Levels and sources of heavy metals in house dust

The concentration and the sources of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu) in house dust samples of nine selected houses of Jalil Town, Gujranwala, Pakistan are determined and a comparison with the concentration of these metals in respective street dust samples is given. Sources, exterior as well as interior are identified. The extent of contribution of lead in house dust from exterior sources and interior sources is calculated by determining the isotopic ratios in house dust, street dust and paint used in the houses. It is noticed in the case of well ventilated houses, that most of the heavy metal contribution is from the exterior sources. However, in less ventilated houses, contribution from the interior sources is also significant.     

不同炭吸附材料对溶液中Pb^2＋的吸附性能比较

为比较不同炭吸附材料木炭、竹炭、改性木炭和改性竹炭对溶液中铅（Ⅱ）的吸附性能,研究了pH值、吸附剂用量、吸附平衡时间等因素对吸附量的影响。动力学研究表明,它们对铅（Ⅱ）的吸附均可用准一级动力学方程描述,测定了不同炭对铅（Ⅱ）吸附的表观速率常数,Freundlich等温吸附模型能较好地描述吸附过程;以我国饮用水标准中铅的限值0．05mg／L为标准,研究了一定质量浓度及一定量含铅废水处理时,所需吸附剂投料量的估算方法和实验验证结果,结果表明,控制合适的吸附条件,竹炭能较完全有效地除去废水中的铅。     

Challenges in preparing water-matrix reference materials for PAHs and pesticides: examples from SWIFT-WFD proficiency-testing schemes

In accordance with Article 8 of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Member States are required to establish monitoring programs for the quality of the surface water and the groundwater within each river-basin district. As such data are the basis for regulatory decisions and measures required to achieve WFD environmental objectives, appropriate analytical quality-assurance and quality-control tools have to be implemented by the monitoring laboratories. In this respect, reference materials (RMs) play a key role. Within the framework of the SWIFT-WFD project (Screening methods for Water data InFormation in support of the WFD), several approaches to the preparation of matrix RMs for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides in water have been used in wide-scale proficiency-testing (PT) schemes. We present the different strategies employed in preparing water-matrix RMs for organic analytes. By reviewing the results from the SWIFT-WFD PT schemes, we reflect on the applicability and the suitability of the different approaches.     

A Microwave Digestion Method for Total Decomposition of Lead and Other Metals in Paint,Soil and Dust

ABSTRACT

A simple, total decomposition method for lead and other metals in paint has been developed. Complete decomposition is achieved through a combination of reagents over several digestive steps in a microwave oven. Results of analysis of several NIST paint SRMs show excellent recoveries ranging from 85.5 to 111%. Additionally, recoveries of a number of trace elements for two soil and one dust NIST SRM were also excellent.     

Metals in precipitation and lake waters in the North-West of Russia

Standard monitoring data on the concentration of metals in precipitation and lake water in 2000s have been analyzed. All monthly average concentrations of Pb in Cd in precipitation were lower than the corresponding maximum allowable concentrations (MACs), whereas the concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Fe in lake surface waters were similar to or exceeded MACs for fishery reservoirs. The peak concentration of Pb in precipitation in June indicated increased dust content of air in late spring and early summer due to soil exposure and plowing. Increased concentration of Zn in the Kubenskoe Lake surface water in spring is likely to result from the peak discharge of anthropogenic pollutants on melting of snow and ice.     

