Sample records for airborne lead levels

  1. Lead in a Baltimore shipyard.

    PubMed

    Hall, Francis X

    2006-12-01

    The goal was to monitor the effectiveness of the Coast Guard Yard's lead program by comparing a shipyard period in 1991 to one in 2002-2003. Comparisons of airborne lead levels by paint removal techniques, airborne lead levels by welding techniques, and blood lead levels of workers were evaluated by chi2 analysis. Airborne lead levels in paint removal techniques decreased over time for all methods used. Airborne lead levels in welding techniques decreased over time for all methods used. Blood lead levels of the high-risk group revealed a 2-fold reduction (prevalence rate ratio = 8.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.7-18.6) and in the low-risk group revealed a 1.6-fold reduction (prevalence rate ratio = 6.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-44.7). The Coast Guard Yard runs an effective lead program that exceeds the national Healthy People 2010 goal for lead. The results validate the Coast Guard Yard's use of air-line respirators and lead-free paint on all vessels.

  2. Elimination of Airborne Lead Contamination from Caliber .22 Ammunition.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-06-01

    R191 365 ELIMINATION OF AIRBORNE LEAD CONTAMINATION FROM CALIBER 1/1 Ri ’ 3 5 22 N INITION(U) ARMY ARMAMENT RESEARCH DE VELOPMENT AM D...E JUNE 1987 U. S. MMW ARKM SRcKH, IDVROPMEff n U COOE US" ARMY EARMLMA CLOSE COMBAT ARMAMENT CENTER - MUNITBONS Et CHEMICAL COMMANDR D RA - A9~laIENT...Command tasked the U.S. Army Armament, Research , Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) to determine if the sources of lead contamination could be

  3. Environmental urban lead exposure and blood lead levels in children of Mexico City.

    PubMed Central

    Romieu, I; Carreon, T; Lopez, L; Palazuelos, E; Rios, C; Manuel, Y; Hernandez-Avila, M

    1995-01-01

    Lead contamination is now a leading public health problem in Mexico. However, there are few data on the lead content of various environmental sources, and little is known about the contribution of these sources to the total lead exposure in the population of children residing in Mexico City. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a random sample of 200 children younger than 5 years of age who lived in one of two areas of Mexico City. Environmental samples of floor, window, and street dust, paint, soil, water, and glazed ceramics were obtained from the participants' households, as well as blood samples and dirt from the hands of the children. Blood lead levels ranged from 1 to 31 micrograms/dl with a mean of 9.9 micrograms/dl (SD 5.8 micrograms/dl). Forty-four percent of the children 18 months of age or older had blood lead levels exceeding 10 micrograms/dl. The lead content of environmental samples was low, except in glazed ceramic. The major predictors of blood lead levels were the lead content of the glazed ceramics used to prepare children's food, exposure to airborne lead due to vehicular emission, and the lead content of the dirt from the children's hands. We conclude that the major sources of lead exposure in Mexico City could be controlled by adequate public health programs to reinforce the use of unleaded gasoline and to encourage production and use of unleaded cookware instead of lead-glazed ceramics. PMID:8605853

  4. Characteristics of lead isotope ratios and elemental concentrations in PM 10 fraction of airborne particulate matter in Shanghai after the phase-out of leaded gasoline

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Jian; Tan, Mingguang; Shibata, Yasuyuki; Tanaka, Atsushi; Li, Yan; Zhang, Guilin; Zhang, Yuanmao; Shan, Zuci

    The stable lead (Pb) isotope ratios and the concentrations of 23 elements, including heavy metals and toxic elements, were measured in the PM 10 airborne particle samples collected at seven monitoring sites in Shanghai, China, to evaluate the current elemental compositions and local airborne Pb isotope ratio characteristics. Some source-related samples, such as cement, coal and oil combustion dust, metallurgic dust, vehicle exhaust particles derived from leaded gasoline and unleaded gasoline, and polluted soils were analyzed for their Pb content and isotope ratio and compared to those observed in PM 10 samples. Airborne Pb concentration ranged from 167 to 854 ng/m 3 in the seven monitored sites with an average of 515 ng/m 3 in Shanghai, indicating that a high concentration of Pb remains in the air after the phasing out of leaded gasoline. Lead isotopic compositions in airborne particles ( 207Pb/ 206Pb, 0.8608±0.0018; 208Pb/ 206Pb, 2.105±0.005) are clearly distinct from the vehicle exhaust particles ( 207Pb/ 206Pb, 0.8854±0.0075; 208Pb/ 206Pb, 2.145±0.006), suggesting that the automotive lead is not currently the major component of Pb in the air. By using a binary mixing equation, a source apportionment based on 207Pb/ 206Pb ratios, indicates that the contribution from automotive emission to the airborne Pb is around 20%. The Pb isotope ratios obtained in the source-related samples confirmed that the major emission sources are metallurgic dust, coal combustion, and cement.

  5. Are Your Custodians Exposed to Excessive Lead Levels?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    School Business Affairs, 1997

    1997-01-01

    Data from a 1994 University of Maryland study suggest that typical janitorial tasks (sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash receptacles, cleaning fixtures, and other related housekeeping activities) would not result in an airborne lead exposure that exceeded Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Lead abatement work should…

  6. The effect of airborne lead particle size on worker blood-lead levels: an empirical study of battery workers.

    PubMed

    Hodgkins, D G; Robins, T G; Hinkamp, D L; Schork, M A; Levine, S P; Krebs, W H

    1991-12-01

    Theoretical models and experimental data suggest that the particle size distribution of lead aerosols should affect the lead dose absorbed by exposed workers. In the present study, 44 workers in five major operations in a high-volume, lead-acid battery plant were studied for the influence of lead aerosol size on lead-in-blood (PbB) levels. A multiple linear regression analysis based on particle size assumptions made in the model used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to help select the permissible exposure level (PEL) for lead showed no improvement in prediction of PbB over that already present without any consideration of particle size. The use of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) regional size-selective criteria also failed to improve the prediction of PbB. However, when deposition models developed by Heyder et al were used in which the lead aerosol was separated into alveolar and extra-alveolar fractions, corresponding to what is considered respirable and ingestible lead, the coefficient of determination (R2) associated with the fractionated lead particulate increased approximately 25% over that attributable to only the total lead concentration. In addition, the deposition model, which closely matched the ACGIH reference worker criteria, resulted in ratios of the coefficients for the respirable to ingestible lead contributions to PbB that appeared to agree with experimental data, suggesting approximately a 10 to 1 ratio in absorption efficiency of the lung versus the gastrointestinal tract.

  7. AIR QUALITY CRITERIA FOR LEAD (1977)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The document summarizes current knowledge about the relationships between airborne lead and consequent effects on man and his environment. The effects that have been observed to occur when airborne lead has reached or exceeded specific levels for time periods constitute the centr...

  8. Lead Exposure in Military Outdoor Firing Ranges.

    PubMed

    Greenberg, Nili; Frimer, Ron; Meyer, Robert; Derazne, Estella; Chodick, Gabrial

    2016-09-01

    Several studies have reported significant airborne lead exposures during training at indoor firing ranges. Scarce attention has been given to airborne lead exposures in outdoor shooting ranges with automatic weapons. To assess the prevalence and magnitude of airborne and blood lead levels (BLL) among firing instructors and shooters in military outdoor ranges. Exposure assessment, for both trainees and instructors, included airborne and BLL during basic and advanced training at outdoor firing ranges. Personal airborne samples were collected in both day and night shooting during both training periods. During basic training, there is 95% likelihood that up to 25% of instructors and 99% likelihood that up to 5% of trainees might be exposed above the action level (AL) (25 μg/m(3)). During advanced training, there is 90% likelihood that 10% of instructors and 99% likelihood that up to 10% of trainees might be exposed above the AL. Military personnel participating in automatic weapon marksmanship training can be exposed to considerable levels of airborne lead during outdoor firing range training. As a result, the Israel Defense Force Medical Corp has classified firing range instructors as workers that require periodic medical examinations. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

  9. Airborne lead and other elements derived from local fires in the Himalayas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Davidson, C.I.; Grimm, T.C.; Nasta, M.A.

    1981-12-18

    The combustion of wood and yak dung for heating and cooking in a populated Nepal Himalayan valley contributes significantly to the ambient airborne concentrations of lead, copper, aluminum, magnesium, and elemental and organic carbon. A comparison of the concentrations of these elements in fresh snow with corresponding values in air suggests that the pollution aerosol is confined to the valley, with pristine air aloft.

  10. Relation of indoor and outdoor airborne fungal spore levels in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

    PubMed

    Jara, David; Portnoy, Jay; Dhar, Minati; Barnes, Charles

    2017-03-01

    Environmental control is an important component of asthma management for persons with asthma. A damp indoor environment and elevated airborne spore levels are factors in housing environmental control. We investigated if indoor airborne fungal spore levels correlated with outdoor ground-level airborne fungal spores or outdoor centrally collected spore levels as to types and abundance. Air collections were taken from home interiors, outdoor areas adjacent to the homes, and at a central location in the metropolitan area at the approximate same time. All air collections were examined and enumerated microscopically, and airborne spore estimates per cubic meter of air were reported for total fungal spores and for 11 identifiable spore groups. The 244 homes in the study were typical of the North American Midwest. The overall mean total spore counts in spores per cubic meter of air was indoors (4076 spores/m3), outdoors at ground level (8899 spores/m3), and outdoor metropolitan area (8342 spores/m3). All of the major indoor taxa were strongly correlated with the mean total spores present in the home. Total outdoor ground spore levels were highly correlated with levels of major outdoor taxa, such as ascospores and Cladosporium. Correlations of indoor spore levels with outdoor spore levels are strong for most major outdoor taxa. Indoor Aspergillus-Penicillium and Chaetomium are significantly correlated between indoor and local ground-level outdoor air. Although conditions may exist where indoor or outdoor spore levels were not well aligned, in most circumstances, the outdoor airborne spore community was reflected in the indoor airborne spore community.

  11. Factors associated with the seasonality of blood lead levels among preschool Wisconsin children.

    PubMed

    Havlena, Jeff; Kanarek, Marty S; Coons, Margie

    2009-05-01

    Aggregate blood lead testing data for Wisconsin children younger than age 6 exhibit seasonal trends in both average blood lead levels and in the percent of those tested and found to have blood lead levels in excess of the 10 mcg/dL threshold for poisoning. Blood lead levels and poisoning rates typically peak during the late summer and early fall months, and are at their minimum during the late winter. Blood test data was analyzed to determine variations by month and age. Seasonal variations are evident even among the very young: infants younger than 10 months who likely have limited opportunity to encounter lead hazards within their home or in the outdoor soil. Seasonal periodicity is most evident among infants who reside in very urban and very rural communities. The observed seasonal periodicity might be associated with the seasonal availability of lead within the children's environment. Particulate matter data measured at several ambient air quality monitoring stations exhibit a similar periodic seasonality, suggesting a possible relationship between blood lead levels and the availability of dust and airborne particulates during the summer months. Clinicians should consider the seasonality of blood lead levels when scheduling tests and interpreting test results.

  12. Exposure level and distribution characteristics of airborne bacteria and fungi in Seoul metropolitan subway stations.

    PubMed

    Kim, Ki Youn; Kim, Yoon Shin; Kim, Daekeun; Kim, Hyeon Tae

    2011-01-01

    The exposure level and distribution characteristics of airborne bacteria and fungi were assessed in the workers' activity areas (station office, bedroom, ticket office and driver's seat) and passengers' activity areas (station precinct, inside the passenger carriage, and platform) of the Seoul metropolitan subway. Among investigated areas, the levels of airborne bacteria and fungi in the workers' bedroom and station precincts were relatively high. No significant difference was found in the concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi between the underground and above ground activity areas of the subway. The genera identified in all subway activity areas with a 5% or greater detection rate were Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Bacillus and Corynebacterium for airborne bacteria and Penicillium, Cladosporium, Chrysosporium, Aspergillus for airborne fungi. Staphylococcus and Micrococcus comprised over 50% of the total airborne bacteria and Penicillium and Cladosporium comprised over 60% of the total airborne fungi, thus these four genera are the predominant genera in the subway station.

  13. Decreasing airborne contamination levels in high-risk hospital areas using a novel mobile air-treatment unit.

    PubMed

    Bergeron, V; Reboux, G; Poirot, J L; Laudinet, N

    2007-10-01

    To evaluate the performance of a new mobile air-treatment unit that uses nonthermal-plasma reactors for lowering the airborne bioburden in critical hospital environments and reducing the risk of nosocomial infection due to opportunistic airborne pathogens, such as Aspergillus fumigatus. Tests were conducted in 2 different high-risk hospital areas: an operating room under simulated conditions and rooms hosting patients in a pediatric hematology ward. Operating room testing provided performance evaluations of removal rates for airborne contamination (ie, particles larger than 0.5 microm) and overall lowering of the airborne bioburden (ie, colony-forming units of total mesophilic flora and fungal flora per cubic meter of air). In the hematology service, opportunistic and nonpathogenic airborne fungal levels in a patient's room equipped with an air-treatment unit were compared to those in a control room. In an operating room with a volume of 118 m(3), the time required to lower the concentration of airborne particles larger than 0.5 microm by 90% was decreased from 12 minutes with the existing high-efficiency particulate air filtration system to less than 2 minutes with the units tested, with a 2-log decrease in the steady-state levels of such particles (P<.01). Concurrently, total airborne mesophilic flora concentrations dropped by a factor of 2, and the concentrations of fungal species were reduced to undetectable levels (P<.01). The 12-day test period in the hematology ward revealed a significant reduction in airborne fungus levels (P<.01), with average reductions of 75% for opportunistic species and 82% for nonpathogenic species. Our data indicate that the mobile, nonthermal-plasma air treatment unit tested in this study can rapidly reduce the levels of airborne particles and significantly lower the airborne bioburden in high-risk hospital environments.

  14. Inter-agency Working Group for Airborne Data and Telemetry Systems (IWGADTS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Webster, Chris; Freudinger, Lawrence; Sorenson, Carl; Myers, Jeff; Sullivan, Don; Oolman, Larry

    2009-01-01

    The Interagency Coordinating Committee for Airborne Geosciences Research and Applications (ICCAGRA) was established to improve cooperation and communication among agencies sponsoring airborne platforms and instruments for research and applications, and to serve as a resource for senior level management on airborne geosciences issues. The Interagency Working Group for Airborne Data and Telecommunications Systems (IWGADTS) is a subgroup to ICCAGRA for the purpose of developing recommendations leading to increased interoperability among airborne platforms and instrument payloads, producing increased synergy among research programs with similar goals, and enabling the suborbital layer of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems.

  15. An evaluation of airborne nickel, zinc, and lead exposure at hot dip galvanizing plants.

    PubMed

    Verma, D K; Shaw, D S

    1991-12-01

    Industrial hygiene surveys were conducted at three hot dip galvanizing plants to determine occupational exposure to nickel, zinc, and lead. All three plants employed the "dry process" and used 2% nickel, by weight, in their zinc baths. A total of 32 personal and area air samples were taken. The air samples were analyzed for nickel, zinc, and lead. Some samples were also analyzed for various species of nickel (i.e., metallic, soluble, and oxidic). The airborne concentrations observed for nickel and its three species, zinc, and lead at the three plants were all well below the current and proposed threshold limit values recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

  16. Airborne electromagnetic data levelling using principal component analysis based on flight line difference

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Qiong; Peng, Cong; Lu, Yiming; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Kaiguang

    2018-04-01

    A novel technique is developed to level airborne geophysical data using principal component analysis based on flight line difference. In the paper, flight line difference is introduced to enhance the features of levelling error for airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data and improve the correlation between pseudo tie lines. Thus we conduct levelling to the flight line difference data instead of to the original AEM data directly. Pseudo tie lines are selected distributively cross profile direction, avoiding the anomalous regions. Since the levelling errors of selective pseudo tie lines show high correlations, principal component analysis is applied to extract the local levelling errors by low-order principal components reconstruction. Furthermore, we can obtain the levelling errors of original AEM data through inverse difference after spatial interpolation. This levelling method does not need to fly tie lines and design the levelling fitting function. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated by the levelling results of survey data, comparing with the results from tie-line levelling and flight-line correlation levelling.

  17. Effect of manual feeding on the level of farmer's exposure to airborne contaminants in the confinement nursery pig house.

    PubMed

    Kim, Ki-Youn; Ko, Han-Jong; Kim, Hyeon-Tae; Kim, Chi-Nyon; Kim, Yoon-Shin; Roh, Young-Man

    2008-04-01

    The objective of the study is to demonstrate an effect of manual feeding on the level of farmer's exposure to airborne contaminants in the confinement nursery pig house. The levels of all the airborne contaminants besides respirable dust, total airborne fungi and ammonia were significantly higher in the treated nursery pig house with feeding than the control nursery pig house without feeding. Although there is no significant difference in respirable dust and total airborne fungi between the treatment and the control, their concentrations in the treated nursery pig house were also higher than the control nursery pig house. The result that the level of ammonia in the treated nursery pig house is lower than the control nursery pig house would be reasoned by the mechanism of ammonia generation in the pig house and adsorption property of ammonia to dust particles. In conclusion, manual feeding by farmer increased the exposure level of airborne contaminants compared to no feeding activity.

  18. MODIS technical report series. Volume 3: MODIS airborne simulator level 1B data user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gumley, Liam E.; Hubanks, Paul A.; Masuoka, Edward J.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to describe the characteristics of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) airborne simulator level 1B data, the calibration and geolocation methods used in processing, the structure and format of the level 1B data files, and methods for accessing the data. The MODIS airborne simulator is a scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 and provides spectral information similar to that which will be provided by the MODIS.

  19. Apparatus and methods for monitoring the concentrations of hazardous airborne substances, especially lead

    DOEpatents

    Zaromb, Solomon

    2004-07-13

    Air is sampled at a rate in excess of 100 L/min, preferably at 200-300 L/min, so as to collect therefrom a substantial fraction, i.e., at least 20%, preferably 60-100%, of airborne particulates. A substance of interest (analyte), such as lead, is rapidly solubilized from the the collected particulates into a sample of liquid extractant, and the concentration of the analyte in the extractant sample is determined. The high-rate air sampling and particulate collection may be effected with a high-throughput filter cartridge or with a recently developed portable high-throughput liquid-absorption air sampler. Rapid solubilization of lead is achieved by a liquid extractant comprising 0.1-1 M of acetic acid or acetate, preferably at a pH of 5 or less and preferably with inclusion of 1-10% of hydrogen peroxide. Rapid determination of the lead content in the liquid extractant may be effected with a colorimetric or an electroanalytical analyzer.

  20. Levels of airborne dust in furniture making factories in the High Wycombe area

    PubMed Central

    Hounam, R. F.; Williams, J.

    1974-01-01

    Hounam, R. F. and Williams, J. (1974).British Journal of Industrial Medicine,31, 1-9. Levels of airborne dust in furniture making factories in the High Wycombe area. A dust survey was carried out in five furniture making factories in, or in the vicinity of, High Wycombe. The results, which are among the first to be reported for the United Kingdom, have provided information on the concentrations and size distributions of airborne dust to which wood machinists are currently exposed. Although measured concentrations covered a wide range, the average concentration was similar to the threshold limit value of 5 mg m-3 provisionally recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. A high proportion by mass of the airborne dust was of a size which will be deposited in the nasal passages on inhalation. Images PMID:4821408

  1. Community blood lead survey with emphasis on preschool children following lead dust pollution in Esperance, Western Australia.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Enrico; McLaughlin, Virginia; Joseph, John; Bulsara, Max; Coleman, Kerryn; Douglas, Charles; Robertson, Andrew

    2012-04-01

    To assess the impact of airborne lead dust on blood lead levels in residents of Esperance, a regional Western Australian town, with particular reference to preschool children. Following identification of significant airborne lead contamination, residents were notified that a blood lead clinic was available to all, with testing of preschool children encouraged. About 40% (333 children) of the preschool group and about 20% of the remaining population were tested. The main measures were blood lead levels, prevalence of elevated results and comparisons to other Western Australian surveys. In preschoolers, 2.1% (seven children) had blood lead levels exceeding the current 10 μg/dL level of concern. This was not significantly different to two previous community-based surveys elsewhere in Western Australia. However, at a lower cut-off of 5 μg/dL, the prevalence of elevated lead levels was 24.6%, significantly higher than children tested in a previous Western Australian survey. The prevalence of blood lead levels of 10 μg/dL or greater in adults was 1.3% (26 adults), not significantly different from a previous Western Australian survey. The prevalence of preschool children with blood lead levels exceeding the current level of concern was not significantly increased. However, the increased prevalence of children with lead levels at or above 5 μg/dL demonstrates exposure to lead dust pollution. This episode of lead dust contamination highlights the need for strict adherence to environmental controls and effective monitoring processes to ensure the prevention of future events. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

  2. Lead exposures and biological responses in military weapons systems: Aerosol characteristics and acute lead effects among US Army artillerymen: Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhattacharyya, M.H.; Stebbings, J.H.; Peterson, D.P.

    1993-03-01

    This study was to determine the concentration and chemical nature of lead (Pb) aerosols produced during the firing of artillery and to determine the exposures and biological responses of crew members exposed to lead aerosols during such firing. The concentrations of lead-containing aerosols at crew positions depended on wind conditions, with higher concentrations when firing into a head wind. Aerosol concentrations were highest in the muzzle blast zone. Concentrations of lead in the blood of crew members rose during the first 12 days of exposure to elevated airborne lead concentrations and then leveled off. There was no rapid decrease inmore » blood lead concentrations after completion of firing. Small decreases in hematocrit and small increases in free erythrocyte porphyrin were correlated with increasing exposure to airborne lead. These changes were reversed by seven weeks after firing. Changes in nerve conduction velocity had borderline statistical significance to airborne lead exposure. In measuring nerve conduction velocity, differences in skin temperature must be taken into account.« less

  3. Respiratory health effects of exposure to low levels of airborne endotoxin - a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Farokhi, Azadèh; Heederik, Dick; Smit, Lidwien A M

    2018-02-08

    Elevated endotoxin levels have been measured in ambient air around livestock farms, which is a cause of concern for neighbouring residents. There is clear evidence that occupational exposure to high concentrations of airborne endotoxin causes respiratory inflammation, respiratory symptoms and lung function decline. However, health effects of exposure to low levels of endotoxin are less well described. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize published associations between exposure to relatively low levels of airborne endotoxin and respiratory health endpoints. Studies investigating respiratory effects of measured or modelled exposure to low levels of airborne endotoxin (average < 100 EU/m 3 ) were eligible for inclusion. In total, 1362 articles were identified through a Pubmed database search, of which 31 articles were included in this review. Studies were included up to February 2017. Overview tables and forest plots were created, and study quality was assessed. Twenty-two included studies had a cross-sectional design, others were designed as longitudinal observational (n = 7) or experimental (n = 2) studies. Most studies (n = 23) were conducted in an occupational setting, some involved domestic or experimental exposure. Several studies reported statistically significant effects of exposure to low levels of endotoxin on respiratory symptoms and lung function. However, considerable heterogeneity existed in the outcomes of the included studies and no overall estimate could be provided by meta-analysis to quantify the possible relationship. Instead, a best evidence synthesis was performed among studies examining the exposure-response relationship between endotoxin and respiratory outcomes. Significant exposure-response relationships between endotoxin and symptoms and FEV 1 were shown in several studies, with no conflicting findings in the studies included in the best evidence synthesis. Significantly different effects of endotoxin exposure

  4. Comparison of particulate lead levels for different ammunition types used with the M16 rifle. Final report, July 1987-June 1988

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hoke, S.H.; Beard, A.S.; Brueggemann, E.E.

    1988-07-01

    Airborne lead generated during firing of conventional ammunition has lead to health concerns at indoor firing ranges. This study compares the relative amounts of airborne lead produced by the M16 rifle firing the M193 standard M16 5.56-mm conventional ammunition, the M862 5.56-mm plastic training ammunition, and the conventional caliber .22 rifle cartridge. Both breech and breech-plus-muzzle lead emissions were determined for each type of ammunition.

  5. Airborne infrared low level wind shear predictor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuhn, P. M.; Kurkowski, R. L.

    1984-01-01

    The operating principles and test performance of an airborne IR (13-16 micron) temperature-sensing detection and warning system for low-level wind shear (LLWS) are presented. The physics of LLWS phenomena and of the IR radiometer are introduced. The cold density-current outflow or gust front related to LLWS is observed in the IR spectrum of CO2 by a radiometer with + or - 0.5-C accuracy at 0.5-Hz sampling rate; LLWS alerts are given on the basis of specific criteria. Test results from the JAWS experiments conducted at Denver in July 1982, are presented graphically and discussed. The feasibility of the passive IR system is demonstrated, with an average warning time of 51 sec, corresponding to a distance from touchdown of about 2 miles.

  6. Comparison of Lead Species in Household Dust Wipes, Soil, and Airborne Particulate Matter in El Paso, Texas, by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pingitore, N. E.; Clague, J.; Amaya, M. A.

    2006-12-01

    Understanding the interplay of indoor and outdoor sources of lead in an urban setting is one foundation in establishing risk for lead exposure in children in our cities. A household may be the source for lead contamination due to the deterioration of interior lead-based paint, or a sink if lead particles are tracked or blown into the home from such potential ambient sources as yard soil or urban street dust. In addressing this issue, X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) presents the opportunity to directly and quantitatively speciate lead at low concentrations in bulk samples. We performed XAS analyses on dust wipes from window sills or floors from 8 houses that exceeded Federal standards for lead in dust. We entered these data into a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) that also included El Paso environmental samples: lead-based paints, soils, and airborne particulate matter. A simple two-component mixing system accounted for more than 95% of the variance of this data set. Paint and lead oxide appear to be the principal components, with all the samples falling in a compositional range from pure paint to 75% paint, 25% lead oxide. Note that several different lead compounds are possible constituents of a given lead-based paint. The paints spread from one end out along perhaps a fifth of the range of the compositional axis, followed closely, but not overlapped, by the soil samples, which covered the remainder of the compositional range. Two of the dust wipes plotted within the paint range, and the remaining 6 dust wipes plotted randomly through the soil range. Samples of airborne particulate matter plotted in both the paint and soil ranges. These observations suggest that the lead on most of the dust wipes originated outside the house, probably from deteriorated exterior lead-based paint deposited in adjacent yards. This paint mixed with lead oxide present in the soil and entered the houses by the airborne route. The probable source of the oxide in the soil is former

  7. Correlation between airborne Olea europaea pollen concentrations and levels of the major allergen Ole e 1 in Córdoba, Spain, 2012-2014.

    PubMed

    Plaza, M P; Alcázar, P; Galán, C

    2016-12-01

    Olea europaea L. pollen is the second-largest cause of pollinosis in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Airborne-pollen monitoring networks provide essential data on pollen dynamics over a given study area. Recent research, however, has shown that airborne pollen levels alone do not always provide a clear indicator of actual exposure to aeroallergens. This study sought to evaluate correlations between airborne concentrations of olive pollen and Ole e 1 allergen levels in Córdoba (southern Spain), in order to determine whether atmospheric pollen concentrations alone are sufficient to chart changes in hay fever symptoms. The influence of major weather-related variables on local airborne pollen and allergen levels was also examined. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. A multi-vial cyclone sampler was used to collect aeroallergens, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Significant positive correlations were found between daily airborne allergen levels and atmospheric pollen concentrations, although there were occasions when allergen was detected before and after the pollen season and in the absence of airborne pollen. The correlation between the two was irregular, and pollen potency displayed year-on-year variations and did not necessarily match pollen-season-intensity.

  8. Correlation between airborne Olea europaea pollen concentrations and levels of the major allergen Ole e 1 in Córdoba, Spain, 2012-2014

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plaza, M. P.; Alcázar, P.; Galán, C.

    2016-12-01

    Olea europaea L. pollen is the second-largest cause of pollinosis in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Airborne-pollen monitoring networks provide essential data on pollen dynamics over a given study area. Recent research, however, has shown that airborne pollen levels alone do not always provide a clear indicator of actual exposure to aeroallergens. This study sought to evaluate correlations between airborne concentrations of olive pollen and Ole e 1 allergen levels in Córdoba (southern Spain), in order to determine whether atmospheric pollen concentrations alone are sufficient to chart changes in hay fever symptoms. The influence of major weather-related variables on local airborne pollen and allergen levels was also examined. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. A multi-vial cyclone sampler was used to collect aeroallergens, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Significant positive correlations were found between daily airborne allergen levels and atmospheric pollen concentrations, although there were occasions when allergen was detected before and after the pollen season and in the absence of airborne pollen. The correlation between the two was irregular, and pollen potency displayed year-on-year variations and did not necessarily match pollen-season-intensity.

  9. Measurement of airborne gunshot particles in a ballistics laboratory by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Diaz, Ernesto; Sarkis, Jorge E Souza; Viebig, Sônia; Saldiva, Paulo

    2012-01-10

    The present study aimed determines lead (Pb), antimony (Sb) and barium (Ba) as the major elements present in GSR in the environmental air of the Ballistics Laboratory of the São Paulo Criminalistics Institute (I.C.-S.P.), São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Micro environmental monitors (mini samplers) were located at selected places. The PM(2.5) fraction of this airborne was collected in, previously weighted filters, and analyzed by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (SF-HR-ICP-MS). The higher values of the airborne lead, antimony and barium, were found at the firing range (lead (Pb): 58.9 μg/m(3); barium (Ba): 6.9 μg/m(3); antimony (Sb): 7.3 μg/m(3)). The mean value of the airborne in this room during 6 monitored days was Pb: 23.1 μg/m(3); Ba: 2.2 μg/m(3); Sb: 1.5 μg/m(3). In the water tank room, the air did not show levels above the limits of concern. In general the airborne lead changed from day to day, but the barium and antimony remained constant. Despite of that, the obtained values suggest that the workers may be exposed to airborne lead concentration that can result in an unhealthy environment and could increase the risk of chronic intoxication. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Airborne asbestos in public buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chesson, J.; Hatfield, J.; Schultz, B.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampled air in 49 government-owned buildings (six buildings with no asbestos-containing material, six buildings with asbestos-containing material in generally good condition, and 37 buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material). This is the most comprehensive study to date of airborne asbestos levels in U.S. public buildings during normal building activities. The air outside each building was also sampled. Air samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy using a direct transfer preparation technique. The results show an increasing trend in average airborne asbestos levels; outdoor levels are lowest and levels in buildings with damaged asbestos-containing material are highest.more » However, the measured levels and the differences between indoors and outdoors and between building categories are small in absolute magnitude. Comparable studies from Canada and the UK, although differing in their estimated concentrations, also conclude that while airborne asbestos levels may be elevated in buildings that contain asbestos, levels are generally low. This conclusion does not eliminate the possibility of higher airborne asbestos levels during maintenance or renovation that disturbs the asbestos-containing material.« less

  11. Evaluation of the use of salivary lead levels as a surrogate of blood lead or plasma lead levels in lead exposed subjects.

    PubMed

    Barbosa, Fernando; Corrêa Rodrigues, Maria Heloísa; Buzalaf, Maria R; Krug, Francisco J; Gerlach, Raquel F; Tanus-Santos, José Eduardo

    2006-10-01

    We conducted a study to evaluate the use of parotid salivary lead (Pb-saliva) levels as a surrogate of the blood lead (Pb-B) or plasma lead levels (Pb-P) to diagnose lead exposure. The relationship between these biomarkers was assessed in a lead exposed population. Pb-saliva and Pb-P were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while in whole blood lead was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. We studied 88 adults (31 men and 57 women) from 18 to 60 years old. Pb-saliva levels varied from 0.05 to 4.4 microg/l, with a mean of 0.85 microg/l. Blood lead levels varied from 32.0 to 428.0 microg/l in men (mean 112.3 microg/l) and from 25.0 to 263.0 microg/l (mean 63.5 microg/l) in women. Corresponding Pb-Ps were 0.02-2.50 microg/l (mean 0.77 microg/l) and 0.03-1.6 microg/l (mean 0.42 microg/l) in men and women, respectively. A weak correlation was found between Log Pb-saliva and Log Pb-B (r=0.277, P<0.008), and between Log Pb-saliva and Log Pb-P (r=0.280, P=0.006). The Pb-saliva/Pb-P ratio ranged from 0.20 to 18.0. Age or gender does not affect Pb-saliva levels or Pb-saliva/Pb-P ratio. Taken together, these results suggest that salivary lead may not be used as a biomarker to diagnose lead exposure nor as a surrogate of plasma lead levels at least for low to moderately lead exposed population.

  12. Temporal variability of the bioaerosol background at a subway station: concentration level, size distribution, and diversity of airborne bacteria.

    PubMed

    Dybwad, Marius; Skogan, Gunnar; Blatny, Janet Martha

    2014-01-01

    Naturally occurring bioaerosol environments may present a challenge to biological detection-identification-monitoring (BIODIM) systems aiming at rapid and reliable warning of bioterrorism incidents. One way to improve the operational performance of BIODIM systems is to increase our understanding of relevant bioaerosol backgrounds. Subway stations are enclosed public environments which may be regarded as potential bioterrorism targets. This study provides novel information concerning the temporal variability of the concentration level, size distribution, and diversity of airborne bacteria in a Norwegian subway station. Three different air samplers were used during a 72-h sampling campaign in February 2011. The results suggested that the airborne bacterial environment was stable between days and seasons, while the intraday variability was found to be substantial, although often following a consistent diurnal pattern. The bacterial levels ranged from not detected to 10(3) CFU m(-3) and generally showed increased levels during the daytime compared to the nighttime levels, as well as during rush hours compared to non-rush hours. The airborne bacterial levels showed rapid temporal variation (up to 270-fold) on some occasions, both consistent and inconsistent with the diurnal profile. Airborne bacterium-containing particles were distributed between different sizes for particles of >1.1 μm, although ∼50% were between 1.1 and 3.3 μm. Anthropogenic activities (mainly passengers) were demonstrated as major sources of airborne bacteria and predominantly contributed 1.1- to 3.3-μm bacterium-containing particles. Our findings contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for BIODIM equipment by providing information that may be used to simulate operational bioaerosol backgrounds during controlled aerosol chamber-based challenge tests with biological threat agents.

  13. Temporal Variability of the Bioaerosol Background at a Subway Station: Concentration Level, Size Distribution, and Diversity of Airborne Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Dybwad, Marius; Skogan, Gunnar

    2014-01-01

    Naturally occurring bioaerosol environments may present a challenge to biological detection-identification-monitoring (BIODIM) systems aiming at rapid and reliable warning of bioterrorism incidents. One way to improve the operational performance of BIODIM systems is to increase our understanding of relevant bioaerosol backgrounds. Subway stations are enclosed public environments which may be regarded as potential bioterrorism targets. This study provides novel information concerning the temporal variability of the concentration level, size distribution, and diversity of airborne bacteria in a Norwegian subway station. Three different air samplers were used during a 72-h sampling campaign in February 2011. The results suggested that the airborne bacterial environment was stable between days and seasons, while the intraday variability was found to be substantial, although often following a consistent diurnal pattern. The bacterial levels ranged from not detected to 103 CFU m−3 and generally showed increased levels during the daytime compared to the nighttime levels, as well as during rush hours compared to non-rush hours. The airborne bacterial levels showed rapid temporal variation (up to 270-fold) on some occasions, both consistent and inconsistent with the diurnal profile. Airborne bacterium-containing particles were distributed between different sizes for particles of >1.1 μm, although ∼50% were between 1.1 and 3.3 μm. Anthropogenic activities (mainly passengers) were demonstrated as major sources of airborne bacteria and predominantly contributed 1.1- to 3.3-μm bacterium-containing particles. Our findings contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for BIODIM equipment by providing information that may be used to simulate operational bioaerosol backgrounds during controlled aerosol chamber-based challenge tests with biological threat agents. PMID:24162566

  14. Development of acute exposure guideline levels for airborne exposures to hazardous substances.

    PubMed

    Krewski, Daniel; Bakshi, Kulbir; Garrett, Roger; Falke, Ernest; Rusch, George; Gaylor, David

    2004-04-01

    Hazardous substances can be released into the atmosphere due to industrial and transportation accidents, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and terrorists, thereby exposing workers and the nearby public to potential adverse health effects. Various enforceable guidelines have been set by regulatory agencies for worker and ambient air quality. However, these exposure levels generally are not applicable to rare lifetime acute exposures, which possibly could occur at high concentrations. Acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) provide estimates of concentrations for airborne exposures for an array of short durations that possibly could cause mild (AEGL-1), severe, irreversible, potentially disabling adverse health effects (AEGL-2), or life threatening effects (AEGL-3). These levels can be useful for emergency responders and planners in reducing or eliminating potential risks to the public. Procedures and methodologies for deriving AEGLs are reviewed in this paper that have been developed in the United States, with direct input from international representatives of OECD member-countries, by the National Advisory Committee for Acute Exposure Guidelines for Hazardous Substances and reviewed by the National Research Council. Techniques are discussed for the extrapolation of effects across different exposure durations. AEGLs provide a viable approach for assisting in the prevention, planning, and response to acute airborne exposures to toxic agents.

  15. Cycling of Lead Through Soil, Air, and Household Dust in El Paso, Texas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pingitore, N. E.; Clague, J.; Amaya, M. A.

