Status of hormones and painkillers in wastewater effluents across several European states-considerations for the EU watch list concerning estradiols and diclofenac.

Present technologies for wastewater treatment do not sufficiently address the increasing pollution situation of receiving water bodies, especially with the growing use of personal care products and pharmaceuticals (PPCP) in the private household and health sector. The relevance of addressing this problem of organic pollutants was taken into account by the Directive 2013/39/EU that introduced (i) the quality evaluation of aquatic compartments, (ii) the polluter pays principle, (iii) the need for innovative and affordable wastewater treatment technologies, and (iv) the identification of pollution causes including a list of principal compounds to be monitored. In addition, a watch list of 10 other substances was recently defined by Decision 2015/495 on March 20, 2015. This list contains, among several recalcitrant chemicals, the painkiller diclofenac and the hormones 17ß-estradiol and 17α-ethinylestradiol. Although some modern approaches for their removal exist, such as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), retrofitting most wastewater treatment plants with AOPs will not be acceptable as consistent investment at reasonable operational cost. Additionally, by-product and transformation product formation has to be considered. The same is true for membrane-based technologies (nanofiltration, reversed osmosis) despite of the incredible progress that has been made during recent years, because these systems lead to higher operation costs (mainly due to higher energy consumption) so that the majority of communities will not easily accept them. Advanced technologies in wastewater treatment like membrane bioreactors (MBR) that integrate biological degradation of organic matter with membrane filtration have proven a more complete elimination of emerging pollutants in a rather cost- and labor-intensive technology. Still, most of the presently applied methods are incapable of removing critical compounds completely. In this opinion paper, the state of the art of European WWTPs is reflected, and capacities of single methods are described. Furthermore, the need for analytical standards, risk assessment, and economic planning is stressed. The survey results in the conclusion that combinations of different conventional and advanced technologies including biological and plant-based strategies seem to be most promising to solve the burning problem of polluting our environment with hazardous emerging xenobiotics.

A mouse model of reverse cardiac remodelling following banding-debanding of the ascending aorta.

AIM: Myocardial remodelling during pressure overload might contribute to development of heart failure. Reverse remodelling normally occurs following aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis; however, the details and regulatory mechanisms of reverse remodelling remain unknown. Thus, an experimental model of reverse remodelling would allow for studies of this process. Although models of aortic banding are widely used, only few reports of debanding models exist. The aim of this study was to establish a banding-debanding model in the mouse with repetitive careful haemodynamic evaluation by high-resolution echocardiography. METHODS: C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to ascending aortic banding and subsequent debanding. Cardiac geometry and function were evaluated by echocardiography, and left ventricular myocardium was analysed by histology and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The degree of aortic banding was controlled by non-invasive estimation of the gradient, and we found a close correlation between left ventricular mass estimated by echocardiography and weight at the time of killing. Aortic banding led to left ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis and expression of foetal genes, indicating myocardial remodelling. Echocardiography revealed concentric left ventricular remodelling and myocardial dysfunction. Following debanding, performed via a different incision, there was rapid regression of left ventricular weight and normalization of both cardiac geometry and function by 14 days. CONCLUSIONS: We have established a reproducible and carefully characterized mouse model of reverse remodelling by banding and debanding of the ascending aorta. Such a model might contribute to increased understanding of the reversibility of cardiac pathology, which in turn might give rise to new strategies in heart failure treatment.

Levels of organochlorine pesticides in crops and related products from Vojvodina, Serbia: estimated dietary intake.

Levels of 16 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were investigated in 39 composite samples of agricultural crops, related by-products, and foodstuffs collected in Vojvodina, Serbia, in 2002 through 2004. After extraction and cleanup, OCPs were determined by capillary gas chromatography using electron-capture detection. The highest mean level of 0.971 ng/g whole weight (ww) was found for alpha-HCH in wheat flour samples. OCPs levels were well lower than the respective maximum residue limits set by current European and Serbian regulations. Mean OCP levels were low (<1 ng/g ww) for all sample types. The most frequently determined residue was 4,4'-DDT (identified in 76.9% of all samples analyzed), followed by gamma-HCH (66.7%), beta-HCH (48.7%), and endosulfan II (41.0%). OCP levels were compared with data from other international surveys. Calculated daily intakes of OCPs by way of consumption of the crop products included in this study according to data of the Serbian National Institute for Statistics were compared with the acceptable daily intakes established by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization. The average level of contamination of the Vojvodina diet was believed to be harmless regarding the studied food commodities.