Surfactant charge effects on the location, vibrational spectra, and relaxation dynamics of cyanoferrates in reverse micelles

Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy has been used to measure vibrational energy relaxation (VER) and reorientation (Tr) times for the high frequency CN stretches of potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide and the NO stretch of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in several reverse micelle (RM) systems using cationic, anionic, and nonionic surfactants. The confinement effects on anion vibrational spectra and dynamics in aqueous RMs depend on the charge of the surfactant that is used to form the RMs. Spectra and VER dynamics of ferrocyanide are not significantly altered in the limited number of RMs in which it could be solubilized. The static spectra of ferricyanide suggest an environment that is most bulklike in anionic RMs and least bulklike in cationic RMs. The dynamics of ferricyanide are slower in cationic RMs and indistinguishable from the bulk in nonionic RMs. The VER dynamics and static spectra of SNP are indistinguishable from the bulk in anionic RMs, but much slower in cationic RMs. This suggests a strong surfactant-solute repulsion in the former and an attraction in the latter. Broad static spectra and probe frequency dependent dynamics are seen for SNP in nonionic RMs, indicating an inhomogeneous distribution of environments. Similar measurements were carried out for SNP in mixtures of water and a model compound containing only the hydrophilic portion of the nonionic surfactants in which RMs are not formed. The results closely resemble those observed for SNP in nonionic RMs and provide evidence that in the latter water penetrates the interface and hydrates the ethylene oxide groups before forming a water pool. The results are consistent with the explanation that Coulombic forces determine the anion location. The anions are repelled to the interior of the water pool, which has a bulklike environment in anionic RMs, and are attracted to the interface in cationic RMs, resulting in a strong interaction with the surfactant. The solute location in the nonionic RMs depends on the hydrophilic nature of the probe, with ferrocyanide and ferricyanide being more hydrophilic than SNP. These results and the dependence on surfactant charge are similar to those reported for azide.     

Characterization of paint samples used in drinking water reservoirs: identification of endocrine disruptor compounds

Several migration tests are performed from various epoxy paint samples that, according to the regulation, can be used in food reservoirs such as drinking water reservoirs. The level of the organic compounds capable of producing migrations to water with special attention to endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) are identified and estimated by closed loop-stripping analysis (CLSA) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) methods coupled with gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS). Bisphenol A, a strong endocrine disruptor, is found in all migration experiments. Its concentration level reaches between 0.02 and 0.03 mg/cm2. The higher concentration corresponds with benzylic alcohol, which is used as a solvent and curing agent in epoxy paint. Other EDCs identified in the migration tests are phthalates, 4-nonylphenol, and t-butylphenol. The main non-EDCs identified are solvents, antioxidants, and rubber-like compounds. No great differences are found in the use of metallic plates or concrete slabs for migration experiments; only additional compounds related with the pretreatment of the concrete wall have been identified, too. In the study of a drinking water sample the same organic compounds identified in the migration test is not seen. This is probably because of the dynamic situation in a drinking water reservoir. Finally, a GC profile of a direct epoxy paint analysis is shown. The main peak identified is bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, monomer, and an active principle of the polymerization of epoxy resins based on bisphenol A. In addition, we report the recoveries of a selected group of EDCs using CLSA and LLE methods coupled with GC-MS.     

Effect of the Cationic Surfactant Moiety on the Structure of Water Entrapped in Two Catanionic Reverse Micelles Created from Ionic Liquid‐Like Surfactants

The behavior of water entrapped in reverse micelles (RMs) formed by two catanionic ionic liquid‐like surfactants, benzyl‐n‐hexadecyldimethylammonium 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT‐BHD) and cetyltrimethylammonium 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT‐CTA), was investigated by using dynamic (DLS) and static (SLS) light scattering, FTIR, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy techniques. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which AOT‐CTA has been used to create RMs and encapsulate water. DLS and SLS results revealed the formation of RMs in benzene and the interaction of water with the RM interface. From FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy data, a difference in the magnitude of the water–catanionic surfactant interaction at the interface is observed. For the AOT‐BHD RMs, a strong water–surfactant interaction can be invoked whereas for AOT‐CTA this interaction seems to be weaker. Consequently, more water molecules interact with the interface in AOT‐BHD RMs with a completely disrupted hydrogen‐bond network, than in AOT‐CTA RMs in which the water structure is partially preserved. We suggest that the benzyl group present in the BHD⁺ moiety in AOT‐BHD is responsible for the behavior of the catanionic interface in comparison with the interface created in AOT‐CTA. These results show that a simple change in the cationic component in the catanionic surfactant promotes remarkable changes in the RMs interface with interesting consequences, in particular when using the systems as nanoreactors.     