    2008-12-01

    Elimination of leaded gasoline in the US is associated with a dramatic overall decrease in ambient lead in the environment and blood lead levels in our population. However, Pb is such a potent neurotoxin for children during the formative growth years that legislation for additional reduction of airborne lead levels is under consideration. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of a suite of samples of local (El Paso) soil, airborne particulate matter, and household dust reveals that lead humate is the dominant Pb species in these diverse environmental materials. Lead humate is a stable complex of Pb with the humus component of soil, a product of interaction between the humus and such introduced contaminant lead species as lead oxide, lead sulfate, etc. Because lead humate forms only in soil, we conclude that the source of the majority of the lead in El Paso's airborne particulate matter and household dust is local soils. Analysis of lead isotopes in selected samples is consistent with this conclusion. Re-entrainment of low-density (relative to most Pb species) humus soil particles is the apparent pathway from soil to air. Deposition of airborne particulate matter and pedal traction are the presumed mechanisms for transfer to household interiors. Reduction of airborne lead in El Paso by reducing input from its dominant local source may require extensive soil remediation, a tedious and expensive prospect. X-Ray absorption spectroscopy experiments were conducted at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory on beam lines 7-3, 10-2, and 11-2. Spectra were collected at the Pb L-III absorption edge in fluorescence mode using a 13-element or a 30-element Ge solid-state detector. This publication was made possible by grant numbers 1RO1-ES11367 and 1 S11 ES013339-04 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIEHS, NIH. Partial

  16. Column Closure Studies of Lower Tropospheric Aerosol and Water Vapor During ACE-Asia Using Airborne Sunphotometer, Airborne In-Situ and Ship-Based Lidar Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schmid, B.; Hegg, A.; Wang, J.; Bates, D.; Redemann, J.; Russells, P. B.; Livingston, J. M.; Jonsson, H. H.; Welton, E. J.; Seinfield, J. H.

    2003-01-01

    We assess the consistency (closure) between solar beam attenuation by aerosols and water vapor measured by airborne sunphotometry and derived from airborne in-situ, and ship-based lidar measurements during the April 2001 Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia). The airborne data presented here were obtained aboard the Twin Otter aircraft. Comparing aerosol extinction o(550 nm) from four different techniques shows good agreement for the vertical distribution of aerosol layers. However, the level of agreement in absolute magnitude of the derived aerosol extinction varied among the aerosol layers sampled. The sigma(550 nm) computed from airborne in-situ size distribution and composition measurements shows good agreement with airborne sunphotometry in the marine boundary layer but is considerably lower in layers dominated by dust if the particles are assumed to be spherical. The sigma(550 nm) from airborne in-situ scattering and absorption measurements are about approx. 13% lower than those obtained from airborne sunphotometry during 14 vertical profiles. Combining lidar and the airborne sunphotometer measurements reveals the prevalence of dust layers at altitudes up to 10 km with layer aerosol optical depth (from 3.5 to 10 km altitude) of approx. 0.1 to 0.2 (500 nm) and extinction-to-backscatter ratios of 59-71 sr (523 nm). The airborne sunphotometer aboard the Twin Otter reveals a relatively dry atmosphere during ACE- Asia with all water vapor columns less than 1.5 cm and water vapor densities w less than 12 g/cu m. Comparing layer water vapor amounts and w from the airborne sunphotometer to the same quantities measured with aircraft in-situ sensors leads to a high correlation (r(sup 3)=0.96) but the sunphotometer tends to underestimate w by 7%.

  17. Airborne Nicotine, Secondhand Smoke, and Precursors to Adolescent Smoking.

    PubMed

    McGrath, Jennifer J; Racicot, Simon; Okoli, Chizimuzo T C; Hammond, S Katharine; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

    2018-01-01

    Secondhand smoke (SHS) directly increases exposure to airborne nicotine, tobacco's main psychoactive substance. When exposed to SHS, nonsmokers inhale 60% to 80% of airborne nicotine, absorb concentrations similar to those absorbed by smokers, and display high levels of nicotine biomarkers. Social modeling, or observing other smokers, is a well-established predictor of smoking during adolescence. Observing smokers also leads to increased pharmacological exposure to airborne nicotine via SHS. The objective of this study is to investigate whether greater exposure to airborne nicotine via SHS increases the risk for smoking initiation precursors among never-smoking adolescents. Secondary students ( N = 406; never-smokers: n = 338, 53% girls, mean age = 12.9, SD = 0.4) participated in the AdoQuest II longitudinal cohort. They answered questionnaires about social exposure to smoking (parents, siblings, peers) and known smoking precursors (eg, expected benefits and/or costs, SHS aversion, smoking susceptibility, and nicotine dependence symptoms). Saliva and hair samples were collected to derive biomarkers of cotinine and nicotine. Adolescents wore a passive monitor for 1 week to measure airborne nicotine. Higher airborne nicotine was significantly associated with greater expected benefits ( R 2 = 0.024) and lower expected costs ( R 2 = 0.014). Higher social exposure was significantly associated with more temptation to try smoking ( R 2 = 0.025), lower aversion to SHS ( R 2 = 0.038), and greater smoking susceptibility ( R 2 = 0.071). Greater social exposure was significantly associated with more nicotine dependence symptoms; this relation worsened with higher nicotine exposure (cotinine R 2 = 0.096; airborne nicotine R 2 = 0.088). Airborne nicotine exposure via SHS is a plausible risk factor for smoking initiation during adolescence. Public health implications include limiting airborne nicotine through smoking bans in homes and cars, in addition to stringent restrictions

  18. Occupational exposure to airborne lead in Brazilian police officers.

    PubMed

    Rocha, Ernesto Díaz; Sarkis, Jorge E Souza; Carvalho, Maria de Fátima H; Santos, Gerson Vechio Dos; Canesso, Claudemir

    2014-07-01

    Shooting with lead-containing ammunition in indoor firing ranges is a known source of lead exposure in adults. Police officers may be at risk of lead intoxication when regular training shooting exercises are yearly mandatory to law enforcement officers. Effects on health must be documented, even when low-level elemental (inorganic) lead exposure is detected. Forty police officers (nineteen cadets and twenty-one instructors) responded to a questionnaire about health, shooting habits, and potential lead exposure before a training curse. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for blood lead level (BLL) before and after a three days training curse. The mean BLL for the instructors' group was 5.5 μg/dL ± 0.6. The mean BLL for the cadets' group before the training was 3.3 μg/dL ± 0.15 and after the training the main BLL was 18.2 μg/d L± 1.5. Samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). All the participants in the training curse had significantly increased BLL (mean increment about 15 μg/dL) after the three days indoor shooting season. In conclusion, occupational lead exposure in indoor firing ranges is a source of lead exposure in Brazilian police officers, and appears to be a health risk, especially when heavy weapons with lead-containing ammunition are used in indoor environments during the firing training seasons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  19. Monitoring of airborne bacteria and aerosols in different wards of hospitals - Particle counting usefulness in investigation of airborne bacteria.

    PubMed

    Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmd, Hossein; Hatamzadeh, Maryam; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

    2015-01-01

    The presence of airborne bacteria in hospital environments is of great concern because of their potential role as a source of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). The aim of this study was the determination and comparison of the concentration of airborne bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals, and evaluation of whether particle counting could be predictive of airborne bacterial concentration in different wards of a hospital. The study was performed in an operating theatre (OT), intensive care unit (ICU), surgery ward (SW) and internal medicine (IM) ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. A total of 80 samples were analyzed for the presence of airborne bacteria and particle levels. The average level of bacteria ranged from 75-1194 CFU/m (3) . Mean particle levels were higher than class 100,000 cleanrooms in all wards. A significant correlation was observed between the numbers of 1-5 µm particles and levels of airborne bacteria in operating theatres and ICUs. The results showed that factors which may influence the airborne bacterial level in hospital environments should be properly managed to minimize the risk of HAIs especially in operating theaters. Microbial air contamination of hospital settings should be performed by the monitoring of airborne bacteria, but particle counting could be considered as a good operative method for the continuous monitoring of air quality in operating theaters and ICUs where higher risks of infection are suspected.

  20. Harvesting tree biomass at the stand level to assess the accuracy of field and airborne biomass estimation in savannas.

    PubMed

    Colgan, Matthew S; Asner, Gregory P; Swemmer, Tony

    2013-07-01

    Tree biomass is an integrated measure of net growth and is critical for understanding, monitoring, and modeling ecosystem functions. Despite the importance of accurately measuring tree biomass, several fundamental barriers preclude direct measurement at large spatial scales, including the facts that trees must be felled to be weighed and that even modestly sized trees are challenging to maneuver once felled. Allometric methods allow for estimation of tree mass using structural characteristics, such as trunk diameter. Savanna trees present additional challenges, including limited available allometry and a prevalence of multiple stems per individual. Here we collected airborne lidar data over a semiarid savanna adjacent to the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and then harvested and weighed woody plant biomass at the plot scale to provide a standard against which field and airborne estimation methods could be compared. For an existing airborne lidar method, we found that half of the total error was due to averaging canopy height at the plot scale. This error was eliminated by instead measuring maximum height and crown area of individual trees from lidar data using an object-based method to identify individual tree crowns and estimate their biomass. The best object-based model approached the accuracy of field allometry at both the tree and plot levels, and it more than doubled the accuracy compared to existing airborne methods (17% vs. 44% deviation from harvested biomass). Allometric error accounted for less than one-third of the total residual error in airborne biomass estimates at the plot scale when using allometry with low bias. Airborne methods also gave more accurate predictions at the plot level than did field methods based on diameter-only allometry. These results provide a novel comparison of field and airborne biomass estimates using harvested plots and advance the role of lidar remote sensing in savanna ecosystems.

  1. Air and blood lead levels in lead acid battery recycling and manufacturing plants in Kenya.

    PubMed

    Were, Faridah H; Kamau, Geoffrey N; Shiundu, Paul M; Wafula, Godfrey A; Moturi, Charles M

    2012-01-01

    The concentration of airborne and blood lead (Pb) was assessed in a Pb acid battery recycling plant and in a Pb acid battery manufacturing plant in Kenya. In the recycling plant, full-shift area samples taken across 5 days in several production sections showed a mean value ± standard deviation (SD) of 427 ± 124 μg/m(3), while area samples in the office area had a mean ± SD of 59.2 ± 22.7 μg/m(3). In the battery manufacturing plant, full-shift area samples taken across 5 days in several production areas showed a mean value ± SD of 349 ± 107 μg/m(3), while area samples in the office area had a mean ± SD of 55.2 ± 33.2 μg/m(3). All these mean values exceed the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's permissible exposure limit of 50 μg/m(3) as an 8-hr time-weighted average. In the battery recycling plant, production workers had a mean blood Pb level ± SD of 62.2 ± 12.7 μg/dL, and office workers had a mean blood Pb level ± SD of 43.4 ± 6.6 μg/dL. In the battery manufacturing plant, production workers had a mean blood Pb level ± SD of 59.5 ± 10.1 μg/dL, and office workers had a mean blood Pb level ± SD of 41.6 ± 7.4 μg/dL. All the measured blood Pb levels exceeded 30 μg/dL, which is the maximum blood Pb level recommended by the ACGIH(®). Observations made in these facilities revealed numerous sources of Pb exposure due to inadequacies in engineering controls, work practices, respirator use, and personal hygiene.

  2. Domestic airborne black carbon levels and 8-isoprostane in exhaled breath condensate among children in New York City☆

    PubMed Central

    Rosa, Maria Jose; Yan, Beizhan; Chillrud, Steven N.; Acosta, Luis M.; Divjan, Adnan; Jacobson, Judith S.; Miller, Rachel L.; Goldstein, Inge F.; Perzanowski, Matthew S.

    2015-01-01

    Background Exposure to airborne black carbon (BC) has been associated with asthma development, respiratory symptoms and decrements in lung function. However, the mechanism through which BC may lead to respiratory symptoms has not been completely elucidated. Oxidative stress has been suggested as a potential mechanism through which BC might lead to adverse health outcomes. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) allows for the non-invasive collection of airway lining fluid containing biomarkers of oxidative stress like 8-isoprostane, a stable by-product of lipid peroxidation. Therefore, we sought to characterize the association between domestic airborne BC concentrations and 8-isoprostane in EBC. Materials and methods Seven- and eight-year-old children participated in an asthma case–control study in New York City. During home visits, air samples and EBC were collected. Seven day averages of domestic levels of particulate matter <2.5 µm (PM2.5), BC and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were measured. Urea and 8-isoprostane were measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in EBC. Results In univariate models, PM2.5 and BC, but not ETS, were significantly associated with increases in 8-isoprostane in the EBC (β = 0.006 and β = 0.106 respectively, p < 0.05 for both). These associations remained statistically significant for both PM2.5 and BC after adjustment for covariates. In a co-pollutant model including PM2.5, BC and ETS, only BC remained a statistically significant predictor of 8-isoprostane (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our findings suggest the BC fraction of PM might contain exposure relevant to increased oxidative stress in the airways. PMID:25262082

  3. Comparative study of airborne Alternaria conidia levels in two cities in Castilla-La Mancha (central Spain), and correlations with weather-related variables.

    PubMed

    Sabariego, Silvia; Bouso, Veronica; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

    2012-01-01

    Alternaria conidia are among the airborne biological particles known to trigger allergic respiratory diseases. The presented paper reports on a study of seasonal variations in airborne Alternaria conidia concentrations in 2 cities in the central Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete and Toledo. The influence of weather-related variables on airborne conidia levels and distribution was also analysed. Sampling was carried out from 2008-2010 using a Hirst sampler, following the methodology established by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. Annual airborne Alternaria conidia counts were higher in Toledo (annual mean 3,936 conidia) than in Albacete (annual mean 2,268 conidia). Conidia were detected in the air throughout the year, but levels peaked between May-September. Considerable year-on-year variations were recorded both in total annual counts and in seasonal distribution. A significant positive correlation was generally found between mean daily Alternaria counts and both temperature and hours of sunlight, while a significant negative correlation was recorded for relative humidity, daily and cumulative rainfall, and wind speed. Regression models indicated that between 31%-52% of the variation in airborne Alternaria conidia concentrations could be explained by weather-related variables.

  4. Action levels for airborne uranium in the workplace: chemical and radiological assessments.

    PubMed

    Leggett, R W; Meck, R A

    2018-06-01

    A method is described for deriving two levels of action-an investigation level (IL) and an immediate action level (IAL)-for different forms and mixtures of the natural uranium (U) isotopes 234 U, 235 U, and 238 U in air in the workplace. An IL indicates the need to confirm the validity of moderately elevated measurements of airborne U and adequacy of confinement controls and determine whether work limitations are appropriate. An IAL indicates that safeguards should be put into place immediately, including removal of workers from further exposure until conditions are acceptable. Derivations of ILs and IALs are based on latest radiation protection guidance, information on chemical toxicity of U, and biokinetic models for U. An action level (IL or IAL) is the more restrictive of two derived values, the action level based on U as a chemical hazard and the action level based on U as a radiation hazard.

  5. Association of Lead Levels and Cerebral Palsy

    PubMed Central

    Bansal, Neha; Aggarwal, Anju; Faridi, M. M. A.; Sharma, Tusha; Baneerjee, B. D.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Cerebral palsy is a common motor disability in childhood. Raised lead levels affect cognition. Children with cerebral palsy may have raised lead levels, further impairing their residual cognitive motor and behavioral abilities. Environmental exposure and abnormal eating habits may lead to increased lead levels. Aims and Objectives: To measure blood lead levels in children with cerebral palsy and compare them with healthy neurologically normal children. To correlate blood lead levels with environmental factors. Material and Methods: Design: Prospective case-control study. Setting: Tertiary care hospital. Participants: Cases comprised 34 children with cerebral palsy, and controls comprised 34 neurologically normal, age- and sex-matched children. Methods: Clinical and demographic details were recorded as per proforma. Detailed environmental history was recorded to know the source of exposure to lead. These children were investigated and treated as per protocol. Venous blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid vials for analysis of blood lead levels. Lead levels were estimated by Schimadzu Flame AA-6800 (atomic absorption spectrophotometer). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. P < .05 was taken as significant. Results: Mean blood lead levels were 9.20 ± 8.31 µg/dL in cerebral palsy cases and 2.89 ± 3.04 µg/dL in their controls (P < .001). Among children with cerebral palsy, 19 (55.88%) children had blood lead levels ≥5 µg/dL. Lead levels in children with pica were 12.33 ± 10.02 µg/dL in comparison to children with no history of pica, 6.70 ± 4.60 µg/dL (P = .029). No correlation was found between hemoglobin and blood lead levels in cases and controls. Conclusion: In our study, blood lead levels are raised in children with cerebral palsy. However, further studies are required to show effects of raised levels in these children. PMID:28491920

  6. Lead dust in Broken Hill homes: effect of remediation on indoor lead levels.

    PubMed

    Boreland, F; Lyle, D M

    2006-02-01

    This study was undertaken to determine whether home remediation effectively reduced indoor lead levels in Broken Hill, a long-established silver-lead-zinc mining town in outback Australia. A before-after study of the effect of home remediation on indoor lead levels was embedded into a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of remediation for reducing elevated blood lead levels in young children. Moist towelettes were used to measure lead loading (microg/m2) on internal windowsills and internal and entry floors of 98 homes; samples were collected before, immediately after, and 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months after remediation. Data were log(10) transformed for the analysis. Remediation reduced average indoor lead levels by approximately 50%, and lead levels remained low for the duration of the follow-up period (10 months). The greatest gains were made in homes with the highest initial lead levels; homes with low preremediation lead levels showed little or no benefit. Before remediation, homes located in areas with high soil lead levels or with "poor" dust proofing had higher lead levels than those in areas with lower soil lead levels or with "medium" or "good" dust proofing; these relative differences remained after remediation. There was no evidence that lead loading was reduced by an increased opportunity to become aware of lead issues. We conclude that remediation is an effective strategy for reducing the lead exposure of children living in homes with high indoor lead levels.

  7. Lead exposure and blood pressure among workers in diverse industrial plants in Kenya.

    PubMed

    Were, Faridah H; Moturi, M Charles; Gottesfeld, P; Wafula, Godfrey A; Kamau, Geoffrey N; Shiundu, Paul M

    2014-01-01

    The study evaluated airborne exposures and blood lead (BPb) levels in 233 production workers at six diverse industrial plants in Kenya. Blood and personal breathing zone air samples were collected and analyzed for lead (Pb) using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Blood pressure (BP) levels were measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. The results indicated mean airborne Pb levels ± standard deviation (SD) as follows: 183.2 ± 53.6 μg/m(3) in battery recycling, 133.5 ± 39.6 μg/m(3) in battery manufacturing, 126.2 ± 39.9 μg/m(3) in scrap metal welding, 76.3 ± 33.2 μg/m(3) in paint manufacturing, 27.3 ± 12.1 μg/m(3) in a leather manufacturing, and 5.5 ± 3.6 μg/m(3) in a pharmaceutical plant. The mean airborne Pb levels exceeded the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for Pb of 50 μg/m(3) in the battery manufacturing, battery recycling, welding, and paint manufacturing plants. Similarly, mean BPb concentrations exceeded the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) biological exposure index (BEI) for Pb of 30 μg/dl. A significant positive association was observed between BPb and breathing zone air Pb (R(2) = 0.73, P < 0.001). Approximately 30% of the production workers (N = 233) were in the hypertensive range with an average systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) of 134.7 ± 12.7 mmHg and 86.4 ± 8.9 mmHg, respectively. In the multivariate regression analysis, age, duration of work, airborne Pb and BPb levels were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with a change in BP. We recommend improved engineering controls, work practices, and personal hygiene to reduce Pb exposures. In addition, workers should undergo comprehensive medical surveillance to include BPb and BP testing, and airborne Pb assessments in all industries with significant lead exposures.

  8. Investigating the spatial distribution of water levels in the Mackenzie Delta using airborne LiDAR

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hopkinson, C.; Crasto, N.; Marsh, P.; Forbes, D.; Lesack, L.

    2011-01-01

    Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data were used to map water level (WL) and hydraulic gradients (??H/??x) in the Mackenzie Delta. The LiDAR WL data were validated against eight independent hydrometric gauge measurements and demonstrated mean offsets from - 0??22 to + 0??04 m (??< 0??11). LiDAR-based WL gradients could be estimated with confidence over channel lengths exceeding 5-10 km where the WL change exceeded local noise levels in the LiDAR data. For the entire Delta, the LiDAR sample coverage indicated a rate of change in longitudinal gradient (??2H/??x) of 5??5 ?? 10-10 m m-2; therefore offering a potential means to estimate average flood stage hydraulic gradient for areas of the Delta not sampled or monitored. In the Outer Delta, within-channel and terrain gradient measurements all returned a consistent estimate of - 1 ?? 10-5 m m-1, suggesting that this is a typical hydraulic gradient for the downstream end of the Delta. For short reaches (<10 km) of the Peel and Middle Channels in the middle of the Delta, significant and consistent hydraulic gradient estimates of - 5 ?? 10-5 m m-1 were observed. Evidence that hydraulic gradients can vary over short distances, however, was observed in the Peel Channel immediately upstream of Aklavik. A positive elevation anomaly (bulge) of > 0??1 m was observed at a channel constriction entering a meander bend, suggesting a localized modification of the channel hydraulics. Furthermore, water levels in the anabranch channels of the Peel River were almost 1 m higher than in Middle Channel of the Mackenzie River. This suggests: (i) the channels are elevated and have shallower bank heights in this part of the delta, leading to increased cross-delta and along-channel hydraulic gradients; and/or (ii) a proportion of the Peel River flow is lost to Middle Channel due to drainage across the delta through anastamosing channels. This study has demonstrated that airborne LiDAR data contain valuable information describing

  9. Airborne bacteria and fungi associated with waste-handling work.

    PubMed

    Park, Donguk; Ryu, Seunghun; Kim, Shinbum; Byun, Hyaejeong; Yoon, Chungsik; Lee, Kyeongmin

    2013-01-01

    Municipal workers handling household waste are potentially exposed to a variety of toxic and pathogenic substances, in particular airborne bacteria, gram-negative bacteria (GNB), and fungi. However, relatively little is known about the conditions under which exposure is facilitated. This study assessed levels of airborne bacteria, GNB, and fungi, and examined these in relation to the type of waste-handling activity (collection, transfer, transport, and sorting at the waste preprocessing plant), as well as a variety of other environmental and occupational factors. Airborne microorganisms were sampled using an Andersen single-stage sampler equipped with agar plates containing the appropriate nutritional medium and then cultured to determine airborne levels. Samples were taken during collection, transfer, transport, and sorting of household waste. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify environmental and occupational factors that significantly affect airborne microorganism levels during waste-handling activities. The "type of waste-handling activity" was the only factor that significantly affected airborne levels of bacteria and GNB, accounting for 38% (P = 0.029) and 50% (P = 0.0002) of the variation observed in bacteria and GNB levels, respectively. In terms of fungi, the type of waste-handling activity (R2 = 0.76) and whether collection had also occurred on the day prior to sampling (P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.78) explained most of the observed variation. Given that the type of waste-handling activity was significantly correlated with levels of bacteria, GNB, and fungi, we suggest that various engineering, administrative, and regulatory measures should be considered to reduce the occupational exposure to airborne microorganisms in the waste-handling industry.

  10. Quick response airborne command post communications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blaisdell, Randy L.

    1988-08-01

    National emergencies and strategic crises come in all forms and sizes ranging from natural disasters at one end of the scale up to and including global nuclear warfare at the other. Since the early 1960s the U.S. Government has spent billions of dollars fielding airborne command posts to ensure continuity of government and the command and control function during times of theater conventional, theater nuclear, and global nuclear warfare. Unfortunately, cost has prevented the extension of the airborne command post technology developed for these relatively unlikely events to the lower level, though much more likely to occur, crises such as natural disasters, terrorist acts, political insurgencies, etc. This thesis proposes the implementation of an economical airborne command post concept to address the wide variety of crises ignored by existing military airborne command posts. The system is known as the Quick Response Airborne Command Post (QRAC Post) and is based on the exclusive use of commercially owned and operated aircraft, and commercially available automated data processing and communications resources. The thesis addresses the QRAC Post concept at a systems level and is primarily intended to demonstrate how current technology can be exploited to economically achieve a national objective.

  11. Lead levels - blood

    MedlinePlus

    Blood lead levels ... A blood sample is needed. Most of the time blood is drawn from a vein located on the inside ... may be used to puncture the skin. The blood collects in a small glass tube called a ...

  12. Importance of stress-response genes to the survival of airborne Escherichia coli under different levels of relative humidity.

    PubMed

    Ng, Tsz Wai; Chan, Wing Lam; Lai, Ka Man

    2017-12-01

    Other than the needs for infection control to investigate the survival and inactivation of airborne bacterial pathogens, there has been a growing interest in exploring bacterial communities in the air and the effect of environmental variables on them. However, the innate biological mechanism influencing the bacterial viability is still unclear. In this study, a mutant-based approach, using Escherichia coli as a model, was used to prove the concept that common stress-response genes are important for airborne survival of bacteria. Mutants with a single gene knockout that are known to respond to general stress (rpoS) and oxidative stress (oxyR, soxR) were selected in the study. Low relative humidity (RH), 30-40% was more detrimental to the bacteria than high RH, >90%. The log reduction of ∆rpoS was always higher than that of the parental strain at all RH levels but the ∆oxyR had a higher log reduction than the parental strain at intermediate RH only. ∆soxR had the same viability compared to the parental strain at all RH levels. The results hint that although different types and levels of stress are produced under different RH conditions, stress-response genes always play a role in the bacterial viability. This study is the first reporting the association between stress-response genes and viability of airborne bacteria.

  13. Seasonal variation in airborne endotoxin levels in indoor environments with different micro-environmental factors in Seoul, South Korea.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Sung Ho; Park, Dong Jin; Park, Wha Me; Park, Dong Uk; Ahn, Jae Kyoung; Yoon, Chung Sik

    2016-02-01

    This study evaluated the variation over a year in airborne endotoxin levels in the indoor environment of five university laboratories in Seoul, South Korea, and examined the micro-environmental factors that influenced endotoxin levels. These included temperature, relative humidity, CO2, CO, illumination, and wind velocity. A total of 174 air samples were collected and analyzed using the kinetic limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Endotoxin levels ranged from <0.001 to 8.90EU/m(3), with an overall geometric mean of 0.240EU/m(3). Endotoxin levels showed significantly negative correlation with temperature (r=-0.529, p<0.001), CO2 (r=-0.213, p<0.001) and illumination (r=-0.538, p<0.001). Endotoxin levels tended to be higher in winter. Endotoxin levels in laboratories with rabbits were significantly higher than those of laboratories with mice. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the environmental factors affecting endotoxin levels were temperature (coefficient=-0.388, p<0.001) and illumination (coefficient=-0.370, p<0.001). Strategies aimed at reducing airborne endotoxin levels in the indoor environments may be most effective if they focus on illumination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Environmental lead and childhood blood lead levels in US children: NHANES, 1999-2006.

    PubMed

    Benson, Stacey M; Talbott, Evelyn O; Brink, LuAnn L; Wu, Candace; Sharma, Ravi K; Marsh, Gary M

    2017-03-04

    Although blood lead levels in the United States have fallen dramatically since 1980, there remain subgroups of children with high blood lead levels. We assessed the relationship between environmental lead sources and blood lead levels in children ages 1 to 5 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2006. Modeled ambient air lead levels and industrial lead releases at the census-tract level were assigned to each child's residence with adjustment for confounding factors. Of 3,223 children, 272 (8.4%) had blood lead levels ≥ 5 ug/dL. Industrial releases (2,252 vs 1,696 lbs/mi 2 ) and ambient air lead levels (2.28 vs 1.75 ng/m 3 ) were greater in exposed versus unexposed children. For every 10,000 lb/mi 2 increase in inverse distance squared weighted exposure, there was a 1.13% increase (95% CI: 0.45%, 1.81%) in blood lead (p = .001).

  15. The Influence of Declining Air Lead Levels on Blood Lead-Air Lead Slope Factors in Children

    EPA Science Inventory

    This presentation describes calculation of blood lead-air lead slope factor within an analysis of the relationship between blood lead levels and air lead levels among participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The slope factors are compared wi...

  16. Lead Levels in Utah Eagles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnold, Michelle

    2006-10-01

    Lead is a health hazard to most animals, causing adverse effects to the nervous and reproductive systems if in sufficient quantity. Found in most fishing jigs and sinkers, as well as some ammunition used in hunting, this metal can poison wildlife such as eagles. Eagles are raptors, or predatory birds, and their lead exposure would most likely comes from their food -- a fish which has swallowed a sinker or lead shot in carrion (dead animal matter). As part of an ongoing project to investigate the environment lead levels in Utah, the bone lead levels in the wing bones of eagles have been measured for eagle carcasses found throughout Utah. The noninvasive technique of x-ray fluorescence was used, consisting of a Cd-109 radioactive source to activate lead atoms and a HPGe detector with digital electronics to collect the gamma spectra. Preliminary results for the eagles measured to date will be presented.

  17. Relation of pediatric blood lead levels to lead in gasoline.

    PubMed Central

    Billick, I H; Curran, A S; Shier, D R

    1980-01-01

    Analysis of a large data set of pediatric blood lead levels collected in New York City (1970-1976) shows a highly significant association between geometric mean blood lead levels and the amount of lead present in gasoline sold during the same period. This association was observed for all age and ethnic groups studied, and it suggests that possible exposure pathways other than ambient air should be considered. Even without detailed knowledge of the exact exposure pathways, sufficient information now exists for policy analysis and decisions relevant to controls and standards related to lead in gasoline and its effect on subsets of the population. PMID:7389685

  18. Euphorbia milii-native bacteria interactions under airborne formaldehyde stress: Effect of epiphyte and endophyte inoculation in relation to IAA, ethylene and ROS levels.

    PubMed

    Khaksar, Gholamreza; Treesubsuntorn, Chairat; Thiravetyan, Paitip

    2017-02-01

    Better understanding of plant-bacteria interactions under stress is of the prime importance for enhancing airborne pollutant phytoremediation. No studies have investigated plant-epiphyte interactions compared to plant-endophyte interactions under airborne formaldehyde stress in terms of plant Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), ethylene, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and pollutant removal efficiency. Euphorbia milii was inoculated with native plant growth-promoting (PGP) endophytic and epiphytic isolates individually to investigate plant-endophyte compared to plant-epiphyte interactions under continuous formaldehyde fumigation. Under airborne formaldehyde stress, endophyte interacts with its host plant closely and provides higher levels of IAA which protected the plant against formaldehyde phytotoxicity by lowering intracellular ROS, ethylene levels and maintaining shoot epiphytic community; hence, higher pollutant removal. However, plant-epiphyte interactions could not provide enough IAA to confer protection against formaldehyde stress; thus, increased ROS and ethylene levels, large decrease in shoot epiphytic population and lower pollutant removal although epiphyte contacts with airborne pollutant directly (has greater access to gaseous formaldehyde). Endophyte-inoculated plant synthesized more tryptophan as a signaling molecule for its associated bacteria to produce IAA compared to the epiphyte-inoculated one. Under stress, PGP endophyte interacts with its host closely; thus, better protection against stress and higher pollutant removal compared to epiphyte which has limited interactions with the host plant; hence, lower pollutant removal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Effects of blood lead and cadmium levels on homocysteine level in plasma.

    PubMed

    Cai, R; Zheng, Y-F; Bu, J-G; Zhang, Y-Y; Fu, S-L; Wang, X-G; Guo, L-L; Zhang, J-R

    2017-01-01

    We studied the effect of non-occupational exposure to lead and cadmium on homocysteine level in plasma. Homocysteine is a marker for plasma folate folic acid metabolism in urban populations. 159 individuals from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai with no history of close exposure to heavy metals and no history of metabolic diseases were enrolled to participate in this study. Blood lead and cadmium levels were detected using ICP-MS method and the level of homocysteine was also measured using enzyme method. Our results showed that blood lead and cadmium levels in males were significantly higher than those in females. Also, blood lead and cadmium levels in smokers were higher than those in non-smokers; homocysteine level was significantly higher in smokers as well. According to blood lead and cadmium levels, cases were divided into four groups. Our results showed that a surge in blood lead and cadmium levels could result in an increase in homocysteine level. We concluded that in the Chinese population, smoking and gender might be the risk factors for elevated levels of lead and cadmium. Meanwhile, blood lead and cadmium levels may influence the homocysteine levels in the body. It is possible to speculate that non-occupational exposure to lead and cadmium, by increasing the homocysteine levels, negatively affect the cardiovascular and nervous system.

  20. Declining blood lead levels and cognitive changes in moderately lead-poisoned children.

    PubMed

    Ruff, H A; Bijur, P E; Markowitz, M; Ma, Y C; Rosen, J F

    1993-04-07

    To determine whether chelation therapy or biochemical changes during a lead-lowering intervention was associated with changes in cognitive functioning of moderately lead-poisoned children. It was hypothesized that cognitive performance would improve as blood lead level declined over time. Short-term intervention study with measures obtained before and after intervention. Hospital specialty clinic and university research center. A total of 154 previously untreated children referred to clinic with blood lead levels between 1.21 and 2.66 mumol/L (25 and 55 micrograms/dL) at time of enrollment. Ages ranged from 13 to 87 months. Enrolled children were treated with edetate calcium disodium (EDTA) if eligible and/or with orally administered iron supplement if iron deficient. For all children, housing inspections and abatement procedures were performed as necessary. Score on Bayley Mental Development Scale or Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th edition). There was no effect of edetate calcium disodium treatment per se. In the short term (7 weeks), changes in blood lead levels were not related to changes in cognitive scores. In the long term (6 months), however, changes in performance were significantly related to changes in blood lead level, even after controlling for confounding variables. The standardized score increased 1 point for every decrease of 0.14 mumol/L (3 micrograms/dL) in blood lead level. The results suggest an association between decreases in blood lead level and cognitive improvements in moderately lead-poisoned children.

  1. Airborne gravity measurement over sea-ice: The western Weddel Sea

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brozena, J.; Peters, M.; LaBrecque, J.

    1990-10-01

    An airborne gravity study of the western Weddel Sea, east of the Antarctic Peninsula, has shown that floating pack-ice provides a useful radar altimetric reference surface for altitude and vertical acceleration corrections surface for alititude and vertical acceleration corrections to airborne gravimetry. Airborne gravimetry provides an important alternative to satellite altimetry for the sea-ice covered regions of the world since satellite alimeters are not designed or intended to provide accurate geoidal heights in areas where significant sea-ice is present within the radar footprint. Errors in radar corrected airborne gravimetry are primarily sensitive to the variations in the second derivative ofmore » the sea-ice reference surface in the frequency pass-band of interest. With the exception of imbedded icebergs the second derivative of the pack-ice surface closely approximates that of the mean sea-level surface at wavelengths > 10-20 km. With the airborne method the percentage of ice coverage, the mixture of first and multi-year ice and the existence of leads and pressure ridges prove to be unimportant in determining gravity anomalies at scales of geophysical and geodetic interest, provided that the ice is floating and not grounded. In the Weddell study an analysis of 85 crosstrack miss-ties distributed over 25 data tracks yields an rms error of 2.2 mGals. Significant structural anomalies including the continental shelf and offsets and lineations interpreted as fracture zones recording the early spreading directions within the Weddell Sea are observed in the gravity map.« less

  2. Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zmuidzinas, J.

