Toxicity and uptake of methyl bromide in hybrid descendants of resistant and susceptible Sitophilus granarius (L.)

Progeny of susceptible Sitophilus granarius repeatedly crossed with individuals from a resistant strain attained resistance to methyl bromide without selection with the fumigant and when this hybrid strain was subsequently subjected to methyl bromide pressure a higher degree of resistance than was present in the resistant parent developed. Resistant insects absorbed slightly less fumigant than susceptible insects in the first few hours of exposure but more in a 24 hr fumigation period. Resistance could not be related to either rate or degree of uptake of fumigant. The quantities of absorbed fumigant required to kill insects from both strains are given.     

Sorption of tritiated phosphine by various stages of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

When various stages of Tribolium castaneum were fumigated with 0.14–1.69 mg/l of tritiated phosphine for 5 hr the uptake of the fumigant was found to be considerably greater in larvae and adults than in pupae or eggs. Mature larvae absorbed 2–3 times as much phosphine as pupae at all concentrations tested and mortality was appeciably higher. Uptake by 1-day-old adults was about two fold that of the mature pupal stage from which they had emerged and increased with age so that 14-day adults absorbed about twice as much as newly emerged adults. Uptake by pupae followed a U-shaped curve somewhat similar to the characteristic pattern of oxygen uptake by pupae of different ages. Eggs retained only a small proportion of the radioactive fumigant they absorbed. A considerable amount remained at the surface of the eggs and was converted to soluble compounds that could be washed off with water. The results suggest that the higher tolerance of both eggs and pupae to phosphine may, at least partially, be attributed to the lower uptake of fumigant as compared to larvae and adults.     

Loss of phosphine from unsealed bins of wheat at six combinations of grain temperature and grain moisture content

Hard red winter wheat (1.4 t) at 11.1 or 13.5% moisture content (wet basis) and 20, 25, or 30 degrees C was fumigated with tablets of an aluminum phosphide formulation in unsealed, cylindrical grain bins of corrugated metal. The fumigant leakage rate was manipulated to approximate that commonly encountered in farm and commercial-scale bins of this type. Phosphine concentration profiles were recorded and phosphine loss and sorption were characterized to determine which conditions provided the greatest probability of successful fumigation in these bins. Phosphine leakage and sorption were both positively related to grain temperature and moisture content. The fumigant concentration profiles were compared with previously-published data relating temperature to the developmental rate and fumigant susceptibility of lesser grain borer eggs, which are phosphine-resistant but become less resistant as they age. The mean phosphine concentration observed at the time corresponding to one-half of the calculated egg development time was compared to the lethal concentration (LC(99)) for a 2-day exposure at each temperature-moisture combination. In the low-moisture grain at 20 degrees C, the observed fumigant concentration was below the lethal concentration, due to the long development time under these conditions. At 25 and 30 degrees C in the low-moisture wheat, the likelihood of complete kill appeared more favorable because the fumigant concentration remained above the published LC(99) for more than half of the egg development time. In the wheat with 13.5% moisture content, rapid fumigant sorption and loss resulted in phosphine concentrations below the LC(99) at one-half of the development time at 20 or 25 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, due to the very rapid development rate, the observed phosphine concentration exceeded the LC(99) half-way through the egg development period despite the rapid rate of fumigant sorption and loss. Repeated fumigation of the same grain reduced the rate at which phosphine sorbed into the grain.     

Developing and verifying a fumigant loss model for bulk stored grain to predict phosphine concentrations by taking into account fumigant leakage and sorption

To ensure fumigation effectiveness and address phosphine resistance concerns, fumigant concentrations and movement in a grain storage silo need to be understood. A mathematically accurate fumigation model was developed that is capable of predicting fumigant concentration and movement throughout a grain storage silo that takes into account fumigant loss from leakage and sorption, and was verified with experimental fumigation data. Equations estimating fumigant leakage and sorption were developed based on literature values and added to an existing finite element model. Fumigation data was used from a fumigation conducted on an Australian made silo filled with 45.5 tonnes of maize in Manhattan, Kansas. Two verifications were conducted based on phosphine concentration release times of 24 h and 30 h, with both verifications demonstrating accurate prediction of phosphine fumigant values and trends. The two verifications resulted in concentration-time products that were within 0.9% and 4.3% of the experimental values, respectively. The fumigation model is most accurate during the times of highest phosphine concentration. However, the model under predicted phosphine concentrations during the first 12 h of fumigation and over predicted phosphine concentrations beyond the first six days of fumigation. This fumigation model was found to be sufficiently accurate to allow for future experimentation on predicting fumigant concentrations as a function of environmental conditions and operational variable.     

