Long-term personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution among school children, a validation study

Several recent studies suggest an association between long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and health. Most studies use indicators of exposure such as outdoor air pollution or traffic density on the street of residence. Little information is available about the validity of these measurements as an estimate of long-term personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution. In this pilot study, we assessed outdoor and personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution in children living in homes on streets with different degree of traffic intensity. The personal exposure of 14 children aged 9-12 years to 'soot', NO(x) (NO and NO(2)) was assessed in Amsterdam between March and June 2003. Each child's personal exposure was monitored during four repeated 48-h periods. Concurrently, in- and outdoor NO(x) measurements were carried out at the school and at the home of each participating child. Measurements were supplemented by a questionnaire on time activity patterns and possible indoor sources. Flow-controlled battery operated pumps in a made-to-fit backpack were used to sample personal exposure to 'soot', determined from the reflectance of PM(2.5) filters. Exposure to NO(x) was assessed using Ogawa passive samplers. Children living near busy roads were found to have a 35% higher personal exposure to 'soot' than children living at an urban background location, despite that all children attended the same school that was located away from busy roads. Smaller contrasts in personal exposure were found for NO (14%), NO(2) (15%) and NO(x) (14%). This finding supports the use of 'living near a busy road' as a measure of exposure in epidemiological studies on the effects of traffic-related air pollution in children.     

Assessment of organic chlorinated compound removal from aqueous matrices by adsorption on activated carbon

Adsorption on activated carbon is currently the most frequently used technology to remove organic chlorinated pollutants from wastewaters. The present study examines the ability of five commercially available types of activated carbon to remove organic chlorinated compounds from the effluent of a chemical plant. The various types were tested on the basis of Freundlich adsorption isotherms for 14 pure organic chlorinated compounds, of molecular weight ranging from that of dichloromethane (MW=84.93 gmol(-1)) to hexachlorobenzene (MW=284.78 gmol(-1)). The best was selected and used in a laboratory fixed-bed column to assess its removal efficiency with respect to the tested organic chlorinated compounds. Removal efficiency was always higher than 90%. These results provide information necessary to optimize scale-up from the pilot plant to the real one.     

Immune parameters in female workers exposed to urban pollutants

Urban outside workers, such as traffic police, are daily exposed to air pollutants and psychosocial stressors: for these workers, the working environment corresponds to the living environment of the general population. Studies in the literature have shown that immune parameters could be affected by chronic exposure to various chemical pollutants. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to urban pollutants can cause alterations in NK, IL-2, IFN-gamma and C3 plasma levels in female traffic police compared to a control group. After excluding subjects with the principal confounding factors, 86 female traffic police and 87 controls were matched by age, years of police work and habitual alcohol consumption. The distribution of NK values in female traffic police and controls was significantly different (p=0.000); NK values above the upper limit of the normal laboratory range were observed in 23 female traffic police and in 2 controls (p=0.000). IL-2 mean levels were higher in traffic police compared to controls, but the difference was not significant. The mean and the distribution of IFN-gamma values in female traffic police and controls were not different. C3 mean levels were higher in female traffic police versus controls, but the difference was not significant. Considering that the subjects with the principal confounding factors were excluded from the study and that female traffic police and controls were matched by the above-mentioned variables, our results suggest that chronic occupational exposure to low doses of chemical stressors, which may interact with and add to psychosocial ones, can affect both innate and adaptative immunity.     

Sources and temporal dynamics of arsenic in a New Jersey watershed, USA

We examined potential sources and the temporal dynamics of arsenic (As) in the slightly alkaline waters of the Wallkill River, northwestern New Jersey, where violations of water-quality standards have occurred. The study design included synoptic sampling of stream water and bed sediments in tributaries and the mainstem, hyporheic-zone/ground water on the mainstem, and seasonal and diurnal sampling of water at selected mainstem sites. The river valley is bordered by gneiss and granite highlands and shale lowlands and underlain by glacial deposits over faulted dolomites and the Franklin Marble. Ore bodies in the Marble, which have been mined for rare Zn ore minerals, also contain As minerals. Tributaries, which drain predominantly forested and agricultural land, contributed relatively little As to the river. The highest concentrations of As (up to 34 mug/L) emanated from the outlet of man-made Lake Mohawk at the river's headwaters; these inputs varied substantially with season--high during warm months, low during cold months, apparently because of biological activity in the lake. Dissolved As concentrations were lower (3.3 microg/L) in river water than those in ground water discharging into the riverbed (22 microg/L) near the now-closed Franklin Mine. High total As concentrations (100-190 mg/kg) on the <0.63 microm fraction of bed sediments near the mine apparently result from sorption of the As in the ground-water discharge as well as from the As minerals in the streambed. As concentrations in river water were diluted during high stream flow in fall, winter and spring, and concentrated during low flow in summer. In unfiltered samples from a wetlands site, diurnal cycles in trace-element concentrations occurred; As concentrations appeared to peak during late afternoon as pH increased, but Fe, Mn, and Zn concentrations peaked shortly after midnight. The temporal variability of As and its presence at elevated concentrations in ground water and sediments as well as streamwater demonstrate the importance of (1) sampling a variety of media and (2) determining the time scales of As variability to fully characterize its passage through a river system.     