    1998-01-01

    This is the final technical report for NASA-Ames grant NAG2-1068 to Caltech, entitled "Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy", which extended over the period May 1, 1996 through January 31, 1998. The grant was funded by the NASA airborne astronomy program, during a period of time after the Kuiper Airborne Observatory was no longer operational. Instead. this funding program was intended to help develop instrument concepts and technology for the upcoming SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project. SOFIA, which is funded by NASA and is now being carried out by a consortium lead by USRA (Universities Space Research Association), will be a 747 aircraft carrying a 2.5 meter diameter telescope. The purpose of our grant was to fund the ongoing development of sensitive heterodyne receivers for the submillimeter band (500-1200 GHz), using sensitive superconducting (SIS) detectors. In 1997 July we submitted a proposal to USRA to construct a heterodyne instrument for SOFIA. Our proposal was successful [1], and we are now continuing our airborne astronomy effort with funding from USRA. A secondary purpose of the NAG2-1068 grant was to continue the anaIN'sis of astronomical data collected with an earlier instrument which was flown on the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The KAO instrument and the astronomical studies which were carried out with it were supported primarily under another grant, NAG2-744, which extended over October 1, 1991 through Januarv 31, 1997. For a complete description of the astronomical data and its anailysis, we refer the reader to the final technical report for NAG2-744, which was submitted to NASA on December 1. 1997. Here we report on the SIS detector development effort for SOFIA carried out under NAG2-1068. The main result of this effort has been the demonstration of SIS mixers using a new superconducting material niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN), which promises to deliver dramatic improvements in sensitivity in the 700

  3. Maternal Anxiety and Lead Levels in Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chaiklin, Harris; Mosher, Barbara

    There is a relationship between maternal anxiety and lead levels in children. Data were collected from the mothers of 15 children with "normal" lead levels and 15 children with elevated blood levels. Anxiety was measured by the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. All families lived in areas with poor housing. Treatment of lead poisoning tends…

  4. Challenges and Opportunities of Airborne Metagenomics

    PubMed Central

    Behzad, Hayedeh; Gojobori, Takashi; Mineta, Katsuhiko

    2015-01-01

    Recent metagenomic studies of environments, such as marine and soil, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the diverse microbial communities living in these habitats and their essential roles in sustaining vast ecosystems. The increase in the number of publications related to soil and marine metagenomics is in sharp contrast to those of air, yet airborne microbes are thought to have significant impacts on many aspects of our lives from their potential roles in atmospheric events such as cloud formation, precipitation, and atmospheric chemistry to their major impact on human health. In this review, we will discuss the current progress in airborne metagenomics, with a special focus on exploring the challenges and opportunities of undertaking such studies. The main challenges of conducting metagenomic studies of airborne microbes are as follows: 1) Low density of microorganisms in the air, 2) efficient retrieval of microorganisms from the air, 3) variability in airborne microbial community composition, 4) the lack of standardized protocols and methodologies, and 5) DNA sequencing and bioinformatics-related challenges. Overcoming these challenges could provide the groundwork for comprehensive analysis of airborne microbes and their potential impact on the atmosphere, global climate, and our health. Metagenomic studies offer a unique opportunity to examine viral and bacterial diversity in the air and monitor their spread locally or across the globe, including threats from pathogenic microorganisms. Airborne metagenomic studies could also lead to discoveries of novel genes and metabolic pathways relevant to meteorological and industrial applications, environmental bioremediation, and biogeochemical cycles. PMID:25953766

  5. Blood lead levels and cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) as predictors of late neurodevelopment in lead poisoned children

    PubMed Central

    Nie, Linda H.; Wright, Robert O.; Bellinger, David C.; Hussain, Javed; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; Chettle, David R.; Pejović-Milić, Ana; woolf, Alan; Shannon, Michael

    2011-01-01

    Objective To find the best lead exposure assessment marker for children. Methods We recruited 11 children, calculated a cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) for the children, measured their concurrent BLL, assessed their development, and measured their bone lead level. Results Nine of 11 children had clinically significant neurodevelopment problems. CBLI and current blood lead level, but not the peak lead level, were significantly or marginally negatively associated with the full-scale IQ score. Conclusion Lead exposure at younger age significantly impacts a child’s later neurodevelopment. CBLI may be a better predictor of neurodevelopment than are current or peak blood lead levels. PMID:21827276

  6. Indoor airborne endotoxin assessment in homes of Paris newborn babies.

    PubMed

    Dassonville, C; Demattei, C; Vacquier, B; Bex-Capelle, V; Seta, N; Momas, I

    2008-12-01

    The aims of this study were first to assess airborne endotoxin levels in the dwellings of 162 newborns living in Paris twice during a 1-year period, and second, to identify predictors for endotoxin concentrations using questionnaire data in relation to housing factors and living conditions. Air samples were collected on a glass fiber filter in polystyrene filter holders, using a pump at a flow rate of 3.5 l/min for 24 h placed in the main room of the home. Endotoxin levels were measured using a chromogenic kinetic Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate test. Geometric means (geometric standard deviation) of airborne endotoxin levels at two different visits were respectively 0.509 (4.289) EU/m3 and 0.557 (3.029) EU/m3. Airborne endotoxin levels were significantly increased: (i) in cold season (P = 0.024), with (ii) the presence of visible cockroaches in the previous 12 months at home (P < 0.001), (iii) increased number of inhabitants per square meter (P = 0.012), (iv) the high frequency of cleaning with the floor cloths (P = 0.0014), and (v) the low frequency of vacuuming (P = 0.0045). This study provided for the first time airborne endotoxin levels issued from repeated measurements in Paris dwellings. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS This analysis contributed to identify a few factors that determined indoor airborne endotoxin levels. However, the predictive model including housing factors and living conditions poorly estimated endotoxin levels. Consequently, multiple samples and longer sampling periods might improve the estimate of long-term airborne endotoxin exposure especially its variability, in cohort studies.

  7. Blood Lead Level Among Fuel Station Workers

    PubMed Central

    Al-Rudainy, Laith Abdulmajeed

    2010-01-01

    Objectives This study aims to determine the level of lead in blood of fuel station workers and in a group of people not occupationally exposed to lead Methods 53 control subjects with low risk lead exposure and 45 fuel station workers comprising the study group were included in this study in a period from September 2008 to December 2009. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for each subject by Lead Care Blood Testing System. The average blood lead levels of each group were compared using the independent sample (Mann – Whitney U) test. Results The median (range) 14.1 (7.5–56) μg/dl concentration of lead in the blood of fuel stations workers was significantly higher than the median (range) 6.5 (4.0–1.6) μg/dl concentration of lead in the blood of the control group (p< 0.001).The results obtained also showed that the values of blood lead levels in many workers were higher than action and upper limits acceptable for adults. In fuel station workers, the duration of exposure to leaded fuel was significantly correlated with the blood lead level. Conclusions Occupational exposure to lead is prevalent among many fuel station workers in Basrah. A policy action to improve working conditions and to phase out the use of leaded gasoline is recommended. PMID:22043339

  8. The influence of bone and blood lead on plasma lead levels in environmentally exposed adults.

    PubMed Central

    Hernández-Avila, M; Smith, D; Meneses, F; Sanin, L H; Hu, H

    1998-01-01

    There is concern that previously accumulated bone lead stores may constitute an internal source of exposure, particularly during periods of increased bone mineral loss (e.g., pregnancy, lactation, and menopause). Furthermore, the contribution of lead mobilized from bone to plasma may not be adequately reflected by whole-blood lead levels. This possibility is especially alarming because plasma is the main circulatory compartment of lead that is available to cross cell membranes and deposit in soft tissues. We studied 26 residents of Mexico City who had no history of occupational lead exposure. Two samples of venous blood were collected from each individual. One sample was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-magnetic sector mass spectrometry for whole-blood lead levels. The other sample was centrifuged to separate plasma, which was then isolated and analyzed for lead content by the same analytical technique. Bone lead levels in the tibia and patella were determined with a spot-source 109Cd K-X-ray fluorescence instrument. Mean lead concentrations were 0.54 microg/l in plasma, 119 microg/l in whole blood, and 23.27 and 11.71 microg/g bone mineral in the patella and tibia, respectively. The plasma-to-whole-blood lead concentration ratios ranged from 0.27% to 0.70%. Whole-blood lead level was highly correlated with plasma lead level and accounted for 95% of the variability of plasma lead concentrations. Patella and tibia lead levels were also highly correlated with plasma lead levels. The bivariate regression coefficients of patella and tibia on plasma lead were 0.034 (p<0. 001) and 0.053 (p<0.001), respectively. In a multivariate regression model of plasma lead levels that included whole-blood lead, patella lead level remained an independent predictor of plasma lead level (ss = 0.007, p<0.001). Our data suggest that although whole-blood lead levels are highly correlated with plasma lead levels, lead levels in bone (particularly trabecular bone) exert an additional

  9. Use of the selective agar medium CREAD for monitoring the level of airborne spoilage moulds in cheese production.

    PubMed

    Kure, Cathrine Finne; Borch, Elisabeth; Karlsson, Ingela; Homleid, Jens Petter; Langsrud, Solveig

    2008-02-29

    It was investigated if a selective medium for common cheese spoiling moulds (CREAD) could give more relevant information than a general mould medium in hygienic air-sampling in cheese factories. A total of 126 air-samples were taken in six Nordic cheese factories using the general mould medium DG18 and CREAD. The level and genera of air-borne mould was determined. Identification to species-level was performed for a selection of samples. In five cheese factories the mycobiota was dominated by Penicillium spp. and in one cheese factory by Cladosporium spp. The concentration of air-borne moulds varied between the cheese factories ranging from 1 to 270 cfu/m3 on DG18 with a median value of 17. The number of mould colonies was in general lower at CREAD. Identification indicated that CREAD supported growth of common spoilage moulds for cheese, such as Penicillium palitans and P. commune. The mycobiota on DG18 also consisted of moulds not commonly associated with spoilage of cheese, such as Cladosporium spp., P. brevicompactum and P. chrysogenum. Contamination of cheese with mould is periodically a problem in production of semi-hard cheese and the level of air-borne mould is therefore routinely monitored in cheese factories. A clear correlation between the total number of moulds in air and mould growth on products is not always found. The conclusion from the investigation is that it is recommended to use a selective medium for cheese spoilage moulds, such as CREAD in hygienic monitoring.

  10. Tracing geogenic and anthropogenic sources in urban dusts: Insights from lead isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Del Rio-Salas, R.; Ruiz, J.; De la O-Villanueva, M.; Valencia-Moreno, M.; Moreno-Rodríguez, V.; Gómez-Alvarez, A.; Grijalva, T.; Mendivil, H.; Paz-Moreno, F.; Meza-Figueroa, D.

    2012-12-01

    Tracing the source of metals in the environment is critical to understanding their pollution level and fate. Geologic materials are an important source of airborne particulate matter, but the contribution of contaminated soil to concentrations of Pb in airborne dust is not yet widely documented. To examine the potential significance of this mechanism, surface soil samples were collected, as well as wind-transported dust trapped at 1 and 2 m height at seven different locations including residential, industrial, high-traffic and rural sites. Samples of dust deposited on roofs from 24 schools were also obtained and analyzed for Pb isotope ratios. Spatial distribution of Pb of airborne and sedimented dust suggests a process dominated by re-suspension/sedimentation, which was controlled by erosion, traffic and topography of the urban area. Anthropogenic lead input in the city grades outward the urban zone toward geogenic values. Our results shows that Pb-isotopic signatures of leaded gasoline are imprinted in dust sedimented on roofs. Considering that leaded-gasoline has not been in use in Mexico since two decades ago, this signature shows not only a Pb-legacy in soil, but also a re-suspension process affecting air column below 3 m in height. The combination of the 207Pb/206Pb data of the surrounding rocks and urban dust, reveal three well-defined zones with remarkable anthropogenic influence, which correspond to the oldest urban sectors. This work highlights the importance of spatial characterization of metals in particles suspended below a height of 3 m of the airborne column, a fact that should be considered to identify exposure paths to humans and the potential risks. Lead isotope signatures allowed the identification of geogenic and anthropogenic emission sources for dust, a matter that deserves consideration in the efforts to control airborne metal emissions.

  11. Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The focus of the workshop was on how the airborne community can assist in achieving the goals of the Global Change Research Program. The many activities that employ airborne platforms and sensors were discussed: platforms and instrument development; airborne oceanography; lidar research; SAR measurements; Doppler radar; laser measurements; cloud physics; airborne experiments; airborne microwave measurements; and airborne data collection.

  12. Challenges and opportunities of airborne metagenomics.

    PubMed

    Behzad, Hayedeh; Gojobori, Takashi; Mineta, Katsuhiko

    2015-05-06

    Recent metagenomic studies of environments, such as marine and soil, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the diverse microbial communities living in these habitats and their essential roles in sustaining vast ecosystems. The increase in the number of publications related to soil and marine metagenomics is in sharp contrast to those of air, yet airborne microbes are thought to have significant impacts on many aspects of our lives from their potential roles in atmospheric events such as cloud formation, precipitation, and atmospheric chemistry to their major impact on human health. In this review, we will discuss the current progress in airborne metagenomics, with a special focus on exploring the challenges and opportunities of undertaking such studies. The main challenges of conducting metagenomic studies of airborne microbes are as follows: 1) Low density of microorganisms in the air, 2) efficient retrieval of microorganisms from the air, 3) variability in airborne microbial community composition, 4) the lack of standardized protocols and methodologies, and 5) DNA sequencing and bioinformatics-related challenges. Overcoming these challenges could provide the groundwork for comprehensive analysis of airborne microbes and their potential impact on the atmosphere, global climate, and our health. Metagenomic studies offer a unique opportunity to examine viral and bacterial diversity in the air and monitor their spread locally or across the globe, including threats from pathogenic microorganisms. Airborne metagenomic studies could also lead to discoveries of novel genes and metabolic pathways relevant to meteorological and industrial applications, environmental bioremediation, and biogeochemical cycles. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  13. Levels and source apportionment of children's lead exposure: could urinary lead be used to identify the levels and sources of children's lead pollution?

    PubMed

    Cao, Suzhen; Duan, Xiaoli; Zhao, Xiuge; Wang, Beibei; Ma, Jin; Fan, Delong; Sun, Chengye; He, Bin; Wei, Fusheng; Jiang, Guibin

    2015-04-01

    As a highly toxic heavy metal, the pollution and exposure risks of lead are of widespread concern for human health. However, the collection of blood samples for use as an indicator of lead pollution is not always feasible in most cohort or longitudinal studies, especially those involving children health. To evaluate the potential use of urinary lead as an indicator of exposure levels and source apportionment, accompanying with environmental media samples, lead concentrations and isotopic measurements (expressed as (207)Pb/(206)Pb, (208)Pb/(206)Pb and (204)Pb/(206)Pb) were investigated and compared between blood and urine from children living in the vicinities of a typical coking plant and lead-acid battery factory. The results showed urinary lead might not be a preferable proxy for estimating blood lead levels. Fortunately, urinary lead isotopic measurements could be used as an alternative for identifying the sources of children's lead exposure, which coincided well with the blood lead isotope ratio analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Implementing the ban on smoking in Israeli pubs: measuring airborne nicotine and enforcement by local authorities.

    PubMed

    Satran, Carmit; Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Hammond, S Katharine; Baron-Epel, Orna

    2014-06-01

    In 2007 an amendment to the law restricting smoking in pubs and bars (P&Bs) was enacted in Israel. However, a year after the ban only slight decreases in airborne smoke in P&Bs in one city have been reported. We aimed to assess levels of airborne nicotine in Israeli P&Bs and to measure ifself-reported enforcement of the law by local officials was associated with levels of airborne nicotine in P&Bs. Airborne nicotine levels were measured in 72 P&Bs in 29 towns in Israel; this consisted of 90% of eligible towns. In addition, 73 local authority officials were interviewed in 25 of these towns. The officials were asked to assess the local authority's level of enforcement of the law banning smoking in P&Bs. The association of levels of airborne nicotine with the levels of enforcement of the law was calculated. Data were collected during 2009-2010 and analyzed in 2010-2011. Levels of airborne nicotine were comparatively high in P&Bs. No association was detected between levels of nicotine and the P&Bs' characteristics. In the larger towns, levels of airborne nicotine were higher. In 16% of towns the local authority officials reported high levels of law enforcement. Generally, levels of reported enforcement by local authorities were low and did not predict levels of airborne nicotine in the P&Bs. Self-reported local authorities' law enforcement was not associated with levels of airborne nicotine in P&Bs in these towns. There is a need to develop ways to increase law enforcement by the local authorities or other agencies.

  15. Particle size distributions of lead measured in battery manufacturing and secondary smelter facilities and implications in setting workplace lead exposure limits.

    PubMed

    Petito Boyce, Catherine; Sax, Sonja N; Cohen, Joel M

    2017-08-01

    Inhalation plays an important role in exposures to lead in airborne particulate matter in occupational settings, and particle size determines where and how much of airborne lead is deposited in the respiratory tract and how much is subsequently absorbed into the body. Although some occupational airborne lead particle size data have been published, limited information is available reflecting current workplace conditions in the U.S. To address this data gap, the Battery Council International (BCI) conducted workplace monitoring studies at nine lead acid battery manufacturing facilities (BMFs) and five secondary smelter facilities (SSFs) across the U.S. This article presents the results of the BCI studies focusing on the particle size distributions calculated from Personal Marple Impactor sampling data and particle deposition estimates in each of the three major respiratory tract regions derived using the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry model. The BCI data showed the presence of predominantly larger-sized particles in the work environments evaluated, with average mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMADs) ranging from 21-32 µm for the three BMF job categories and from 15-25 µm for the five SSF job categories tested. The BCI data also indicated that the percentage of lead mass measured at the sampled facilities in the submicron range (i.e., <1 µm, a particle size range associated with enhanced absorption of associated lead) was generally small. The estimated average percentages of lead mass in the submicron range for the tested job categories ranged from 0.8-3.3% at the BMFs and from 0.44-6.1% at the SSFs. Variability was observed in the particle size distributions across job categories and facilities, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore this variability. The BCI results were compared with results reported in the scientific literature. Screening-level analyses were also conducted to explore the overall degree of lead absorption potentially

  16. The evolutionary trend in airborne and satellite radar altimeters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fedor, L. S.; Walsh, E. J.

    1984-01-01

    The manner in which airborne and satellite radar altimeters developed and where the trend is leading was investigated. The airborne altimeters have progressed from a broad beamed, narrow pulsed, nadir looking instrument, to a pulse compressed system that is computer controlled, to a scanning pencil beamed system which produce a topographic map of the surface beneath the aircraft in real time. It is suggested that the airborne systems lie in the use of multiple frequencies. The satellite altimeters evolve towards multifrequency systems with narrower effective pulses and higher pulse compression ratios to reduce peak transmitted power while improving resolution. Applications indicate wide swath systems using interferometric techniques or beam limited systems using 100 m diameter antennas.

  17. Lead-contaminated imported tamarind candy and children's blood lead levels.

    PubMed Central

    Lynch, R A; Boatright, D T; Moss, S K

    2000-01-01

    In 1999, an investigation implicated tamarind candy as the potential source of lead exposure for a child with a significantly elevated blood lead level (BLL). The Oklahoma City-County Health Department tested two types of tamarind suckers and their packaging for lead content. More than 50% of the tested suckers exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Level of Concern for lead in this type of product. The authors calculated that a child consuming one-quarter to one-half of either of the two types of suckers in a day would exceed the maximum FDA Provis onal Tolerable Intake for lead. High lead concentrations in the two types of wrappers suggested leaching as a potential source of contamination. The authors used the Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model to predict the effects of consumption of contaminated tamarind suckers on populat on BLLs. The IEUBK model predicted that consumption of either type of sucker at a rate of one per day would result in dramatic increases in mean BLLs for children ages 6-84 months in Oklahoma and in the percentage of children wth elevated BLLs (> or =10 micrograms per deciliter [microg/dL]). The authors conclude that consumption of these products represents a potential public health threat. In addition, a history of lead contamination in imported tamarind products suggests that import control measures may not be completely effective in preventing additional lead exposure. PMID:11354337

  18. Lead-contaminated imported tamarind candy and children's blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Lynch, R A; Boatright, D T; Moss, S K

    2000-01-01

    In 1999, an investigation implicated tamarind candy as the potential source of lead exposure for a child with a significantly elevated blood lead level (BLL). The Oklahoma City-County Health Department tested two types of tamarind suckers and their packaging for lead content. More than 50% of the tested suckers exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Level of Concern for lead in this type of product. The authors calculated that a child consuming one-quarter to one-half of either of the two types of suckers in a day would exceed the maximum FDA Provis onal Tolerable Intake for lead. High lead concentrations in the two types of wrappers suggested leaching as a potential source of contamination. The authors used the Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model to predict the effects of consumption of contaminated tamarind suckers on populat on BLLs. The IEUBK model predicted that consumption of either type of sucker at a rate of one per day would result in dramatic increases in mean BLLs for children ages 6-84 months in Oklahoma and in the percentage of children wth elevated BLLs (> or =10 micrograms per deciliter [microg/dL]). The authors conclude that consumption of these products represents a potential public health threat. In addition, a history of lead contamination in imported tamarind products suggests that import control measures may not be completely effective in preventing additional lead exposure.

  19. Characterization of airborne bacteria at an underground subway station.

    PubMed

    Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per; Blatny, Janet Martha

    2012-03-01

    The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers.

  20. Characterization of Airborne Bacteria at an Underground Subway Station

    PubMed Central

    Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per

    2012-01-01

    The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers. PMID:22247150

  1. Levels of lead in breast milk and their relation to maternal blood and bone lead levels at one month postpartum.

    PubMed

    Ettinger, Adrienne S; Téllez-Rojo, Martha María; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; González-Cossío, Teresa; Peterson, Karen E; Aro, Antonio; Hu, Howard; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio

    2004-06-01

    Despite the many well-recognized benefits of breast-feeding for both mothers and infants, detectable levels of lead in breast milk have been documented in population studies of women with no current environmental or occupational exposures. Mobilization of maternal bone lead stores has been suggested as a potential endogenous source of lead in breast milk. We measured lead in breast milk to quantify the relation between maternal blood and bone lead levels and breast-feeding status (exclusive vs. partial) among 310 lactating women in Mexico City, Mexico, at 1 month postpartum. Umbilical cord and maternal blood samples were collected at delivery. Maternal breast milk, blood, and bone lead levels were obtained at 1 month postpartum. Levels of lead in breast milk ranged from 0.21 to 8.02 microg/L (ppb), with a geometric mean (GM) of 1.1 microg/L; blood lead ranged from 1.8 to 29.9 microg/dL (GM = 8.4 microg/dL); bone lead ranged from < 1 to 67.2 microg/g bone mineral (patella) and from < 1 to 76.6 microg/g bone mineral (tibia) at 1 month postpartum. Breast milk lead was significantly correlated with umbilical cord lead [Spearman correlation coefficient (rS) = 0.36, p < 0.0001] and maternal blood lead (rS= 0.38, p < 0.0001) at delivery and with maternal blood lead (rS = 0.42, p < 0.0001) and patella lead (rS= 0.15, p < 0.01) at 1 month postpartum. Mother's age, years living in Mexico City, and use of lead-glazed ceramics, all predictive of cumulative lead exposure, were not significant predictors of breast milk lead levels. Adjusting for parity, daily dietary calcium intake (milligrams), infant weight change (grams), and breast-feeding status (exclusive or partial lactation), the estimated effect of an interquartile range (IQR) increase in blood lead (5.0 microg/dL) was associated with a 33% increase in breast milk lead [95% confidence interval (CI), 24 to 43%], whereas an IQR increase in patella lead (20 microg/g) was associated with a 14% increase in breast milk lead

  2. Influence of social and environmental factors on dust, lead, hand lead, and blood lead levels in young children

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bornschein, R.L.; Succop, P.; Dietrich, K.N.

    The roles of environmental and behavioral factors in determining blood lead levels were studied in a cohort of young children living in an urban environment. The subjects were observed at 3-month intervals from birth to 24 months of age. Repeated measurements were made of the children's blood lead levels, environmental levels of lead in house dust, and in the dust found on the children's hands. A qualitative rating of the residence and of the socioeconomic status of the family was obtained. Interviews and direct observation of parent and child at home were used to evaluate various aspects of caretaker-child interactions.more » Data analysis consisted of a comparison of results obtained by (a) simple correlational analysis, (b) multiple regression analysis, and (c) structural equations analysis. The results demonstrated that structural equation modeling offers a useful approach to unraveling the complex interactions present in the data set. In this preliminary analysis, the suspected relationship between the levels of lead in house dust and on hands and the blood lead level was clearly demonstrated. Furthermore, the analyses indicated an important interplay between environmental sources and social factors in the determination of hand lead and blood lead levels in very young children.« less

  3. [Development of a microenvironment test chamber for airborne microbe research].

    PubMed

    Zhan, Ningbo; Chen, Feng; Du, Yaohua; Cheng, Zhi; Li, Chenyu; Wu, Jinlong; Wu, Taihu

    2017-10-01

    One of the most important environmental cleanliness indicators is airborne microbe. However, the particularity of clean operating environment and controlled experimental environment often leads to the limitation of the airborne microbe research. This paper designed and implemented a microenvironment test chamber for airborne microbe research in normal test conditions. Numerical simulation by Fluent showed that airborne microbes were evenly dispersed in the upper part of test chamber, and had a bottom-up concentration growth distribution. According to the simulation results, the verification experiment was carried out by selecting 5 sampling points in different space positions in the test chamber. Experimental results showed that average particle concentrations of all sampling points reached 10 7 counts/m 3 after 5 minutes' distributing of Staphylococcus aureus , and all sampling points showed the accordant mapping of concentration distribution. The concentration of airborne microbe in the upper chamber was slightly higher than that in the middle chamber, and that was also slightly higher than that in the bottom chamber. It is consistent with the results of numerical simulation, and it proves that the system can be well used for airborne microbe research.

  4. Exposure to PM2.5 and Blood Lead Level in Two Populations in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

    PubMed

    Enkhbat, Undarmaa; Rule, Ana M; Resnick, Carol; Ochir, Chimedsuren; Olkhanud, Purevdorj; Williams, D'Ann L

    2016-02-15

    Approximately 60% of the households in Ulaanbaatar live in gers (a traditional Mongolian dwelling) in districts outside the legal limits of the city, without access to basic infrastructure, such as water, sewage systems, central heating, and paved roads, in contrast to apartment residents. This stark difference in living conditions creates different public health challenges for Ulaanbaatar residents. Through this research study we aim to test our hypothesis that women living in gers burning coal in traditional stoves for cooking and heating during the winter are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne PM2.5 than women living in apartments in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and this exposure may include exposures to lead in coal with effects on blood lead levels. This cross-sectional study recruited a total of 50 women, 40-60 years of age, from these two settings. Air sampling was carried out during peak cooking and heating times, 5:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., using a direct-reading instrument (TSI SidePak™) and integrated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filters using the SKC Personal Environmental Monitor. Blood lead level (BLL) was measured using a LeadCare II rapid field test method. In our study population, measured PM2.5 geometric mean (GM) concentrations using the SidePak™ in the apartment group was 31.5 (95% CI:17-99) μg/m³, and 100 (95% CI: 67-187) μg/m³ in ger households (p < 0.001). The GM integrated gravimetric PM2.5 concentrations in the apartment group were 52.8 (95% CI: 39-297) μg/m³ and 127.8 (95% CI: 86-190) μg/m³ in ger households (p = 0.004). The correlation coefficient for the SidePak™ PM2.5 concentrations and filter based PM2.5 concentrations was r = 0.72 (p < 0.001). Blood Lead Levels were not statistically significant different between apartment residents and ger residents (p = 0.15). The BLL is statistically significant different (p = 0.01) when stratified by length of exposures outside of the home. This statistically significant difference

  5. Airborne asbestos in Colorado public schools.

    PubMed

    Chadwick, D A; Buchan, R M; Beaulieu, H J

    1985-02-01

    Levels of airborne asbestos for six Colorado public school facilities with sprayed-on asbestos materials were documented using three analytical techniques. Phase contrast microscopy showed levels up to the thousandths of a fiber per cubic centimeter (f/cc), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) up to the hundredths of a f/cc, and transmission electron microscopy coupled to selected area electron diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-SAED-EDXA) up to the tenths of an asbestos f/cc. Phase contrast microscopy was found to be an inadequate analytical technique for documenting the levels of airborne asbestos fibers in the schools: only large fibers which were not embedded in the filter were counted, and asbestos fibers were not distinguished from nonasbestos.

  6. Crown-Level Tree Species Classification Using Integrated Airborne Hyperspectral and LIDAR Remote Sensing Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Z.; Wu, J.; Wang, Y.; Kong, X.; Bao, H.; Ni, Y.; Ma, L.; Jin, J.

    2018-05-01

    Mapping tree species is essential for sustainable planning as well as to improve our understanding of the role of different trees as different ecological service. However, crown-level tree species automatic classification is a challenging task due to the spectral similarity among diversified tree species, fine-scale spatial variation, shadow, and underlying objects within a crown. Advanced remote sensing data such as airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral imagery offer a great potential opportunity to derive crown spectral, structure and canopy physiological information at the individual crown scale, which can be useful for mapping tree species. In this paper, an innovative approach was developed for tree species classification at the crown level. The method utilized LiDAR data for individual tree crown delineation and morphological structure extraction, and Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) hyperspectral imagery for pure crown-scale spectral extraction. Specifically, four steps were include: 1) A weighted mean filtering method was developed to improve the accuracy of the smoothed Canopy Height Model (CHM) derived from LiDAR data; 2) The marker-controlled watershed segmentation algorithm was, therefore, also employed to delineate the tree-level canopy from the CHM image in this study, and then individual tree height and tree crown were calculated according to the delineated crown; 3) Spectral features within 3 × 3 neighborhood regions centered on the treetops detected by the treetop detection algorithm were derived from the spectrally normalized CASI imagery; 4) The shape characteristics related to their crown diameters and heights were established, and different crown-level tree species were classified using the combination of spectral and shape characteristics. Analysis of results suggests that the developed classification strategy in this paper (OA = 85.12 %, Kc = 0.90) performed better than LiDAR-metrics method (OA = 79

  7. Elevated blood lead levels among construction workers in the Massachusetts Occupational Lead Registry.

    PubMed Central

    Rabin, R; Brooks, D R; Davis, L K

    1994-01-01

    Although the construction industry until recently was exempt from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration General Industry Lead Standard, including its medical monitoring provisions, periodic blood lead tests have been required for residential "deleaders" and structural painters in Massachusetts. Sixty-three percent of the 381 registrants in the Massachusetts Occupational Lead Registry with blood lead levels of 1.93 mumol/L or higher are construction workers. This proportion is much higher than that reported by registries of several states selected for comparison. These data highlight the need for better protection from lead exposure and the effectiveness of mandatory medical surveillance in identifying elevated blood lead levels among construction workers. PMID:8092376

  8. Exposure to lead by the oral and the pulmonary routes of children living in the vicinity of a primary lead smelter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roels, H.A.; Buchet, J.P.; Lauwerys, R.R.

    1980-06-01

    A medical survey was carried out among 11-year-old children attending schools situated less than 1 and 2.5 km from a lead smelter. Age-matched control children from a rural and urban area were examined at the same time. The blood lead levels (PbB) of the children living in the smelter area (mainly those attending schools located less than 1 km from the smelter) were higher than those of rural and urban children. The mean PbB levels were usually lower in girls than in boys, especially in the smelter area. Despite a slightly decreasing trend in the annual mean airborne lead concentrationmore » at less than 1 km (mean PbA: from 3.8 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ in 1974 to 2.3 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ in 1978) the PbB levels there did not improve, whereas 2.5 km from the plant a significant tendency to normalization of PbB became apparent. Therefore, in the third survey, the medical examination was combined with an environmental study which demonstrated that lead in school-playground dust and in air strongly correlated. Lead on the children's hands (PbH) was also significantly related to lead in air or lead in dust. Less than 1 km from the factory boys and girls had on the average 436 and 244 ..mu..g Pb/hand, respectively, vs 17.0 and 11.4 ..mu..g Pb/hand for rural boys and girls, respectively. Partial correlations between PbB, PbA, and PbH indicated that in the smelter area the quantitative contribution of PbA to the children's PbB is negligible compared to that of PbH. Thus, the control of airborne lead around the lead smelter is not sufficient to prevent excessive exposure of children to environmental lead. In view of the importance of lead transfer from dust and dirt via hands to the gastrointestinal tract remedial actions should be directed simultaneously against the atmospheric emission of lead by the smelter and against the lead particulates deposited on soil, dust, and dirt.« less

  9. Resuspension of soil as a source of airborne lead near industrial facilities and highways.

    PubMed

    Young, Thomas M; Heeraman, Deo A; Sirin, Gorkem; Ashbaugh, Lowell L

    2002-06-01

    Geologic materials are an important source of airborne particulate matter less than 10 microm aerodynamic diameter (PM10), but the contribution of contaminated soil to concentrations of Pb and other trace elements in air has not been documented. To examine the potential significance of this mechanism, surface soil samples with a range of bulk soil Pb concentrations were obtained near five industrial facilities and along roadsides and were resuspended in a specially designed laboratory chamber. The concentration of Pb and other trace elements was measured in the bulk soil, in soil size fractions, and in PM10 generated during resuspension of soils and fractions. Average yields of PM10 from dry soils ranged from 0.169 to 0.869 mg of PM10/g of soil. Yields declined approximately linearly with increasing geometric mean particle size of the bulk soil. The resulting PM10 had average Pb concentrations as high as 2283 mg/kg for samples from a secondary Pb smelter. Pb was enriched in PM10 by 5.36-88.7 times as compared with uncontaminated California soils. Total production of PM10 bound Pb from the soil samples varied between 0.012 and 1.2 mg of Pb/kg of bulk soil. During a relatively large erosion event, a contaminated site might contribute approximately 300 ng/m3 of PM10-bound Pb to air. Contribution of soil from contaminated sites to airborne element balances thus deserves consideration when constructing receptor models for source apportionment or attempting to control airborne Pb emissions.

  10. Lead in candy consumed and blood lead levels of children living in Mexico City.

    PubMed

    Tamayo y Ortiz, Marcela; Téllez-Rojo, Martha María; Hu, Howard; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio; Wright, Robert; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; Lupoli, Nicola; Mercado-García, Adriana; Pantic, Ivan; Lamadrid-Figueroa, Héctor

    2016-05-01

    Recent studies have shown that lead exposure continues to pose a health risk in Mexico. Children are a vulnerable population for lead effects and Mexican candy has been found to be a source of exposure in children. There are no previous studies that estimates lead concentrations in candy that children living in Mexico City consume and its association with their blood lead level. To evaluate whether there is an association between reported recent consumption of candies identified to have lead, and blood lead levels among children in Mexico City. A subsample of 171 children ages 2-6 years old, from the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) cohort study was assessed between June 2006 and July 2007. The candy reported most frequently were analyzed for lead using ICP-MS. The total weekly intake of lead through the consumption of candy in the previous week was calculated. Capillary blood lead levels (BLL) were measured using LeadCare (anodic stripping voltammetry). Lead concentrations ≥0.1ppm, the FDA permitted level (range: 0.13-0.7ppm) were found in 6 samples out of 138 samples from 44 different brands of candy. Median BLL in children was 4.5µg/dl. After adjusting for child's sex, age, BMI, maternal education & occupation, milk consumption, sucking the candy wrapper, use of lead-glazed pottery, child exposure behavior, living near a lead exposure site and use of folk remedies, an increase of 1µg of lead ingested through candy per week was associated with 3% change (95% CI: 0.1%, 5.2%) in BLL. Although lead concentrations in candy were mostly below the FDA permitted level, high lead concentrations were detected in 4% of the candy samples and 12% of brands analyzed. Although candy intake was modestly associated with children's BLL, lead should not be found in consumer products, especially in candy that children can consume due to the well documented long-lasting effect of lead exposure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The effect of lead-based paint hazard remediation on blood lead levels of lead poisoned children in New York City.

    PubMed

    Leighton, Jessica; Klitzman, Susan; Sedlar, Slavenka; Matte, Thomas; Cohen, Neal L

    2003-07-01

    Despite the widespread use of lead paint hazard control for children with lead poisoning, few controlled studies that estimate the effect of such control on children's blood lead levels have been published. This retrospective follow-up study examined the effects of lead hazard remediation and its timing on the blood lead levels of lead-poisoned children. From the New York City child blood lead registry, 221 children were selected who had an initial blood lead level of 20-44 micro g/dL between 1 July 1994 and 31 December 1996; were 6 months to 6 years of age; had a report of a follow-up blood lead test between 10 and 14 months after the initial test; had a lead-based paint hazard identified in the primary dwelling unit prior to the 10- to 14-month follow-up blood lead test; had resided or spent time at only one address with an identified lead-based paint hazard; and were not chelated. The decline in geometric mean blood lead levels from baseline to 10-14 months later was compared for children whose homes were remediated and whose homes were not remediated during the follow-up period. Regardless of remediation, geometric mean blood lead levels declined significantly from 24.3 micro g/dL at the initial diagnosis to 12.3 micro g/dL at the 10- to 14-month follow-up blood lead test (P<0.01). Among the 146 children whose homes were remediated the geometric mean blood lead levels declined 53% compared to 41% among the 75 children whose homes were not remediated by the follow-up blood lead test, a remediation effect of approximately 20% (P<0.01). After adjusting for potential confounders, the remediation effect was 11%, although it was no longer significant. Race was the only factor that appeared to confound the relationship: Black children had higher follow-up blood lead levels even after controlling for other factors, including the natural logarithm of the initial blood lead level. The effect of remediation appeared to be stronger for younger (10 to <36 months old) than

  12. Airborne wireless communication systems, airborne communication methods, and communication methods

    DOEpatents

    Deaton, Juan D [Menan, ID; Schmitt, Michael J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jones, Warren F [Idaho Falls, ID

    2011-12-13

    An airborne wireless communication system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communication base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communication between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured, based on the information, to configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communication method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communication system.

  13. Lead exposure and hair lead level of workers in a lead refinery industry in Iran

    PubMed Central

    Pirsaraei, Seyed Reza Azimi

    2007-01-01

    This study was carried out on the workers of a lead refinery industry and two control groups in Zanjan city in Iran. The scalp hair samples were collected from 25 workers who were occupationally exposed to lead contamination as a case group and from 25 subjects among the staff of the same industry and 25 subjects among Zanjan citizens as the first and second control groups respectively. A flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer used to determine lead level in all of the samples. The age of all subjects in the three groups was matched. The mean concentrations of hair lead in the workers (case group), the staff (control groupA) and the citizens (control group B) were 131.7±93.4 µgr/gr, 21.1±13.2 µgr/gr and 27.9±14.1 µgr/gr respectively. The mean concentration of hair lead in the case group was more than hair lead of normal range found in humans (0-30 µgr/gr). The mean of hair lead level in the citizens who had used gas vehicles was statistically higher than who had not used it (36.9±12.2 µgr/gr vs. 16.6±4.9 µgr/gr, P<0.001). PMID:21957365

  14. Algorithms used in the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nagle, David B.; Wright, C. Wayne

    2016-05-23

    The Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS) analyzes Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) data—digitized laser-return waveforms, position, and attitude data—to derive point clouds of target surfaces. A full-waveform airborne lidar system, the EAARL seamlessly and simultaneously collects mixed environment data, including submerged, sub-aerial bare earth, and vegetation-covered topographies.ALPS uses three waveform target-detection algorithms to determine target positions within a given waveform: centroid analysis, leading edge detection, and bottom detection using water-column backscatter modeling. The centroid analysis algorithm detects opaque hard surfaces. The leading edge algorithm detects topography beneath vegetation and shallow, submerged topography. The bottom detection algorithm uses water-column backscatter modeling for deeper submerged topography in turbid water.The report describes slant range calculations and explains how ALPS uses laser range and orientation measurements to project measurement points into the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. Parameters used for coordinate transformations in ALPS are described, as are Interactive Data Language-based methods for gridding EAARL point cloud data to derive digital elevation models. Noise reduction in point clouds through use of a random consensus filter is explained, and detailed pseudocode, mathematical equations, and Yorick source code accompany the report.

