitivity, minimum detectable dose, self-dose, zero-dose, energy response up to 6-7 MeV, influence of annealing and readout conditions on detector stability, have been tested. About 100 locations over an area of about 15,000 km2 in the south of Poland were selected for measurements lasting from 4 days to 3 months. The kerma rates measured over a 4 day screening period agree well with kerma rates determined over a 75 day monitoring period. Results from short- and long-term exposure periods agree well with those performed using MTS-N (LiF:Mg,Ti) over southern Poland in 1985, before the Chernobyl accident. Thus, using the system based on MCP-N detectors, one is able simultaneously to monitor environmental radiation kerma rates at a large number of locations over periods of four days or less. Provided natural background kerma rates at selected monitoring points are available prior to the accident, the system can be applied to assess kerma rates rapidly in the environment, following a nuclear accident.

Calcium↗