Photophysics and locations of IR125 and C152 in AOT reverse micelles

Many fluorescent chromophores have been employed to investigate the nature and dynamics of the water confined in reverse micelles (RMs). However, some questions remain as to the location of a probe in a RM and the diameter of the RM at which the physical characteristic of the water inside RMs becomes similar to that of bulk water. In this work, we systematically studied the photophysics of IR125 and C152 in AOT RMs at different w(0) by means of static absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy as well as time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We obtained the absorption maxima, fluorescence emission maxima, fluorescence lifetime, and reorientation time of IR125 and C152 in AOT RMs at corresponding w(0). We found that all obtained photophysical parameters of IR125 and C152 in AOT RMs as a function of w(0) have a distinct changeover point around w(0) = 8, indicating that there is a dramatic change in the nature of the water confined in AOT RMs around w(0) = 8. The observed changeover point around w(0) = 8 is well in agreement with the Satpati's report (ChemPhysChem, 2009, 10, 2966). In addition, we observed that the measured reorientation time of IR125 in AOT RMs increases with the increase of w(0), which is opposite to the trend of change in the measured reorientation time of C152 in AOT RMs with the increase of w(0). We found that IR125 prefers to reside in the water pool of AOT RMs and that C152 prefers to reside in the outer side of the interfacial region or the nonpolar n-heptane phase of AOT RMs. Furthermore, we found that the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of IR125 in smaller w(0) AOT RMs primarily measures the reorientation of RMs and the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of IR125 in larger w(0) AOT RMs measures the reorientation of IR125 in the water pool confined in RMs. This work demonstrated that IR125 is an excellent probe to study the nature and dynamics of the water confined in AOT RMs.     

Photodetachment of ferrocyanide in reverse micelles

Solvated electrons have been generated in reverse micelles (RMs) through photodetachment of ferrocyanide (Fe(CN)(6)(4-)) in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) RMs. We have measured both bleach recovery of the parent ferrocyanide CN stretch in the infrared and the decay of the solvated electron absorption at 800 nm. The bleach recovery has been fit to a diffusion model for the geminate recombination process. The fit parameters suggest a narrowing of the spatial distribution of ejected electrons due to confinement in the RMs when compared to bulk water. The diffusion coefficient of the solvated electron does not appear to be significantly affected by RM confinement. The decay of the solvated electron absorption exhibits an additional decay component that is not observed in bulk water and is smaller for larger RMs. No corresponding additional component is seen in the parent ferrocyanide IR bleach recovery, which supports our interpretation that the confinement-induced new decay process in RMs is due to electrons reacting with AOT headgroups.     

The establishment of a quality evaluation system of reference materials

Reference materials have been applied widely to ensure the traceability, comparability and reliability of measurement results. To achieve this purpose, the quality of reference materials (RMs) themselves is surely an important aspect to be pay attention to. A quality evaluation system of RMs has been established through the project “The National Sharing Platform of Reference Materials” in China to give a reliable assessment on the quality of RMs from various sources including the accuracy and comparability of their property values, which is very useful to promote the appropriate selecting and using of RMs in China. Through the application of National Metrology Institute calibration and measurement capabilities on the basis of the international mutual recognition arrangement, it can also provide a powerful supplement to the current activities such as the accreditation of RM producers in the construction of a global harmonized quality control and assurance system of RMs.     