Evaluation of dosimeter tubes for monitoring phosphine fumigations

Within integrated pest management options, fumigation of stored products is one method to help control post-harvest insect infestations in our food and agricultural products. Fumigant gas concentration monitoring is important to confirm that the treatment was adequate to achieve the desired insect control, but monitoring can be relatively expensive and labor intensive. This study evaluated how accurately dosimeter tubes could monitor phosphine fumigation treatments. The dosimeter tube is designed to continuously react with phosphine gas during the fumigation period and yields a measurement in terms of concentration 1 time product or CT, which can be interpreted as cumulative exposure. Two models of dosimeter tubes were evaluated (high range and low range). The reference method for these trials were wireless phosphine monitoring sensors, which recorded gas concentrations at hourly intervals during an exposure, and from this a CT product was also calculated. Model LPG-1, high-range dosimeter tube, measured within ± 25% of the phosphine monitoring sensors for CT dosages less the 70,000 ppm1hr. Model LPG-2, low-range tube, tended to significantly over-estimate phosphine CT dosage by 50%–100% of the phosphine monitoring sensor references. Secondly, bioassays of fumigant efficacy were performed using susceptible and resistant adult Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), lesser grain borers, and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), red flour beetle, for estimating insect control at the varied fumigation CT treatments. For the susceptible strains, CT dosages ∼5000 ppm1hr controlled both species. However, the insect control varied from 60% to 100% for resistant adults at CT dosages of ∼20,000 ppm1hr. The dosimeter tubes function in these ranges of dosages where each insect species are controlled and the dosimeter tube model LPG-1 provides reasonable estimates of the fumigation dosage for a given treatment level.     

Chlorine Uptake by Chicken Frankfurters Immersed in Chlorinated Water

Chicken frankfurters, with and without the processing casing wrapped on the outside, were immersed in water containing 1.1–11.3 mM hypochlorite for 1, 4 and 24 hr. Casing retarded but did not prevent chlorine uptake which increased with increasing hypochlorite concentration of immersion solution and with increasing immersion time. For frankfurters with casing, the uptake of chlorine by a 45g frankfurter immersed for 1 hr in 2.8 or 11.3 mM hypochlorite solutions was 18 μmoles and 72 μmoles, respectively. Immersed for 24 hr, the uptake was 99 μmoles and 268 μmoles, respectively. The rate of chlorine uptake increased with concentration of chlorine in water but decreased rapidly with time.     

Accumulation and toxicity of cadmium in the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex: a kinetic modeling approach

Heavy metal pollution is a serious threat to ecosystem functioning. Different approaches have been developed to relate the exposure of heavy metals to their accumulation and toxicity. One approach is to relate metal toxicity to the concentrations of the metals in the whole body or a specific target tissue instead of the external exposure concentrations. To test the usefulness of this approach, the relationship between cadmium exposure, accumulation, and toxicity was investigated using an oligochaete worm and kinetic modeling. The uptake and elimination of cadmium by the aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex from the aqueous phase was studied as function of time at different exposure concentrations using both radioactive and non-radioactive cadmium. A two-compartmental pharmacokinetic model was constructed and parametrized by fitting the model to the measured cadmium body concentrations during exposure to different cadmium concentrations. The uptake rate constants were dependent on the cadmium exposure concentration, and this relation could be well-described by incorporation of Michaelis-Menten type uptake kinetics. The toxicity of cadmium was analyzed by determining the lethal exposure concentration associated with a mortality of 50% (LC50) at different time points. LC50 values decreased with increasing exposure time reaching the incipient lethal level after 15 d. Critical body concentrations (CBC) associated with 50% mortality were calculated by combining the model-predicted pharmacokinetic parameters and the measured LC50 values. The predicted mean CBC (0.32 micromol/g wet weight +/- 0.02) was in good agreement with the experimentally obtained CBC for cadmium found in T. tubifex (0.37 micromol/g wet weight +/- 0.07) and appeared to be independent of exposure time and exposure concentration. Our results show that a pharmacokinetic modeling approach provides a tool to link metal exposure to availability, accumulation, and toxicity under variable exposure scenarios taking into account the kinetics of the processes.     