Computer Simulation of IT-diagrams of Steel

PHASE transformation modeling is one of the mainchallenges in modeling of heat treatment[1].The mechanism of phase transformations is not fullyunderstood and interactive influence of differentelements,austenitizing temperature,etc.usually arenot taken in account.The mistakes in phase transformation calculationcould be extremely great if a model is based only ongrain size of prior austenite,austenitizing temperatureand elemental composition of steel.Phase transformation kinetic depends also o…     

Influence of Heat Treatment on the Bond Coat Cyclic Oxidation Behaviour in an Air-plasma-sprayed Thermal Barrier Coating System

THE METALLIC BOND COAT is an importantconstituent in a TBC system.It enhances the adhesionof the ceramic thermal barrier layer(the topcoat)to thesubstrate and also provides oxidation protection to thesubstrate metal.The composition of the bond coat,generalized as M-Cr-Al-Y,where M represents Ni,Coand/or Fe,generally allows a layer of alumina(A12O3)to form during high temperature exposure.If acontinuous scale of A12O3forms along the interfacebetween the bond coat and the ceramic to…     

Ni/Al Intermetallics Plasma Transferred Arc Processing

TAILORING COMPONENT SUFACES for elevatedtemperature operations has been a goal of researchersduring the last century.Process and material selectionare the key factors for this development.In particularlythe latter can be described to have started with thedevelopment of stainless steels.Ni and Co based alloys,the superalloys,attended the increasing technologicaldemands for higher service temperatures(1).Morerecently the higher operating temperatures ofequipments,such as gas turbines,r…     

Microstructure Transformation in the Welding Heat Affected Zone of 800MPa Grade Ultra Fine Structured Steel

The transformation behavior and microstructure development in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of 800MPa grade ultra fine structured steel was investigated. It was found that the HAZ has intermediate temperature transformation characteristics in a wide range of cooling rates, with the bainite sheaves consisting of bainite ferrite plates without carbide precipitation and retained austenite in the .fast cooling regime. At relatively high cooling rates, which corresponded to low heat inputs, the hardness o.f the simulated HAZ was above that of the base metal. When the cooling rate was below 9℃/s, the welding HAZ would have an obvious softening. The analysis of transformation rates in continuous cooling processes was completed by numerical differential method. The result indicated that the microstructure transformation rate o.f the HAZ in 800MPa grade ultra fine structured steel changed sharply to slow speeds when the cooling time t8/5 is longer than 7s.     

Effects of Thermal Cycle on Mechanical Properties and Fractography in HAZ of HQ130 Steel

The effect of different peak temperature (Tp) and cooling time (t8/5) on hardness, impact toughness and fracture morphology in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of HQ130 steel was studied by using welding thermo-simulation test. Experimental results show that the impact toughness and hardness decrease with the decrease of Tp or increase of t8/5 under the condition of a single thermal cycle. There is a brittle zone in the vicinity of Tp=800℃, where the impact toughness is considerably low. There is softened zone in vicinity of Tp=700℃, Where the hardness decreases but the toughness increases. In the practical application of multi-layer and multi-pass welding, the welding heat input should be strictly limited (t8/5≥20s) so as to reduce the softness and brittleness in the HAZ of HQ130 steel.     

Numerical Simulation of Macro-Segregation in Steel Ingot During Solidification

A mathematical model coupling the momentum, energy and species conservation equations was proposed to calculate the macro-segregation of Fe-C alloy ingot during solidification. The corresponding simulation software which concurrently solves the macroscopic mass, momentum, energy and species conservation equations has been developed by applying the SIMPLE algorithm. The thermo-solutal convection in a NH4 Cl-H2O ingot is verified and the result shows good agreement with that reported. Then macro-segregation in a steel ingot is simulated by using the developed program. The steel ingot is in a rectangular mold with a riser. The fluid flow is mainly induced by the temperature field and the solid fraction. The macro-segregation pattern is mainly affected by the thermo-induced convection in the mushy zone. The negative segregation forms along the walls of the casting. The positive segregation forms at the top center of the casting into the riser. The species concentration reaches the peak in the center of the ingot where solidification ends lastly.