Time trends and congener profiles of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PBDEs in Baltic herring off the coast of Finland during 1978-2009

In Finland, consumption of Baltic fatty fish may lead to high exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which might have hazardous health effects. Monitoring of POPs in Baltic fish enables the health authorities to keep dietary advice on fish consumption up to date. In this study, which is a compilation of analytical data from earlier studies, time trends and congener profiles of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Baltic herring are reported. Altogether 344 samples of Baltic herring from 1978-2009 were collected across the Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea. The chemical analysis was performed in an accredited testing laboratory with high resolution gas chromatography mass spectrometry. During the 31-year period, PCDD/F and PCB concentrations decreased on approximately 80%, from approximately 20 to 5 pg/g fw, expressed as WHO2005 TEQ. The PBDE concentrations experienced a 4-10 fold increase during late 1980s-early 1990s, and declined to 1978s levels of approximately 2 ng/g fw by 2009. The current concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs in Baltic herring are relatively low, and mostly below EU maximum accepted levels, and are expected to continue decreasing. In the future, it may be possible to re-evaluate the consumption restrictions for this specific Baltic fatty fish.

Hazardous organic compounds in biogas plant end products--soil burden and risk to food safety

The end products (digestate, solid fraction of the digestate, liquid fraction of the digestate) of ten biogas production lines in Finland were analyzed for ten hazardous organic compounds or compound groups: polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB(7)), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH(16)), bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), perfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFCs), linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LASs), nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NP+NPEOs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Biogas plant feedstocks were divided into six groups: municipal sewage sludge, municipal biowaste, fat, food industry by-products, animal manure and others (consisting of milling by-products (husk) and raw former foodstuffs of animal origin from the retail trade). There was no clear connection between the origin of the feedstocks of a plant and the concentrations of hazardous organic compounds in the digestate. For PCDD/Fs and for DEHP, the median soil burden of the compound after a single addition of digestate was similar to the annual atmospheric deposition of the compound or compound group in Finland or other Nordic countries. For PFCs, the median soil burden was somewhat lower than the atmospheric deposition in Finland or Sweden. For NP+NPEOs, the soil burden was somewhat higher than the atmospheric deposition in Denmark. The median soil burden of PBDEs was 400 to 1000 times higher than the PBDE air deposition in Finland or in Sweden. With PBDEs, PFCs and HBCD, the impact of the use of end products should be a focus of further research. Highly persistent compounds, such as PBDE- and PFC-compounds may accumulate in agricultural soil after repeated use of organic fertilizers containing these compounds. For other compounds included in this study, agricultural use of biogas plant end products is unlikely to cause risk to food safety in Finland.

Management and outcomes of hepatic cirrhosis: Findings from the RING study

BACKGROUND/AIM

Hepatic cirrhosis is a frequent reason for ordinary hospital admission (OA). The RING study collected hospital discharge files (HDF) from Italian hospital gastroenterology units (IGU). This caselist provides a broad picture of the patients admitted for this pathology.

MATERIAL/METHODS

More than 50,000 HDF for OA were collected between 2001 and 2004 from 26 IGU.

RESULTS

Eight thousand four hundred and eighty-seven HDF (16%) had a diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis; Child-Pugh classes were 20.2% A, 34.8% B and 45.0% C. Patients' mean age was 63.7+/-12.1 years and 62.5% were male. A 61.1% of the cirrhosis cases had ascites, 29.9% portal-systemic encephalopathy, 29.2% hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 10% bleeding varices, 3.0% hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Mortality for OA for cirrhosis was 5.7% versus 2.6% for other diagnoses. The proportion varied with the severity of the cirrhosis: 0% for Child A, 1.1% B, 10.5% C. Mortality was significantly associated with: Child-Pugh at admission (odds ratio: OR 9.2), HRS (OR 11.7), bleeding varices (OR 2.2), HCC (OR 1.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatic cirrhosis was found in 16% of the OA to IGU and mortality was double the rate for all the other pathologies in the same wards. Child-Pugh is a useful prognostic tool, higher classes implying a greater risk of death. HRS and bleeding varices were the complications with most influence on in-hospital mortality.