  15. Blood lead levels in children living in three communities, at different risks of lead pollution

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Abbritti, G.; Cicioni, C.; Gambelunghe, M.

    1988-12-01

    We carried out a survey on blood lead levels in children living in three different communities in Umbria, Italy: Corciano, a small community (12,500 inhabitants), free of lead-using factories and with light traffic; Perugia, a medium-sized city (146,500 inhabitants); Deruta, a small community (7500 inhabitants) whose economy is based mainly on the production of artistic pottery, mostly in small home-operated factories. The study sample was made up of 539 children (275 boys and 264 girls); 156 of them attended nursery school (aged 3-6) and 383 primary school (aged 6-11). The mean blood lead level was significantly higher in Deruta thanmore » in Corciano (9.7 vs 8.3 micrograms/dl); Deruta children whose parents were occupationally exposed to lead had significantly higher blood lead levels than children of lead-unexposed parents (10.7 vs 9.0 micrograms/dl). The mean blood lead level was higher in Perugia than in Corciano children. On the average boys had higher blood lead levels than girls in all of the groups. We conclude that blood lead levels were low in the groups of children studied. Nevertheless children of ceramic workers and children living in a medium-sized city had greater lead absorption than children living in the control area.« less

  16. A Comparison of Off-Level Correction Techniques for Airborne Gravity using GRAV-D Re-Flights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Preaux, S. A.; Melachroinos, S.; Diehl, T. M.

    2011-12-01

    The airborne gravity data collected for the GRAV-D project contain a number of tracks which have been flown multiple times, either by design or due to data collection issues. Where viable data can be retrieved, these re-flights are a valuable resource not only for assessing the quality of the data but also for evaluating the relative effectiveness of various processing techniques. Correcting for the instantaneous misalignment of the gravimeter sensitive axis with local vertical has been a long standing challenge for stable platform airborne gravimetry. GRAV-D re-flights are used to compare the effectiveness of existing methods of computing this off-level correction (Valliant 1991, Peters and Brozena 1995, Swain 1996, etc.) and to assess the impact of possible modifications to these methods including pre-filtering accelerations, use of IMU horizontal accelerations in place of those derived from GPS positions and accurately compensating for GPS lever-arm and attitude effects prior to computing accelerations from the GPS positions (Melachroinos et al. 2010, B. de Saint-Jean, et al. 2005). The resulting corrected gravity profiles are compared to each other and to EGM08 in order to assess the accuracy and precision of each method. Preliminary results indicate that the methods presented in Peters & Brozena 1995 and Valliant 1991 completely correct the off-level error some of the time but only partially correct it others, while introducing an overall bias to the data of -0.5 to -2 mGal.

  17. Evaluation of a childhood lead questionnaire in predicting elevated blood lead levels in a rural community.

    PubMed

    Muñiz, Marco A; Dundas, Robert; Mahoney, Martin C

    2003-01-01

    The accuracy of a lead screening questionnaire in predicting elevated blood lead levels was examined in a pediatric practice in a rural part of New York state. A retrospective chart review was used to collect data on children ages 9 to 24 months who presented for well-child visits. Children with both questionnaire and lead level results available in the chart were included in the study (n = 171). The mean blood lead level among all children was 1.6 microg/dl (median = 2.0 microg/dl, range 0 to 24 microg/dl). Four children (2.3%) had elevated lead levels (greater than 10 microg/dl), with levels for two of these children being greater than 20 microg/dl. Although our lead screening questionnaire was expanded from the standard 1991 CDC questionnaire by the inclusion of six additional items, it was not especially useful in predicting elevated blood lead levels above 10 microg/dl. However, the questionnaire exhibited some utility in predicting marked elevations in blood lead levels (over 20 microg/dl). Although results in other geographic areas might differ, the lead questionnaire may have value by enhancing parents' awareness of potential lead hazards in their children's environment and may prove to be more useful in areas of high risk to lead exposure.

  18. Recirculating Air Filtration Significantly Reduces Exposure to Airborne Nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Pui, David Y.H.; Qi, Chaolong; Stanley, Nick; Oberdörster, Günter; Maynard, Andrew

    2008-01-01

    Background Airborne nanoparticles from vehicle emissions have been associated with adverse effects in people with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and toxicologic studies have shown that nanoparticles can be more hazardous than their larger-scale counterparts. Recirculating air filtration in automobiles and houses may provide a low-cost solution to reducing exposures in many cases, thus reducing possible health risks. Objectives We investigated the effectiveness of recirculating air filtration on reducing exposure to incidental and intentionally produced airborne nanoparticles under two scenarios while driving in traffic, and while generating nanomaterials using gas-phase synthesis. Methods We tested the recirculating air filtration in two commercial vehicles when driving in traffic, as well as in a nonventilation room with a nanoparticle generator, simulating a nanomaterial production facility. We also measured the time-resolved aerosol size distribution during the in-car recirculation to investigate how recirculating air filtration affects particles of different sizes. We developed a recirculation model to describe the aerosol concentration change during recirculation. Results The use of inexpensive, low-efficiency filters in recirculation systems is shown to reduce nanoparticle concentrations to below levels found in a typical office within 3 min while driving through heavy traffic, and within 20 min in a simulated nanomaterial production facility. Conclusions Development and application of this technology could lead to significant reductions in airborne nanoparticle exposure, reducing possible risks to health and providing solutions for generating nanomaterials safely. PMID:18629306

  19. Health and safety—the downward trend in lead levels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mayer, M. G.; Wilson, D. N.

    Lead has been known and used by man for thousands of years and its toxic properties have been known for almost as long. In consequence, a wide body of legislation has built up and is designed to protect individuals in both the occupational and the general environments. At the occupational level, two types of controls are widely employed, namely, lead-in-air and lead-in-blood. Limits placed on the amount of lead-in-air are designed to ensure that individuals are not exposed to unsafe levels of lead via inhalation. Currently, the most common standard is 0.15 mg m -3 but there is a clear downward trend and levels as low as 0.05 mg m -3 are mandatory in some countries. Controls on the amount of lead-in-blood give a more direct indication of the exposure experienced by individuals. The most common level presently employed is 70 μg m -3 but, as knowledge of the health effects of lead improves, lower levels are being introduced and 50 μg m -3 is now fairly common. While women are no more sensitive to lead than men, some countries do employ lower blood-lead limits for women in the workplace in order to protect any developing foetus. This paper examines the levels currently in force in various countries and describes developments which are now taking place in the legislation that is being enacted in several parts of the world. As far as the general public is concerned, only a relatively small number of countries employ controls. Where controls do exist, however, they are set at much lower levels than for the occupational environment in order to protect the most sensitive members of the population. Several countries employ limits on lead in ambient air. Traditionally, these have been set at either 1.5 or 2.0 μg m -3, but several countries are currently considering sharp downward revisions to levels of the order of 0.5 μg m -3. A few countries offer guidance on acceptable blood levels for the general population, most commonly for children. Again downward revisions are

  20. CAN FLUORIDATION AFFECT WATER LEAD LEVELS AND LEAD NEUROTOXICITY?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent reports have attempted to show that certain approaches to fluoridating potable water is linked to increased levels of lead(II) in the blood. We examine these claims in light of the established science and critically evaluate their significance. The completeness of nexafluo...

  1. Melatonin reduces lead levels in blood, brain and bone and increases lead excretion in rats subjected to subacute lead treatment.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Plata, Everardo; Quiroz-Compeán, Fátima; Ramírez-Garcia, Gonzalo; Barrientos, Eunice Yáñez; Rodríguez-Morales, Nadia M; Flores, Alberto; Wrobel, Katarzina; Wrobel, Kazimierz; Méndez, Isabel; Díaz-Muñoz, Mauricio; Robles, Juvencio; Martínez-Alfaro, Minerva

    2015-03-04

    Melatonin, a hormone known for its effects on free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity, can reduce lead toxicity in vivo and in vitro.We examined the effects of melatonin on lead bio-distribution. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with lead acetate (10, 15 or 20mg/kg/day) with or without melatonin (10mg/kg/day) daily for 10 days. In rats intoxicated with the highest lead doses, those treated with melatonin had lower lead levels in blood and higher levels in urine and feces than those treated with lead alone, suggesting that melatonin increases lead excretion. To explore the mechanism underlying this effect, we first assessed whether lead/melatonin complexes were formed directly. Electronic density functional (DFT) calculations showed that a lead/melatonin complex is energetically feasible; however, UV spectroscopy and NMR analysis showed no evidence of such complexes. Next, we examined the liver mRNA levels of metallothioneins (MT) 1 and 2. Melatonin cotreatment increased the MT2 mRNA expression in the liver of rats that received the highest doses of lead. The potential effects of MTs on the tissue distribution and excretion of lead are not well understood. This is the first report to suggest that melatonin directly affects lead levels in organisms exposed to subacute lead intoxication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The wildfire experiment (WIFE): observations with airborne remote sensors

    Treesearch

    L.F. Radke; T.L. Clark; J.L. Coen; C.A. Walther; R.N. Lockwood; P.J. Riggan; J.A. Brass; R.G. Higgins

    2000-01-01

    Airborne remote sensors have long been a cornerstone of wildland fire research, and recently three-dimensional fire behaviour models fully coupled to the atmosphere have begun to show a convincing level of verisimilitude. The WildFire Experiment (WiFE) attempted the marriage of airborne remote sensors, multi-sensor observations together with fire model development and...

  3. Effect of interventions on children's blood lead levels.

    PubMed Central

    Hilts, S R; Bock, S E; Oke, T L; Yates, C L; Copes, R A

    1998-01-01

    Trail, Canada, has been the site of an active lead/zinc smelter for nearly a century. Since 1991, the Trail Community Lead Task Force has carried out blood lead screening, case management, education programs targeted at early childhood groups and the general community, community dust abatement, exposure pathways studies, and remedial trials. From 1989 through 1996, average blood lead levels of children tested for the first time declined at an average rate of 0.6 microg/dl/year, while blood lead levels in Canadian children not living near point sources appeared to be leveling off following the phase-out of leaded gasoline. Since there was no concurrent improvement in local environmental conditions during this time, it is possible that the continuing decline in Trail blood lead levels has been at least partly due to community-wide intervention programs. One year follow-up of children whose families received in-home educational visits, as well as assistance with home-based dust control measures, found that these specific interventions produced average blood lead changes of +0.5- -4.0 microg/dl, with statistically significant declines in 3 years out of 5. Education and dust control, particularly actions targeted toward higher risk children, appear to have served as effective and appropriate interim remedial measures while major source control measures have been implemented at the smelter site. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:9435149

  4. Blood lead levels among rural Thai children exposed to lead-acid batteries from solar energy conversion systems.

    PubMed

    Swaddiwudhipong, Witaya; Tontiwattanasap, Worawit; Khunyotying, Wanlee; Sanreun, Cherd

    2013-11-01

    We evaluate blood lead levels among Thai children to determine if exposure to lead-acid batteries is associated with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL). We screened 254 children aged 1-14 years old from 2 rural Thai villages for blood lead levels. We also screened 18 of 92 houses in these 2 villages for the presence of environmental lead. The overall prevalence of EBLL (> or = 10 microg/dl) was 43.3% and the mean lead level among study subjects was 9.8 +/- 5.1 microg/dl. The blood lead levels significantly decreased with increasing age. Fifty point eight percent of children who lived in a house with vented lead-acid batteries had EBLL while 23.3% of children who lived in a house without vented lead-acid batteries had EBLL. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between the presence of vented lead-acid batteries and EBLL, after adjusting for other variables. Forty-two point nine percent of house floor dust samples collected near the batteries had elevated lead levels, 7.1% of house floor dust samples collected from other areas in the house had elevated lead levels and 0% of the house floor dust samples collected in houses without vented lead-acid batteries had elevated lead levels. In the sampled houses with vented lead-acid batteries, lead contamination was found in the drinking-water kept in household containers, but not in the tap water or other village sources of water. Improper care and placement of vented lead-acid batteries can result in lead contamination in the home environment causing EBLL in exposed children.

  5. Effect of environmental lead pollution on blood lead levels in traffic police constables in Islamabad, Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Agha, Farida; Sadaruddin, Agha; Khatoon, Naz

    2005-10-01

    To determine the blood lead levels and trace elements (copper and manganese) in traffic police constables in Islamabad in order to assess the effects of environmental pollution on the levels of metals in body fluids. Blood samples were collected from 47 male traffic police constables, 21 to 45 years of age, posted in different areas of Islamabad and controlling traffic from 3 months to 18 years, 8 hours/day, 6 days/week. Adolescent males (13-19 years), residing in comparatively clean and very low traffic areas were included as controls. Blood lead, copper, and manganese concentrations were estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean blood lead level among constables (27.27 microg/dl) was significantly (p<0.0001) high as compared to controls (3.22 microg/dl). Twenty one percent constables had elevated blood lead levels (over 25 microg/dl) and 13% had levels above the safety limit (40 microg/dl). No correlation was found between blood lead levels and length of service. No significant difference was found in the mean values for copper between traffic constables (93.49 microg/dl) and controls (71.15 microg/dl). The mean blood manganese levels in traffic constables (21.94 microg/dl) were significantly (p<0.0001) higher than in controls (1.70 microg/dl). The mean blood lead levels were significantly high in traffic constables of Karachi (47.7 microg/dl) as compared to Islamabad (27.2 microg/dl), which shows direct relation of rise in blood lead levels with vehicle exhaust. Environmental lead pollution is associated with an increased blood lead concentration in those who are regularly exposed to vehicle exhaust in high traffic areas. The degree of lead pollution arising from vehicle exhaust differs in Karachi and Islamabad. Exposure to air containing dust particles rich in manganese may affect blood manganese levels.

  6. The intersection of aggregate-level lead exposure and crime.

    PubMed

    Boutwell, Brian B; Nelson, Erik J; Emo, Brett; Vaughn, Michael G; Schootman, Mario; Rosenfeld, Richard; Lewis, Roger

    2016-07-01

    Childhood lead exposure has been associated with criminal behavior later in life. The current study aimed to analyze the association between elevated blood lead levels (n=59,645) and crime occurrence (n=90,433) across census tracts within St. Louis, Missouri. Longitudinal ecological study. Saint Louis, Missouri. Blood lead levels. Violent, Non-violent, and total crime at the census tract level. Spatial statistical models were used to account for the spatial autocorrelation of the data. Greater lead exposure at the census-tract level was associated with increased violent, non-violent, and total crime. In addition, we examined whether non-additive effects existed in the data by testing for an interaction between lead exposure and concentrated disadvantage. Some evidence of a negative interaction emerged, however, it failed to reach traditional levels of statistical significance (supplementary models, however, revealed a similar negative interaction that was significant). More precise measurements of lead exposure in the aggregate, produced additional evidence that lead is a potent predictor of criminal outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Allergens and β-Glucans in Dutch Homes and Schools: Characterizing Airborne Levels

    PubMed Central

    Krop, Esmeralda J. M.; Jacobs, José H.; Sander, Ingrid; Raulf-Heimsoth, Monika; Heederik, Dick J. J.

    2014-01-01

    Background Indoor air quality has an effect on respiratory health. Children are more vulnerable to a decreased indoor air quality as their lungs are still developing. We measured levels of allergens and β-(1,3)-glucans in 19 school buildings and determined whether measured levels could be reproduced. School levels were compared to those in 169 homes and the effect of building characteristics on both home and school exposure was explored. Methods Electrostatic Dust fall Collectors were placed in school buildings for 8 weeks and in homes for 2 weeks to collect settled airborne dust. Cat, dog, and mouse allergen levels, domestic mite antigen levels and β-(1,3)-glucans were measured in the extracts from the collectors. Results were corrected for sampling duration. Using questionnaire data, relations between measured levels and building and classroom characteristics were explored. Results In schools, exposure levels were highest in classrooms and were influenced by the socioeconomic status of the children, the season measurements were performed, moisture status of the building and pet ownership. Repeated measurements in different seasons and over the years showed significantly different levels. Home exposure was influenced by socioeconomic status, occupancy and pet ownership. Domestic mite antigen was found in higher levels in extracts from homes compared to schools while pet allergen levels were 13 times higher in schools compared to homes without pets. For mouse allergen overall levels of exposure were low but still two times higher in schools compared to homes. Levels of β-(1,3)-glucans were also approximately two times higher in schools than in homes. Conclusion Exposure levels of several allergens and β-(1,3)-glucans in schools differ over time and are higher than in homes. For children, exposure levels measured at school could contribute to their total exposure as especially animal allergen levels can be much higher in schools compared to homes. PMID:24551183

  8. Airborne bacterial dispersal during and after dressing and bed changes on burns patients.

    PubMed

    Bache, Sarah E; Maclean, Michelle; Gettinby, George; Anderson, John G; MacGregor, Scott J; Taggart, Ian

    2015-02-01

    It is acknowledged that activities such as dressing changes and bed sheet changes are high-risk events; creating surges in levels of airborne bacteria. Burns patients are particularly high dispersers of pathogens; due to their large, often contaminated, wound areas. Prevention of nosocomial cross-contamination is therefore one of the major challenges faced by the burns team. In order to assess the contribution of airborne spread of bacteria, air samples were taken repeatedly throughout and following these events, to quantify levels of airborne bacteria. Air samples were taken at 3-min intervals before, during and after a dressing and bed change on a burns patient using a sieve impaction method. Following incubation, bacterial colonies were enumerated to calculate bacterial colony forming units per m(3) (cfu/m(3)) at each time point. Statistical analysis was performed, whereby the period before the high-risk event took place acted as a control period. The periods during and after the dressing and bed sheet changes were examined for significant differences in airborne bacterial levels relative to the control period. The study was carried out four times, on three patients with burns between 35% total burn surface area (TBSA) and 51% TBSA. There were significant increases in airborne bacteria levels, regardless of whether the dressing change or bed sheet change took place first. Of particular note, is the finding that significantly high levels (up to 2614cfu/m(3)) of airborne bacteria were shown to persist for up to approximately 1h after these activities ended. This is the most accurate picture to date of the rapidly changing levels of airborne bacteria within the room of a burns patient undergoing a dressing change and bed change. The novel demonstration of a significant increase in the airborne bacterial load during these events has implications for infection control on burns units. Furthermore, as these increased levels remained for approximately 1h afterwards

  9. Variation in airborne 137Cs peak levels with altitude from high-altitude locations across Europe after the arrival of Fukushima-labeled air masses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masson, Olivier; Bieringer, Jacqueline; Dalheimer, Axel; Estier, Sybille; Evrard, Olivier; Penev, Ilia; Ringer, Wolfgang; Schlosser, Clemens; Steinkopff, Thomas; Tositti, Laura; de Vismes-Ott, Anne

    2015-04-01

    During the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident, a dozen of high-altitude aerosol sampling stations, located between 850 and 3,454 m above sea level (a.s.l.), provided airborne activity levels across Europe (Fig. 1). This represents at most 5% of the total number of aerosol sampling locations that delivered airborne activity levels (at least one result) in Europe, in connection with this nuclear accident. High altitude stations are typically equipped with a high volume sampler that collects aerosols on filters. The Fukushima-labeled air mass arrival and the peak of airborne cesium-137 (137Cs) activity levels were registered in Europe at different dates depending on the location, with differences up to a factor of six on a regional scale. Besides this statement related to lowland areas, we have compared the maximum airborne levels registered at high-altitude European locations (850 m < altitudes < 3450 m) with what was observed at the closest lowland location. The vertical distribution of 137Cs peak level was not uniform even after a long travel time/distance from Japan. This being true at least in the atmospheric boundary layer and in the lower free troposphere. Moreover the relation '137Csmax vs. altitude' shows a decreasing trend (Fig. 2). Results and discussion : Comparison of 137Cs and 7Be levels shows simultaneous increases at least when the 137Cs airborne level rose for the first time (Fig. 3). Zugspitze and Jungfraujoch stations attest of a time shift between 7Be and 137Cs peak that can be due to the particular dynamic of air movements at such high altitudes. After the 137Cs peak value, the plume concentration decreased whatever the 7Be level. Due to the cosmogenic origin of 7Be, its increase in the ground-level air is usually associated with downwind air movements, i.e. stratospheric air intrusions or at least air from high-tropospheric levels, into lower atmospheric layers. This means that Fukushima-labeled air masses registered at ground

  10. Blood lead levels in radiator repair workers in Colorado.

    PubMed

    Dalton, C B; McCammon, J B; Hoffman, R E; Baron, R C

    1997-01-01

    A laboratory-based blood lead surveillance system in Colorado identified radiator repair workers as having the highest blood lead levels of all worker groups reported. A survey of 42 radiator repair shops in ten locales throughout Colorado was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of workers with elevated blood lead levels > 25 micrograms/dL. The survey was designed to test the sensitivity of the surveillance system and to assess working conditions and practices in the radiator repair industry in Colorado. Of 63 workers, 39 (62%) had blood lead levels > 25 micrograms/dL. The sensitivity of the surveillance system for detecting radiator repair workers with elevated blood lead levels was estimated at 11%. None of the radiator repair shops had adequate local exhaust ventilation. Work practice and engineering modifications are needed to reduce lead exposure in this industry.

  11. Factors Associated With Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children.

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Sakshi; Firdaus, Uzma; Ali, Syed Manazir; Mahdi, Abbas Ali

    2018-01-15

    To determine the prevalence and correlates of elevated blood lead level in children (6-144 months) of Aligarh. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Venous blood was obtained for lead estimation and a structured questionnaire was filled. A total of 260 children were enrolled. The prevalence of elevated blood lead level was 44.2%, seen mostly in children below 5 years of age. Old and deteriorating wall paints at home was found to be significantly associated with elevated levels. Lead-based house paints are potential source of lead exposure. Meticulous renovation and painting of the walls with safe paints is desirable.

  12. Lead toxicity: does the critical level of lead resulting in adverse effects differ between adults and children?

    PubMed

    Murata, Katsuyuki; Iwata, Toyoto; Dakeishi, Miwako; Karita, Kanae

    2009-01-01

    The Scientific Committee on Neurotoxicology and Psychophysiology and the Scientific Committee on the Toxicology of Metals of the International Commission on Occupational Health in 2006 recommended that the standard for blood lead (BPb) levels be reduced to 30 microg/dl for industrial workers and 5 microg/dl for children. To examine whether the critical level of lead producing adverse effects truly differs between workers and children, we provided an overview of studies addressing the critical level of lead in workers, together with a perspective on lead toxicity in children. In 25 reports published in English with keywords of "benchmark dose (BMD)," "lead" and "humans," only five studies proved to be relevant to lead toxicity. Four more studies with figures illustrating significant relationships between lead and neurotoxic outcomes were selected. Based on data from previous reports using a BMD approach, the critical organ of lead in workers was thought to be the nervous system and the critical BPb level (number-weighted mean) was between 10.7 and 17.5 microg/dl. The neurotoxic effects of lead exposure at such levels seemed reversible. The BPb level at which lead-associated intellectual deficits occurred in children was as low as the critical level of BPb (below 5 microg/dl) for inhibited heme synthesis in workers. The neurotoxic effects of lead in workers appear to be initiated at BPb levels below 18 microg/dl, which are somewhat higher than the critical level of lead neurotoxicity in children. Each national institute for risk management should take evidence-based preventive action against subclinical lead poisoning in workers, as well as in children.

  13. Spatial relationships between lead sources and children's blood lead levels in the urban center of Indianapolis (USA).

    PubMed

    Morrison, Deborah; Lin, Qing; Wiehe, Sarah; Liu, Gilbert; Rosenman, Marc; Fuller, Trevor; Wang, Jane; Filippelli, Gabriel

    2013-04-01

    Urban children remain disproportionately at risk of having higher blood lead levels than their suburban counterparts. The Westside Cooperative Organization (WESCO), located in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, has a history of children with high blood lead levels as well as high soil lead (Pb) values. This study aims at determining the spatial relationship between soil Pb sources and children's blood lead levels. Soils have been identified as a source of chronic Pb exposure to children, but the spatial scale of the source-recipient relationship is not well characterized. Neighborhood-wide analysis of soil Pb distribution along with a furnace filter technique for sampling interior Pb accumulation for selected homes (n = 7) in the WESCO community was performed. Blood lead levels for children aged 0-5 years during the period 1999-2008 were collected. The study population's mean blood lead levels were higher than national averages across all ages, race, and gender. Non-Hispanic blacks and those individuals in the Wishard advantage program had the highest proportion of elevated blood lead levels. The results show that while there is not a direct relationship between soil Pb and children's blood lead levels at a spatial scale of ~100 m, resuspension of locally sourced soil is occurring based on the interior Pb accumulation. County-wide, the largest predictor of elevated blood lead levels is the location within the urban core. Variation in soil Pb and blood lead levels on the community level is high and not predicted by housing stock age or income. Race is a strong predictor for blood lead levels in the WESCO community.

  14. Investigation and Evaluation of Children's Blood Lead Levels around a Lead Battery Factory and Influencing Factors.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Feng; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Hengdong; Ban, Yonghong; Wang, Jianfeng; Liu, Jian; Zhong, Lixing; Chen, Xianwen; Zhu, Baoli

    2016-05-28

    Lead pollution incidents have occurred frequently in mainland China, which has caused many lead poisoning incidents. This paper took a battery recycling factory as the subject, and focused on measuring the blood lead levels of environmental samples and all the children living around the factory, and analyzed the relationship between them. We collected blood samples from the surrounding residential area, as well as soil, water, vegetables. The atomic absorption method was applied to measure the lead content in these samples. The basic information of the generation procedure, operation type, habit and personal protect equipment was collected by an occupational hygiene investigation. Blood lead levels in 43.12% of the subjects exceeded 100 μg/L. The 50th and the 95th percentiles were 89 μg/L and 232 μg/L for blood lead levels in children, respectively, and the geometric mean was 94 μg/L. Children were stratified into groups by age, gender, parents' occupation, distance and direction from the recycling plant. The difference of blood lead levels between groups was significant (p < 0.05). Four risk factors for elevated blood lead levels were found by logistic regression analysis, including younger age, male, shorter distance from the recycling plant, and parents with at least one working in the recycling plant. The rate of excess lead concentration in water was 6.25%, 6.06% in soil and 44.44% in leaf vegetables, which were all higher than the Chinese environment standards. The shorter the distance to the factory, the higher the value of BLL and lead levels in vegetable and environment samples. The lead level in the environmental samples was higher downwind of the recycling plant.

  15. HYGIENE-AND FOOD-RELATED BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD LEAD LEVELS OF YOUNG CHILDREN FROM LEAD-CONTAMINATED HOMES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Exposures associated with blood lead levels greater than 40 ug/dl in young children who live in lead-contaminated homes have been well documented. As the action level for lead is reduced, activities that contribute to lower levels of lead exposure must be identified. A child's ea...

  16. Airborne Nanostructured Particles and Occupational Health

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maynard, Andrew D.; Kuempel, Eileen D.

    2005-12-01

    Nanotechnology is leading to the development in many field, of new materials and devices in many fields that demonstrate nanostructure-dependent properties. However, concern has been expressed that these same properties may present unique challenges to addressing potential health impact. Airborne particles associated with engineered nanomaterials are of particular concern, as they can readily enter the body through inhalation. Research into the potential occupational health risks associated with inhaling engineered nanostructured particles is just beginning. However, there is a large body of data on occupational and environmental aerosols, which is applicable to developing an initial assessment of potential risk and risk reduction strategies. Epidemiological and pathological studies of occupational and environmental exposures to airborne particles and fibers provide information on the aerosol-related lung diseases and conditions that have been observed in humans. Toxicological studies provide information on the specific disease mechanisms, dose-response relationships, and the particle characteristics that influence toxicity, including the size, surface area, chemistry or reactivity, solubility, and shape. Potential health risk will depend on the magnitude and nature of exposures to airborne nanostructured particles, and on the release, dispersion, transformation and control of materials in the workplace. Aerosol control methods have not been well-characterized for nanometer diameter particles, although theory and limited experimental data indicate that conventional ventilation, engineering control and filtration approaches should be applicable in many situations. Current information supports the development of preliminary guiding principles on working with engineered nanomaterials. However critical research questions remain to be answered before the potential health risk of airborne nanostructured particles in the workplace can be fully addressed.

  17. Short-term mechanisms of toxic action of airborne particulates underlie dose-rate dependent health risks and support control of one-hour airborne particle levels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Michaels, R.A.; Kleinman, M.T.

    1999-07-01

    Twenty-four-hour airborne particle mass levels permissible under the NAAQS have been associated with mortality and morbidity in communities, motivating reconsideration of the standard. Reports of shorter-term mechanisms of toxic action exerted by airborne PM and PM constituents are emerging. The mechanisms are diverse, but have in common a short time frame of toxic action, from minutes to hours. In view of documented PM excursions also lasting minutes to hours, this study inquires whether such short-term mechanisms might contribute to explaining daily morbidity and mortality. Toxicology experiments have demonstrated the harmfulness of brief exposure to PM levels in the range ofmore » observed excursions. This suggests that toxicological processes initiated by short-term inhalation of PM may exert clinically important effects, and that weak associations of 24-hour-average particle mass with mortality and morbidity may represent artifacts of stronger, shorter-term associations whose full magnitude remains to be quantified. In one study, the area of lung surface developing lesions was elevated in rats breathing the same four-hour dose of aerosols, when the four-hour average rate of aerosol delivery included a short-term (five-minute) burst fifty percent above the average dose rate. Elevations were observed with each of two aerosols tested. The magnitude of the effect was higher with one of the two aerosols, whose dose rate included four excursions rather than just one excursion. Particulate matter inhaled or instilled intratracheally has produced morbidity in animals, including apnea and electrophysiological effects in dogs. Other studies reveal that PM can kill rats via electrophysiological and possibly other mechanisms. PM has also adversely affected asthmatic people in controlled clinical settings during exercise or, in one study, at rest.« less

  18. Blood lead and carboxyhemoglobin levels in chainsaw operators.

    PubMed

    van Netten, C; Brubaker, R L; Mackenzie, C J; Godolphin, W J

    1987-06-01

    Fallers in the British Columbia west coast lumber industry often work in climatic and local conditions where little ventilation in their immediate environment is possible. Under these conditions carbon monoxide (CO) and lead fumes from exhaust gases could build up and become a serious occupational hazard. This study monitored the environmental exposure of six fallers to carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and lead under conditions where buildup of these agents would be expected. At the same time blood samples were taken to correlate these environmental concentrations to carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and blood lead levels. Although there was a highly significant difference between the fallers and the controls regarding the exposure to CO and lead as well as their corresponding COHb and blood lead levels, the environmental and blood concentration of the agents in question did not exceed the maximum allowable concentrations. Temporary short fluctuations in carboxyhemoglobin levels were not monitored in this study and cannot be ruled out as a potential occupational hazard.

  19. Automated method for simultaneous lead and strontium isotopic analysis applied to rainwater samples and airborne particulate filters (PM10).

    PubMed

    Beltrán, Blanca; Avivar, Jessica; Mola, Montserrat; Ferrer, Laura; Cerdà, Víctor; Leal, Luz O

    2013-09-03

    A new automated, sensitive, and fast system for the simultaneous online isolation and preconcentration of lead and strontium by sorption on a microcolumn packed with Sr-resin using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detector was developed, hyphenating lab-on-valve (LOV) and multisyringe flow injection analysis (MSFIA). Pb and Sr are directly retained on the sorbent column and eluted with a solution of 0.05 mol L(-1) ammonium oxalate. The detection limits achieved were 0.04 ng for lead and 0.03 ng for strontium. Mass calibration curves were used since the proposed system allows the use of different sample volumes for preconcentration. Mass linear working ranges were between 0.13 and 50 ng and 0.1 and 50 ng for lead and strontium, respectively. The repeatability of the method, expressed as RSD, was 2.1% and 2.7% for Pb and Sr, respectively. Environmental samples such as rainwater and airborne particulate (PM10) filters as well as a certified reference material SLRS-4 (river water) were satisfactorily analyzed obtaining recoveries between 90 and 110% for both elements. The main features of the LOV-MSFIA-ICP-MS system proposed are the capability to renew solid phase extraction at will in a fully automated way, the remarkable stability of the column which can be reused up to 160 times, and the potential to perform isotopic analysis.

  20. Aggregate-level lead exposure, gun violence, homicide, and rape.

    PubMed

    Boutwell, Brian B; Nelson, Erik J; Qian, Zhengmin; Vaughn, Michael G; Wright, John P; Beaver, Kevin M; Barnes, J C; Petkovsek, Melissa; Lewis, Roger; Schootman, Mario; Rosenfeld, Richard

    2017-01-01

    An increasing body of research has linked the geographic distribution of lead with various indicators of criminal and antisocial behavior. The current study, using data from an ongoing project related to lead exposure in St. Louis City, MO, analyzed the association between aggregate blood lead levels and specific indicators violent crime within the city. Ecological study. St. Louis, Missouri. Blood lead levels. Official reports of violent crimes were categorized as 1) crimes involving a firearm (yes/no), 2) assault crimes (with or without a firearm), 3) robbery crimes (with or without a firearm), 4) homicides and 5) rape. With the exception of rape, aggregate blood-lead levels were statistically significant predictors of violent crime at the census tract level. The risk ratios for each of the outcome measures were as follows: firearm crimes 1.03 (1.03-1.04), assault crimes 1.03 (1.02-1.03), robbery crimes 1.03 (1.02-1.04), homicide 1.03 (1.01, 1.04), and rape 1.01 (0.99-1.03). Extending prior research in St. Louis, results suggest that aggregated lead exposure at the census tract level predicted crime outcomes, even after accounting for important sociological variables. Moving forward, a more developed understanding of aggregate level crime may necessitate a shift toward studying the synergy between sociological and biological risk factors such as lead exposure.

  1. Blood lead levels in NASCAR Nextel Cup teams.

    PubMed

    O'Neil, Joseph; Steele, Gregory; McNair, C Scott; Matusiak, Matthew M; Madlem, Jyl

    2006-02-01

    This pilot study determines whether NASCAR racing teams demonstrate exposure to lead from exhaust by evaluation of blood lead levels (BLL). Participants were stratified by proximity to fuel exhaust or whether they worked on an engine. Each participant completed a self-reported survey recording demographics, lead exposure (occupational or in-home environment), and any physical symptoms of lead toxicity. Blood lead levels were then measured. BLL of 47 individuals ranged from 1-22 microg/dL with a median of 9.4 microg/dL. Nineteen of 47 (40.4%) had BLL > or = 10 microg/dL. Participants exposed to exhaust gas had the highest relative risks (RR) for elevated lead, followed by working on brakes and radiator repair. The RR of having an elevated BLL and self-reported adverse health outcomes or symptoms was increased. This study of NASCAR racing teams demonstrates lead exposure.

  2. Impact of bone lead and bone resorption on plasma and whole blood lead levels during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Téllez-Rojo, Martha María; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Lamadrid-Figueroa, Héctor; Smith, Donald; Hernández-Cadena, Leticia; Mercado, Adriana; Aro, Antonio; Schwartz, Joel; Hu, Howard

    2004-10-01

    The authors tested the hypotheses that maternal bone lead burden is associated with increasing maternal whole blood and plasma lead levels over the course of pregnancy and that this association is modified by rates of maternal bone resorption. A total of 193 Mexican women were evaluated (1997-1999) in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Whole blood lead and plasma lead levels were measured in each trimester. Urine was analyzed for cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTx) of type I collagen, a biomarker of bone resorption. Patella and tibia lead levels were measured at 4 weeks postpartum. The relation between whole blood, plasma, and bone lead and NTx was assessed using mixed models. Plasma lead concentrations followed a U-shape, while NTx levels increased significantly during pregnancy. In a multivariate model, the authors observed a significant and positive interaction between NTx and bone lead when plasma lead was used as the outcome variable. Dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with plasma lead. Results for whole blood lead were similar but less pronounced. These results confirm previous evidence that bone resorption increases during pregnancy, with a consequential significant release of lead from bone, constituting an endogenous source of prenatal exposure. They also provide a rationale for testing strategies (e.g., nutritional supplementation with calcium) aimed at decreasing prenatal lead exposure.