Modeling cadmium exchange by an aquatic moss (Fontinalis dalecarlica)

Although aquatic mosses are widely used as metal biomonitors in rivers, there are few effective models to describe metal uptake and loss by these plants. To fill this gap, we exposed the aquatic moss Fontinalis dalecarlica for 28 d to three Cd concentrations (approximately 5-50 nM) in a flow-through laboratory system. Cadmium accumulation by F. dalecarlica was rapid during the first few days of exposure and slowed thereafter but did not reach a steady state within our 1-month long experiment. This lack of a plateau in moss concentrations suggests that, for biomonitoring purposes, the duration of moss exposure should be considered either through a model of the type that we tested or by standardizing the exposure time of mosses transplanted in the field. During the subsequent 22-d elimination phase of our experiment, Cd concentrations in mosses did not return to their initial levels. This result suggests that a two-compartment model is likely to be more effective at describing Cd losses than would a one-compartment alternative. Indeed, predictions of a two-compartment model closely fitted our experimental data, which augurs well for the wider use of this model for other moss species and metals.     

Ascorbate Absorption By Live Channel Catfish as a Function of Ascorbate Concentration, pH, and Duration of Exposure

Ascorbate uptake by muscle tissue of live channel catfish was affected by ascorbate concentrations (1000, 2000, and 3000 ppm), pH (5, 6, and 7) and duration of exposure (8, 16, and 24 hr.). The most favorable conditions for ascorbate absorption were exposure to 3000 ppm ascorbate at pH 5 for 24 hr. The increased muscle ascorbic acid concentration was 4-fold higher than that of the control group (10 ppm). The ability of live channel catfish to absorb dissolved ascorbate via gills and/or intestines and distribute the antioxidant into muscle tissue provides a new approach to introduce water-soluble antioxidants to aquacultured fish species.     

Uptake and distribution of iodine in grass and clover plants grown in solution culture

Perennial ryegrass (S23), timothy (S48), white clover (S100) and red clover (Hungaropoly), grown in culture solutions containing 0.2 × 10^?7, 1.0 × 10^?7, 5.0 × 10^?7 and 1.0 × 10^?6 M -potassium iodide, showed relatively small differences in iodine uptake. The lowest uptake occurred with timothy, the species that also produced the lowest yields of dry matter. Red clover had the lowest concentration of iodine in the shoots on all treatments, its difference from the other species being proportionately greater at the higher levels of iodide supply. The transport of iodine from roots to shoots was restricted in all species, with roots having much greater concentrations of iodine than shoots. However, with the exception of red clover, transport to the shoots increased considerably as the supply of iodide was increased. Two diploid and two tetraploid varieties of red clover also showed only small differences in uptake and concentration of iodine in their shoots and roots, although the tetraploid varieties did have somewhat lower concentrations in their shoots at the lowest level of iodide supply. Plants of perennial ryegrass and red clover grown for eight weeks on solutions containing 1.0 × 10^?7 M -iodide had higher concentrations of iodine in dead and senescent leaves than in green shoot material. Iodide was taken up much more readily than iodate, and chloride, even at concentrations up to 50000 times the iodide concentration, did not depress the uptake of iodide.     

Continuous Production of Glucose Syrup in an Ultrafiltration Reactor

An ultrafiltration reactor was developed for the continuous saccharification of liquefied corn starch using glucoamylase. At an enzyme concentration of 1 g/L and a substrate concentration of 300 g/L, maltose and maltotriose were still detected in the reactor permeate after 4 hr of operation. At higher enzyme concentrations (6 and 12 g/L), the reactor achieved steady-state operation within 1–3 hr at all substrate concentrations studied. At an enzyme concentration of 12 g/L, residence time did not affect the final conversion of liquefied starch to glucose. The ultrafiltration reactor produced glucose syrups at residence times of 2–3 hr and substrate concentrations up to 30% w/v.     