城市灰尘重金属含量对城市土壤重金属的影响--以金华市为例

为系统了解城市重金属污染特性,采集了金华市不同功能区的城市灰尘与城市土壤样品,获得重金属含量,并对数据进行了统计分析。结果表明：（1）灰尘中重金属含量均高于土壤,含量最高的 Mn,平均质量分数为770．62 mg/kg,其次为 Zn,为696．72 mg/kg。土壤中 Mn 元素质量分数最高,为537．60 mg/kg。（2）灰尘、土壤中重金属均为中等变异,且土壤变异程度高于灰尘,说明土壤中的重金属受外界扰动更大。（3）城市灰尘和土壤中 Zn 元素表现为显著正相关,说明其对土壤有影响, Cu、 Pb 和 Mn 表现为正相关, Nb 基本不相关, Cr 为负相关,但相关性均不显著。     

The accreditation of reference material producers — EUROLAB's position

A third-party assessment of reference materials (RMs) and their production is not of the highest priority for RM users. But if RM producers do want a third-party involvement this should be realised within the frame of existing conformity assessment schemes. Nevertheless, the right and responsibility of the laboratories to select the most appropriate RMs for their tasks must not be restricted by accreditation bodies or other interested parties.     

改性竹炭对含铅废水吸附处理的效果研究

研究了商用竹炭和改性竹炭对含铅废水的吸附处理的实验条件及效果。结果表明,对一定质量浓度及一定量含铅废水处理时,只要条件和吸附剂竹炭的投放量合适,铅的去除率均可达99.9%以上。以我国饮用水卫生标准中铅含量≤0.05mg/L为标准,根据废水中铅的含量,给出了吸附处理所需吸附剂投料量的估算方法和实验验证结果,为竹炭在含铅废水处理中的应用提供理论依据。     

冶炼厂烟囱降尘农田土壤重金属含量及潜在生态风险评价

摘要：为了研究冶炼厂下风向烟囱降尘对农田土壤重金属污染影响程度,以济源市某一冶炼厂工业烟囱下风向降尘覆盖农田土壤为研究对象,依次对距离该厂烟囱大约为750m-3000m的7个农田研究区（P1-P7）土壤中重金属（Hg、As、Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn、Ni、Cr、）含量进行污染状况分析,采用了单项潜在生态风险指数法和综合潜在生态风险指数法对冶炼厂下风向烟囱降尘土壤中重金属的潜在生态风险进行评价。结果表明：在3 km2研究区域范围内,距离冶炼厂越近土壤重金属含量越高,Pb、Cd为重度污染,超过了《土壤环境质量农用地土壤污染风险管控标准》（GB15618-2018）农用地土壤污染风险管制值的1.2倍,距离冶炼厂烟囱下风向P1区土壤中重金属As、Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn超过土壤环境质量农用地土壤风险筛选值,Cd 在浓度值均超过农用土壤污染风险管制值1.8倍,As元素平均浓度值超农用土壤污染风险管制值1.7倍,Pb、Cu和Zn污染较严重,Cd、Hg对综合指数（RI）贡献值较大分别为68.63和22.4。单项潜在生态风险指数评价结果显示Cd存在极严重的潜在生态风险,Pb、Cu存在较严重潜在生态风险,冶炼厂下风向土壤中综合潜在生态风险指数评价显示,冶炼厂下风向降尘土壤重金属具有较强的生态风险。     

城市部分环境监测因子中铅含量的测定及与人体健康潜在关系的探讨

应用石墨炉原子吸收法测定了饮用水、地表水、酸雨、总悬浮颗粒物中铅的含量,并比较了饮用水源中可溶性铅与总铅的含量差别,探讨了以上各环境监因子中不同浓度水平的铅与人体健康的潜在关系。     

Nanoscale Control Over Interfacial Properties in Mixed Reverse Micelles Formulated by Using Sodium 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate and Tri‐n‐octyl Phosphine Oxide Surfactants