  3. Airborne asbestos exposures associated with work on asbestos fire sleeve materials.

    PubMed

    Blake, Charles L; Harbison, Stephen C; Johnson, Giffe T; Harbison, Raymond D

    2011-11-01

    Asbestos-containing fire sleeves have been used as a fire protection measure for aircraft fluid hoses. This investigation was conducted to determine the level of airborne asbestos fiber exposure experienced by mechanics who work with fire sleeve protected hoses. Duplicate testing was performed inside a small, enclosed workroom during the fabrication of hose assemblies. Personal air samples taken during this work showed detectable, but low airborne asbestos fiber exposures. Analysis of personal samples (n=9) using phrase contract microscopy (PCM) indicated task duration airborne fiber concentrations ranging from 0.017 to 0.063 fibers per milliliter (f/ml) for sampling durations of 167-198 min, and 0.022-0.14 f/ml for 30 min samples. Airborne chrysotile fibers were detected for four of these nine personal samples, and the resulting asbestos adjusted airborne fiber concentrations ranged from 0.014 to 0.025 f/ml. These results indicate that work with asbestos fire sleeve and fire sleeve protected hose assemblies, does not produce regulatory noncompliant levels of asbestos exposure for persons who handle, cut and fit these asbestos-containing materials. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Ambient lead measurements in Cairo, Egypt

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Howes, J.E. Jr.; Labib, M.; Samaha, N.

    1999-07-01

    The Cairo Air Improvement Project (CAIP) has established a network of 36 stations to monitor airborne lead levels in the Greater Cairo Area. Data obtained during the first 4 months of the monitoring program indicates that lead levels in ambient air significantly exceed the Government of Egypt's (GOE) Law Number 4 (1994) limit of 1 {micro} g/m{sup 3} (annual mean) in areas downwind of secondary lead smelters and in heavily trafficked areas. The highest mean and single sampling event lead levels were observed in the heavily industrialized areas of Shoubra el-Kheima and Tebbin. At two sites in Shoubra el-Kheima, meanmore » and maximum lead levels were determined to be approximately 20 {micro} g/m{sup 3} and 79 {micro} g/m{sup 3}, respectively. At three sites located in areas of high motor vehicle traffic in the central part of the city, the mean lead level was about 4 {micro} g/m{sup 3} and the maximum levels ranged from approximately 10 x 20 {micro} g/m{sup 3}. Of the remainder of the sites, the mean lead concentrations were 2fd3 {micro} g/m{sup 3} at three sites, 1 P2 {mu} g/m{sup 3} at 16 sites, and below 1 {micro} g/m{sup 3} at eight sites. Lead levels in areas devoted primarily to residential use were generally less than 2 {micro} g/m{sup 3}. The maximum mean monthly PM{sub 10} lead value measured at fugitive emission monitoring sites near lead smelters was approximately 73 {micro} g/m{sup 3}. The maximum lead concentration measured during a single sampling event was 180 {micro} g/m{sup 3}. Generally lower lead levels were observed in December due to regulation action that resulted in some suspension of smelting operations and to approximately 180-degree wind direction shifts that typically occur during this period of the year. The GOE is working vigorously to eliminate the lead problem in Egypt through implementation of the Lead Exposure Action Plan (LEAP). A major component of LEAP is the Lead Smelter Action Plan (LSAP).« less

  5. Sterilizing effects of high-intensity airborne sonic and ultrasonic waves.

    PubMed

    Pisano, M A; Boucher, M G; Alcamo, I E

    1966-09-01

    The lethal effects of high-intensity airborne sonic (9.9 kc/sec) and ultrasonic waves (30.4 kc/sec) on spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger ATCC 9372 were determined. The spores, which were deposited on filter-paper strips, were exposed to sound waves for periods varying from 1 to 8 hr, at a temperature of 40 C and a relative humidity of 40%. Significant reductions in the viable counts of spores exposed to airborne sonic or ultrasonic irradiations were obtained. The antibacterial activity of airborne sound waves varied with the sound intensity level, the period of irradiation, and the distance of the sample from the sound source. At similar intensity levels, the amplitude of motion of the sound waves appeared to be a factor in acoustic sterilization.

  6. Aggregate-level lead exposure, gun violence, homicide, and rape

    PubMed Central

    Nelson, Erik J.; Qian, Zhengmin; Vaughn, Michael G.; Wright, John P.; Beaver, Kevin M.; Barnes, J. C.; Petkovsek, Melissa; Lewis, Roger; Schootman, Mario; Rosenfeld, Richard

    2017-01-01

    Context An increasing body of research has linked the geographic distribution of lead with various indicators of criminal and antisocial behavior. Objective The current study, using data from an ongoing project related to lead exposure in St. Louis City, MO, analyzed the association between aggregate blood lead levels and specific indicators violent crime within the city. Design Ecological study. Setting St. Louis, Missouri. Exposure measure Blood lead levels. Main outcome measure Official reports of violent crimes were categorized as 1) crimes involving a firearm (yes/no), 2) assault crimes (with or without a firearm), 3) robbery crimes (with or without a firearm), 4) homicides and 5) rape. Results With the exception of rape, aggregate blood-lead levels were statistically significant predictors of violent crime at the census tract level. The risk ratios for each of the outcome measures were as follows: firearm crimes 1.03 (1.03–1.04), assault crimes 1.03 (1.02–1.03), robbery crimes 1.03 (1.02–1.04), homicide 1.03 (1.01, 1.04), and rape 1.01 (0.99–1.03). Conclusions Extending prior research in St. Louis, results suggest that aggregated lead exposure at the census tract level predicted crime outcomes, even after accounting for important sociological variables. Moving forward, a more developed understanding of aggregate level crime may necessitate a shift toward studying the synergy between sociological and biological risk factors such as lead exposure. PMID:29176826

  7. Cord blood lead level in an urban inner-city hospital.

    PubMed

    Chawla, S; Elbakoush, F; Natarajan, G; Dwaihy, M; Berry, A; Ravindranath, Y; Bhambhani, K; Narayan, S B

    2016-09-16

    Lead levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in umbilical cord blood samples of 150 neonates in an urban inner-city hospital. The mean (SD) gestation and birth weight of our cohort were 38.8 (1.7) weeks and 3,217 (519) grams. There were 89% African-Americans, 53% males and 79% were born via vaginal delivery. Mean (SD) maternal age was 24.5 (5.8) years. History of drug abuse and smoking was reported in 8.7% and 10.7% respectively, with only 1 mother reporting a history of high lead level in childhood. Prenatal vitamin intake was reported in 99.3%. Cord blood lead level was available in 144 patients, with lead level of <1μg/dL seen in 141 (97.9%) and>1 in 3 (2.1%) patients. No patient had cord blood lead level of >2μg/dL. High lead levels during childhood in high-risk urban population, however, suggest the need for intensive efforts for prevention of environmental exposure to lead in early childhood.

  8. Airborne imaging spectrometers developed in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jianyu; Xue, Yongqi

    1998-08-01

    Airborne imaging spectral technology, principle means in airborne remote sensing, has been developed rapidly both in the world and in China recently. This paper describes Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (MAIS), Operational Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (OMAIS) and Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imagery (PHI) that have been developed or are being developed in Airborne Remote Sensing Lab of Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, CAS.

  9. Methodology for exposing avian embryos to quantified levels of airborne aromatic compounds associated with crude oil spills.

    PubMed

    Dubansky, Benjamin; Verbeck, Guido; Mach, Phillip; Burggren, Warren

    2018-03-01

    Oil spills on birds and other organisms have focused primarily on direct effects of oil exposure through ingestion or direct body fouling. Little is known of indirect effects of airborne volatiles from spilled oil, especially on vulnerable developing embryos within the bird egg. Here a technique is described for exposing bird embryos in the egg to quantifiable amounts of airborne volatile toxicants from Deepwater Horizon crude oil. A novel membrane inlet mass spectrometry system was used to measure major classes of airborne oil-derived toxicants and correlate these exposures with biological endpoints. Exposure induced a reduction in platelet number and increase in osmolality of the blood of embryos of the chicken (Gallus gallus). Additionally, expression of cytochrome P4501A, a protein biomarker of oil exposure, occurred in renal, pulmonary, hepatic and vascular tissues. These data confirm that this system for generating and measuring airborne volatiles can be used for future in-depth analysis of the toxicity of volatile organic compounds in birds and potentially other terrestrial organisms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Airborne Tactical Crossload Planner

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-12-01

    set out in the Airborne Standard Operating Procedure (ASOP). 14. SUBJECT TERMS crossload, airborne, optimization, integer linear programming ...they land to their respective sub-mission locations. In this thesis, we formulate and implement an integer linear program called the Tactical...to meet any desired crossload objectives. xiv We demonstrate TCP with two real-world tactical problems from recent airborne operations: one by the

  11. Relationship of blood lead levels to obstetric outcome

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Angell, N.F.; Lavery, J.P.

    1982-01-01

    Lead represents a significant environmental hazard to pregnant women and their offspring. Exposure to high environmental levels of lead has been associated with spontaneous abortion, premature rupture of fetal membranes (PROM), and preterm delivery. The relationship between lower exposures and obstetric complications is unknown. The concentration of lead in the blood was measured in 635 specimens of umbilical cord blood collected at delivery. No relationship was found between concentrations of lead in cord blood and the incidence of PROM, preterm delivery, preeclampsia, or meconium staining. Maternal and infant capillary blood was collected 24 hours post partum from 154 of thesemore » deliveries. The concentrations of lead in the blood did not vary significantly among cord, infant, and maternal samples, and the three measurements were highly correlated. Levels of zinc protoporphyrin (ZnP) were increased in cord blood as compared with mothers' blood, but no concentration-response relationships between the ratio of cord ZnP to maternal ZnP and lead were found.« less

  12. Evaluation of blood lead level in methamphetamine users in Tehran.

    PubMed

    Mostafazadeh, Babak; Shadnia, Shahin; Tavakkoli, Mohammad Ali; Khoddami Vishteh, Hamid Reza

    2017-02-22

    Given the increasing number of lead poisoning in opioids users and since no study has been conducted so far to review lead poisoning in methamphetamine (crystal) users, this study aimed to investigate blood lead level in methamphetamine addicts. This study was conducted on 20 patients with methamphetamine poisoning and their blood lead level was measured. The subjects were selected from among patients with a history of continuous use of methamphetamine, without a history of using opiates in the past 6 months confirmed by a negative urine tests, and without a history of heavy metal poisoning. Of all, 18 patients were male and the mean age was 32 ± 10 years; 17 patients were abusing the drug via inhalation and three persons via oral administration. The mean blood lead level was 2.3 ± 1.1 μg/dL and poisoning was not observed in any of the cases. Blood lead level was not associated with age, sex, dosage, and route of administration. Although blood lead level was not at poisoning level in people who only used methamphetamine in Iran, due to the simultaneous use of other substances and because of non-specific symptoms, lead poisoning must be suspected in all cases of substances poisoning.

  13. Do US Ambient Air Lead Levels Have a Significant Impact on Childhood Blood Lead Levels: Results of a National Study

    PubMed Central

    Brink, LuAnn L.; Talbott, Evelyn O.; Sharma, Ravi K.; Marsh, Gary M.; Wu, Wen Chi; Rager, Judith R.; Strosnider, Heather M.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction. Although lead paint and leaded gasoline have not been used in the US for thirty years, thousands of US children continue to have blood lead levels (BLLs) of concern. Methods. We investigated the potential association of modeled air lead levels and BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL using a large CDC database with BLLs on children aged 0–3 years. Percent of children with BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL (2000–2007) by county and proportion of pre-50 housing and SES variables were merged with the US EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) modeled air lead data. Results. The proportion with BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL was 1.24% in the highest air lead counties, and the proportion with BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL was 0.36% in the lowest air lead counties, resulting in a crude prevalence ratio of 3.4. Further analysis using multivariate negative binomial regression revealed that NATA lead was a significant predictor of % BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL after controlling for percent pre-l950 housing, percent rural, and percent black. A geospatial regression revealed that air lead, percent older housing, and poverty were all significant predictors of % BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL. Conclusions. More emphasis should be given to potential sources of ambient air lead near residential areas. PMID:23983719

  14. International Symposium on Airborne Geophysics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mogi, Toru; Ito, Hisatoshi; Kaieda, Hideshi; Kusunoki, Kenichiro; Saltus, Richard W.; Fitterman, David V.; Okuma, Shigeo; Nakatsuka, Tadashi

    2006-05-01

    Airborne geophysics can be defined as the measurement of Earth properties from sensors in the sky. The airborne measurement platform is usually a traditional fixed-wing airplane or helicopter, but could also include lighter-than-air craft, unmanned drones, or other specialty craft. The earliest history of airborne geophysics includes kite and hot-air balloon experiments. However, modern airborne geophysics dates from the mid-1940s when military submarine-hunting magnetometers were first used to map variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The current gamut of airborne geophysical techniques spans a broad range, including potential fields (both gravity and magnetics), electromagnetics (EM), radiometrics, spectral imaging, and thermal imaging.

  15. Investigation and Evaluation of Children’s Blood Lead Levels around a Lead Battery Factory and Influencing Factors

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Feng; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Hengdong; Ban, Yonghong; Wang, Jianfeng; Liu, Jian; Zhong, Lixing; Chen, Xianwen; Zhu, Baoli

    2016-01-01

    Lead pollution incidents have occurred frequently in mainland China, which has caused many lead poisoning incidents. This paper took a battery recycling factory as the subject, and focused on measuring the blood lead levels of environmental samples and all the children living around the factory, and analyzed the relationship between them. We collected blood samples from the surrounding residential area, as well as soil, water, vegetables. The atomic absorption method was applied to measure the lead content in these samples. The basic information of the generation procedure, operation type, habit and personal protect equipment was collected by an occupational hygiene investigation. Blood lead levels in 43.12% of the subjects exceeded 100 μg/L. The 50th and the 95th percentiles were 89 μg/L and 232 μg/L for blood lead levels in children, respectively, and the geometric mean was 94 μg/L. Children were stratified into groups by age, gender, parents’ occupation, distance and direction from the recycling plant. The difference of blood lead levels between groups was significant (p < 0.05). Four risk factors for elevated blood lead levels were found by logistic regression analysis, including younger age, male, shorter distance from the recycling plant, and parents with at least one working in the recycling plant. The rate of excess lead concentration in water was 6.25%, 6.06% in soil and 44.44% in leaf vegetables, which were all higher than the Chinese environment standards. The shorter the distance to the factory, the higher the value of BLL and lead levels in vegetable and environment samples. The lead level in the environmental samples was higher downwind of the recycling plant. PMID:27240393

  16. Preliminary Assessment of Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements for Airborne Trajectory Management (ABTM) Roadmap Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cotton, William B.; Hilb, Robert; Koczo, Stefan, Jr.; Wing, David J.

    2016-01-01

    A set of five developmental steps building from the NASA TASAR (Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests) concept are described, each providing incrementally more efficiency and capacity benefits to airspace system users and service providers, culminating in a Full Airborne Trajectory Management capability. For each of these steps, the incremental Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements are identified for later use in future formal safety assessments intended to lead to certification and operational approval of the equipment and the associated procedures. Two established safety assessment methodologies that are compliant with the FAA's Safety Management System were used leading to Failure Effects Classifications (FEC) for each of the steps. The most likely FEC for the first three steps, Basic TASAR, Digital TASAR, and 4D TASAR, is "No effect". For step four, Strategic Airborne Trajectory Management, the likely FEC is "Minor". For Full Airborne Trajectory Management (Step 5), the most likely FEC is "Major".

  17. Once Out the Door: A Study of Division and Corps Level Airborne Assaults

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-05-26

    examine Operations Mercury, Dragoon, and Market Garden to extract lessons that will enable effective airborne assault planning at the division and...Dragoon and Operational Art........................................................................................ 38 Case Study 3: Operation Market ...Garden.................................................................................................... 43 The Importance of Operation Market

  18. Lead Emissions and Population Vulnerability in the Detroit (Michigan, USA) Metropolitan Area, 2006-2013: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis.

    PubMed

    Moody, Heather; Grady, Sue C

    2017-11-23

    Objective : The purpose of this research is to geographically model airborne lead emission concentrations and total lead deposition in the Detroit Metropolitan Area (DMA) from 2006 to 2013. Further, this study characterizes the racial and socioeconomic composition of recipient neighborhoods and estimates the potential for IQ (Intelligence Quotient) loss of children residing there. Methods : Lead emissions were modeled from emitting facilities in the DMA using AERMOD (American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model). Multilevel modeling was used to estimate local racial residential segregation, controlling for poverty. Global Moran's I bivariate spatial autocorrelation statistics were used to assess modeled emissions with increasing segregation. Results : Lead emitting facilities were primarily located in, and moving to, highly black segregated neighborhoods regardless of poverty levels-a phenomenon known as environmental injustice. The findings from this research showed three years of elevated airborne emission concentrations in these neighborhoods to equate to a predicted 1.0 to 3.0 reduction in IQ points for children living there. Across the DMA there are many areas where annual lead deposition was substantially higher than recommended for aquatic (rivers, lakes, etc.) and terrestrial (forests, dunes, etc.) ecosystems. These lead levels result in decreased reproductive and growth rates in plants and animals, and neurological deficits in vertebrates. Conclusions : This lead-hazard and neighborhood context assessment will inform future childhood lead exposure studies and potential health consequences in the DMA.

  19. β-(1,3)-Glucan Exposure Assessment by Passive Airborne Dust Sampling and New Sensitive Immunoassays▿

    PubMed Central

    Noss, Ilka; Wouters, Inge M.; Bezemer, Gillina; Metwali, Nervana; Sander, Ingrid; Raulf-Heimsoth, Monika; Heederik, Dick J. J.; Thorne, Peter S.; Doekes, Gert

    2010-01-01

    Associations between house dust-associated β-(1,3)-glucan exposure and airway inflammatory reactions have been reported, while such exposures in early childhood have been suggested to protect against asthma and wheezing. Most epidemiological studies have used reservoir dust samples and an inhibition enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for β-(1,3)-glucan exposure assessment. The objective of this study was to develop inexpensive but highly sensitive enzyme immunoassays to measure airborne β-(1,3)-glucans in low-exposure environments, like homes. Specificities of available anti-β-(1,3)-glucan antibodies were defined by direct and inhibition experiments. Three suitable antibody combinations were selected for sandwich EIAs. β-(1,3)-Glucans in passive airborne dust collected with an electrostatic dust fall collector (EDC) and floor dust from seven homes were measured with the three EIAs. Floor dust samples were additionally analyzed in the inhibition EIA. The sandwich EIAs were sensitive enough for airborne glucan measurement and showed different specificities for commercial glucans, while the β-(1,3)-glucan levels in house dust samples correlated strongly. The feasibility of measuring glucans in airborne dust with the recently introduced EDC method was further investigated by selecting the most suitable of the three EIAs to measure and compare β-(1,3)-glucan levels in the EDC and in floor and actively collected airborne dust samples of the previously performed EDC validation study. The EDC β-(1,3)-glucan levels correlated moderately with β-(1,3)-glucans in actively collected airborne dust and floor dust samples, while the glucan levels in the airborne dust and floor dust samples did not correlate. The combination of the newly developed β-(1,3)-glucan sandwich EIA with EDC sampling now allows assessment in large-scale population studies of exposure to airborne β-(1,3)-glucans in homes or other low-exposure environments. PMID:20038709

  20. Occurrence of lead-related symptoms below the current occupational safety and health act allowable blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Rosenman, Kenneth D; Sims, Amy; Luo, Zhehui; Gardiner, Joseph

    2003-05-01

    To determine the occurrence of symptoms of lead toxicity at levels below the current allowable Occupational Safety and Health Act blood lead level of 50 micrograms/dL, standardized telephone interviews were conducted of individuals reported to a statewide laboratory-based surveillance system. Four hundred and ninety-seven, or 75%, of the eligible participants were interviewed. Gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and nervous system symptoms increased with increasing blood lead levels. Nervous, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal symptoms all began to be increased in individuals with blood leads between 30-39 micrograms/dL and possibly at levels as low as 25-30 micrograms/dL for nervous system symptoms. The results of this study of increased symptoms are consistent with and provide added weight to previous results showing subclinical changes in the neurologic and renal systems and sperm counts at blood lead levels currently allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

  1. The analysis of blood lead levels changeability over the 5-year observation in workers occupationally exposed to lead.

    PubMed

    Dobrakowski, Michał; Boroń, Marta; Kasperczyk, Sławomir; Kozłowska, Agnieszka; Kasperczyk, Aleksandra; Płachetka, Anna; Pawlas, Natalia

    2017-06-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare a group of workers with stable lead levels with a group of workers with fluctuating lead levels in terms of selected hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters. The examined group included male workers occupationally exposed to lead. Blood lead (PbB) levels were measured every 3 months during the 5-year observation. Based on standard deviation of mean PbB levels, the examined population was divided into two groups: low level of fluctuation (L-SD) and high level of fluctuation (H-SD) groups. The mean and maximal PbB levels were significantly higher in the H-SD group than in the L-SD group by 9 and 22%, respectively. At the same time, the maximal level of zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) and standard deviation of mean ZPP level were higher in the H-SD group by 29 and 55%, respectively. The maximal level of hemoglobin and white blood cell (WBC) count as well as standard deviation of the mean hemoglobin level and WBC count were higher in the H-SD group by 2, 8, 58, and 24%, respectively. The expression of nuclear factor kappa-B1 gene and telomerase reverse transcriptase gene was significantly greater in the H-SD group than in the L-SD group by 11 and 28%, respectively. Workers occupationally exposed to lead do not represent a homogenous population. Some present stable lead levels, whereas others have fluctuating lead levels. These fluctuations are related to secondary changes in ZPP and hemoglobin levels as well as WBC count.

  2. Lead gunshot pellet ingestion and tissue lead levels in wild ducks from Argentine hunting hotspots.

    PubMed

    Ferreyra, Hebe; Romano, Marcelo; Beldomenico, Pablo; Caselli, Andrea; Correa, Ana; Uhart, Marcela

    2014-05-01

    Lead poisoning in waterfowl due to ingestion of lead pellets is a long recognized worldwide problem but poorly studied in South America, particularly in Argentinean wetlands where duck hunting with lead gunshot is extensive. In 2008, we found high pellet ingestion rates in a small sample of hunted ducks. To expand our knowledge on the extent of lead exposure and to assess health risks from spent shot intake, during 2011 and 2012 we sampled 415 hunter-killed ducks and 96 live-trapped ducks. We determined the incidence of lead shot ingestion and lead concentrations in bone, liver and blood in five duck species: whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor), white-faced tree duck (D. viduata), black-bellied whistling-duck (D. autumnalis), rosy-billed pochard (Netta peposaca) and Brazilian duck (Amazonetta brasiliensis). The ingestion of lead shot was confirmed in 10.4% of the ducks examined (43/415), with a prevalence that varied by site and year, from 7.6% to 50%. All bone samples (n=382) and over 60% of liver samples (249/412) contained lead concentrations above the detection limit. The geometric mean lead concentration in tissues (mg/kg dry weight) was 0.31 (GSD=3.93) and 3.61 (GSD=4.02) for liver and bone, respectively, and 0.20 (GSD=2.55) in blood (mg/kg wet weight). Lead levels surpassed toxicity thresholds at which clinical poisoning is expected in 3.15% of liver samples, 23.8% of bones and 28% of blood samples. Ducks with ingested lead pellets were much more likely to have high levels of lead in their liver. Rosy-billed pochards were consistently more prone to ingesting lead shot than other duck species sampled. However, whistling ducks showed higher levels of lead in liver and bone. Our results suggest that lead from ammunition could become a substantial threat for the conservation of wild duck populations in Argentina. The replacement of lead by non-toxic shot would be a reasonable and effective solution to this problem. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Air modelling as an alternative to sampling for low-level radioactive airborne releases

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Morgenstern, M.Y.; Hueske, K.

    1995-05-01

    This paper describes our efforts to assess the effect of airborne releases at one DOE laboratory using air modelling based on historical data. Among the facilities affected by these developments is Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico. RCRA, as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) in 1984, requires all facilities which involve the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste obtain a RCRA/HSWA waste facility permit. LANL complied with CEARP by initiating a process of identifying potential release sites associated with LANL operations prior to filing a RCRA/HSWA permit application. In the process of preparingmore » the RCRA/HSWA waste facility permit application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a total of 603 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) were identified as part of the requirements of the HSWA Module VIH permit requirements. The HSWA Module VIII permit requires LANL to determine whether there have been any releases of hazardous waste or hazardous constituents from SWMUs at the facility dating from the 1940`s by performing a RCRA Facility Investigation to address known or suspected releases from specified SWMUs to affected media (i.e. soil, groundwater, surface water, and air). Among the most troublesome of the potential releases sites are those associated with airborne radioactive releases. In order to assess health risks associated with radioactive contaminants in a manner consistent with exposure standards currently in place, the DOE and LANL have established Screening Action Levels (SALs) for radioactive soil contamination. The SALs for each radionuclide in soil are derived from calculations based on a residential scenario in which individuals are exposed to contaminated soil via inhalation and ingestion as well as external exposure to gamma emitters in the soil. The applicable SALs are shown.« less

  4. The concentration of no toxicologic concern (CoNTC) and airborne mycotoxins.

    PubMed

    Hardin, Bryan D; Robbins, Coreen A; Fallah, Payam; Kelman, Bruce J

    2009-01-01

    The threshold of toxicologic concern (TTC) concept was developed as a method to identify a chemical intake level that is predicted to be without adverse human health effects assuming daily intake over the course of a 70-yr life span. The TTC values are based on known structure-activity relationships and do not require chemical-specific toxicity data. This allows safety assessment (or prioritization for testing) of chemicals with known molecular structure but little or no toxicity data. Recently, the TTC concept was extended to inhaled substances by converting a TTC expressed in micrograms per person per day to an airborne concentration (ng/m(3)), making allowance for intake by routes in addition to inhalation and implicitly assuming 100% bioavailability of inhaled toxicants. The resulting concentration of no toxicologic concern (CoNTC), 30 ng/m(3), represents a generic airborne concentration that is expected to pose no hazard to humans exposed continuously throughout a 70-yr lifetime. Published data on the levels of mycotoxins in agricultural dusts or in fungal spores, along with measured levels of airborne mycotoxins, spores, or dust in various environments, were used to identify conditions under which mycotoxin exposures might reach the CoNTC. Data demonstrate that airborne concentrations of dusts and mold spores sometimes encountered in agricultural environments have the potential to produce mycotoxin concentrations greater than the CoNTC. On the other hand, these data suggest that common exposures to mycotoxins from airborne molds in daily life, including in the built indoor environment, are below the concentration of no toxicologic concern.

  5. [The contribution of food and airborne allergens in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis].

    PubMed

    Dynowska, Dorota; Kolarzyk, Emilia; Schlegel-Zawadzka, Małgorzata; Dynowski, Wojciech

    2002-01-01

    Food hypersensitivity and airborne allergens may play a role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the kind of food and airborne allergens which may most often induce and intensify AD lesions and also to assess the variability and the kind of allergens leading to AD. The subjects of this study were 610 persons, aged 3 months-70 years. The clinical status of the patients was estimated by an atopic dermatitis symptom score scale (SCORAD). The laboratory examinations differentiated inflammatory processes from allergic reactions. The skin prick tests (SPT), serum total IgE and specific IgE-antibody levels to chosen food products and standard airborne allergens with the immuno-enzymes method ELISA-DPC were performed. The elevated values of the total IgE were proved in 46.1% children from group 0-15 years and in 31.4% of adolescents and adult persons (above 15 year of age). On the basis of positive SPT and positive specific IgE values it was shown, that most frequent food allergens were: egg protein (13.0%), cow milk (9.5%), egg yolk (8.4%), wheat (3.6%) and chocolate (1.8%). The most often airborne allergens connected with AD were: grass (11.6%), moulds (10.2%), house dust mites (9.3%), pollen like hazel (8.0%) and weeds (6.7%), animal allergens coming from cats (7.2%) and dogs (6.1%). The food hypersensitivity was particularly manifested in children. It may be the predictor of potential future development of allergic disease as well as the indicator of the allergic march.

  6. CAN FLUORIDATION AFFECT WATER LEAD (II) LEVELS AND LEAD (II) NEUROTOXICITY?

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent reports have attempted to show that certain approaches to fluoridating potable water is linked to increased levels of lead(II) in the blood. We examine these claims in light of the established science and critically evaluate their significance. The completeness of hexafl...

  7. A survey of blood lead levels among young Johannesburg school children.

    PubMed

    Mathee, A; von Schirnding, Y E R; Levin, J; Ismail, A; Huntley, R; Cantrell, A

    2002-11-01

    Studies conducted around the world have established beyond doubt that elevated childhood blood lead levels may lead to detrimental health effects. Research has shown that certain groups of South African children are at particular risk of elevated blood lead levels. Johannesburg is the largest urban complex in southern Africa, with a population of around 3 million and extensive industrial and manufacturing activity. Among the challenges posed in the city are rapid urbanization, extensive poverty, and inequity. Little information on the blood lead distribution of Johannesburg children is available. This study was undertaken to determine blood lead levels among children living in three areas of Johannesburg: inner city suburbs and the low-income townships of Alexandra and Westbury to the north and west of the city center, respectively. The results indicated that blood lead levels ranged from 6 to 26 micro g/dL, with a mean level of 11.9 micro g /dL. The blood lead levels of 78% of children equaled or exceeded 10 micro g/dL, the current international action level. Maternal educational status, the presence of smokers in the home, and living in an informal dwelling were among the factors associated with elevated blood lead levels.

  8. Elevated blood lead levels from exposure via a radiator workshop.

    PubMed

    Treble, R G; Thompson, T S; Morton, D N

    1998-04-01

    Elevated lead levels were discovered in blood samples collected from family members where both the father and the mother worked in a radiator repair workshop. The father and mother were found to have blood lead levels of 2.0 and 0.5 mumol/L (41.7 and 10.4 micrograms/dL), respectively. The father's blood lead level was just below the Canadian occupational health and safety intervention level (2.5 mumol/L or 52.1 micrograms/dL). The two children had blood lead levels of 1.0 and 0.8 mumol/L (20.8 and 16.7 micrograms/dL), both of which are in excess of the recommended guideline for intervention in the case of children (0.5 mumol/L or 10.4 micrograms/dL). The exposure of the two children was possibly due to a combination of pathways including exposure at the workshop itself during visits and also the transportation of lead-containing dust to the home environment.

  9. Comprehensive analysis of airborne contaminants from recent Spacelab missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matney, M. L.; Boyd, J. F.; Covington, P. A.; Leano, H. J.; Pierson, D. L.; Limero, T. F.; James, J. T.

    1993-01-01

    The Shuttle experiences unique air contamination problems because of microgravity and the closed environment. Contaminant build-up in the closed atmosphere and the lack of a gravitational settling mechanism have produced some concern in previous missions about the amount of solid and volatile airborne contaminants in the Orbiter and Spacelab. Degradation of air quality in the Orbiter/Spacelab environment, through processes such as chemical contamination, high solid-particulate levels, and high microbial levels, may affect crew performance and health. A comprehensive assessment of the Shuttle air quality was undertaken during STS-40 and STS-42 missions, in which a variety of air sampling and monitoring techniques were employed to determine the contaminant load by characterizing and quantitating airborne contaminants. Data were collected on the airborne concentrations of volatile organic compounds, microorganisms, and particulate matter collected on Orbiter/Spacelab air filters. The results showed that STS-40/42 Orbiter/Spacelab air was toxicologically safe to breathe, except during STS-40 when the Orbiter Refrigerator/Freezer unit was releasing noxious gases in the middeck. On STS-40, the levels of airborne bacteria appeared to increase as the mission progressed; however, this trend was not observed for the STS-42 mission. Particulate matter in the Orbiter/Spacelab air filters was chemically analyzed in order to determine the source of particles. Only small amounts of rat hair and food bar (STS-40) and traces of soiless medium (STS-42) were detected in the Spacelab air filters, indicating that containment for Spacelab experiments was effective.

  10. Lead levels in deciduous teeth of children in Bahrain.

    PubMed

    al-Mahroos, F; al-Saleh, F S

    1997-06-01

    To determine lead exposure among children in Bahrain, a total of 280 shed deciduous whole teeth were collected from 269 children. Teeth were analyzed for lead concentrations using atomic absorption spectrophotometry with electrothermal atomization. Children were between 5 and 15 years old. The study period extended from July 1993 to April 1994. The study showed that the overall mean tooth-lead level was 4.3 micrograms/g dry weight with a range of 0.1-60.8 micrograms/g dry weight. The cumulative frequency distribution revealed that 35% of the teeth had a lead concentration of more than 4 micrograms/g dry weight. The tooth-lead concentrations differed according to the tooth type age. The child's sex, nationality, area of residence and socio-economic status had no impact on tooth-lead level. In conclusion, lead is present in toxic concentrations in 35% of the teeth of the children studied. Urgent measures are needed to eliminate lead from gasoline, paint and other sources in the environment.

  11. Evaluation of meteorological airborne Doppler radar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hildebrand, P. H.; Mueller, C. K.

    1984-01-01

    This paper will discuss the capabilities of airborne Doppler radar for atmospheric sciences research. The evaluation is based on airborne and ground based Doppler radar observations of convective storms. The capability of airborne Doppler radar to measure horizontal and vertical air motions is evaluated. Airborne Doppler radar is shown to be a viable tool for atmospheric sciences research.

  12. Webinar: Airborne Data Discovery and Analysis with Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD)

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2016-10-18

    Webinar: Airborne Data Discovery and Analysis with Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Join us on ... and flight data ranges are available. Registration is now open.  Access the full announcement   For TAD Information, ...

  13. Extra-Articular Retained Missiles; Is Surveillance of Lead Levels Needed?

    PubMed

    Nickel, Walter N; Steelman, Theodore J; Sabath, Zena R; Potter, Benjamin K

    2018-03-01

    Although gunshot wounds are relatively common, lead toxicity associated with extra-articular retained missiles (EARMs) is an uncommon, yet potentially devastating, complication. Although the risk of lead toxicity with intra-articular retained missiles is well known, EARMs are routinely left in situ or only removed in selected circumstances secondary to the relatively rare occurrence of complications. We first describe a patient with systemic lead poisoning associated with retained lead fragments after a gunshot-induced left femoral shaft fracture. We then performed a systematic review of the literature to answer the following questions: (1) In the setting of retained extra-articular bullets and/or bullet fragments, is regular monitoring and/or surveillance of lead levels in the blood routinely indicated? and, if so, (2) what are the selected factors that portend an increased risk for elevations in blood lead levels in the setting of retained extra-articular bullets and/or bullet fragments? The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines, of the English language literature utilizing Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL on the topic of lead poisoning, retained bullet, and gunshot wound, and then searched for additional references by manually searching of bibliographies of the included references. Studies were included if they provided clinical data on one or both of our study questions; included studies were evaluated using the accepted levels of evidence. Routine monitoring or surveillance of lead levels in blood is recommended in all cases of EARM at the time of hospital admission and again at discharge, followed by monthly intervals until 3 mo post-injury and then again at 1 yr post-injury. The studies identified demonstrated significant risk factors for elevated blood lead levels in the setting of EARM, which included the number of retained missiles and

  14. Processor architecture for airborne SAR systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glass, C. M.

    1983-01-01

    Digital processors for spaceborne imaging radars and application of the technology developed for airborne SAR systems are considered. Transferring algorithms and implementation techniques from airborne to spaceborne SAR processors offers obvious advantages. The following topics are discussed: (1) a quantification of the differences in processing algorithms for airborne and spaceborne SARs; and (2) an overview of three processors for airborne SAR systems.

  15. Occurrence of airborne vancomycin- and gentamicin-resistant bacteria in various hospital wards in Isfahan, Iran

    PubMed Central

    Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmad, Hossein; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

    2016-01-01

    Background: Airborne transmission of pathogenic resistant bacteria is well recognized as an important route for the acquisition of a wide range of nosocomial infections in hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of airborne vancomycin and gentamicin (VM and GM) resistant bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals. Materials and Methods: A total of 64 air samples were collected from operating theater (OT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), surgery ward, and internal medicine ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Airborne culturable bacteria were collected using all glass impingers. Samples were analyzed for the detection of VM- and GM-resistant bacteria. Results: The average level of bacteria ranged from 99 to 1079 CFU/m3. The highest level of airborne bacteria was observed in hospital 4 (628 CFU/m3) and the highest average concentration of GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were found in hospital 3 (22 CFU/m3). The mean concentration of airborne bacteria was the lowest in OT wards and GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were not detected in this ward of hospitals. The highest prevalence of antibiotic-resistant airborne bacteria was observed in ICU ward. There was a statistically significant difference for the prevalence of VM-resistant bacteria between hospital wards (P = 0.012). Conclusion: Our finding showed that the relatively high prevalence of VM- and GM-resistant airborne bacteria in ICUs could be a great concern from the point of view of patients' health. These results confirm the necessity of application of effective control measures which significantly decrease the exposure of high-risk patients to potentially airborne nosocomial infections. PMID:27656612

  16. Occurrence of airborne vancomycin- and gentamicin-resistant bacteria in various hospital wards in Isfahan, Iran.

    PubMed

    Mirhoseini, Seyed Hamed; Nikaeen, Mahnaz; Khanahmad, Hossein; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

    2016-01-01

    Airborne transmission of pathogenic resistant bacteria is well recognized as an important route for the acquisition of a wide range of nosocomial infections in hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of airborne vancomycin and gentamicin (VM and GM) resistant bacteria in different wards of four educational hospitals. A total of 64 air samples were collected from operating theater (OT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), surgery ward, and internal medicine ward of four educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. Airborne culturable bacteria were collected using all glass impingers. Samples were analyzed for the detection of VM- and GM-resistant bacteria. The average level of bacteria ranged from 99 to 1079 CFU/m(3). The highest level of airborne bacteria was observed in hospital 4 (628 CFU/m(3)) and the highest average concentration of GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were found in hospital 3 (22 CFU/m(3)). The mean concentration of airborne bacteria was the lowest in OT wards and GM- and VM-resistant airborne bacteria were not detected in this ward of hospitals. The highest prevalence of antibiotic-resistant airborne bacteria was observed in ICU ward. There was a statistically significant difference for the prevalence of VM-resistant bacteria between hospital wards (P = 0.012). Our finding showed that the relatively high prevalence of VM- and GM-resistant airborne bacteria in ICUs could be a great concern from the point of view of patients' health. These results confirm the necessity of application of effective control measures which significantly decrease the exposure of high-risk patients to potentially airborne nosocomial infections.