The effect of concentration and exposure in tests with methyl bromide and with phosphine on diapausing larvae of Ephestia elutella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera,Pyralidae)

Fumigations were conducted in a 17001. chamber with methyl bromide or phosphine, subjecting diapausing larvae of Ephestia elutella at 20°C, 70% r.h. to three selected concentration-time (CT) products over a wide range of concentrations and exposure periods. With concentrations of methyl bromide between 2·9 and 15·0 mg/l., the CT product required for 50 per cent mortality was about 80 mg hr/l. The threshold concentration for a lethal response was found to lie between 0·62 and 1·15 mg/l. while with a concentration of 20 mg/l, the LD 50 was increased beyond the selected range of CT products.With the lowest concentration of phosphine tested, 0·02 mg/l., an LD 50 of 4·6 mg hr/l. was obtained. As concentrations were raised from 0·02 to 0·27 mg/l., and exposure periods were correspondingly decreased, there was a gradual increase in the CT product required for a particular level of kill. With higher concentrations, much lower mortalities were obtained at each CT product tested, and with a concentration of 1·4 mg/l., no significant kill was observed with any exposure period tested. At concentrations around 1 mg/l., mortality with phosphine was very low in exposures of less than 6 hr.     

Exchange of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) between air and a mixed pasture sward

To improve understanding of air-to-vegetation transfer of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), uptake and depuration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) between grass sward and air was investigated. Pasture swards were placed in fanned (2 m s(-1) wind speed) and unfanned conditions for a period of 20 days and sampled at intervals. Depuration was carried out after a short (4 days) and a long (14 days) exposure period. Prior to contamination, a mixed pasture sward at a semi-rural location contained sigmaPCN concentrations 15-20% of the sigmaPCB concentration. Uptake of both PCBs and PCNs was broadly linear in fanned and unfanned conditions over the 20-day period, i.e., the pasture did not reach equilibrium with the air. Uptake rates (fluxes) were greater under the fanned conditions. The difference in uptake rates between fanned and unfanned conditions increased with degree of chlorination for both PCBs and PCNs, ranging between a factor of 2 for tri-chlorinated PCBs and PCNs and a factor 5 for octa-chlorinated PCBs. Depuration results over the first hours were very scattered, showing an initial period of loss, followed by an increase in concentrations, possibly as a result of re-volatilization of PCBs from the soil in the trays, with consequent recapture by the overlying sward. Rapid clearance was observed over the following days, but depuration of PCBs and PCNs was still incomplete after 14 days, with 20% of the initial concentration of the sigmaPCBs and 10% of the sigmaPCNs retained by the sward. There was no difference in the proportion of POPs retained in the sward between the 4- and 14-day contamination treatments. POP-specific differences in the amount of compound "trapped" in leaves after contamination were observed. The results show that, although changes in the rate of air movement around a pasture have an effect on the uptake rate of POPs into the vegetation, plant-side resistance controls both the air-to-pasture and pasture-to-air exchange of gas-phase PCBs and PCNs; i.e., differences between plant species in cuticle composition and/or structure affecting the permeability of the cuticle are of greater importance than differences in leaf morphology affecting aerodynamic roughness.     

Optimising indoor phosphine fumigation of paddy rice bag-stacks under sheeting for control of resistant insects