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans in fish downstream from a Ky-5 manufacturing

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were studied in seven fish species, burbot (Lota lota), pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis), pikeperch (Stizopedion lucioperca), bream (Abramis brama), salmon (Salmo salar) and Baltic herring (Clupea harengus membras) in River Kymijoki and its estuary polluted by Ky-5 manufacturing. The fish were caught at 14 localities along the river and its estuary. The selected species represent different trophic levels and/or inhabit different environments. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs were low, in most samples below 1 pg g(-1) ITEQ (NATO/CCMS 1988) fresh weight (fw) in muscle, except salmon and Baltic herring. These two species graze at the open sea and consequently accumulate contaminants at a large area in the Baltic Sea. The lipid content in salmon and Baltic herring was an order of magnitude higher than in other species. PCDD/Fs in fish muscle showed only slightly elevated levels in the Kymijoki area and its estuary as compared to the levels in the same species in Finnish freshwaters and sea areas. The concentration of the main impurities of the fungicide Ky-5 was higher in the Kymijoki River downstream the Ky-5 manufacturing place compared to the up-stream locations. The PCDD/F concentrations in fish liver and spawn were 10-100 times higher than the concentration in muscle, because of the much higher lipid concentrations of these organes. Consequently, the tolerable daily intake values could be as much as 100 times smaller (M. Korhonen, M. Verta, T. Vartiainen, Organohalog. Comp. 32 (1997) 305-310; P. Mikkelson, J. Paasivirta, H. Kiviranta, Organohalog. Comp. 39 (1998) 59-62).

Assessment of atmospheric mercury emissions in Finland

This paper is part of the study of atmospheric emissions of heavy metals conducted by the Finnish Environment Institute in collaboration with the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) under the umbrella of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The scope of our study is limited solely to anthropogenic mercury that is emitted directly to the atmosphere. This article addresses emission factors and trends of atmospheric mercury emissions during the 1990s and is based mainly on the database of the Finnish Environmental Administration. In addition, data based on the measurements taken by the VTT regarding emission factors have been used to estimate emissions of mercury from the incineration of waste. The study indicates that the total emission of mercury has decreased from 1140 kg in 1990 to 620 kg in 1997, while industrial and energy production have been on the increase simultaneously. The 45% emission reduction is due to improved gas cleaning equipment, process changes, automation, the installation of flue gas desulfurization process in coal-fired power plants and strict pollution control laws. In the past, some authors have estimated a higher mercury emission in Finland. In this study, it is also observed that there are no big changes in the quality of raw materials. Estimated emission factors can be of great help to management for estimating mercury emissions and also its risk assessment.

High fish-specific dioxin concentrations in Finland

Dioxin concentrations in a population that frequently eat fish from the Baltic Sea are comparable to those seen in inhabitants of Seveso, Italy, after the accidental release of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in 1976. Individual variations in the congener patterns in human beings are similar to congener patterns in the fish species consumed.

Factors affecting trace-metal bioaccumulation in Finnish headwater lakes

Fourteen unpolluted Finnish headwater lakes with pH values varying from 4.8 to 7.0 were studied for trace-metal concentrations in water, sediment, aquatic plants (Nuphar luteum L., Sparganium sp.), aquatic insect larvae (Limnophilus sp., Phryganea sp.) and fish (Esox lucius L., Perca fluviatilis L., Coregonus sp., Salvelinus fontinalis L., Salmo trutta L.). Trace-metal deposition was estimated by analysing the snowpack. Non-parametric correlation analysis was carried out between trace metal concentrations in biota and pH, ANC, TOC, CA + Mg concentration in water and a given metal concentration in water and sediment. Bioaccumulation of several trace metals increased with increasing acidity and decreasing ANC in water. This was especially true for Pb and Cd. Aquatic plants were, in general, the best indicator group concerning differences in trace-metal bioaccumulation in lakes with different acidity. There was some evidence that a higher concentration of TOC in water may reduce bioaccumulation of Pb, Cd and Zn in aquatic plants and fish. The copper concentration in sediment was the only background variable explaining Cu concentration in aquatic insects. Multivariate analysis of the whole background data gave comparable preliminary results. Over 80% of the trace metal concentrations in biota of different lakes was explained by the background variables. In general, elevated concentrations of most of these trace metals can be expected to occur in the biota of acidified low calcareous lakes.