  17. Airborne relay-based regional positioning system.

    PubMed

    Lee, Kyuman; Noh, Hongjun; Lim, Jaesung

    2015-05-28

    Ground-based pseudolite systems have some limitations, such as low vertical accuracy, multipath effects and near-far problems. These problems are not significant in airborne-based pseudolite systems. However, the monitoring of pseudolite positions is required because of the mobility of the platforms on which the pseudolites are mounted, and this causes performance degradation. To address these pseudolite system limitations, we propose an airborne relay-based regional positioning system that consists of a master station, reference stations, airborne relays and a user. In the proposed system, navigation signals are generated from the reference stations located on the ground and are relayed via the airborne relays. Unlike in conventional airborne-based systems, the user in the proposed system sequentially estimates both the locations of airborne relays and his/her own position. Therefore, a delay due to monitoring does not occur, and the accuracy is not affected by the movement of airborne relays. We conducted several simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Based on the simulation results, we demonstrated that the proposed system guarantees a higher accuracy than airborne-based pseudolite systems, and it is feasible despite the existence of clock offsets among reference stations.

  18. Airborne Relay-Based Regional Positioning System

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Kyuman; Noh, Hongjun; Lim, Jaesung

    2015-01-01

    Ground-based pseudolite systems have some limitations, such as low vertical accuracy, multipath effects and near-far problems. These problems are not significant in airborne-based pseudolite systems. However, the monitoring of pseudolite positions is required because of the mobility of the platforms on which the pseudolites are mounted, and this causes performance degradation. To address these pseudolite system limitations, we propose an airborne relay-based regional positioning system that consists of a master station, reference stations, airborne relays and a user. In the proposed system, navigation signals are generated from the reference stations located on the ground and are relayed via the airborne relays. Unlike in conventional airborne-based systems, the user in the proposed system sequentially estimates both the locations of airborne relays and his/her own position. Therefore, a delay due to monitoring does not occur, and the accuracy is not affected by the movement of airborne relays. We conducted several simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. Based on the simulation results, we demonstrated that the proposed system guarantees a higher accuracy than airborne-based pseudolite systems, and it is feasible despite the existence of clock offsets among reference stations. PMID:26029953

  19. Both physiology and epidemiology support zero tolerable blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Shefa, Syeda T; Héroux, Paul

    2017-10-05

    Inorganic lead is one of the most common causes of environmental metal poisonings, and its adverse effects on multiple body systems are of great concern. The brain, along with the kidneys, are critically susceptible to lead toxicity for their hosting of high affinity lead binding proteins, and very sensitive physiology. Prolonged low-lead exposure frequently remains unrecognized, causes subtle changes in these organ systems, and manifests later at an irreversible stage. With the repeated documentation of "no safe blood lead level", the pernicious effects of lead at any measurable concentration need to be emphasized. In this review, we surveyed articles on chronic low-level lead exposures with a blood lead concentrations <10μg/dL and the development of neurobehavioral or renal disorders. The negative impacts of lead on both nervous and renal systems were obvious at a blood lead concentration of 2μg/dL, with the absence of any detectable threshold. The deleterious effect of lead on two different organ systems at such low concentrations drew our attention to the various extracellular and intracellular events that might be affected by minimal concentration of body lead, especially blood lead. Is there a true common ground between low-level lead toxicity in both the nervous system and the kidney? Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Refrozen lead

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    Closer look at a re-frozen lead in sea ice in the Bellingshausen Sea, seen from the DC-8 on Oct. 19, 2012. Credit: NASA / George Hale NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  1. Levels and predictors of airborne and internal exposure to manganese and iron among welders.

    PubMed

    Pesch, Beate; Weiss, Tobias; Kendzia, Benjamin; Henry, Jana; Lehnert, Martin; Lotz, Anne; Heinze, Evelyn; Käfferlein, Heiko Udo; Van Gelder, Rainer; Berges, Markus; Hahn, Jens-Uwe; Mattenklott, Markus; Punkenburg, Ewald; Hartwig, Andrea; Brüning, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    We investigated airborne and internal exposure to manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) among welders. Personal sampling of welding fumes was carried out in 241 welders during a shift. Metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Mn in blood (MnB) was analyzed by graphite furnace atom absorption spectrometry. Determinants of exposure levels were estimated with multiple regression models. Respirable Mn was measured with a median of 62 (inter-quartile range (IQR) 8.4-320) μg/m(3) and correlated with Fe (r=0.92, 95% CI 0.90-0.94). Inhalable Mn was measured with similar concentrations (IQR 10-340 μg/m(3)). About 70% of the variance of Mn and Fe could be explained, mainly by the welding process. Ventilation decreased exposure to Fe and Mn significantly. Median concentrations of MnB and serum ferritin (SF) were 10.30 μg/l (IQR 8.33-13.15 μg/l) and 131 μg/l (IQR 76-240 μg/l), respectively. Few welders were presented with low iron stores, and MnB and SF were not correlated (r=0.07, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.20). Regression models revealed a significant association of the parent metal with MnB and SF, but a low fraction of variance was explained by exposure-related factors. Mn is mainly respirable in welding fumes. Airborne Mn and Fe influenced MnB and SF, respectively, in welders. This indicates an effect on the biological regulation of both metals. Mn and Fe were strongly correlated, whereas MnB and SF were not, likely due to higher iron stores among welders.

  2. airborne data analysis/monitor system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephison, D. B.

    1981-01-01

    An Airborne Data Analysis/Monitor System (ADAMS), a ROLM 1666 computer based system installed onboard test airplanes used during experimental testing is evaluated. In addition to the 1666 computer, the ADAMS hardware includes a DDC System 90 fixed head disk and a Miltape DD400 floppy disk. Boeing designed a DMA interface to the data acquisition system and an intelligent terminal to reduce system overhead and simplify operator commands. The ADAMS software includes RMX/RTOS and both ROLM FORTRAN and assembly language are used. The ADAMS provides real time displays that enable onboard test engineers to make rapid decisions about test conduct thus reducing the cost and time required to certify new model airplanes, and improved the quality of data derived from the test, leading to more rapid development of improvements resulting in quieter, safer, and more efficient airplanes. The availability of airborne data processing removes most of the weather and geographical restrictions imposed by telemetered flight test data systems. A data base is maintained to describe the airplane, the data acquisition system, the type of testing, and the conditions under which the test is performed.

  3. Air-Lubricated Lead Screw

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perkins, G. S.

    1983-01-01

    Air lubricated lead screw and nut carefully machined to have closely matched closely fitting threads. Compressed air injected into two plenums encircle nut and flow through orifices to lubricate mating threads. Originally developed to position precisely interferometer retroreflector for airborne measurement of solar infrared radiation, device now has positioning accuracy of 0.25 micron.

  4. Airborne incidents : an econometric analysis of severity, December 19, 2014 : Final report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-19

    Airborne loss of separation incidents occur when an aircraft breaches the defined separation limit (vertical and/or horizontal) with another aircraft or terrain imposed by Air Traffic Control. Identifying conditions that lead to more severe loss of s...

  5. Blood Lead Levels and Health Problems of Lead Acid Battery Workers in Bangladesh

    PubMed Central

    Ahmad, Sk. Akhtar; Khan, Manzurul Haque; Khandker, Salamat; Sarwar, A. F. M.; Yasmin, Nahid; Faruquee, M. H.; Yasmin, Rabeya

    2014-01-01

    Introduction. Use of lead acid battery (LAB) in Bangladesh has risen with sharp rise of motor vehicles. As result, manufacture of LAB is increasing. Most of the lead used by these industries comes from recycling of LAB. Workers in LAB industry are at risk of exposure lead and thus development of lead toxicity. Objective. The objective of this study was to measure the blood lead concentration and to assess the magnitude of health problems attributable to lead toxicity among the LAB manufacturing workers. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the workers of LAB manufacturing industries located in Dhaka city. Result. Mean blood lead level (BLL) among the workers was found to be high. They were found to be suffering from a number of illnesses attributable to lead toxicity. The common illnesses were frequent headache, numbness of the limbs, colic pain, nausea, tremor, and lead line on the gum. High BLL was also found to be related to hypertension and anemia of the workers. Conclusion. High BLL and illnesses attributable to lead toxicity were prevalent amongst workers of the LAB manufacturing industries, and this requires attention especially in terms of occupational hygiene and safety. PMID:24707223

  6. Blood lead levels and health problems of lead acid battery workers in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Sk Akhtar; Khan, Manzurul Haque; Khandker, Salamat; Sarwar, A F M; Yasmin, Nahid; Faruquee, M H; Yasmin, Rabeya

    2014-01-01

    Use of lead acid battery (LAB) in Bangladesh has risen with sharp rise of motor vehicles. As result, manufacture of LAB is increasing. Most of the lead used by these industries comes from recycling of LAB. Workers in LAB industry are at risk of exposure lead and thus development of lead toxicity. The objective of this study was to measure the blood lead concentration and to assess the magnitude of health problems attributable to lead toxicity among the LAB manufacturing workers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among the workers of LAB manufacturing industries located in Dhaka city. Mean blood lead level (BLL) among the workers was found to be high. They were found to be suffering from a number of illnesses attributable to lead toxicity. The common illnesses were frequent headache, numbness of the limbs, colic pain, nausea, tremor, and lead line on the gum. High BLL was also found to be related to hypertension and anemia of the workers. High BLL and illnesses attributable to lead toxicity were prevalent amongst workers of the LAB manufacturing industries, and this requires attention especially in terms of occupational hygiene and safety.

  7. Low zinc serum levels and high blood lead levels among school-age children in coastal area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pramono, Adriyan; Panunggal, Binar; Rahfiludin, M. Zen; Swastawati, Fronthea

    2017-02-01

    The coverage of environmental lead toxicant was quiet wide. Lead exposure recently has been expected to be associated with zinc deficiency and blood indices disturbance. Emphasizing on children, which could absorb more than 50 % of lead that enters the body. Lead became the issue on the coastal area due to it has polluted the environment and waters as the source of fisheries products. This was a cross sectional study to determined nutritional status, blood lead levels, zinc serum levels, blood indices levels, fish intake among school children in coastal region of Semarang. This study was carried out on the school children aged between 8 and 12 years old in coastal region of Semarang. Nutritional status was figured out using anthropometry measurement. Blood lead and zinc serum levels were analyzed using the Atomic Absorbent Spectrophotometry (AAS) at a wavelength of 213.9 nm for zinc serum and 283.3 nm for blood lead. Blood indices was measured using auto blood hematology analyzer. Fish intake was assessed using 3-non consecutive days 24-hours food recall. The children had high lead levels (median 34.86 μg/dl, range 11.46 - 58.86 μg/dl) compared to WHO cut off. Zinc serum levels was low (median 18.10 μg/dl, range 10.25 - 41.39 μg/dl) compared to the Joint WHO/UNICEF/IAEA/IZiNCG cut off. Approximately 26.4% of children were anemic. This study concluded that all school children had high blood lead levels, low zinc serum, and presented microcytic hypochromic anemia. This phenomenon should be considered as public health concern.

  8. Review: Lead exposure in battery manufacturing and recycling in developing countries and among children in nearby communities.

    PubMed

    Gottesfeld, Perry; Pokhrel, Amod K

    2011-09-01

    The battery industry is the largest consumer of lead, using an estimated 80% of the global lead production. The industry is also rapidly expanding in emerging market countries. A review of published literature on exposures from lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling plants in developing countries was conducted. The review included studies from 37 countries published from 1993 to 2010 and excluded facilities in developed countries, such as the United States and those in Western Europe, except for providing comparisons to reported findings. The average worker blood lead level (BLL) in developing countries was 47 μg/dL in battery manufacturing plants and 64 μg/dL in recycling facilities. Airborne lead concentrations reported in battery plants in developing countries averaged 367 μg/m3, which is 7-fold greater than the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 50 μg/m3 permissible exposure limit. The geometric mean BLL of children residing near battery plants in developing countries was 19 μg/dL, which is about 13-fold greater than the levels observed among children in the United States. The blood lead and airborne lead exposure concentrations for battery workers were substantially higher in developing countries than in the United States. This disparity may worsen due to rapid growth in lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling operations worldwide. Given the lack of regulatory and enforcement capacity in most developing countries, third-party certification programs may be the only viable option to improve conditions.

  9. Blood lead levels in children aged 24 to 36 months in Vancouver.

    PubMed Central

    Jin, A; Hertzman, C; Peck, S H; Lockitch, G

    1995-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the blood lead levels in children and to identify risk factors for elevated levels. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Vancouver. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of children aged 24 to 36 months, born and still resident in Vancouver. The sample was stratified proportionally by the median annual family income in the census tract where each family resided. OUTCOME MEASURES: Blood lead levels and risk factors for elevated blood lead levels, determined from a questionnaire administered to parents. RESULTS: Of the children in the sample, 42% (178/422) were ineligible or could not be located. Of the remaining children, 73% (177/244) participated and adequate blood specimens were obtained from 172. The mean blood lead level was 0.29 mumol/L (standard deviation 0.13 mumol/L). (A blood lead level of 1 mumol/L is equivalent to 20.7 micrograms/dL.) The lowest level was 0.06 mumol/L, and the highest was 0.85 mumol/L. Of children with adequate samples, 8.1% (14/172) had blood lead levels of 0.48 mumol/L or higher, and 0.6% (1/172) had a level higher than 0.72 mumol/L. The logarithms of the levels were normally distributed, with a geometric mean (GM) of 0.26 mumol/L (geometric standard deviation 1.56). Of approximately 70 possible predictors of blood lead levels analysed, those that showed a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) with increased blood lead levels were soldering performed in the home as part of an electronics hobby (GM blood lead level 0.34 mumol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27 to 0.39 mumol/L), aboriginal heritage (GM blood lead level 0.33 mumol/L, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.39 mumol/L), dwelling built before 1921 (GM blood lead level 0.32 mumol/L, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.37 mumol/L), age of water service connection to dwelling (predicted blood lead level 0.00087 mumol/L [95% CI 0.00005 to 0.00169 mumol/L] higher per year since service connection) and decreased stature (predicted blood lead level 0.018 mumol/L [95% CI 0.0353 to 0

  10. Development of unauthorized airborne emission source identification procedure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shtripling, L. O.; Bazhenov, V. V.; Varakina, N. S.; Kupriyanova, N. P.

    2018-01-01

    The paper presents the procedure for searching sources of unauthorized airborne emissions. To make reasonable regulation decisions on airborne pollutant emissions and to ensure the environmental safety of population, the procedure provides for the determination of a pollutant mass emission value from the source being the cause of high pollution level and the search of a previously unrecognized contamination source in a specified area. To determine the true value of mass emission from the source, the minimum of the mean-root-square mismatch criterion between the computed and measured pollutant concentration in the given location is used.

  11. Airborne SAR systems for infrastructures monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perna, Stefano; Berardino, Paolo; Esposito, Carmen; Natale, Antonio

    2017-04-01

    The present contribution is aimed at showing the capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems mounted onboard airborne platforms for the monitoring of infrastructures. As well known, airborne SAR systems guarantee narrower spatial coverage than satellite sensors [1]. On the other side, airborne SAR products are characterized by geometric resolution typically higher than that achievable in the satellite case, where larger antennas must be necessarily exploited. More important, airborne SAR platforms guarantee operational flexibility significantly higher than that achievable with satellite systems. Indeed, the revisit time between repeated SAR acquisitions in the satellite case cannot be freely decided, whereas in the airborne case it can be kept very short. This renders the airborne platforms of key interest for the monitoring of infrastructures, especially in case of emergencies. However, due to the platform deviations from a rectilinear, reference flight track, the generation of airborne SAR products is not a turn of the crank procedure as in the satellite case. Notwithstanding proper algorithms exist in order to circumvent this kind of limitations. In this work, we show how the exploitation of airborne SAR sensors, coupled to the use of such algorithms, allows obtaining high resolution monitoring of infrastructures in urban areas. [1] G. Franceschetti, and R.Lanari, Synthetic Aperture Radar Processing, CRC PRESS, New York, 1999.

  12. Elevated blood lead levels among unskilled construction workers in Jimma, Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Gebrie, Higemengist A; Tessema, Dejene A; Ambelu, Argaw

    2014-03-19

    No study has been carried out to assess the blood lead levels of workers or the contribution of common workplace practices to lead exposure in Ethiopia. This study was carried out to assess the blood lead levels of female and male laborers in the construction sector in Jimma town, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study on the blood lead levels of 45 construction workers was carried out in the town of Jimma. The t-test, analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney and odds ratio tests were used to compare mean blood lead levels and to investigate the associations between specific job type, use of self-protection device, sex, service years and occurrence of non-specific symptoms with BLLs. The mean blood lead level of the exposed group (40.03 ± 10.41 μg/dL) was found to be significantly greater than that of the unexposed group (29.81 ± 10.21 μg/dL), p = 0.05. Among the exposed group female workers were found to have higher mean blood lead level (42.04 ± 4.11 μg/dL) than their male colleagues (33.99 ± 3.28 μg/dL). Laborers who were regularly using self-protection devices were found to have significantly lower blood lead levels than those who were not using. The blood lead levels of construction workers in Jimma town are considerably high with a range of 20.46 - 70.46 μg/dL and the workers are in danger of imminent lead toxicity. More endangered are female construction workers who are bearers of the future children of the country and the issue requires urgent attention.

  13. Are There Dangerous Levels of Lead in Local Soil?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pita, I.

    2017-12-01

    The purpose of this experiment was to show that comparing random soil samples from areas in New Orleans; the Garden District will have the highest levels of lead in soil. My Independent variable was the soil samples collected from locations in the Garden District area of New Orleans, and other locations throughout New Orleans. The control was the soil samples collected from the local playground in the New Orleans area. My dependent variable was the lead soil test kit, using ppm (parts per million) of lead to show concentration. 400 ppm + in bare soil where children play is considered dangerous hazard levels. 1,000 + ppm in all other areas is considered dangerous hazard levels. The first step to my experiment, I collected soil samples from different locations throughout the Garden District area of New Orleans. The second step to my experiment, I conducted the lead soil testing in a controlled area at home in a well ventilated room, using all the necessary safety equipment needed, I began testing a 24 hour test period and a 48 hour test period. I then collected the data from both test. The results showed that soil samples from the Garden District area compared to the other sample locations had higher lead concentrations in the soil. This backed my hypothesis when comparing soil samples from areas in New Orleans, the Garden District will have the highest lead levels. In conclusion these experiments showed that with the soil samples collected, there were higher concentrations of lead in the soil from the Garden District area compared to the other areas where soil was collected. Reconstruction and renovations, from the devastation that Hurricane Katrina created, are evident of the lead in paint of older homes which now show the lead concentration in the soil. Lead is a lethal element if consumed or inhaled in high doses, which can damage key organs in our body, which can be deadly. Better awareness through social media, television, radio, doctors, studies, pamphlets

  14. Lead in drinking water and human blood lead levels in the United States.

    PubMed

    Brown, Mary Jean; Margolis, Stephen

    2012-08-10

    Lead is a pervasive environmental contaminant. The adverse health effects of lead exposure in children and adults are well documented, and no safe blood lead threshold in children has been identified. Lead can be ingested from various sources, including lead paint and house dust contaminated by lead paint, as well as soil, drinking water, and food. The concentration of lead, total amount of lead consumed, and duration of lead exposure influence the severity of health effects. Because lead accumulates in the body, all sources of lead should be controlled or eliminated to prevent childhood lead poisoning. Beginning in the 1970s, lead concentrations in air, tap water, food, dust, and soil began to be substantially reduced, resulting in significantly reduced blood lead levels (BLLs) in children throughout the United States. However, children are still being exposed to lead, and many of these children live in housing built before the 1978 ban on lead-based residential paint. These homes might contain lead paint hazards, as well as drinking water service lines made from lead, lead solder, or plumbing materials that contain lead. Adequate corrosion control reduces the leaching of lead plumbing components or solder into drinking water. The majority of public water utilities are in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) of 1991. However, some children are still exposed to lead in drinking water. EPA is reviewing LCR, and additional changes to the rule are expected that will further protect public health. Childhood lead poisoning prevention programs should be made aware of the results of local public water system lead monitoring measurement under LCR and consider drinking water as a potential cause of increased BLLs, especially when other sources of lead exposure are not identified.

  15. Retrieval of effective leaf area index (LAIe) and leaf area density (LAD) profile at individual tree level using high density multi-return airborne LiDAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Yi; West, Geoff

    2016-08-01

    As an important canopy structure indicator, leaf area index (LAI) proved to be of considerable implications for forest ecosystem and ecological studies, and efficient techniques for accurate LAI acquisitions have long been highlighted. Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), often termed as airborne laser scanning (ALS), once was extensively investigated for this task but showed limited performance due to its low sampling density. Now, ALS systems exhibit more competing capacities such as high density and multi-return sampling, and hence, people began to ask the questions like-;can ALS now work better on the task of LAI prediction?; As a re-examination, this study investigated the feasibility of LAI retrievals at the individual tree level based on high density and multi-return ALS, by directly considering the vertical distributions of laser points lying within each tree crown instead of by proposing feature variables such as quantiles involving laser point distribution modes at the plot level. The examination was operated in the case of four tree species (i.e. Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, Populus tremula and Quercus robur) in a mixed forest, with their LAI-related reference data collected by using static terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). In light of the differences between ALS- and TLS-based LAI characterizations, the methods of voxelization of 3D scattered laser points, effective LAI (LAIe) that does not distinguish branches from canopies and unified cumulative LAI (ucLAI) that is often used to characterize the vertical profiles of crown leaf area densities (LADs) was used; then, the relationships between the ALS- and TLS-derived LAIes were determined, and so did ucLAIs. Tests indicated that the tree-level LAIes for the four tree species can be estimated based on the used airborne LiDAR (R2 = 0.07, 0.26, 0.43 and 0.21, respectively) and their ucLAIs can also be derived. Overall, this study has validated the usage of the contemporary high density multi

  16. Feasibility of airborne detection of laser-induced fluorescence emissions from green terrestrial plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.; Yungel, J. K.

    1983-01-01

    The present investigation provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the airborne detection of the laser-induced fluorescence spectral emissions from living terrestrial grasses, shrubs, and trees using existing levels of lidar technology. Airborne studies were performed to ascertain system requirements necessary to detect laser-induced fluorescence from living terrestrial plants, to assess the practical acquisition of useful single-shot laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) waveforms over vegetative canopies, and to determine the comparative suitability of laser system, airborne platform, and terrestrial environmental parameters. The field experiment was conducted on May 3, 1982, over the northern portion of Wallops Island, VA. Attention is given to airborne lidar results and the description of laboratory investigations.

  17. An Accurate Co-registration Method for Airborne Repeat-pass InSAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, X. T.; Zhao, Y. H.; Yue, X. J.; Han, C. M.

    2017-10-01

    Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology plays a significant role in topographic mapping and surface deformation detection. Comparing with spaceborne repeat-pass InSAR, airborne repeat-pass InSAR solves the problems of long revisit time and low-resolution images. Due to the advantages of flexible, accurate, and fast obtaining abundant information, airborne repeat-pass InSAR is significant in deformation monitoring of shallow ground. In order to getting precise ground elevation information and interferometric coherence of deformation monitoring from master and slave images, accurate co-registration must be promised. Because of side looking, repeat observing path and long baseline, there are very different initial slant ranges and flight heights between repeat flight paths. The differences of initial slant ranges and flight height lead to the pixels, located identical coordinates on master and slave images, correspond to different size of ground resolution cells. The mismatching phenomenon performs very obvious on the long slant range parts of master image and slave image. In order to resolving the different sizes of pixels and getting accurate co-registration results, a new method is proposed based on Range-Doppler (RD) imaging model. VV-Polarization C-band airborne repeat-pass InSAR images were used in experiment. The experiment result shows that the proposed method leads to superior co-registration accuracy.

  18. Unsaturated Fatty Acids Supplementation Reduces Blood Lead Level in Rats

    PubMed Central

    Skoczyńska, Anna; Wojakowska, Anna; Nowacki, Dorian; Bobak, Łukasz; Turczyn, Barbara; Smyk, Beata; Szuba, Andrzej; Trziszka, Tadeusz

    2015-01-01

    Some dietary factors could inhibit lead toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary compounds rich in unsaturated fatty acids (FA) on blood lead level, lipid metabolism, and vascular reactivity in rats. Serum metallothionein and organs' lead level were evaluated with the aim of assessing the possible mechanism of unsaturated FA impact on blood lead level. For three months, male Wistar rats that were receiving drinking water with (100 ppm Pb) or without lead acetate were supplemented per os daily with virgin olive oil or linseed oil (0.2 mL/kg b.w.) or egg derived lecithin fraction: “super lecithin” (50 g/kg b.w.). Mesenteric artery was stimulated ex vivo by norepinephrine (NE) administered at six different doses. Lecithin supplementation slightly reduced pressor responses of artery to NE. Lead administered to rats attenuated the beneficial effect of unsaturated FA on lipid metabolism and vascular reactivity to adrenergic stimulation. On the other hand, the super lecithin and linseed oil that were characterized by low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (about 1) reduced the blood lead concentration. This effect was observed in lead poisoned rats (p < 0.0001) and also in rats nonpoisoned with lead (p < 0.05). PMID:26075218

  19. Unsaturated fatty acids supplementation reduces blood lead level in rats.

    PubMed

    Skoczyńska, Anna; Wojakowska, Anna; Nowacki, Dorian; Bobak, Łukasz; Turczyn, Barbara; Smyk, Beata; Szuba, Andrzej; Trziszka, Tadeusz

    2015-01-01

    Some dietary factors could inhibit lead toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary compounds rich in unsaturated fatty acids (FA) on blood lead level, lipid metabolism, and vascular reactivity in rats. Serum metallothionein and organs' lead level were evaluated with the aim of assessing the possible mechanism of unsaturated FA impact on blood lead level. For three months, male Wistar rats that were receiving drinking water with (100 ppm Pb) or without lead acetate were supplemented per os daily with virgin olive oil or linseed oil (0.2 mL/kg b.w.) or egg derived lecithin fraction: "super lecithin" (50 g/kg b.w.). Mesenteric artery was stimulated ex vivo by norepinephrine (NE) administered at six different doses. Lecithin supplementation slightly reduced pressor responses of artery to NE. Lead administered to rats attenuated the beneficial effect of unsaturated FA on lipid metabolism and vascular reactivity to adrenergic stimulation. On the other hand, the super lecithin and linseed oil that were characterized by low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (about 1) reduced the blood lead concentration. This effect was observed in lead poisoned rats (p < 0.0001) and also in rats nonpoisoned with lead (p < 0.05).

  20. Cognitive development and low-level lead exposure in poly-drug exposed children.

    PubMed

    Min, Meeyoung O; Singer, Lynn T; Kirchner, H Lester; Minnes, Sonia; Short, Elizabeth; Hussain, Zehra; Nelson, Suchitra

    2009-01-01

    The impact of early postnatal lead exposure measured at age 4 on children's IQ and academic achievement at and 11 years of age was examined. The sample consisted of 278 inner-city, primarily African American children who were polydrug exposed prenatally. Regression analyses indicated a linear effect of lead exposure on outcomes and no moderating effects of polydrug exposure. An IQ loss of about 4.1-5.4 Full Scale IQ points was estimated for each 10 microg/dL increase in blood lead level at ages 4, 9, and 11 years as a function of blood lead level at age 4. Decrements in scores on tests of non-verbal reasoning were consistently associated with higher lead levels at age 4, while verbal decrements became apparent only at age 11. Lower reading summary scores at 9 and 11 years were consistently associated with higher lead exposure, while decrements in mathematics were not apparent until 11 years. Subgroup analyses on children with blood lead levels <10 microg/dL showed detrimental lead effects even at the 5 microg/dL level, providing additional evidence of adverse effects occurring at blood lead levels below the current 10 microg/dL public health blood lead action level.

  1. Cognitive Development and Low-Level Lead Exposure in Poly-Drug Exposed Children

    PubMed Central

    Min, Meeyoung O.; Singer, Lynn T.; Kirchner, H. Lester; Minnes, Sonia; Short, Elizabeth; Hussain, Zehra; Nelson, Suchitra

    2009-01-01

    The impact of early postnatal lead exposure measured at age 4 on children’s IQ and academic achievement at 4, 9, and 11 years of age was examined. The sample consisted of 278 inner-city, primarily African American children who were polydrug exposed prenatally. Regression analyses indicated a linear effect of lead exposure on outcomes and no moderating effects of polydrug exposure. An IQ loss of about 4.1–5.4 Full Scale IQ points was estimated for each 10 ug/dl increase in blood lead level at ages 4, 9, and 11 years as a function of blood lead level at age 4. Decrements in scores on tests of non-verbal reasoning were consistently associated with higher lead levels at age 4, while verbal decrements became apparent only at age 11. Lower reading summary scores at 9 and 11 years were consistently associated with higher lead exposure, while decrements in mathematics were not apparent until 11 years. Subgroup analyses on children with blood lead levels < 10 μg/dL showed detrimental lead effects even at the 5 μg/dL level, providing additional evidence of adverse effects occurring at blood lead levels below the current 10 μg/dL public health blood lead action level. PMID:19345261

  2. Occupational exposure to beryllium in French enterprises: a survey of airborne exposure and surface levels.

    PubMed

    Vincent, Raymond; Catani, Jacques; Créau, Yvon; Frocaut, Anne-Marie; Good, Andrée; Goutet, Pierre; Hou, Alain; Leray, Fabrice; André-Lesage, Marie-Ange; Soyez, Alain

    2009-06-01

    An assessment survey of occupational exposure to beryllium (Be) was conducted in France between late 2004 and the end of 2006. Exposure estimates were based on the analytical results of samples collected from workplace air and from work surfaces in 95 facilities belonging to 37 sectors of activity. The results of this study indicated airborne Be concentrations in excess of the occupational exposure limit value of 2 microg m(-3) recommended in France. Metallurgy and electronic component manufacturing represented the activities and occupations where workers had the highest arithmetic mean exposures to Be. Surface contamination levels were also high and frequently exceeded thresholds recommended by different bodies. These results should prompt the development of prevention programmes that include Be substitution, process control and surface decontamination, in conjunction with suitable medical surveillance.

  3. Measurement Challenges at Low Blood Lead Levels.

    PubMed

    Caldwell, Kathleen L; Cheng, Po-Yung; Jarrett, Jeffery M; Makhmudov, Amir; Vance, Kathryn; Ward, Cynthia D; Jones, Robert L; Mortensen, Mary E

    2017-08-01

    In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted its Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention recommendation to use a population-based reference value to identify children and environments associated with lead hazards. The current reference value of 5 μg/dL is calculated as the 97.5th percentile of the distribution of blood lead levels (BLLs) in children 1 to 5 years old from 2007 to 2010 NHANES data. We calculated and updated selected percentiles, including the 97.5th percentile, by using NHANES 2011 to 2014 blood lead data and examined demographic characteristics of children whose blood lead was ≥90th percentile value. The 97.5th percentile BLL of 3.48 µg/dL highlighted analytical laboratory and clinical interpretation challenges of blood lead measurements ≤5 μg/dL. Review of 5 years of results for target blood lead values <11 µg/dL for US clinical laboratories participating in the CDC's voluntary Lead and Multi-Element Proficiency quality assurance program showed 40% unable to quantify and reported a nondetectable result at a target blood lead value of 1.48 µg/dL, compared with 5.5% at a target BLL of 4.60 µg/dL. We describe actions taken at the CDC's Environmental Health Laboratory in the National Center for Environmental Health, which measures blood lead for NHANES, to improve analytical accuracy and precision and to reduce external lead contamination during blood collection and analysis. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Airborne pollen and suicide mortality in Tokyo, 2001-2011.

    PubMed

    Stickley, Andrew; Sheng Ng, Chris Fook; Konishi, Shoko; Koyanagi, Ai; Watanabe, Chiho

    2017-05-01

    Prior research has indicated that pollen might be linked to suicide mortality although the few studies that have been undertaken to date have produced conflicting findings and been limited to Western settings. This study examined the association between the level of airborne pollen and suicide mortality in Tokyo, Japan in the period from 2001 to 2011. The daily number of suicide deaths was obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with pollen data being obtained from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health. A time-stratified case-crossover study was performed to examine the association between different levels of pollen concentration and suicide mortality. During the study period there were 5185 male and 2332 female suicides in the pollen season (February to April). For men there was no association between airborne pollen and suicide mortality. For women, compared to when there was no airborne pollen, the same-day (lag 0) pollen level of 30 to <100 grains per cm 2 was associated with an approximately 50% increase in the odds for suicide (e.g. 30 to <50 grains per cm 2 : odds ratio 1.574, 95% confidence interval 1.076-2.303, p=0.020). The estimates remained fairly stable after adjusting for air pollutants and after varying the cut-points that defined the pollen levels. Our results indicate that pollen is associated with female suicide mortality in Tokyo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Factors contributing to airborne particle dispersal in the operating room.

    PubMed

    Noguchi, Chieko; Koseki, Hironobu; Horiuchi, Hidehiko; Yonekura, Akihiko; Tomita, Masato; Higuchi, Takashi; Sunagawa, Shinya; Osaki, Makoto

    2017-07-06

    Surgical-site infections due to intraoperative contamination are chiefly ascribable to airborne particles carrying microorganisms. The purpose of this study is to identify the actions that increase the number of airborne particles in the operating room. Two surgeons and two surgical nurses performed three patterns of physical movements to mimic intraoperative actions, such as preparing the instrument table, gowning and donning/doffing gloves, and preparing for total knee arthroplasty. The generation and behavior of airborne particles were filmed using a fine particle visualization system, and the number of airborne particles in 2.83 m 3 of air was counted using a laser particle counter. Each action was repeated five times, and the particle measurements were evaluated through one-way analysis of variance multiple comparison tests followed by Tukey-Kramer and Bonferroni-Dunn multiple comparison tests for post hoc analysis. Statistical significance was defined as a P value ≤ .01. A large number of airborne particles were observed while unfolding the surgical gown, removing gloves, and putting the arms through the sleeves of the gown. Although numerous airborne particles were observed while applying the stockinet and putting on large drapes for preparation of total knee arthroplasty, fewer particles (0.3-2.0 μm in size) were detected at the level of the operating table under laminar airflow compared to actions performed in a non-ventilated preoperative room (P < .01). The results of this study suggest that surgical staff should avoid unnecessary actions that produce a large number of airborne particles near a sterile area and that laminar airflow has the potential to reduce the incidence of bacterial contamination.

  6. Maternal blood lead level during pregnancy in South Central Los Angeles.

    PubMed

    Rothenberg, S J; Manalo, M; Jiang, J; Khan, F; Cuellar, R; Reyes, S; Sanchez, M; Reynoso, B; Aguilar, A; Diaz, M; Acosta, S; Jauregui, M; Johnson, C

    1999-01-01

    Twenty-five years of public health efforts produced a striking reduction in lead exposure; the blood lead average in the United States has decreased to less than 20% of levels measured in the 1970s. However, poor minority groups that live in large urban centers are still at high risk for elevated lead levels. In this study, our data showed that pregnant immigrants (n = 1,428) who live in South Central Los Angeles--one of the most economically depressed regions of California--have significantly higher (p < .0001) blood lead levels (geometric mean = 2.3 microg/dl [0.11 micromol/l]) than 504 pregnant nonimmigrants (geometric mean = 1.9 microg/dl [0.09 micromol/l]). The most important factors associated with lower blood lead levels in both groups were younger age; more-recent date of blood sampling (i.e., decreasing secular trend); and blood sampling in mid-autumn, instead of mid-spring (i.e., seasonal trend). Blood lead levels of immigrants were strongly dependent on time elapsed since immigration to the United States; each natural log increase in years of residence was associated with an approximately 19% decrease in blood lead levels. Although blood lead means for both groups were almost the same as the estimated national average, 25 of the 30 cases of elevated blood lead (i.e., > or = 10 microg/dl [0.48 micromol/l) occurred in the immigrant group. The odds ratio (95% confidence intervals within parentheses) for having elevated blood lead levels (a) was 9.3 (1.9, 45.8) if the immigrant engaged in pica; (b) was 3.8 (1.4, 10.5) if the immigrant had low dietary calcium intake during pregnancy; and (c) was .65 (.43, .98) for every natural log unit increase of years of residence in the United States. The control of pica and dietary calcium intake may offer a means of reducing lead exposure in immigrants.

