Clean-up procedure for the extraction of soil samples in the determination of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

This paper describes the method which was developed in relation to analytical work connected with microbial and physico-chemical degradation experiments on 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Soil samples are best extracted with methanol plus methylene chloride. Microbial preparations are extracted with light petroleum after boiling with methanolic potassium hydroxide. The clean-up consists of a sulphuric acid treatment and chromatography on a multilayer column (Celite + H2SO4/silica gel) followed by alumina column chromatography. The clean-up procedure proved to be suitable for soil samples and microbial preparations even when large quantities of organic matter (hydrocarbons, oils, surfactants) were present.

Natural occurrence of Aspergillus fumigatus in cane sugar mills

The environmental distribution of Aspergillus fumigatus in 2 cane-sugar mills and one paper factory in northern India is compared with 2 localities in Delhi. The preponderance of the species at the U.D. Sugar Mills, Shamli, was contrary to its low prevalence in the University of Delhi campus and at Subzimandi, the vegetable and fruit market of Delhi. Aspergillus fumigatus accounted for 42.5% of the total aerial fungal colony counts recorded in the Shamli Mills as against 2% in Delhi. The predominant aerial fungus at Subzimandi was A. niger whereas aspergilli were overshelmingly outnumbered by other fungi in the University of Delhi campus. Within the Shamli Mills, the bagasse-containing sites had a significantly higher aerial prevalence (50.3%) of A. fumigatus than the bagasse-free sites (13.5%). Furthermore, A. fumigatus was more prevalent in the operational (57.2%) than in the non-operational period (23.8%) of the mills. The high frequency of isolations of A. fumigatus from and its dense population in sugar-cane bagasse seemed to suggest a special association of the fungus with this substrate.

Relationship between acute respiratory illness and air pollution levels in an industrial city

A retrospective study relating air pollution levels to hospital admissions for acute exacerbations among adults with chronic respiratory illness and children with acute respiratory disease was carried out in a highly industralized Canadian city. A total of 1,780 patient records were collated, and daily, weekly, and monthly hospital admission rates were related to a standard air pollution index that took into account floating particles and sulfur dioxide. A correlation coefficient of 0.77 (P less than 0.01) between number of admissions and level of air pollution was found for the city as a whole, and the strength of the association varied inversely with the distance of the hospital from the industrial area.

Emissions of arsenic in Sweden and their reduction

The role of arsenic in Sweden is generally described, including raw materials, exports/imports, products, consumption, etc. An attempt was also made to estimate the transport of arsenic in Sweden. The quantities of arsenic in raw materials, the emissions of arsenic from such processes as copper smelters and chemical industries, and the amounts of products containing arsenic were calculated. The studies show that a copper smelter is the main user of arsenical materials, the very largest emitting source and also the plant which manufacturers most arsenic products. A summary of measurements of arsenic in air, water and soil in Sweden has also been made. The concentrations near a smelter, in the Baltic, in cities and in "clean-air areas" are given. The efforts made to date to reduce the emissions of arsenic and the measures planned for the next few years are described. A reduction has already been achieved and a further rather large decrease will come, especially in arsenic levels in water. The possibilities of minimizing the use of materials and products containing arsenic is also discussed.

Environmental applications of mass spectrometry

The 1975 publications reporting organic and spark source mass spectrometric studies on environmental samples were compiled. Emphasis was placed on pollutants identified rather than methods and techniques used, and reports that did not incorporate data obtained by a technique's application were not included. The 272 reports cited vary from those reporting hundreds of identified pollutants to those describing the analysis of only one sample containing one or a few pollutants. The following sample types were not considered to be environmental samples: forensic samples, synthetic or 'standard' samples, and samples analyzed for drug residues.

Application of high-speed liquid chromatography to the analysis of polyoxyethylene surfactants and their decomposition products in industrial process waters

Complementary high-speed liquid chromatographic techniques have been combined with infrared spectroscopy for the characterization and analysis of polyoxyethylene fatty acid surfactants and their decomposition products in industrial process waters. The combination of molecular sieve chromatography and infrared spectroscopy offers a selective and simple method for the analysis of trace concentrations (detection limit approx. 0.05-0.1 ppm) of these surfactants. Liquid-solid and reversed-phase chromatography have proven useful for the characterization and analysis of free fatty acids. Some of the parameters that affect the reversed-phase separation of fatty acids are discussed.