Organochlorine and organophosphate pesticide residues in wheat varieties from Serbia.

A survey was carried out to assess the levels of 20 organochlorine and 15 organophosphate pesticides in wheat grown in two regions of the Vojvodina Province in Serbia. A total of 49 samples of seven wheat varieties were collected during the 2004 harvest. In addition, a composite sample of cultivated wheat varieties was prepared from 36 samples coming from the same regions harvested in 2003 for comparison. Official method of analysis AOAC 970.52 was applied for the determination of pesticide residues. The ranges of mean values for organochlorine residues were 32-47 ng g(-1) for beta-HCH; 28-41 ng g(-1) for gamma-HCH; <1-61 ng g(-1) for aldrin; 5-132 ng g(-1) for dieldrin; 15-111 ng g(-1) for endrin ketone; and <1-77 ng g(-1) for endrin aldehyde. For organophosphate residues the ranges were: 7-27 ng g(-1) for thionazin; <5-35 ng g(-1) for disulphoton; 42-79 ng g(-1) for parathion methyl; 422-1336 ng g(-1) for chlorpyriphos; and <5-281 ng g(-1) for parathion. The mean levels of residues were compared with the regulated maximum levels according to the European Commission and Serbian national regulation, and the average intake of residues from wheat-based products was estimated for the Serbian population.

Distribution of chlorinated organic pollutants in a wide variety of soils from Europe and Asia: a multivariate statistical approach.

Principal component analysis was used to interpret the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) previously determined in a wide variety of soils from Europe and Asia to (1) examine the interdependencies among them and chosen soil charaeteristics and (2) reveal PCB- and OCP-soil patterns throughout Europe and Asia. Loading values suggested correlations between the levels of certain compounds and soil characteristics, revealing the underlying structure of analyzed data; humus content, pH, and density correlated with the contents of p,p'-DDT, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and gamma-HCH, and clay content correlated with the concentrations of alpha-HCH and PCB 28. Component scores reflected relatively low concentrations of six "marker" PCBs in most of the soils, pointing out the outliers in the proximity of the local PCB sources. PCB loads in the 1990s and early 2000s were lower than the ones in 1980 and 1956, and they coincided with the soil levels in 1944. PCBs 138, 153, and 180 had the greatest influence of the six investigated congeners on soil-pattern differences. In relation to the OCP soil loads, the score plot revealed regions with recent and/or enhanced application of DDT and HCH.

An evaluation of residues at an oil refinery site following fires.

Soil pollution at the oil refinery at Novi Sad following destruction of crude oil and its products in storage tanks during the Kosovo conflict was investigated. More than 100,000 t of crude oil and its products were destroyed, and about 90% of these were burnt off, 10% leached and 130 t recovered. The acute injection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the air of the town was widespread depending on the weather conditions and ranged from 1-431,000 ng/m3. The presence of PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and elements in the surface zone and soil core samples taken from various sites were determined up to a depth of 100 cm. Concentrations of PAHs were in the range between 0.75 and 86.19 microg/g dry soil. The contaminated soil can be expected to act as a permanent pollution source, while the mobile constituents are likely to cause groundwater pollution.

AN EVALUATION OF RESIDUES AT AN OIL REFINERY SITE FOLLOWING FIRES.

Soil pollution at the oil refinery at Novi Sad following destruction of crude oil and its products in storage tanks during the Kosovo conflict was investigated. More than 100, 000 t of crude oil and its products were destroyed, and about 90% of these were burnt off, 10% leached and 130 t recovered. The acute injection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the air of the town was widespread depending on the weather conditions and ranged from 1-431, 000 ng/m3. The presence of PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and elements in the surface zone and soil core samples taken from various sites were determined up to a depth of 100 cm. Concentrations of PAHs were in the range between 0.75 and 86.19 µg/g dry soil. The contaminated soil can be expected to act as a permanent pollution source, while the mobile constituents are likely to cause groundwater pollution.