1
|
Wöhrnschimmel H, Scheringer M, Bogdal C, Hung H, Salamova A, Venier M, Katsoyiannis A, Hites RA, Hungerbuhler K, Fiedler H. Ten years after entry into force of the Stockholm Convention: What do air monitoring data tell about its effectiveness? Environ Pollut 2016; 217:149-58. [PMID: 27015905 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
More than a decade ago, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), one of the multilateral environmental agreements administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), entered into force. The objective of this Convention is to protect human health and the environment by controlling the releases of POPs. According to its Article 16, the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention shall be evaluated using comparable monitoring data on the presence of POPs as well as their regional and global environmental transport. Here, we present a time series analysis on atmospheric POP concentrations from 15 monitoring stations in North America and Europe that provide long-term data and have started operations between 1990 and 2003. We systematically searched for temporal trends and significant structural changes in temporal trends that might result from the provisions of the Stockholm Convention. We find that such structural changes do occur, but they are related mostly to effects of national regulations enforced prior to the implementation of the Stockholm Convention, rather than to the enforcement of the provisions laid out in the Convention. One example is that concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, many of which started to decrease rapidly during the 1990s. Also effects of chemical transport and fate, for instance the re-volatilization of POPs from secondary sources, are thought to be a cause of some of the observed structural changes. We conclude that a decade of air monitoring data has not been sufficient for detecting general and statistically significant effects of the Stockholm Convention. Based on these lessons, we present recommendations for the future operation of existing monitoring programs and advocate for a stricter enforcement of the provisions of the Stockholm Convention, in the current absence of proof for its effectiveness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry Wöhrnschimmel
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, Pavillion A29, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Christian Bogdal
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Institute for Sustainability Sciences ISS, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hayley Hung
- Air Quality Processes Research Section, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Amina Salamova
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 702 Walnut Grove Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Marta Venier
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 702 Walnut Grove Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Athanasios Katsoyiannis
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) at FRAM - High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ronald A Hites
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 702 Walnut Grove Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Konrad Hungerbuhler
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Heidelore Fiedler
- DTIE/Chemicals Branch, United Nations Environment Programme, 11-13, Chemin des Anémones, 1219 Châtelaine, Switzerland; School of Science and Technology, MTM Research Centre, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bachler G, von Goetz N, Hungerbuhler K. Using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling for dietary risk assessment of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Nanotoxicology 2014; 9:373-80. [DOI: 10.3109/17435390.2014.940404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Bachler
- ETH Zurich, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Natalie von Goetz
- ETH Zurich, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Losert S, von Goetz N, Bekker C, Fransman W, Wijnhoven SWP, Delmaar C, Hungerbuhler K, Ulrich A. Human exposure to conventional and nanoparticle--containing sprays-a critical review. Environ Sci Technol 2014; 48:5366-5378. [PMID: 24821461 DOI: 10.1021/es5001819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The release of pesticides from conventional spray products has been investigated in depth, and suitable analytical techniques detecting the mass of the released substances are available. In contrast, nanoparticle-containing sprays are less studied, although they are perceived as critical for consumers because inhalation exposure can occur to potentially toxic nanoparticles. A few recent studies presented analytical concepts for exposure experiments and generated data for exposure assessment. This study attempts to review and compare the current approaches to characterize nanosprays and to identify challenges for future research. Furthermore, experimental setups used for exposure assessment from conventional sprays are reviewed and compared to setups used for nanoparticle-containing sprays. National and international norms dealing with nanoparticle characterization, spray characterization and exposure are inspected with regard to their usefulness for standardizing exposure assessment. Different approaches in the field of exposure modeling are reviewed and compared. The conclusion is that due to largely varying experimental setups to date exposure values for nanosprays are difficult to compare. All studies are only conducted with a limited set of sprays, and no systematic evaluation of the study conditions is available. A suitable set of experimental setups as well as minimum reporting requirements should be agreed upon to enable the systematic evaluation of consumer sprays in the future. Indispensable features of such experimental setups are developed in this review.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Losert
- Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology, Switzerland, Laboratory for Analytical Chemistry, Überlandstrasse 129, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wöhrnschimmel H, MacLeod M, Hungerbuhler K. Emissions, fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants to the Arctic in a changing global climate. Environ Sci Technol 2013; 47:2323-2330. [PMID: 23362961 DOI: 10.1021/es304646n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is expected to alter patterns of human economic activity and the associated emissions of chemicals, and also to affect the transport and fate of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Here, we use a global-scale multimedia chemical fate model to analyze and quantify the impact of climate change on emissions and fate of POPs, and their transport to the Arctic. First, climate change effects under the SRES-A2 scenario are illustrated using case-studies for two well-characterized POPs, PCB153, and α-HCH. Then, we model the combined impact of altered emission patterns and climatic conditions on environmental concentrations of potential future-use substances with a broad range of chemical properties. Starting from base-case generic emission scenarios, we postulate changes in emission patterns that may occur in response to climate change: enhanced usage of industrial chemicals in an ice-free Arctic, and intensified application of agrochemicals due to higher crop production and poleward expansion of potential arable land. We find both increases and decreases in concentrations of POP-like chemicals in the Arctic in the climate change scenario compared to the base-case climate. During the phase of ongoing primary emissions, modeled increases in Arctic contamination are up to a factor of 2 in air and water, and are driven mostly by changes in emission patterns. After phase-out, increases are up to a factor of 2 in air and 4 in water, and are mostly attributable to changes in transport and fate of chemicals under the climate change scenario.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry Wöhrnschimmel
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich , Wolfgang-Pauli Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Simon L, Merz T, Dubuis S, Lieb A, Hungerbuhler K. In-situ monitoring of pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals crystallization processes using endoscopy–stroboscopy and multivariate image analysis. Chem Eng Res Des 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2012.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
6
|
Wöhrnschimmel H, Tay P, von Waldow H, Hung H, Li YF, Macleod M, Hungerbuhler K. Comparative assessment of the global fate of α- and β-hexachlorocyclohexane before and after phase-out. Environ Sci Technol 2012; 46:2047-2054. [PMID: 22320168 DOI: 10.1021/es203109q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Technical hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) was one of the most widely used pesticides during the 20th century. Although production and use were phased-out during the 1990s, two of its major components, α- and β-HCH, are still ubiquitous in the environment. Here, we have collected and analyzed data on concentrations of α- and β-HCH in the atmosphere and oceans, including spatial and temporal trends and seasonalities. We apply a global fate and transport model to both isomers over the period 1950 to 2050 to rationalize current levels and trends at remote locations with estimated emissions and to forecast into the near future. Our model results indicate that secondary emissions from soils and oceans are currently controlling the observed rates of decline in the atmosphere. β-HCH is declining more slowly than α-HCH due to its higher persistence, and we hypothesize that it will eventually become the predominant isomer of HCH in the environment. The model reproduces over 70% of measured concentrations of α-HCH in air and ocean water within factors of 3 and 5, respectively, and over 70% of measured concentrations of β-HCH within factors of 8 and 20, respectively. The model results are only weakly sensitive to climate change-induced trends in Arctic sea-ice cover and temperature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry Wöhrnschimmel
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli Strasse 10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Simon LL, Elias Y, Puxty G, Artanto Y, Hungerbuhler K. Rate based modeling and validation of a carbon-dioxide pilot plant absorbtion column operating on monoethanolamine. Chem Eng Res Des 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2010.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
8
|
MacLeod M, von Waldow H, Tay P, Armitage JM, Wöhrnschimmel H, Riley WJ, McKone TE, Hungerbuhler K. BETR global--a geographically-explicit global-scale multimedia contaminant fate model. Environ Pollut 2011; 159:1442-5. [PMID: 21353357 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2010] [Revised: 01/19/2011] [Accepted: 01/25/2011] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We present two new software implementations of the BETR Global multimedia contaminant fate model. The model uses steady-state or non-steady-state mass-balance calculations to describe the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants using a desktop computer. The global environment is described using a database of long-term average monthly conditions on a 15°×15° grid. We demonstrate BETR Global by modeling the global sources, transport, and removal of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew MacLeod
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ng CA, Scheringer M, Fenner K, Hungerbuhler K. A framework for evaluating the contribution of transformation products to chemical persistence in the environment. Environ Sci Technol 2011; 45:111-7. [PMID: 20857929 DOI: 10.1021/es1010237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The REACH legislation of the EU requires that transformation products be included in chemicals assessment for chemicals produced or imported in amounts exceeding 100 tones/year. However, including transformation products in assessments could be considered an intractable problem, particularly given the paucity of available data and the difficulty of predicting the most likely transformation route from the many possible products of a complex parent chemical (the so-called "combinatorial explosion" problem). Here, we present a scheme for identifying transformation products that substantially contribute to the joint persistence of a parent chemical and its substance family. Our scheme integrates methods for the prediction of biodegradation products, the estimation of physicochemical properties and degradation half-lives, and the calculation of a persistence metric, the joint persistence. We compare results from our scheme to 22 test cases with known transformation products. Our results highlight that the "combinatorial explosion" problem can be managed but that there is a serious need for better data for environmental half-lives of chemicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla A Ng