Evaluation of organic pollutants in the open air and atmospheres in industrial sites using graphitized carbon black traps and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis with specific detectors

A method for evaluating the organic content of the atmosphere, involving the use of personal samplers, is described. A comparison of the performances of Tenax GC and Carbopack B is given in terms of sample recovery. Apparatus including selective columns, specific detectors and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is also described. Practical examples of the analysis of organic air pollutants trapped in the open air and the atmosphere in a chemical plant are discussed. A comparison of the results of complete gas chromatography and of the total hydrocarbon content is also made.

[Assessment of the quality of relcaimed water by total organic carbon]

The paper discusses possible application of the method of measuring the total content of organic carbon to evaluate the quality or reclaimed water. The paper gives data on the content of organic carbon, ratio of chemical consumption of oxygen and carbon in the atmospheric condensate, urine, condensate of urine low-temperature evaporation and portable water reclaimed from these sources.

Botanical trash present in cotton before and after saw-type lint cleaning

The % by weight content of leaf-like, stem, boll, seed, and weed materials sifted (3360 mum greater than particle size greater than or equal to 595 mum) from visible wastes of the Shirley Analyzer was determined for a lint sample taken after ginning but before cleaning and for a second lint sample taken after one stage of saw-type cleaning. The % by weight content for bract and leaf increased with decreasing trash particle size. The content of cotton seed coat fragments decreased with reduction in trash particle size. Approximately 1/4 of the botanical wastes consisted of weed materials, including grass particles. Lint cleaning was ineffective in reducing the % by weight content of leaf-like trash. Some selective removal of stem trash occurred as a function of lint cleaning.

[Study of the composition of the exhaust gases from the manufacture of feed antibiotics and of fungal and bacterial entomopathogenic preparations]

The main composition of exhaust gases in production of various preparation, such as bacitracin, chlortetracycline, hygromycin, entobacterin, dendrobacillin, boverin and kormogrisin was determined by the method of group chemical analysis and gas chromatography. The exhaust gases contaned fatty acids c2--c6, aldehydes and ketones c2--c6, alcohols c2-c5, amines (diethylamine, triethylamine, etc) and some phenols. The level of the substances was insignificant. However, they were toxic for living beings. The exhaust gases had disagreeable odour.

Foundry air contaminants from green sand molds

The major gases evolved from foundry molds have been determined in the laboratory. The principal gases evolved during pouring and shakeout of castings include hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and other low molecular weight hydrocarbons with smaller amounts of ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and sulfur dioxide.

Gas chromatographic determination of acetic acid in industrial atmosphere and waste water

A gas chromatographic (GC) method is presented for the specific determination of acetic acid in air and total ionic acetate (as acetic acid) in industrial waste water. Atmospheric air samples are collected in fritted midget bubblers containing aqueous sodium carbonate solution; wastewater samples are treated directly with sodium carbonate. Both air and water samples are concentrated by evaporation of water, and the acetic acid is regenerated by the addition of hydrochloric acid. The amount of acetic acid is determined quantitatively on a porous polymer packed column by internal standardization with propionic acid. GC conditions are described for the suppression of "ghosting" and "tailing" caused by adsorption phenomena associated with the GC behavior of organic acids.

Selenium in fly ash

Selenium, at concentrations exceeding 200 parts per million (ppm) (dry weight), has been found in white sweet clover voluntarily growing on beds of fly ash in central New York State. Guinea pigs fed such clover concentrated selenium in their tissues. The contents of the honey stomachs of bees foraging on this seleniferous clover contained negligible selenium. Mature vegetables cultured on 10 percent (by weight) fly ash-amended soil absorbed up to 1 ppm of selenium. Fly ashes from 21 states contained total selenium contents ranging from 1.2 to 16.5 ppm. Cabbage grown on soil containing 10 percent (by weight) of these fly ashes absorbed selenium (up to 3.7 ppm) in direct proportion (correlation coefficient r = .89) to the selenium concentration in the respective fly ash. Water, aquatic weeds, algae, dragonfly nymphs, polliwogs, and tissues of bullheads and muskrats from a fly ash-contaminated pond contained concentrations of selenium markedly elevated over those of controls.