Three indoor, sheeted bag-stack fumigations of paddy rice using aluminium phosphide were undertaken in Guangdong Province, southern China. We measured the effect of two types of sheeting (polyvinylchloride [PVC] or polyethylene [PE]) and two types of floor sealing (clips or fixing into a slot with a rubber pipe) on phosphine concentration and retention. The aim was to test the feasibility of retaining fumigant at a sufficient concentration for long enough to control known resistant insect pests. Each stack was pressure tested and phosphine concentrations measured daily during the fumigation. Cages of test insects in culture medium, including resistant and susceptible strains, were placed inside each stack and could be observed through the clear sheeting. Highest concentrations for the longest period were obtained in a PVC-covered stack that included a ground sheet and wall sheets sealed to the floor with rubber pipes. A similar PVC-covered stack sealed to the floor with clips instead of pipe did not retain gas as efficiently and required re-dosing. A PE-covered stack, with no ground sheet but also with wall sheets sealed to the floor with pipe, produced an acceptable fumigation. Susceptible Rhyzopertha dominica were controlled in 2 days and the most resistant strain in 15 days. Resistant Cryptolestes ferrugineus survived until day 21. The paddy was still free of insect infestation 7 months later when the bag-stack was opened to mill the rice. Pressure half-lives correlated with gas concentration and retention. Sorption appeared to be a major limiting factor, reducing potential fumigant dosage by about 50%. The trials demonstrated the feasibility of sealing bag-stacks to a standard high enough to control all known resistant strains.     

大型面粉加工车间硫酰氟整体熏蒸杀虫效果评估

研究了我国华南地区广州岭南穗粮谷物股份有限公司一面粉加工车间B区、C区,长为108 m,宽为25 m,高为35.2 m,总体积为95 040 m3,有效熏蒸体积为53842 m3的空间,采用硫酰氟剂量为40 g/m3、密闭时间为48 h的整体性结构熏蒸。在不补充硫酰氟熏蒸剂的条件下,熏蒸过程浓度随时间变化的规律,建立了熏蒸剂的日损失率Ld和浓度半数衰减时间HLT,分析了各楼层硫酰氟浓度变化规律和熏蒸剂泄漏程度,评估了杀虫效果。熏蒸剂的日损失率符合模型：（e,自然常数;b,衰减常数）,浓度半数衰减时间HLT符合模型：熏蒸剂日损失率的变化随着衰减常数的增大而增大,浓度半数衰减时间HLT的变化随着衰减常数的增大而减小。单次熏蒸时衰减常数为固定值,熏蒸剂日损失率、浓度半数衰减时间HLT为恒定变化。经模型评估,6、7、8楼的日损失率Ld和半数衰减时间介于56.7 %~71.3 %和0.56~0.83 d。3、4楼区域损失率Ld和半数衰减时间介于85.0 %~92.6 %和0.27~0.37 d;除8楼硫酰氟熏蒸剂浓度半数衰减时间HLT超过15 h,其余楼层均未超过15 h。熏蒸后22 d,取样检测发现面粉加工车间设备和管道中均发现赤拟谷盗幼虫活虫。采用硫酰氟进行建筑物结构40 g/m3剂量、密闭时间48 h方式熏蒸,可将车间空间区域害虫各虫态以及管道和设备中成虫杀死,存在于设备和管道内的卵可能存活且发育成新幼虫或蛹。     

Controlled exposure chamber study of uptake and clearance of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by wheat grain

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can partition from the atmosphere into agricultural crops, contributing to exposure through the dietary pathway. In this study, controlled environmental chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the transfer of PAHs from air into wheat grain, which is a major food staple. A series of PAHs ranging in size from naphthalene to pyrene were maintained at elevated gas-phase concentrations in the chamber housing mature and dry wheat grain both on the plant and with the husk removed. The PAHs did not achieve equilibrium between the air and grain over the 6.5 month monitoring period used in this study. Therefore, PAH uptake under field conditions is expected to be kinetically limited. A clearance study conducted for the grain showed the half-life of clearance was approximately 20 days for all compounds studied. The results suggest that atmospheric contaminants that partition into grain may remain in the grain long enough to contribute to dietary exposure for humans. Mass transfer across the air/grain interface appeared to be limited by grain-side resistance. The grain may act as a multicompartment system with rapid exchange at the surface followed by slower transfer into the grain. A grain/air concentration relationship was derived for the uptake time that is relevant to field conditions.     