The interfacial properties of pure reverse micelles (RMs) are a consequence of the magnitude and nature of noncovalent interactions between confined water and the surfactant polar head. Addition of a second surfactant to form mixed RMs is expected to influence these interactions and thus affect these properties at the nanoscale level. Herein, pure and mixed RMs stabilized by sodium 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate and tri‐n‐octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) surfactants in n‐heptane were formulated and studied by varying both the water content and the TOPO mole fraction. The microenvironment generated was sensed by following the solvatochromic behavior of the 1‐methyl‐8‐oxyquinolinium betaine probe and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. The results reveal unique properties of mixed RMs and we give experimental evidence that free water can be detected in the polar core of the mixed RMs at very low water content. We anticipate that these findings will have an impact on the use of such media as nanoreactors for many types of chemical reactions, such as enzymatic reactions and nanoparticle synthesis.     

Reference materials for measuring the size of nanoparticles

This article discusses the requirements for reference materials (RMs) for measuring the size of nanoparticles (NPs). Such RMs can be used for instrument calibration, statistical quality control or interlaboratory comparisons. They can come in the form of suspensions, powders or matrix-embedded materials [i.e. NPs integrated in a natural matrix (e.g., food, soil, or sludge)].At present, uncertainty about the most suitable form of material, the most relevant measurands and the most useful metrological-traceability statement inhibits the production of NP RMs. In addition, the lack of validated methods and qualified laboratories to produce NP RMs present formidable challenges.Metal, inorganic and organic NPs are available, but most of them are intended to be laboratory chemicals. With the exception of latex materials, certified RMs are not available, although some metrology institutes have started to develop such materials for colloidal gold and silica particles.     

Uranium and thorium isotopes from Kazakhstan

Uranium and thorium concentrations in water and in soil from Kazakhstan have been investigated. In some sampling points the uranium concentrations of drinking water, exceeded the WHO guideline level for drinking water. Thus, the human effect of uranium exposure from drinking water in these areas is significant. However, soil samples were the same as in the Nature. Irrigation systems in these areas would be easy for water carried in the drains mix with groundwater. The results here suggest that the uranium passes into the groundwater through the agriculture land by the above mechanism.     

On the possibility that cyclodextrins' chiral cavities can be available on AOT n-heptane reverse micelles. A UV-visible and induced circular dichroism study

The formation of reverse micelles (RMs) of sodium 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) in n-heptane including two different beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) derivatives (hydroxypropyl-beta-CD, hp-beta-CD, and decenyl succinyl-beta-CD, Mod-beta-CD) is reported. Both cyclodextrins can be incorporated into AOT RMs in different zones within the aggregate, while beta-CD cannot. Using UV-vis and induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectroscopy and different achiral molecular probes (some azo dyes, p-nitroaniline and ferrocene), it was possible to determine that Mod-beta-CD is located with its cavity at the oil side of the AOT RM interface, while for hp-beta-CD the cavity is inside the RM water pool. Among the molecular probes used, methyl orange (MO) was the only one which gave the ICD signal when dissolved in the AOT RMs with hp-beta-CD, so a detailed study of MO behavior in homogeneous media was also performed to compare with the microheterogeneous media. The solvatochromic behavior of the dye depends not only on the polarity of the media but also on other specific solvent properties. A Kamlet-Taft analysis shows that the MO absorption spectrum shifts to longer wavelength with an increase in the solvent polarity-polarizability (pi*) and the hydrogen donor ability (alpha) of the medium. MO appears to be almost 3 times more sensitive to the pi* parameter than to the alpha parameter. In addition, from the MO absorption spectral changes with the hp-beta-CD concentration, the association equilibrium constants in pure water (K11W) and inside the RMs (K11RM) were computed. The results show that K11W is almost 10 times larger than the value inside the RMs. The latter can be explained considering that MO resides anchored to the RM interface through hydrogen bond interaction with the hydration bound water. This study shows for the first time that the cyclodextrin chiral cavity is available for a guest in an organic medium such as the RMs; therefore, we have created a potentially powerful nanoreactor with two different confined regions in the same aggregate: the polar core of the RMs and the chiral hydrophobic cavity of cyclodextrin.