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
MacLeod M, Scheringer M, McKone TE, Hungerbuhler K. The State of Multimedia Mass-Balance Modeling in Environmental science and decision-making. Environ Sci Technol 2010. [PMID: 20964363 DOI: 10.1021/es100968w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
|
11
|
MacLeod M, Scheringer M, McKone TE, Hungerbuhler K. The State of Multimedia Mass-Balance Modeling in Environmental science and decision-making. Environ Sci Technol 2010; 44:8360-8364. [PMID: 20964363 DOI: 10.1021/es103297w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
|
12
|
Simon LL, Oucherif KA, Nagy ZK, Hungerbuhler K. Histogram Matching, Hypothesis Testing, and Statistical Control-Chart-Assisted Nucleation Detection Using Bulk Video Imaging for Optimal Switching between Nucleation and Seed Conditioning Steps. Ind Eng Chem Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1021/ie100586p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
13
|
Simon LL, Abbou Oucherif K, Nagy ZK, Hungerbuhler K. Bulk video imaging based multivariate image analysis, process control chart and acoustic signal assisted nucleation detection. Chem Eng Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2010.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
14
|
Simon LL, Nagy ZK, Hungerbuhler K. Comparison of external bulk video imaging with focused beam reflectance measurement and ultra-violet visible spectroscopy for metastable zone identification in food and pharmaceutical crystallization processes. Chem Eng Sci 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2009.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
15
|
Simon LL, Hungerbuhler K. Experimental Determination of Pool Void Fraction under Vacuum for Chemical Reactor and Reboiler Operation Optimization. Chem Eng Technol 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/ceat.200900025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
|
16
|
Affiliation(s)
- Levente L. Simon
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Switzerland, and Loughborough University, Chemical Engineering Department, Loughborough LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Zoltan K. Nagy
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Switzerland, and Loughborough University, Chemical Engineering Department, Loughborough LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Konrad Hungerbuhler
- ETH Zurich, Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Switzerland, and Loughborough University, Chemical Engineering Department, Loughborough LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Stocker J, Scheringer M, Wegmann F, Hungerbuhler K. Modeling the effect of snow and ice on the global environmental fate and long-range transport potential of semivolatile organic compounds. Environ Sci Technol 2007; 41:6192-6198. [PMID: 17937301 DOI: 10.1021/es062873k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Snow and ice have been implemented in a global multimedia box model to investigate the influence of these media on the environmental fate and long-range transport (LRT) of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs). Investigated compounds include HCB, PCB28, PCB180, PBDE47, PBDE209, alpha-HCH, and dacthal. In low latitudes, snow acts as a transfer medium taking up chemicals from air and releasing them to water or soil during snowmelt. In high latitudes, snow and ice shield water, soil, and vegetation from chemical deposition. In the model version including snow and ice (scenario 2), the mass of chemicals in soil in high latitudes is between 27% (HCB) and 97% (alpha-HCH) of the mass calculated with the model version without snow and ice (scenario 1). Amounts in Arctic seawater in scenario 2 are 8% (alpha-HCH) to 21% (dacthal) of the amounts obtained in scenario 1. For all investigated chemicals except alpha-HCH, presence of snow and ice in the model increases the concentration in air by a factor of 2 (HCB)to 10 (PBDE209). Because of reduced net deposition to snow-covered surfaces in high latitudes, LRT to the Arctic is reduced for most chemicals whereas transport to the south is more pronounced than in scenario 1 ("southward shift"). The presence of snow and ice thus considerably changes the environmental fate of SOCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Stocker
- Safety and Environmental Technology Group, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, HCI G127, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Fenner K, Kooijman C, Scheringer M, Hungerbuhler K. Including transformation products into the risk assessment for chemicals: the case of nonylphenol ethoxylate usage in Switzerland. Environ Sci Technol 2002; 36:1147-1154. [PMID: 11944663 DOI: 10.1021/es015576i] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A method for applying the risk assessment approach using ratios of predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) and predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) to mixtures of parent compounds and their environmental transformation products is presented. Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPnEOs) and a selection of their most relevant transformation products are investigated as a case study illustrating the method. The PEC values of NPnEO and its transformation products are calculated with a regional multimedia fate model including the transformation kinetics of the NPnEO degradation cascade. PNEC values are derived from a selection of toxicity data on NPnEO and its transformation products. The toxicity of the emerging mixture of NPnEO and its transformation products is then estimated under the assumption of concentration addition (similar mode of action). On this basis, PEC-to-PNEC ratios for the aquatic environment and the sediment are calculated for the individual components of the mixture and the mixture itself. For this purpose, average release rates of NPnEO and its transformation products from Swiss sewage treatment plants were used. While the PEC values of the individual components do not exceed the corresponding PNEC values, the risk quotient of the mixture in water is greater than 1. In sediment, the mixture does not exceed a risk quotient of 1. A combination of sensitivity and scenario analyses is employed to identify the upper and lower bounds of the results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Fenner
- Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Hönggerberg, Zürich
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|