Synergic Benefits of Air Pollutant Reduction, CO2 Emission Abatement, and Water Saving under the Goal of Achieving Carbon Emission Peak: The Case of Tangshan City, China.

The study aims to explore the synergic benefits of reducing air pollutants and CO2 and water consumption under the carbon emission peak (CEP) policies at a city level. Air pollutants and CO2 emissions are predicted by the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) model, and the water consumption is forecast by the quota method. Two scenarios are constructed with the same policies, but to different degrees: the reference scenario achieves CEP in 2030, and the green and low carbon scenario achieves CEP in 2025. The prediction results show that air pollutant emissions, CO2 emissions, and water consumption can be obviously decreased by intensifying the CEP policies. The synergic abatement effect was illustrated by the synergic reduction curve. Accelerating the adjustment of economic structure saves the most water, reduces the greatest amount of CO2 emission, and also obtains the best synergic reduction capability between water consumption and CO2 emission. Transforming the traditionally long process of steelmaking toward a short electric process reduces the majority of PM2.5, SO2, and VOC emissions, while consuming more water. The study provides a new viewpoint to assess and optimize the CEP action plan at city levels.

[Influence of water fluoride exposure on sex hormone binding globulin and testosterone in adult male].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of water fluoride exposure on sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and testosterone in adult male. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted in three villages of Tongxu county including high fluoride group (HFG), defluoridation project group (DFPG) and control group (CG) based on the fluoride concentration in drinking water. Adult male who were born and raised in the village and aged 18 - 50 years old were recruited using cluster sampling. Fasting blood and morning urine samples were collected. The fluoride levels in drinking water and urine were detected by fluoride-ion selective electrode method. Serum SHBG level was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The chemical luminescence immune analysis method was used to detect serum testosterone content. RESULTS: Serum SHBG level was 47.85 nmol/L in CG, 31.37 nmol/L in DFPG and 24.52 nmol/L in HFG respectively. There were significant difference among of three groups (P < 0.05). Serum testosterone level was 3.69 ng/ml in CG, 4.61 ng/ml in DFPG and 4.83 ng/ml in HFG respectively. Serum testosterone level in HFG was significantly higher than that in CG (P < 0.05). Serum SHBG level in HFG has positive correlation with serum testosterone (r = 0.230, P = 0.049), which has not been observed in DFPG and CG. CONCLUSIONS: Long-time fluorine exposure may affect serum SHBG and testosterone level in adult male.

Association of dental fluorosis with polymorphisms of estrogen receptor gene in Chinese children.

Dental fluorosis (DF) is one of the important performances of endemic fluorosis. Some studies indicated that estrogen receptor (ESR) gene polymorphisms were associated with bone metabolism-related diseases. Therefore, it is possible that the variation in ESR genotypes will be associated with DF status. A case-control study was conducted among children aged 8-12 years with (n = 75) or without (n = 165) DF in China to investigate the relationship between ESR gene polymorphisms and DF. Gene polymorphisms were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP procedure. Children carrying R allele of ER RsaI had significantly increased risk of DF (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.821; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.013-3.274) compared to children carrying r allele of ER RsaI in endemic fluorosis villages. For children with high-loaded fluoride status, carrying X allele of ESRα XbaI had a significantly decreased risk of DF (OR = 0.542; 95% CI, 0.314-0.936) compared to carrying x allele. This study provides the first evidence of an association between polymorphisms in the ESR gene with DF in high-fluoride-exposed populations. Further studies are needed to confirm the association.