Exposure of Ephestia cautella (Wlk.) pupae to carbon dioxide concentrations at different relative humidities: The effect on adult emergence and loss in weight

The effects on mortality and loss in weight caused by 21, 51 and 88% carbon dioxide in combination with relative humidities of 20–22, 54–55, and 95–96% were tested on 0–24 hr old Ephestia cautella pupae, at 26°C. Exposure times ranged from 1 to 6 days. At 54–55%, and 20–22% r.h. pupal mortality was high for all carbon dioxide concentrations used, while at 95% r.h. total mortality was obtained only at the highest carbon dioxide concentration tested. At carbon dioxide concentrations of 51 and 88% a 9–11% concentration of oxygen was present. At 20–22% and 54–55% r.h. loss in weight of pupae exposed to carbon dioxide concentrations of 21% and higher was very pronounced. At 95–96% r.h., none of the treatments resulted in loss in weight exceeding 16% after six days of exposure. A 95% mortality curve represents the interrelated effect of carbon dioxide and relative humidity on the moth pupae. The fumigant effect of carbon dioxide is discussed.     

Problems in the laboratory investigation of the toxicity of phosphine to stored product insects

The principles to be observed in determining the toxicity of fumigants to stored product insects by means of laboratory experiments, and the circumstances in which these must be modified for phosphine are discussed. After assessing the published literature two kinds of experiment are recommended, to imitate the levels of concentration and exposures used in practice and to limit the exposure period to 8 or 24 hr. For the latter exposures higher concentrations than are used in practice would be required and it might not be possible to achieve complete mortality of test samples. However, this technique should separate the tolerant and susceptible stages of the life cycle and reveal any stages of intermediate susceptibility. The maximum duration of the developmental period of the tolerant stages would represent the minimum exposure period for phosphine desirable in practice provided all the individuals in a tolerant stage developed and reached a susceptible one.     

Effects of weather conditions on sulfuryl fluoride and methyl bromide leakage during structural fumigation in a flour mill

A validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of structural fumigation was used to perform 54 fumigation simulations (half with sulfuryl fluoride, SF, and half with methyl bromide, MB) using recorded hourly average weather data for 4 July and 1 September at Indianapolis International Airport for the years 1996-2006. These weather data were used as the simulation boundary conditions. Although the fumigations were simulated for the same time periods, the results indicated substantial variations in the fumigant leakage rates. The 11-year averages of wind speeds on 4 July and 1 September were 3.8 and 2.4 m/s, respectively, resulting in half-loss time (HLT) differences between the fumigations on the two days. On average, the HLT was 4 h lower on 4 July than on 1 September. When comparing the results between individual fumigations, substantial differences in the fumigant leakage were observed, regardless of the fumigant type and whether or not the fumigations were performed at the same time period. This implied that using past fumigation data as the primary means for evaluating the structural sealing quality of a current fumigation is not adequate. Predictions of fumigant leakage rate and fumigation performance should incorporate quantifiable sealing effectiveness and weather information for the planned fumigation period. Comparisons between SF and MB fumigations indicated that under exactly the same weather conditions and fumigation practices the leakage characteristics of SF and MB do not differ. In practical situations where the dosage requirements for SF and MB are typically not the same, however, the leakage rates of SF and MB fumigations could be different due to the buoyancy effect. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the difference may or may not be significant depending on other factors such as sealing quality, wind speed and direction, and ambient temperature. The effects of these factors should be further quantified.     

Unifying prolonged copper exposure, accumulation, and toxicity from food and water in a marine fish

The link between metal exposure and toxicity is complicated by numerous factors such as exposure route. Here, we exposed a marine fish (juvenile blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii schlegelii) to copper either in a commercial fish diet or in seawater. Copper concentrations in intestine/liver were correlated linearly with influx rate, but appeared to be less influenced by uptake pathway (waterborne or dietary exposure). Influx rate best predicted Cu accumulation in the intestine and liver. However, despite being a good predictor of mortality within each pathway, influx rate was not a good predictor of mortality across both exposure pathways, as waterborne Cu caused considerably higher mortality than dietary Cu at a given influx rate. We show that the use of gill Cu accumulation irrespective of the exposure route as a model for observed fish mortality provided a clear relationship between accumulation and toxicity. Investigation of gill Cu accumulation may shed light on the different accumulation strategies from the two exposure pathways. This correlation offers potential for the use of branchial Cu concentration as an indicator of long-term Cu toxicity, allowing for differences in the relative importance of the uptake pathways in different field situations.