  7. Study of different filtering techniques applied to spectra from airborne gamma spectrometry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wilhelm, Emilien; Gutierrez, Sebastien; Reboli, Anne

    2015-07-01

    One of the features of spectra obtained by airborne gamma spectrometry is low counting statistics due to the short acquisition time (1 s) and the large source-detector distance (40 m). It leads to considerable uncertainty in radionuclide identification and determination of their respective activities from the windows method recommended by the IAEA, especially for low-level radioactivity. The present work compares the results obtained with filters in terms of errors of the filtered spectra with the window method and over the whole gamma energy range. The results are used to determine which filtering technique is the most suitable in combination withmore » some method for total stripping of the spectrum. (authors)« less

  8. Airborne volcanic plume measurements using a FTIR spectrometer, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McGee, K.A.; Gerlach, T.M.

    1998-01-01

    A prototype closed-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometer system (FTIK), operating from battery power and with a Stirling engine microcooler for detector cooling, was successfully used for airborne measurements of sulfur dioxide at Kilauea volcano. Airborne profiles of the volcanic plume emanating from the erupting Pu'u 'O'o vent on the East Rift of Kilauea revealed levels of nearly 3 ppm SO2 in the core of the plume. An emission rate of 2,160 metric tons per day of sulfur dioxide was calculated from the FTIR data, which agrees closely with simultaneous measurements by a correlation spectrometer (COSPEC). The rapid spatial sampling possible from an airborne platform distinguishes the methodology described here from previous FTIR measurements.

  9. Routing architecture and security for airborne networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deng, Hongmei; Xie, Peng; Li, Jason; Xu, Roger; Levy, Renato

    2009-05-01

    Airborne networks are envisioned to provide interconnectivity for terrestial and space networks by interconnecting highly mobile airborne platforms. A number of military applications are expected to be used by the operator, and all these applications require proper routing security support to establish correct route between communicating platforms in a timely manner. As airborne networks somewhat different from traditional wired and wireless networks (e.g., Internet, LAN, WLAN, MANET, etc), security aspects valid in these networks are not fully applicable to airborne networks. Designing an efficient security scheme to protect airborne networks is confronted with new requirements. In this paper, we first identify a candidate routing architecture, which works as an underlying structure for our proposed security scheme. And then we investigate the vulnerabilities and attack models against routing protocols in airborne networks. Based on these studies, we propose an integrated security solution to address routing security issues in airborne networks.

  10. Predicting Airborne Particle Levels Aboard Washington State School Buses

    PubMed Central

    Adar, Sara D.; Davey, Mark; Sullivan, James R.; Compher, Michael; Szpiro, Adam; Liu, L.-J. Sally

    2008-01-01

    School buses contribute substantially to childhood air pollution exposures yet they are rarely quantified in epidemiology studies. This paper characterizes fine particulate matter (PM2.5) aboard school buses as part of a larger study examining the respiratory health impacts of emission-reducing retrofits. To assess onboard concentrations, continuous PM2.5 data were collected during 85 trips aboard 43 school buses during normal driving routines, and aboard hybrid lead vehicles traveling in front of the monitored buses during 46 trips. Ordinary and partial least square regression models for PM2.5 onboard buses were created with and without control for roadway concentrations, which were also modeled. Predictors examined included ambient PM2.5 levels, ambient weather, and bus and route characteristics. Concentrations aboard school buses (21 μg/m3) were four and two-times higher than ambient and roadway levels, respectively. Differences in PM2.5 levels between the buses and lead vehicles indicated an average of 7 μg/m3 originating from the bus's own emission sources. While roadway concentrations were dominated by ambient PM2.5, bus concentrations were influenced by bus age, diesel oxidative catalysts, and roadway concentrations. Cross validation confirmed the roadway models but the bus models were less robust. These results confirm that children are exposed to air pollution from the bus and other roadway traffic while riding school buses. In-cabin air pollution is higher than roadway concentrations and is likely influenced by bus characteristics. PMID:18985175

  11. Predicting airborne particle levels aboard Washington State school buses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adar, Sara D.; Davey, Mark; Sullivan, James R.; Compher, Michael; Szpiro, Adam; Sally Liu, L.-J.

    School buses contribute substantially to childhood air pollution exposures yet they are rarely quantified in epidemiology studies. This paper characterizes fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) aboard school buses as part of a larger study examining the respiratory health impacts of emission reducing retrofits. To assess onboard concentrations, continuous PM 2.5 data were collected during 85 trips aboard 43 school buses during normal driving routines, and aboard hybrid lead vehicles traveling in front of the monitored buses during 46 trips. Ordinary and partial least squares regression models for PM 2.5 onboard buses were created with and without control for roadway concentrations, which were also modeled. Predictors examined included ambient PM 2.5 levels, ambient weather, and bus and route characteristics. Average concentrations aboard school buses (21 μg m -3) were four and two-times higher than ambient and roadway levels, respectively. Differences in PM 2.5 levels between the buses and lead vehicles indicated an average of 7 μg m -3 originating from the bus's own emission sources. While roadway concentrations were dominated by ambient PM 2.5, bus concentrations were influenced by bus age, diesel oxidative catalysts, and roadway concentrations. Cross-validation confirmed the roadway models but the bus models were less robust. These results confirm that children are exposed to air pollution from the bus and other roadway traffic while riding school buses. In-cabin air pollution is higher than roadway concentrations and is likely influenced by bus characteristics.

  12. [Parental education to reduce blood lead levels in children with mild and moderate lead poisoning: a randomized controlled study].

    PubMed

    Shen, Xiao-ming; Yan, Chong-huai; Wu, Sheng-hu; Shi, Rong

    2004-12-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of parental education on reducing lead exposure of children by examining the changes in blood lead levels of children whose parents receiving or not receiving educational intervention. Two hundred children with confirmed blood lead levels beyond 100 microg/L were selected. They were randomized into two groups, 107 children in study group and 93 in control. At the beginning of the study, parents of both study and control groups were called for interview to complete KABP questionnaire and lead study questionnaire. The study group was provided with interventional measures while control group was not contacted until the end of study. Intervention of parental education was undertaken by means of a TV program, a set of slides and a brochure, and focused on the questions regarding harmful effects of lead poisoning, the sources of environmental lead and prevention of this preventable disease. Tests for blood lead level were repeated for both study and control groups 3 months after the determination of the initial blood lead level. All the relevant knowledge of health effect, lead sources and prevention of childhood lead poisoning of participating parents of study group were improved significantly (chi(2) = 14.06, 13.07, 10.08, 28.26, P < 0.01) after educational intervention while parents control group also were significantly improved in the sub-catalogs of concept and prevention (chi(2) = 7.69, 8.64, P < 0.01), but not the health effect and sources of childhood lead poisoning. Children and parents' behavior in study group was improved accordingly and significantly. Less children ate popcorn (chi(2) = 4.08, P < 0.05), less children drank tap-water in the morning (chi(2) = 23.04, P < 0.01), more kids washed their hands before eating (chi(2) = 5.82, P < 0.05), less kids played on road side (chi(2) = 9.60, P < 0.01), and more parents changed their coat or took shower or washed hands before going home after work (chi(2) = 4.00, P < 0.05). But in

  13. Evaluation of a new mobile system for protecting immune-suppressed patients against airborne contamination.

    PubMed

    Poirot, Jean-Louis; Gangneux, Jean-Pierre; Fischer, Alain; Malbernard, Mireille; Challier, Svetlana; Laudinet, Nicolas; Bergeron, Vance

    2007-09-01

    Invasive aspergillosis is one of the most lethal airborne dangers for immune-suppressed subjects. Providing patient protection from such airborne threats requires costly and high-maintenance facilities. We herein evaluate a new self-contained mobile unit as an alternative for creating a patient protective environment. Airborne contamination levels were monitored for different simulated scenarios and under actual clinical conditions. Functional tests were used to challenge the unit under adverse conditions, and a preliminary clinical study with patients and staff present was performed at 2 different French hospitals. Functional tests demonstrated that the unit can rapidly decontaminate air in the protected zone created by the unit and in the surrounding room. In addition, the protected zone is not sensitive to large disturbances that occur in the room. The clinical study included 4 patients with 150 accumulated days of testing. The protected zone created by the unit systematically provided an environment with undetectable airborne fungal levels (ie, <1 CFU/m(3)) regardless of the levels in the room or corridor (P < .01). These tests show that the unit can be used to create a mobile protective environment for immune-suppressed patients in a standard hospital setting.

  14. Comparison of Air Impaction and Electrostatic Dust Collector Sampling Methods to Assess Airborne Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings.

    PubMed

    Normand, Anne-Cécile; Ranque, Stéphane; Cassagne, Carole; Gaudart, Jean; Sallah, Kankoé; Charpin, Denis-André; Piarroux, Renaud

    2016-03-01

    Many ailments can be linked to exposure to indoor airborne fungus. However, obtaining a precise measurement of airborne fungal levels is complicated partly due to indoor air fluctuations and non-standardized techniques. Electrostatic dust collector (EDC) sampling devices have been used to measure a wide range of airborne analytes, including endotoxins, allergens, β-glucans, and microbial DNA in various indoor environments. In contrast, viable mold contamination has only been assessed in highly contaminated environments such as farms and archive buildings. This study aimed to assess the use of EDCs, compared with repeated air-impactor measurements, to assess airborne viable fungal flora in moderately contaminated indoor environments. Indoor airborne fungal flora was cultured from EDCs and daily air-impaction samples collected in an office building and a daycare center. The quantitative fungal measurements obtained using a single EDC significantly correlated with the cumulative measurement of nine daily air impactions. Both methods enabled the assessment of fungal exposure, although a few differences were observed between the detected fungal species and the relative quantity of each species. EDCs were also used over a 32-month period to monitor indoor airborne fungal flora in a hospital office building, which enabled us to assess the impact of outdoor events (e.g. ground excavations) on the fungal flora levels on the indoor environment. In conclusion, EDC-based measurements provided a relatively accurate profile of the viable airborne flora present during a sampling period. In particular, EDCs provided a more representative assessment of fungal levels compared with single air-impactor sampling. The EDC technique is also simpler than performing repetitive air-impaction measures over the course of several consecutive days. EDC is a versatile tool for collecting airborne samples and was efficient for measuring mold levels in indoor environments. © The Author 2015

  15. Cardiac Autonomic Effects of Acute Exposures to Airborne Particulates in Men and Women

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howarth, M. S.; Schlegel, T. T.; Knapp, C. F.; Patwardhan, A. R.; Jenkins, R. A.; Ilgner, R. H.; Evans, J. M.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this research was to investigate cardiac autonomic changes associated with acute exposures to airborne particulates. Methods: High fidelity 12-lead ECG (CardioSoft, Houston, TX) was acquired from 19 (10 male / 9 female) non-smoking volunteers (age 33.6 +/- 6.6 yrs) during 10 minutes pre-exposure, exposure and post-exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), cooking oil fumes, wood smoke and sham (water vapor). To control exposure levels, noise, subject activity, and temperature, all studies were conducted inside an environmental chamber. Results: The short-term fractal scaling exponent (Alpha-1) and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency Heart Rate Variability (HRV) powers (LF/HF, a purported sympathetic index) were both higher in males (p<0.017 and p<0.05, respectively) whereas approximate entropy (ApEn) and HF/(LF+HF) (a purported parasympathetic index) were both lower in males (p<0.036, and p<0.044, respectively). Compared to pre-exposure (p<0.0002) and sham exposure (p<0.047), male heart rates were elevated during early ETS post-exposure. Our data suggest that, in addition to tonic HRV gender differences, cardiac responses to some acute airborne particulates are gender related.

  16. Dietary and inhalation intake of lead and estimation of blood lead levels in adults and children in Kanpur, India.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Mukesh; Maheshwari, Mayank; Morisawa, S

    2005-12-01

    This research was initiated to study lead levels in various food items in the city of Kanpur, India, to assess the dietary intake of lead and to estimate blood lead (PbB) levels, a biomarker of lead toxicity. For this purpose, sampling of food products, laboratory analysis, and computational exercises were undertaken. Specifically, six food groups (leafy vegetables, nonleafy vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, and milk), drinking water, and lead air concentration were considered for estimating lead intake. Results indicated highest lead content in leafy vegetables followed by pulses. Fruits showed low lead content and drinking water lead levels were always within tolerable limits. It was estimated that average daily lead intake through diet was about 114 microg/day for adults and 50 microg/day in children; tolerable limit is 250 microg/day for adults and 90 microg/day for children. The estimated lead intakes were translated into the resultant PbB concentrations for children and adults using a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Monte Carlo simulation of PbB level variations for adults showed that probability of exceeding the tolerable limit of PbB (i.e.,10 microg/dL) was 0.062 for the pre-unleaded and 0.000328 for the post-unleaded gasoline period. The probability of exceeding tolerable limits in PbB level was reduced by a factor of 189 in the post-unleaded scenario. The study also suggested that in spite of the introduction of unleaded gasoline, children continue to be at a high risk (probability of exceeding 10 microg/dL = 0.39) because of a high intake of lead per unit body weight.

  17. Research on the error model of airborne celestial/inertial integrated navigation system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Xiaoqiang; Deng, Xiaoguo; Yang, Xiaoxu; Dong, Qiang

    2015-02-01

    Celestial navigation subsystem of airborne celestial/inertial integrated navigation system periodically correct the positioning error and heading drift of the inertial navigation system, by which the inertial navigation system can greatly improve the accuracy of long-endurance navigation. Thus the navigation accuracy of airborne celestial navigation subsystem directly decides the accuracy of the integrated navigation system if it works for long time. By building the mathematical model of the airborne celestial navigation system based on the inertial navigation system, using the method of linear coordinate transformation, we establish the error transfer equation for the positioning algorithm of airborne celestial system. Based on these we built the positioning error model of the celestial navigation. And then, based on the positioning error model we analyze and simulate the positioning error which are caused by the error of the star tracking platform with the MATLAB software. Finally, the positioning error model is verified by the information of the star obtained from the optical measurement device in range and the device whose location are known. The analysis and simulation results show that the level accuracy and north accuracy of tracking platform are important factors that limit airborne celestial navigation systems to improve the positioning accuracy, and the positioning error have an approximate linear relationship with the level error and north error of tracking platform. The error of the verification results are in 1000m, which shows that the model is correct.

  18. Airborne Cloud Computing Environment (ACCE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hardman, Sean; Freeborn, Dana; Crichton, Dan; Law, Emily; Kay-Im, Liz

    2011-01-01

    Airborne Cloud Computing Environment (ACCE) is JPL's internal investment to improve the return on airborne missions. Improve development performance of the data system. Improve return on the captured science data. The investment is to develop a common science data system capability for airborne instruments that encompasses the end-to-end lifecycle covering planning, provisioning of data system capabilities, and support for scientific analysis in order to improve the quality, cost effectiveness, and capabilities to enable new scientific discovery and research in earth observation.

  19. Slightly acidic electrolyzed water for reducing airborne microorganisms in a layer breeding house.

    PubMed

    Hao, Xiaoxia; Cao, Wei; Li, Baoming; Zhang, Qiang; Wang, Chaoyuan; Ge, Liangpeng

    2014-04-01

    Reducing airborne microorganisms may potentially improve the environment in layer breeding houses. The effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW; pH 5.29-6.30) in reducing airborne microorganisms was investigated in a commercial layer house in northern China. The building had a tunnel-ventilation system, with an evaporative cooling. The experimental area was divided into five zones along the length of the house, with zone 1 nearest to an evaporative cooling pad and zone 5 nearest to the fans. The air temperature, relative humidity, dust concentration, and microbial population were measured at the sampling points in the five zones during the study period. The SAEW was sprayed by workers in the whole house. A six-stage air microbial sampler was used to measure airborne microbial population. Results showed that the population of airborne bacteria and fungi were sharply reduced by 0.71 x 10(5) and 2.82 x 10(3) colony-forming units (CFU) m(-3) after 30 min exposure to SAEW, respectively. Compared with the benzalkonium chloride (BC) solution and povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solution treatments, the population reductions of airborne fungi treated by SAEW were significantly (P < 0.05) more, even though the three disinfectants can decrease both the airborne bacteria and fungi significantly (P < 0.05) 30 min after spraying. There are no effective methods for reducing airborne microbial levels in tunnel-ventilated layer breeding houses; additionally, there is limited information available on airborne microorganism distribution. This research investigated the spatial distribution of microbial population, and the effectiveness of spraying slightly acidic electrolyzed water in reducing microbial levels. The research revealed that slightly acidic electrolyzed water spray was a potential method for reducing microbial presence in layer houses. The knowledge gained in this research about the microbial population variations in the building may assist producers in managing

  20. Airborne particulate matter in spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Acceptability limits and sampling and monitoring strategies for airborne particles in spacecraft were considered. Based on instances of eye and respiratory tract irritation reported by Shuttle flight crews, the following acceptability limits for airborne particles were recommended: for flights of 1 week or less duration (1 mg/cu m for particles less than 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (AD) plus 1 mg/cu m for particles 10 to 100 microns in AD); and for flights greater than 1 week and up to 6 months in duration (0.2 mg/cu m for particles less than 10 microns in AD plus 0.2 mg/cu m for particles 10 to 100 microns in AD. These numerical limits were recommended to aid in spacecraft atmosphere design which should aim at particulate levels that are a low as reasonably achievable. Sampling of spacecraft atmospheres for particles should include size-fractionated samples of 0 to 10, 10 to 100, and greater than 100 micron particles for mass concentration measurement and elementary chemical analysis by nondestructive analysis techniques. Morphological and chemical analyses of single particles should also be made to aid in identifying airborne particulate sources. Air cleaning systems based on inertial collection principles and fine particle collection devices based on electrostatic precipitation and filtration should be considered for incorporation into spacecraft air circulation systems. It was also recommended that research be carried out in space in the areas of health effects and particle characterization.

  1. 24 CFR 35.1130 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1130 Section 35.1130 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Public Housing Programs § 35.1130 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the PHA shall complete a risk...

  2. 24 CFR 35.730 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.730 Section 35.730 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Project-Based Assistance § 35.730 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... subpart applies has been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner...

  3. 24 CFR 35.730 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.730 Section 35.730 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Project-Based Assistance § 35.730 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... subpart applies has been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner...

  4. 24 CFR 35.830 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.830 Section 35.830 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... intervention blood lead level. (a) Risk assessment. Within 15 days after being notified by a public health... an environmental intervention blood lead level, HUD shall complete a risk assessment of the dwelling...

  5. 24 CFR 35.730 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.730 Section 35.730 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Project-Based Assistance § 35.730 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... subpart applies has been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner...

  6. 24 CFR 35.1225 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1225 Section 35.1225 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Tenant-Based Rental Assistance § 35.1225 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level... as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the designated party shall complete a risk...

  7. 24 CFR 35.830 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.830 Section 35.830 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... intervention blood lead level. (a) Risk assessment. Within 15 days after being notified by a public health... an environmental intervention blood lead level, HUD shall complete a risk assessment of the dwelling...

  8. 24 CFR 35.1225 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1225 Section 35.1225 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Tenant-Based Rental Assistance § 35.1225 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level... as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the designated party shall complete a risk...

  9. 24 CFR 35.1130 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1130 Section 35.1130 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Public Housing Programs § 35.1130 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the PHA shall complete a risk...

  10. 24 CFR 35.830 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.830 Section 35.830 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... intervention blood lead level. (a) Risk assessment. Within 15 days after being notified by a public health... an environmental intervention blood lead level, HUD shall complete a risk assessment of the dwelling...

  11. 24 CFR 35.1225 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1225 Section 35.1225 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Tenant-Based Rental Assistance § 35.1225 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level... as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the designated party shall complete a risk...

  12. 24 CFR 35.730 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.730 Section 35.730 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Project-Based Assistance § 35.730 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... subpart applies has been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner...

  13. 24 CFR 35.1130 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1130 Section 35.1130 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Public Housing Programs § 35.1130 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the PHA shall complete a risk...

  14. 24 CFR 35.830 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.830 Section 35.830 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... intervention blood lead level. (a) Risk assessment. Within 15 days after being notified by a public health... an environmental intervention blood lead level, HUD shall complete a risk assessment of the dwelling...

  15. 24 CFR 35.1225 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1225 Section 35.1225 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Tenant-Based Rental Assistance § 35.1225 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level... as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the designated party shall complete a risk...

  16. 24 CFR 35.1225 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1225 Section 35.1225 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Tenant-Based Rental Assistance § 35.1225 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level... as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the designated party shall complete a risk...

  17. 24 CFR 35.830 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.830 Section 35.830 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... intervention blood lead level. (a) Risk assessment. Within 15 days after being notified by a public health... an environmental intervention blood lead level, HUD shall complete a risk assessment of the dwelling...

  18. 24 CFR 35.1130 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1130 Section 35.1130 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Public Housing Programs § 35.1130 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the PHA shall complete a risk...

  19. 24 CFR 35.1130 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.1130 Section 35.1130 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Public Housing Programs § 35.1130 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the PHA shall complete a risk...

  20. 24 CFR 35.730 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.730 Section 35.730 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... STRUCTURES Project-Based Assistance § 35.730 Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level. (a... subpart applies has been identified as having an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner...

  1. Determining Childhood Blood Lead Level Screening Compliance Among Physicians.

    PubMed

    Haboush-Deloye, Amanda; Marquez, Erika R; Gerstenberger, Shawn L

    2017-08-01

    Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs throughout the U.S. have addressed childhood lead poisoning by implementing primary and secondary prevention efforts. While many programs have helped increase screening rates, in some states children under the age of six still have not been tested for lead. This study aims to identify the barriers to childhood blood lead testing and develop a strategy to increase the number of children tested. Clark County physicians who work with children six and under were surveyed about blood lead level (BLL) testing practices, particularly, adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, and parental compliance with orders to have their children tested to determine their blood lead levels. In addition, select in-person interviews were conducted with physicians who reported high parental compliance to identify best practices and barriers. Of the 77 physicians that provided data, 48% indicated they did not follow CDC guideline compared to 52% who follow guidelines. 18 of the 30 (or 60%) physicians reported more than 80% of parents complied with doctor recommended BLL testing. Twelve physicians identified cost, lack of insurance, and absence of symptomology as persistent barriers to lead screening. This study identified barriers to childhood lead screening including inadequate parental adherence to physician-ordered screenings and physician non-compliance with screening recommendations are two primary contributors. Addressing these issues could increase screening in children and reduce the risk of lead poisoning.

  2. A Pilot Study of Children's Blood Lead Levels in Mount Isa, Queensland.

    PubMed

    Green, Donna; Sullivan, Marianne; Cooper, Nathan; Dean, Annika; Marquez, Cielo

    2017-12-13

    Mount Isa, Queensland, is one of three Australian cities with significant lead emissions due to nonferrous mining and smelting. Unlike the two other cities with lead mines or smelters, Mount Isa currently has no system of annual, systematic, community-wide blood lead level testing; and testing rates among Indigenous children are low. In previous screenings, this group of children has been shown to have higher average blood lead levels than non-Indigenous children. The first aim of this study was to assess whether parents and children would participate in less invasive, rapid point-of-care capillary testing. The second aim was to measure blood lead levels among a range of children that roughly reflected the percentage of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous population. This pilot study is based on a convenience sample of children between the ages of 12 and 83 months who were recruited to participate by staff at a Children and Family Centre. Over three half-days, 30 children were tested using capillary blood samples and the LeadCare II Point-of-Care testing system. Rapid point-of-care capillary testing was well tolerated by the children. Of 30 children tested, 40% ( n = 12) had blood lead levels ≥5 µg/dL and 10% had levels ≥10 µg/dL. The highest blood lead level measured was 17.3 µg/dL. The percentage of children with blood lead levels ≥5 µg/dL was higher among Indigenous children compared to non-Indigenous (64.2% compared to 18.8%) as was the geometric mean level (6.5 (95% CI, 4.7, 9.2) versus 2.4 (95% CI, 1.8, 3.1)), a statistically significant difference. Though based on a small convenience sample, this study identified 12 children (40%) of the sample with blood lead levels ≥5 µg/dL. Due to historical and ongoing heavy metal emissions from mining and smelting in Mount Isa, we recommend a multi-component program of universal blood lead level testing, culturally appropriate follow-up and intervention for children who are identified with blood lead levels ≥5

  3. Using Radial Basis Functions in Airborne Gravimetry for Local Geoid Improvement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaopeng

    2017-04-01

    software is tested for the GSVS14 (Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2014) area as well as for the area around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by using the real airborne gravity data from the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D, Smith 2007) project. The newly acquired cm-level accurate GPS/Leveling bench marks prove the RBF airborne enhanced geoid models are not inferior to other models computed by conventional approaches. By fully utilizing the three dimensional correlation information among the flight tracks, the RBF can also be used as a data editing tool for airborne data adjustment and cleaning.

  4. Peak Lead Levels and Diagnostics in Lead Service Lines Dominated by PbO2 - abstract

    EPA Science Inventory

    Multiple studies have presented “profiles” of water lead levels from tap to main through lead service lines (LSLs), in systems where the LSLs were coated with common Pb(II) corrosion solids. These Pb(II) solids were either actual Pb(II) minerals or Pb(II) sorbed onto other pipe ...

  5. Feeding practices and blood lead levels in infants in Nagpur, India.

    PubMed

    Patel, Archana Behram; Belsare, Hrishikesh; Banerjee, Anita

    2011-01-01

    In a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 200 infants age 4-9 months in an Indian city (Nagpur), the authors determined the prevalence of elevated blood lead level (EBLL) and mean blood lead levels with respect to feeding patterns, i.e., breastfed or fed with formula or dairy milk. The blood lead levels in this study population ranged from 0.048 microg/dl to 42.944 microg/dl; the mean blood lead level was 10.148 microg/dl (+/- 9.128); EBLL prevalence was 38.2%. EBLL risk factors included removal of house paint in the past year, odds ratio (OR), 5.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-19.65); use of surma (eye cosmetic), OR 4.27 (95% CI, 1.39-13.08); maternal use of sindur (vermillion), OR 2.118 (95% CI, 1.07-4.44). Feeding method (breastfed or not) did not appear to have an effect on blood lead level. In non-breastfed infants, boiling of water was significantly associated with EBLL, OR 1.97 (95% CI, 1.01-3.84).

  6. Association between children's blood lead levels, lead service lines, and water disinfection, Washington, DC, 1998-2006.

    PubMed

    Brown, Mary Jean; Raymond, Jaime; Homa, David; Kennedy, Chinaro; Sinks, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Evaluate the effect of changes in the water disinfection process, and presence of lead service lines (LSLs), on children's blood lead levels (BLLs) in Washington, DC. Three cross-sectional analyses examined the relationship of LSL and changes in water disinfectant with BLLs in children <6 years of age. The study population was derived from the DC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program blood lead surveillance system of children who were tested and whose blood lead test results were reported to the DC Health Department. The Washington, DC Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) provided information on LSLs. The final study population consisted of 63,854 children with validated addresses. Controlling for age of housing, LSL was an independent risk factor for BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL, and ≥ 5 μg/dL even during time periods when water levels met the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). When chloramine alone was used to disinfect water, the risk for BLL in the highest quartile among children in homes with LSL was greater than when either chlorine or chloramine with orthophosphate was used. For children tested after LSLs in their houses were replaced, those with partially replaced LSL were >3 times as likely to have BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL versus children who never had LSLs. LSLs were a risk factor for elevated BLLs even when WASA met the EPA water action level. Changes in water disinfection can enhance the effect of LSLs and increase lead exposure. Partially replacing LSLs may not decrease the risk of elevated BLLs associated with LSL exposure. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Prenatal exposure to lead in Spain: cord blood levels and associated factors.

    PubMed

    Llop, Sabrina; Aguinagalde, Xabier; Vioque, Jesus; Ibarluzea, Jesús; Guxens, Mònica; Casas, Maribel; Murcia, Mario; Ruiz, María; Amurrio, Ascensión; Rebagliato, Marisa; Marina, Loreto Santa; Fernandez-Somoano, Ana; Tardon, Adonina; Ballester, Ferran

    2011-05-01

    Lead is a known neurotoxic. Fetuses and infants are very vulnerable to lead exposure, since their blood-brain barrier is not completely formed. Hence, there is an importance for monitoring of blood lead levels prenatally and during early infancy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prenatal exposure to lead and its association with maternal factors in four population based mother-child cohorts in Spain. The present research was carried out within the framework of the INMA project INfancia y Medio Ambiente (Environment and Childhood). A total of 1462 pregnant women were recruited between 2004 and 2008. Lead was analyzed in a sample of cord blood by thermal decomposition, amalgation, and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Maternal sociodemographic, lifestyle and dietary factors were obtained by questionnaires during pregnancy. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed. The dependent variable was a dichotomous lead level variable (detected vs no detected, i.e. ≥ vs < 2μg/dL). A low percentage of cord blood samples with lead levels ≥ 2μg/dL were found (5.9%). Geometric mean and maximum were 1.06μg/dL and 19μg/dL, respectively. Smoking at the beginning of pregnancy, age, social class, weight gain during pregnancy, gravidity, and place of residence were the maternal factors associated with detectable cord blood lead levels. Mother's diet does not appear to be a determining factor of lead exposure. Nevertheless, daily intake of iron and zinc may act as a protective factor against having cord blood lead levels ≥ 2μg/dL. In the different regions of Spain taking part in this study, lead levels to which newborns are exposed are low. Mobilization of lead from bones may be the main contributor to the cord blood levels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. 24 CFR 35.325 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.325 Section 35.325 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... environmental intervention blood lead level. If a child less than 6 years of age living in a federally assisted dwelling unit has an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner shall immediately conduct a...

  9. 24 CFR 35.325 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.325 Section 35.325 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... environmental intervention blood lead level. If a child less than 6 years of age living in a federally assisted dwelling unit has an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner shall immediately conduct a...

  10. 24 CFR 35.325 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.325 Section 35.325 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... environmental intervention blood lead level. If a child less than 6 years of age living in a federally assisted dwelling unit has an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner shall immediately conduct a...

  11. 24 CFR 35.325 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.325 Section 35.325 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... environmental intervention blood lead level. If a child less than 6 years of age living in a federally assisted dwelling unit has an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner shall immediately conduct a...

  12. 24 CFR 35.325 - Child with an environmental intervention blood lead level.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... intervention blood lead level. 35.325 Section 35.325 Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary... environmental intervention blood lead level. If a child less than 6 years of age living in a federally assisted dwelling unit has an environmental intervention blood lead level, the owner shall immediately conduct a...

  13. [Factors related to the blood lead level in children 6 to 30 months old in the Prospective Lead Study in Mexico City].

    PubMed

    Rothenberg, S J; Schnaas-Arrieta, L; Pérez-Guerrero, I A; Hernández-Cervantes, R; Martínez-Medina, S; Perroni-Hernández, E

    1993-01-01

    A majority of the sample of children (N = 160-121, ages 6-30 months) from the Mexico City Prospective Lead Study exceeds the lowest limit action level (10 micrograms/dl) of the Centers for Disease Control standards for childhood lead exposure. Over one-third of the sample at 18 months and 24 months exceeds the action level (15 micrograms/dl) for aggressive intervention. Diet plays an important role in regulating early childhood blood lead levels. Fresh milk and breast feeding are associated with lower lead levels, but extended breast feeding is related to elevated lead levels. Low income and poor maternal education are associated with higher lead concentration in children. Child consumption of canned milk and juice, up to this date, is associated with elevated child lead levels. Canned products sealed with lead are disappearing from Mexican markets. Efforts to improve childhood nutrition and poverty may be expected to have the additional benefit of lowering lead levels of Mexican children.

  14. Below background levels of blood lead impact cytokine levels in male and female mice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Iavicoli, I.; Carelli, G.; Stanek, E.J.

    2006-01-15

    A number of studies have documented that Pb exerts immunotoxic effects on T lymphocytes. In studies designed to explore this general response over a broad dose range, female Swiss mice were administered six different diets containing Pb acetate 1 day after mating. During lactation, the mothers received the same feed given during pregnancy, and the same diets were administered to the offspring for 9 months after weaning. At the end of exposure, blood Pb level in the offspring was determined, and possible changes in two type 1 cytokines (IL-2, INF-{gamma}) and one type 2 cytokine (IL-4) in the serum weremore » measured. At higher dietary Pb levels (40 and 400 ppm), a significant increase in IL-4 production was associated with a profound decrease in INF-{gamma} and IL-2 production. At the lowest Pb diet level (0.02 ppm), which resulted in a blood lead level of (0.8 {mu}g/dL), which is below background (2-3 {mu}g/dL) values in humans, increases in INF-{gamma} and IL-2 production along with a significant decrease in IL-4 production were observed. The findings provide evidence of a reversal of lead-induced cytokine skewing depending on the blood lead concentration. As blood lead concentration increases, there is a notable skewing toward Th2, while the pattern is reversed favoring Th1 development at lower blood lead values. The present findings are also notable since they indicate the potential for dietary Pb to have significant biological effects below normal background concentrations.« less

  15. High blood lead levels are associated with lead concentrations in households and day care centers attended by Brazilian preschool children.

    PubMed

    da Rocha Silva, Júlia Prestes; Salles, Fernanda Junqueira; Leroux, Isabelle Nogueira; da Silva Ferreira, Ana Paula Sacone; da Silva, Agnes Soares; Assunção, Nilson Antonio; Nardocci, Adelaide Cassia; Sayuri Sato, Ana Paula; Barbosa, Fernando; Cardoso, Maria Regina Alves; Olympio, Kelly Polido Kaneshiro

    2018-08-01

    A previous study observed high blood lead levels (BLL) in preschool children attending 50 day care centers (DCC) in São Paulo, Brazil. To identify whether lead levels found in both homes and DCC environments are associated with high blood lead levels. Children attending 4 DCCs, quoted here as NR, VA, PS and PF, were divided into two groups according to BLL: high exposure (HE: ≥13.9 μg/dL; 97.5 percentile of the 2013 year sample) and low exposure (LE: <5 μg/dL). For in situ lead measurements (lead paint mode: mg/cm 2 and ROHS mode: μg/g) in the children's households and in the DCC environments, a field portable X-ray-fluorescence analyzer was used. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to control for confounding factors. Odds ratios were adjusted for age, sex, day care center's measured lead, and tobacco. In an NR DCC building, 33.8% of the measurements had lead levels >600 μg/g, whereas such levels were observed in 77.1% of NR playground measurements. In VA DCC, 22% and 23% of the measurements in the building and in the playgrounds had levels higher than 600 μg/g, respectively. The percentage of high lead levels in the children's houses of the LE group was 5.9% (95% CI: 4.3-7.6%) and 13.2 (95% CI: 8.3-18.0%) in the HE group. Moreover, a significant association was found between high BLLs and lead levels found both in households and DCCs (p < 0.001). Most of the high lead measurements were found in tiles and playground equipment. Lead exposure estimated from the DCCs, where children spend about 10 h/day, can be as relevant as their household exposure. Therefore, public authorities should render efforts to provide a rigorous surveillance for lead-free painting supplies and for all objects offered to children. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Association of dental enamel lead levels with risk factors for environmental exposure.

    PubMed

    Olympio, Kelly Polido Kaneshiro; Naozuka, Juliana; Oliveira, Pedro Vitoriano; Cardoso, Maria Regina Alves; Bechara, Etelvino José Henriques; Günther, Wanda Maria Risso

    2010-10-01

    To analyze household risk factors associated with high lead levels in surface dental enamel. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 Brazilian adolescents aged 1418 years living in poor neighborhoods in the city of Bauru, southeastern Brazil, from August to December 2008. Body lead concentrations were assessed in surface dental enamel acid-etch microbiopsies. Dental enamel lead levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and phosphorus levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The parents answered a questionnaire about their children's potential early (05 years old) exposure to well-known lead sources. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between dental enamel lead levels and each environmental risk factor studied. Social and familial covariables were included in the models. The results suggest that the adolescents studied were exposed to lead sources during their first years of life. Risk factors associated with high dental enamel lead levels were living in or close to a contaminated area (OR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.69;11.97); and member of the household worked in the manufacturing of paints, paint pigments, ceramics or batteries (OR = 3.43; 95% CI: 1.31;9.00). Home-based use of lead-glazed ceramics, low-quality pirated toys, anticorrosive paint on gates and/or sale of used car batteries (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 0.56;3.03) and smoking (OR = 1.66; 95% CI: 0.52;5.28) were not found to be associated with high dental enamel lead levels. Surface dental enamel can be used as a marker of past environmental exposure to lead and lead concentrations detected are associated to well-known sources of lead contamination.

  17. Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) Dependent Parallel Arrivals (DPA)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Colin L.

    2012-01-01

    The Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) team at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has been developing a concept of operations to extend the current APS concept to support dependent approaches to parallel or converging runways along with the required pilot and controller procedures and pilot interfaces. A staggered operations capability for the Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) tool was developed and designated as ASTAR10. ASTAR10 has reached a sufficient level of maturity to be validated and tested through a fast-time simulation. The purpose of the experiment was to identify and resolve any remaining issues in the ASTAR10 algorithm, as well as put the concept of operations through a practical test.

  18. Asbestos-containing materials and airborne asbestos levels in industrial buildings in Korea.

    PubMed

    Choi, Sangjun; Suk, Mee-Hee; Paik, Nam Won

    2010-03-01

    Recently in Korea, the treatment of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in building has emerged as one of the most important environmental health issues. This study was conducted to identify the distribution and characteristics of ACM and airborne asbestos concentrations in industrial buildings in Korea. A total of 1285 presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) samples were collected from 80 workplaces across the nation, and 40% of the PACMs contained more than 1% of asbestos. Overall, 94% of the surveyed workplaces contained ACM. The distribution of ACM did not show a significant difference by region, employment size, or industry. The total ACM area in the buildings surveyed was 436,710 m2. Ceiling tile ACM accounted for 61% (267,093 m2) of the total ACM area, followed by roof ACM (32%), surfacing ACM (6.1%), and thermal system insulation (TSI). In terms of asbestos type, 98% of total ACM was chrysotile, while crocidolite was not detected. A comparison of building material types showed that the material with the highest priority for regular management is ceiling tile, followed by roof, TSI, and surfacing material. The average airborne concentration of asbestos sampled without disturbing in-place ACM was 0.0028 fibers/cc by PCM, with all measurements below the standard of recommendation for indoor air quality in Korea (0.01 fibers/cc).

  19. Impact of endophytic colonization patterns on Zamioculcas zamiifolia stress response and in regulating ROS, tryptophan and IAA levels under airborne formaldehyde and formaldehyde-contaminated soil conditions.

    PubMed

    Khaksar, Gholamreza; Treesubsuntorn, Chairat; Thiravetyan, Paitip

    2017-05-01

    Deeper understanding of plant-endophyte interactions under abiotic stress would provide new insights into phytoprotection and phytoremediation enhancement. Many studies have investigated the positive role of plant-endophyte interactions in providing protection to the plant against pollutant stress through auxin (indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)) production. However, little is known about the impact of endophytic colonization patterns on plant stress response in relation to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and IAA levels. Moreover, the possible effect of pollutant phase on plant stress response is poorly understood. Here, we elucidated the impact of endophytic colonization patterns on plant stress response under airborne formaldehyde compared to formaldehyde-contaminated soil. ROS, tryptophan and IAA levels in the roots and shoots of endophyte-inoculated and non-inoculated plants in the presence and absence of formaldehyde were measured. Strain-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to investigate dynamics of endophyte colonization. Under the initial exposure to airborne formaldehyde, non-inoculated plants accumulated more tryptophan in the shoots (compared to the roots) to synthesize IAA. However, endophyte-inoculated plants behaved differently as they synthesized and accumulated more tryptophan in the roots and, hence, higher levels of IAA accumulation and exudation within roots which might act as a signaling molecule to selectively recruit B. cereus ERBP. Under continuous airborne formaldehyde stress, higher levels of ROS accumulation in the shoots pushed the plant to synthesize more tryptophan and IAA in the shoots (compared to the roots). Higher levels of IAA in the shoots might act as the potent driving force to relocalize B. cereus ERBP from roots to the shoots. In contrast, under formaldehyde-contaminated soil, B. cereus ERBP colonized root tissues without moving to the shoots since there was a sharp increase in ROS, tryptophan and IAA

  20. Airborne derivation of microburst alerts from ground-based Terminal Doppler Weather Radar information: A flight evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hinton, David A.

    1993-01-01

    An element of the NASA/FAA windshear program is the integration of ground-based microburst information on the flight deck, to support airborne windshear alerting and microburst avoidance. NASA conducted a windshear flight test program in the summer of 1991 during which airborne processing of Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) data was used to derive microburst alerts. Microburst information was extracted from TDWR, transmitted to a NASA Boeing 737 in flight via data link, and processed to estimate the windshear hazard level (F-factor) that would be experienced by the aircraft in each microburst. The microburst location and F-factor were used to derive a situation display and alerts. The situation display was successfully used to maneuver the aircraft for microburst penetrations, during which atmospheric 'truth' measurements were made. A total of 19 penetrations were made of TDWR-reported microburst locations, resulting in 18 airborne microburst alerts from the TDWR data and two microburst alerts from the airborne reactive windshear detection system. The primary factors affecting alerting performance were spatial offset of the flight path from the region of strongest shear, differences in TDWR measurement altitude and airplane penetration altitude, and variations in microburst outflow profiles. Predicted and measured F-factors agreed well in penetrations near microburst cores. Although improvements in airborne and ground processing of the TDWR measurements would be required to support an airborne executive-level alerting protocol, the practicality of airborne utilization of TDWR data link data has been demonstrated.

  1. Data Analysis of Airborne Electromagnetic Bathymetry.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-04-01

    7 AD-R 58 889 DATA ANALYSIS OF AIRBORNE ELECTROMAGNETIC BRTHYMETRY i/i (U) NAVAL OCEAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY NSTL STRTION MS R ZOLLINGER...Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity NSTL, Mississippi 39529 NORDA Report 93 April 1985 AD-A158 809 - Data Analysis of Airborne Electromagnetic ...8217 - Foreword CI Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) systems have traditionally been used for detecting anomalous conductors in the

  2. Sun and aureole spectrometer for airborne measurements to derive aerosol optical properties.

    PubMed

    Asseng, Hagen; Ruhtz, Thomas; Fischer, Jürgen

    2004-04-01

    We have designed an airborne spectrometer system for the simultaneous measurement of the direct Sun irradiance and aureole radiance. The instrument is based on diffraction grating spectrometers with linear image sensors. It is robust, lightweight, compact, and reliable, characteristics that are important for airborne applications. The multispectral radiation measurements are used to derive optical properties of tropospheric aerosols. We extract the altitude dependence of the aerosol volume scattering function and of the aerosol optical depth by using flight patterns with descents and ascents ranging from the surface level to the top of the boundary layer. The extinction coefficient and the product of single scattering albedo and phase function of separate layers can be derived from the airborne measurements.

  3. Blood Lead Levels and Decreased Kidney Function in a Population-Based Cohort.

    PubMed

    Harari, Florencia; Sallsten, Gerd; Christensson, Anders; Petkovic, Marinka; Hedblad, Bo; Forsgard, Niklas; Melander, Olle; Nilsson, Peter M; Borné, Yan; Engström, Gunnar; Barregard, Lars

    2018-04-23

    Environmental lead exposure has been associated with decreased kidney function, but evidence from large prospective cohort studies examining low exposure levels is scarce. We assessed the association of low levels of lead exposure with kidney function and kidney disease. Prospective population-based cohort. 4,341 individuals aged 46 to 67 years enrolled into the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study-Cardiovascular Cohort (1991-1994) and 2,567 individuals subsequently followed up (2007-2012). Blood lead concentrations in quartiles (Q1-Q4) at baseline. Change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between the baseline and follow-up visit based on serum creatinine level alone or in combination with cystatin C level. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence (185 cases) through 2013 detected using a national registry. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models to assess associations between lead levels and eGFRs at baseline and follow-up and change in eGFRs over time. Cox regression was used to examine associations between lead levels and CKD incidence. Validation of 100 randomly selected CKD cases showed very good agreement between registry data and medical records and laboratory data. At baseline, 60% of study participants were women, mean age was 57 years, and median lead level was 25 (range, 1.5-258) μg/L. After a mean of 16 years of follow-up, eGFR decreased on average by 6mL/min/1.73m 2 (based on creatinine) and 24mL/min/1.73m 2 (based on a combined creatinine and cystatin C equation). eGFR change was higher in Q3 and Q4 of blood lead levels compared with Q1 (P for trend = 0.001). The HR for incident CKD in Q4 was 1.49 (95% CI, 1.07-2.08) compared with Q1 to Q3 combined. Lead level measured only at baseline, moderate number of CKD cases, potential unmeasured confounding. Low-level lead exposure was associated with decreased kidney function and incident CKD. Our findings suggest lead nephrotoxicity even at low levels of exposure. Copyright © 2018 The Authors

  4. A prospective observational study assessing the feasibility of measuring blood lead levels in New Zealand hunters eating meat harvested with lead projectiles.

    PubMed

    Buenz, Eric J; Parry, Gareth J; Bauer, Brent A; Matheny, Lauren M; Breukel, Klaasz

    2017-03-01

    There is no safe level of lead exposure. Correlations suggest that hunters harvesting wild game with lead bullets may be at risk of lead exposure through eating minute lead particles from shrapnel in their wild game. This feasibility study will determine if it is possible to conduct an interventional controlled, blinded study to evaluate if there is a causal relationship between meat harvested with lead bullets and elevated blood lead levels in those who consume the meat. This is an observational case crossover study and the primary outcome is blood lead levels. Individuals will have blood lead levels measured 2-4 days after eating one serving of meat harvested with lead bullets. At three potential washout periods these same individuals will have a subsequent blood lead level analysis. This observational study will provide the data necessary to determine the washout period and sample size for a prospective interventional study to evaluate if meat harvested with lead bullets raises blood-lead levels in those who consume the meat. This study has been approved by the Health and Disabilities Ethics Committees of New Zealand. NCT02775890.

  5. Characterizing exposures to airborne metals and nanoparticle emissions in a refinery.

    PubMed

    Miller, Arthur; Drake, Pamela L; Hintz, Patrick; Habjan, Matt

    2010-07-01

    An air quality survey was conducted at a precious metals refinery in order to evaluate worker exposures to airborne metals and to provide detailed characterization of the aerosols. Two areas within the refinery were characterized: a furnace room and an electro-refining area. In line with standard survey practices, both personal and area air filter samples were collected on 37-mm filters and analyzed for metals by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. In addition to the standard sampling, measurements were conducted using other tools, designed to provide enhanced characterization of the workplace aerosols. The number concentration and number-weighted particle size distribution of airborne particles were measured with a fast mobility particle sizer (FMPS). Custom-designed software was used to correlate particle concentration data with spatial location data to generate contour maps of particle number concentrations in the work areas. Short-term samples were collected in areas of localized high concentrations and analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to determine particle morphology and elemental chemistry. Analysis of filter samples indicated that all of the workers were exposed to levels of silver above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit of 0.01 mg m(-3) even though the localized ventilation was functioning. Measurements with the FMPS indicated that particle number concentrations near the furnace increased up to 1000-fold above the baseline during the pouring of molten metal. Spatial mapping revealed localized elevated particle concentrations near the furnaces and plumes of particles rising into the stairwells and traveling to the upper work areas. Results of TEM/EDS analyses confirmed the high number of nanoparticles measured by the FMPS and indicated the aerosols were rich in metals including silver, lead, antimony, selenium, and zinc. Results of

  6. Airborne electronics for automated flight systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Graves, G. B., Jr.

    1975-01-01

    The increasing importance of airborne electronics for use in automated flight systems is briefly reviewed with attention to both basic aircraft control functions and flight management systems for operational use. The requirements for high levels of systems reliability are recognized. Design techniques are discussed and the areas of control systems, computing and communications are considered in terms of key technical problems and trends for their solution.

  7. Elevated blood lead levels among adults in Massachusetts, 1991-1995.

    PubMed

    Tumpowsky, C M; Davis, L K; Rabin, R

    2000-01-01

    Lead poisoning, the oldest recognized occupational disease, remains a danger for children and adults. Data collected for 664 cases reported to the Massachusetts Occupational Lead Registry in 1991-1995 were summarized in a 1998 state report. Here, the authors present some of the key findings from that report for a wider audience. The authors summarize key findings of the 1998 state report. Construction workers, in particular licensed deleaders and house painters, accounted for almost 70% of occupational cases involving blood lead levels > or = 40 micrograms of lead per deciliter (mcg/dl) of blood. Among 100 workers with the highest blood lead levels (> or = 60 mcg/dl), 29% were house painters. Hispanic workers were over-represented in the Registry. A small proportion of cases were non-occupational, typically associated with recreational use of firing ranges or do-it-yourself home renovations. Lead poisoning is a preventable disease, yet these data indicate that additional prevention efforts are warranted.

  8. Lead Levels in Landfill Areas and Childhood Exposure: An Integrative Review.

    PubMed

    Kim, M Angela; Williams, Kimberly A

    2017-01-01

    Landfills are high-risk areas for environmental lead exposure for children living in poverty stricken areas in many countries. This review examines landfills and lead toxicity in children. The review discusses the effects of lead toxicity, provides evidenced based recommendations to reduce lead exposure, and identify gaps in the evidence. A database search was conducted of articles in English from 1985 to 2014. Ten articles met the inclusion criteria. The Whittemore and Knafl framework and the John Hopkins Research Evidence Appraisal Tool © were used for reviewing the data. Elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of children living near landfills were related to increased soil lead levels. Toxic effects of lead included adverse outcomes such as encephalopathy or death for children. Different approaches to decrease lead level include environmental surveillance, BLL screening, and soil abatement which are costly. Increased BLL through environmental exposure is connected with poor health outcomes and death among children. Evidence-based prevention included monitoring and screening and costly soil abatement. It is recommended that future studies focus on community education for exposure avoidance for children living near landfill areas. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Environmental lead pollution and elevated blood lead levels among children in a rural area of China.

    PubMed

    Lin, Sihao; Wang, Xiaorong; Yu, Ignatius Tak Sun; Tang, Wenjuan; Miao, Jianying; Li, Jin; Wu, Siying; Lin, Xing

    2011-05-01

    We investigated environmental lead pollution and its impact on children's blood lead levels (BLLs) in a rural area of China. In 2007, we studied 379 children younger than 15 years living in 7 villages near lead mines and processing plants, along with a control group of 61 children from another village. We determined their BLLs and collected environmental samples, personal data, and information on other potential exposures. We followed approximately 86% of the children who had high BLLs (> 15 μg/dL) for 1 year. We determined factors influencing BLLs by multivariate linear regression. Lead concentrations in soil and household dust were much higher in polluted villages than in the control village, and more children in the polluted area than in the control village had elevated BLLs (87%, 16.4 μg/dL vs 20%, 7.1 μg/dL). Increased BLL was independently associated with environmental lead levels. We found a significant reduction of 5 micrograms per deciliter when we retested children after 1 year. Our data show that the lead industry caused serious environmental pollution that led to high BLLs in children living nearby.

  10. Environmental Lead Pollution and Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Children in a Rural Area of China

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Sihao; Yu, Ignatius Tak Sun; Tang, Wenjuan; Miao, Jianying; Li, Jin; Wu, Siying; Lin, Xing

    2011-01-01

    Objectives. We investigated environmental lead pollution and its impact on children's blood lead levels (BLLs) in a rural area of China. Methods. In 2007, we studied 379 children younger than 15 years living in 7 villages near lead mines and processing plants, along with a control group of 61 children from another village. We determined their BLLs and collected environmental samples, personal data, and information on other potential exposures. We followed approximately 86% of the children who had high BLLs (> 15 μg/dL) for 1 year. We determined factors influencing BLLs by multivariate linear regression. Results. Lead concentrations in soil and household dust were much higher in polluted villages than in the control village, and more children in the polluted area than in the control village had elevated BLLs (87%, 16.4 μg/dL vs 20%, 7.1 μg/dL). Increased BLL was independently associated with environmental lead levels. We found a significant reduction of 5 micrograms per deciliter when we retested children after 1 year. Conclusions. Our data show that the lead industry caused serious environmental pollution that led to high BLLs in children living nearby. PMID:21421950

  11. Transition of cord blood lead level, 1985-2002, in the Taipei area and its determinants after the cease of leaded gasoline use.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Yaw-Huei; Ko, Yi; Chiang, Chien-Dai; Hsu, Shih-Penn; Lee, Yu-Hsiang; Yu, Chun-Hsien; Chiou, Chuen-Hua; Wang, Jung-Der; Chuang, Hung-Yi

    2004-11-01

    Lead has long been of concern for its toxicity, impairment of neurobehavioral and cognitive development, and electrophysiological deficits in children, even at levels less than 10 microg/dL. The present study was conducted to elucidate the extent of cord blood lead level decline in the Taipei area from 1985 to 2002 and to explore the factors affecting the cord blood lead level after the cease of leaded gasoline use. In the current study period of 2001-2002, 184 of 1310 newborns delivered in the Taipei Municipal Women and Children Hospital between September 2001 and August 2002 were eligible and randomly selected to participate in this study. Neither of their parents had an occupational lead exposure history. At each delivery, a sample of 5-10 mL umbilical cord blood was collected for lead determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The cord blood lead level of the newborns in the current study period averaged 2.35 +/- 1.12 microg/dL. Together with the cord blood lead averages of 7.48 +/- 2.25 and 3.28 +/- 1.52 microg/dL obtained from two previous surveys conducted in 1985-1987 and 1990-1992, respectively, the cord blood lead level was significantly decreased (P < 0.005). It is estimated that such a reduction in cord blood lead from 7.48 to 2.35 microg/dL for each year's cohort of 260,000 newborns in Taiwan might benefit the economics, ranging from US$8.9 billion to US$12.1 billion by improving the worker productivity. For the time period from 1985 to 2002, there were consistent transition patterns among the yearly fluctuations of air lead level, leaded gasoline consumption, lead content in gasoline, estimated lead amount emitted from the consumed leaded gasoline, and average cord blood lead levels of the three respective study periods. Additionally, every 0.1-g/L reduction in lead content in gasoline might lead to a lowering of cord blood lead level by 1.78 microg/dL. Furthermore, at low level of around 2 microg/dL, a multiple regression

  12. Effect of lead pollution control on environmental and childhood blood lead level in Nantong, China: an interventional study.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kai; Huang, Lei; Yan, Beizhan; Li, Hongbo; Sun, Hong; Bi, Jun

    2014-11-04

    Children's blood lead levels and prevalence of lead poisoning in China are significantly higher than in developed countries, though a substantial decrease has been observed. Since 2011, strict lead control policies in lead-related industries have been implemented in China, but the success of these policies is unknown. In this study, we collected environmental samples, questionnaire data, and blood samples from 106 children from 1 to 14 years old, before and after implementation of lead-usage control policy in wire rope factories by local government in Zhuhang, Nantong in 2012. Results showed that, one year after the lead control, lead concentrations sharply decreased in both environmental and biological samples with a decrease of 0.43 μg/m3 (-84.3%) in ambient air samples, 0.22 mg/kg (-36.1%) in vegetable samples, 441.1 mg/kg (-43.7%) in dust samples, and 6.24 μg/dL (-51.5%) in childhood blood lead levels (BLL). This study demonstrates the success of lead control policies in promoting the prevention and control of childhood lead poisoning in Nantong, China.

  13. Iron Metabolism Genes, Low-Level Lead Exposure, and QT Interval

    PubMed Central

    Park, Sung Kyun; Hu, Howard; Wright, Robert O.; Schwartz, Joel; Cheng, Yawen; Sparrow, David; Vokonas, Pantel S.; Weisskopf, Marc G.

    2009-01-01

    Background Cumulative exposure to lead has been shown to be associated with depression of electrocardiographic conduction, such as QT interval (time from start of the Q wave to end of the T wave). Because iron can enhance the oxidative effects of lead, we examined whether polymorphisms in iron metabolism genes [hemochromatosis (HFE), transferrin (TF) C2, and heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX-1)] increase susceptibility to the effects of lead on QT interval in 613 community-dwelling older men. Methods We used standard 12-lead electrocardiograms, K-shell X-ray fluorescence, and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry to measure QT interval, bone lead, and blood lead levels, respectively. Results A one-interquartile-range increase in tibia lead level (13 μg/g) was associated with a 11.35-msec [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.05–18.65 msec] and a 6.81-msec (95% CI, 1.67–11.95 msec) increase in the heart-rate–corrected QT interval among persons carrying long HMOX-1 alleles and at least one copy of an HFE variant, respectively, but had no effect in persons with short and middle HMOX-1 alleles and the wild-type HFE genotype. The lengthening of the heart-rate–corrected QT interval with higher tibia lead and blood lead became more pronounced as the total number (0 vs. 1 vs. ≥2) of gene variants increased (tibia, p-trend = 0.01; blood, p-trend = 0.04). This synergy seems to be driven by a joint effect between HFE variant and HMOX-1 L alleles. Conclusion We found evidence that gene variants related to iron metabolism increase the impacts of low-level lead exposure on the prolonged QT interval. This is the first such report, so these results should be interpreted cautiously and need to be independently verified. PMID:19165391

  14. Increased lead levels in pregnancy among immigrant women.

    PubMed

    Alba, Amanda; Carleton, Lindsay; Dinkel, Laura; Ruppe, Rebekah

    2012-01-01

    Antepartum lead screening typically involves identification of current environmental or occupational risk and pica habits. However, for foreign-born women who have immigrated to the United States, distant exposure years prior may be a more significant factor contributing to elevated lead levels. Because lead can be stored in bone for decades and mobilized to the blood when calcium needs increase in pregnancy, women and their children can be at risk for lead-related complications like anemia, gestational hypertension, preterm labor, low birth weight, and developmental delays without any identifiable current exposure. Midwives and other women's health clinicians must carefully evaluate the history of every woman under their care, individualizing screening and treatment to identify risk and provide timely intervention. © 2012 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  15. Latest Advancement In Airborne Relative Gravity Instrumentation.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brady, N.

    2011-12-01

    new system are: - Reduce the size of the system to approximately one third of the volume of the original TAGS and reduce the weight by one half. - Use slip ring technology to eliminate cable drag on the sensor and gimbal platform. - Use a double oven system to further isolate the gravity sensor from large external temperature variations commonly experienced in airborne survey operations. - Completely redesign both the platform control system and data acquisition and recording system to eliminate reliance on standard computer and windows software enhancing reliability and data throughput. - Increase data recording rate to 20 hertz to assist in making GPS corrections to platform levelling. - Use an advanced force feedback system to increase system resolution in turbulent conditions, eliminate dependence on the spring tension counter and the need to clamp the beam during turns. - Enable the system to be used for drape flying and remove the requirement for an operator and hence be suitable for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. Prototype testing of the mechanical and electronic components has been ongoing through the first half of 2011. Ground testing and airborne testing began in May of 2011 and will continue through until October of 2011. This paper will present the results of the full hardware testing in different environments and confirmation of the capabilities of the system.

  16. GRIN2A polymorphisms and expression levels are associated with lead-induced neurotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yu; Wang, Yiqing; Wang, Miaomiao; Sun, Na; Li, Chunping

    2017-04-01

    Lead acts as an antagonist of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). GRIN2A encodes an important subunit of NMDARs and may be a critical factor in the mechanism of lead neurotoxicity. Changes in GRIN2A expression levels or gene variants may be mechanisms of lead-induced neurotoxicity. In this study, we hypothesized that GRIN2A might contribute to lead-induced neurotoxicity. A preliminary HEK293 cell experiment was performed to analyze the association between GRIN2A expression and lead exposure. In addition, in a population-based study, serum GRIN2A levels were measured in both lead-exposed and control populations. To detect further the influence of GRIN2A gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lead-induced neurotoxicity, 3 tag SNPs (rs2650429, rs6497540, and rs9302415) were genotyped in a case-control study that included 399 lead-exposed subjects and 398 controls. Lead exposure decreased GRIN2A expression levels in HEK293 cells ( p < 0.001) compared with lead-free cells. Lead-exposed individuals had lower serum GRIN2A levels compared with controls ( p < 0.001), and we found a trend of decreasing GRIN2A level with an increase in blood lead level ( p < 0.001). In addition, we found a significant association between rs2650429 CT and TT genotypes and risk of lead poisoning compared with the rs2650429 CC genotype (adjusted odds ratio = 1.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-2.00]. Therefore, changes in GRIN2A expression levels and variants may be important mechanisms in the development of lead-induced neurotoxicity.

  17. Influence of membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity on airborne survival of Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Ng, Tsz Wai; Chan, Wing Lam; Lai, Ka Man

    2018-04-01

    Finding ways to predict and control the survival of bacterial aerosols can contribute to the development of ways to alleviate a number of crucial microbiological problems. Significant damage in the membrane integrity of Escherichia coli during aerosolization and airborne suspension has been revealed which has prompted the question of how the membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity influence the survival of airborne bacteria. Two approaches of using isogenic mutants and different growth temperatures were selected to manipulate the membrane fatty acid composition of E. coli before challenging the bacteria with different relative humidity (RH) levels in an aerosol chamber. Among the mutants (fabR - , cfa. fadA - ), fabR - had the lowest membrane fluidity index (FI) and generally showed a higher survival than the parental strain. Surprisingly, its resistance to airborne stress was so strong that its viability was fully maintained even after airborne suspension at 40% RH, a harsh RH level to bacterial survival. Moreover, E. coli cultured at 20 °C with a higher FI than that at 30 and 37 °C generally had a lower survival after aerosolization and airborne suspension. Unlike FI, individual fatty acid and cyclopropane fatty acid composition did not relate to the bacterial survival. Lipid peroxidation of the membrane was undetected in all the bacteria. Membrane fluidity plays a stronger role in determining the bacteria survival during airborne suspension than during aerosolization. Certain relationships between FI and bacteria survival were identified, which could help predict the transmission of bacteria under different conditions.

  18. [Distribution of airborne fungi, particulate matter and carbon dioxide in Seoul metropolitan subway stations].

    PubMed

    Kim, Ki Youn; Park, Jae Beom; Kim, Chi Nyon; Lee, Kyung Jong

    2006-07-01

    The aims of this study were to examine the level of airborne fungi and environmental factors in Seoul metropolitan subway stations and to provide fundamental data to protect the health of subway workers and passengers. The field survey was performed from November in 2004 to February in 2005. A total 22 subway stations located at Seoul subway lines 1-4 were randomly selected. The measurement points were subway workers' activity areas (station office, bedroom, ticket office and driver's seat) and the passengers' activity areas (station precincts, inside train and platform). Air sampling for collecting airborne fungi was carried out using a one-stage cascade impactor. The PM and CO2 were measured using an electronic direct recorder and detecting tube, respectively. In the activity areas of the subway workers and passengers, the mean concentrations of airborne fungi were relatively higher in the workers' bedroom and station precinct whereas the concentration of particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5, were relatively higher in the platform, inside the train and driver's seat than in the other activity areas. There was no significant difference in the concentration of airborne fungi between the underground and ground activity areas of the subway. The mean PM10 and PM2.5 concentration in the platform located at underground was significantly higher than that of the ground (p<0.05). The levels of airborne fungi in the Seoul subway line 1-4 were not serious enough to cause respiratory disease in subway workers and passengers. This indicates that there is little correlation between airborne fungi and particulate matter.

  19. Lead poisoning of horses in the vicinity of a battery recycling plant.

    PubMed

    Palacios, H; Hibarren, I; Olalla, M J; Cala, V

    2002-05-06

    The diagnosis of lead poisoning in horses living on farmland in the vicinity of a battery recycling plant was based on clinical signs as well as on laboratory findings. Chemical analysis of six surface soils (0-15 cm) and herbage samples taken at different distances to the recycling plant showed very high total lead levels in the closest sites to the facility and a clear decrease with distance. Total lead levels in soil samples ranged from 127 to 5657 mg kg(-1), with more than 70% of lead extractable by EDTA in the most polluted soils. Lead levels in the aerial part of herbage samples were in the range of 113-4741 mg kg(-1). A water washing pre-treatment of the vegetal samples considerably diminished the concentration of lead, suggesting that airborne lead particles from the facility emissions were fixed on the shoots. The analysis of samples taken from six dead horses showed lead concentrations, expressed as mg kg(-1) (d.w.), as follows: blood: 0.20-0.89; liver: 2.5-15; kidney: 1.70-6.75. Lead intake levels, estimated according to the ingestion rate of Grammineae forage, illustrates that the apported lead through the ingestion of vegetation growing in the closest sites to the recycling plant was approximately 99.5 mg Pb/kg body weight/day surpassing the fatal dosage for horses of 2.4 mg Pb/kg body weight/day reported by Hammond and Aronson, Ann NY Acad Sci, 1964; 111: 595-611.

  20. Assessment of airborne soy-hull allergen (Gly m 1) in the Port of Ancona, Italy.

    PubMed

    Antonicelli, L; Ruello, M L; Monsalve, R I; González, R; Fava, G; Bonifazi, F

    2010-10-01

    Epidemic asthma outbreaks are potentially a very high-risk medical situation in seaport towns where large volumes of soybean are loaded and unloaded Airborne allergen assessment plays a pivotal role in evaluating the resulting environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to measure the airborne Gly m 1 allergen level in the seaport of Ancona in order assess the soybean-specific allergenic risk for the city. Allergen and PM10 were evaluated at progressive distances from the port area. Allergen analysis was performed by monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay on the sampled filters. Daily meteorological data were obtained from the local meteorological station. For estimating the assimilative capacity of the atmosphere, an approach based on dispersive ventilation coefficient was tried. The allergen concentrations detected were low (range = 0.4-171 ng/m3). A decreasing gradient of the airborne allergen from the unloading area (22.1 +/- 41.2 ng/m3) to the control area (0.6 +/- 0.7 ng/m3) was detected. The concentration of the airborne Gly m 1 was not coupled with the presence of the soy-carrying ships in the port. A statistically significant relationship between airborne allergen, PM10 and local meteorological parameters quantifies the association with the atmospheric condition. Airborne Gly m 1 is part of the atmospheric dust of Ancona. The low level of this allergen seems consistent with the absence of asthma epidemic outbreak.

  1. High prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in both rural and urban Iowa newborns: Spatial patterns and area-level covariates

    PubMed Central

    Zahrieh, David; Young, Sean G.; Oleson, Jacob; Ryckman, Kelli K.; Wels, Brian; Simmons, Donald L.; Saftlas, Audrey

    2017-01-01

    Lead in maternal blood can cross the placenta and result in elevated blood lead levels in newborns, potentially producing negative effects on neurocognitive function, particularly if combined with childhood lead exposure. Little research exists, however, into the burden of elevated blood lead levels in newborns, or the places and populations in which elevated lead levels are observed in newborns, particularly in rural settings. Using ~2300 dried bloods spots collected within 1–3 days of birth among Iowa newborns, linked with the area of mother’s residence at the time of birth, we examine the spatial patterns of elevated (>5 μg/dL) blood lead levels and the ecological-level predictors of elevated blood lead levels. We find that one in five newborns exceed the 5 μg/dL action level set by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Bayesian spatial zero inflated regression indicates that elevated blood lead in newborns is associated with areas of increased pre-1940s housing and childbearing-age women with low educational status in both rural and urban settings. No differences in blood lead levels or the proportion of children exceeding 5 μg/dL are observed between urban and rural maternal residence, though a spatial cluster of elevated blood lead is observed in rural counties. These characteristics can guide the recommendation for testing of infants at well-baby appointments in places where risk factors are present, potentially leading to earlier initiation of case management. The findings also suggest that rural populations are at as great of risk of elevated blood lead levels as are urban populations. Analysis of newborn dried blood spots is an important tool for lead poisoning surveillance in newborns and can direct public health efforts towards specific places and populations where lead testing and case management will have the greatest impact. PMID:28520816

  2. Blood lead levels in children with neurological disorders: a single centre preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Mahmoudian, Touran; Modaresi, Mohamadreza; Zarei, Ali; Poursafa, Parinaz; Kelishadi, Roya

    2009-11-01

    Lead poisoning is a potentially devastating problem among young children. Chronic low level lead exposure can lead to learning disabilities and behavior changes such as colic, insomnia, hyperactivity, impaired growth, hearing loss and upper extremity weakness. The purpose of this cross sectional study was to determine the blood lead level in children with neurological disorders in comparison with healthy controls. Blood lead concentrations were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry in 100 children aged 1-10 years and suffering from various neurological disorders. One hundred age and sex-matched healthy children served as controls. The mean blood lead concentration was higher in children with neurological disorders than in controls (113.2 + or - 47.5 microg/L vs 84.7 + or - 38.0 microg/L; p<0.01). Overall, 44% of children with neurological disorders and 19% of controls were found to have increased blood lead levels, i.e.>100 microg/L. An increase in blood lead level in children might be related to neurological disorders. The measurement of blood lead level might be included in diagnostic eveluation of children with neurological disorders.

  3. Analysis of airborne and waterborne particles around a taconite ore processing facility.

    PubMed

    Axten, Charles W; Foster, David

    2008-10-01

    Since the mid-1970s, samples of airborne and waterborne fibrous particulates have been collected in the area of the Northshore Taconite Ore Processing Facility by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA), and the University of Minnesota. Indirect sample preparation has consistently been used although other aspects of the sampling methods and sites have varied and analytical procedures were altered over time as more accurate and precise microscopy methods were developed (i.e., phase contrast optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy). In the mid-1970s, levels of airborne fibrous particulate in the Silver Bay area averaged from 0.00030 to 0.03 f/ml. This level was significantly greater than levels of similar particulates in the St. Paul, MN area, although two of the Silver Bay sampling sites, considered individually, did not indicate levels of fibrous particulate markedly different than that seen in St. Paul. More recent sampling data (i.e., 1990-2001) indicate mean concentration of airborne fibrous particulates (amphibole-like fibrous particulates) of 0.0020 f/ml with a range of values from 0.0001 to 0.0140 f/ml. Such levels are not significantly different from those seen in other non-urban environments in the US and Europe. Concentrations of fibrous particulates in water samples were higher in the mid-1970 when iron ore tailings were being deposited in Lake Superior, but since the tailings have been deposited on land waterborne levels of fibrous particulate in the Beaver River have remained relatively constant averaging in the range of 7.5 MFL. This level is only slightly in excess of the current EPA drinking water standard for fibrous particulates. Review and consideration of this data is important in determining the potential health risks associated with airborne and waterborne fibrous particulates in the areas of the Northshore Taconite

  4. Analysis of pediatric blood lead levels in New York City for 1970-1976.

    PubMed Central

    Billick, I H; Curran, A S; Shier, D R

    1979-01-01

    A study was completed of more than 170,000 records of pediatric venous blood levels and supporting demographic information collected in New York City during 1970-1976. The geometric mean (GM) blood lead level shows a consistent cyclical variation superimposed on an overall decreasing trend with time for all ages and ethnic groups studied. The GM blood lead levels for blacks are significantly greater than those for either Hispanics or whites. Regression analysis indicates a significant statistical association between GM blood lead level and ambient air lead level, after appropriate adjustments are made for age and ethnic group. These highly significant statistical relationships provide extremely strong incentives and directions for research into casual factors related to blood lead levels in children. PMID:499123

  5. Safety Performance of Airborne Separation: Preliminary Baseline Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Consiglio, Maria C.; Hoadley, Sherwood T.; Wing, David J.; Baxley, Brian T.

    2007-01-01

    The Safety Performance of Airborne Separation (SPAS) study is a suite of Monte Carlo simulation experiments designed to analyze and quantify safety behavior of airborne separation. This paper presents results of preliminary baseline testing. The preliminary baseline scenario is designed to be very challenging, consisting of randomized routes in generic high-density airspace in which all aircraft are constrained to the same flight level. Sustained traffic density is varied from approximately 3 to 15 aircraft per 10,000 square miles, approximating up to about 5 times today s traffic density in a typical sector. Research at high traffic densities and at multiple flight levels are planned within the next two years. Basic safety metrics for aircraft separation are collected and analyzed. During the progression of experiments, various errors, uncertainties, delays, and other variables potentially impacting system safety will be incrementally introduced to analyze the effect on safety of the individual factors as well as their interaction and collective effect. In this paper we report the results of the first experiment that addresses the preliminary baseline condition tested over a range of traffic densities. Early results at five times the typical traffic density in today s NAS indicate that, under the assumptions of this study, airborne separation can be safely performed. In addition, we report on initial observations from an exploration of four additional factors tested at a single traffic density: broadcast surveillance signal interference, extent of intent sharing, pilot delay, and wind prediction error.

  6. A randomized trial of the effect of dust control on children's blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Lanphear, B P; Winter, N L; Apetz, L; Eberly, S; Weitzman, M

    1996-07-01

    Dust control is recommended as one of the cornerstones of controlling childhood lead exposure; however, the effectiveness of dust control has not been demonstrated for children who have low to mild elevations in blood lead (ie, less than 25 micrograms/dL). The objective of this study was to determine whether dust control, as performed by families, had an effect on children's blood lead levels and dust lead levels in children's homes. Randomized, controlled trial. Community-based trial in Rochester, NY. One hundred four children, 12 to 31 months of age at baseline. Families and children were randomized to one of two groups. Families of children in the intervention group received cleaning supplies, information about cleaning areas that are often contaminated with lead, and a cleaning demonstration. Families in the control group received only a brochure about lead poisoning prevention. Baseline measurements of lead in blood, house dust, soil, water, and paint were taken from both groups. Seven months after enrollment, a second blood lead assay was obtained, and lead levels in household dust were measured. The main outcome measures were change in blood lead levels and dust lead levels by treatment group. The median blood lead level of children enrolled in the study was 6.7 micrograms/dL (range, 1.7 to 30.6 micrograms/dL). There was no significant difference in the change of children's blood lead levels or dust lead levels by treatment group. The median change in blood lead levels among children in the intervention group was -0.05 micrograms/dL compared with -0.60 micrograms/dL among those in the control group. There also was no significant difference in the change of dust lead by group assignment, although there was a trend toward a significant difference in the percentage of change in dust lead levels on noncarpeted floors, which was greater among houses in the intervention group. These data suggest that an intervention that consists only of providing cleaning

  7. Recent Developments in Low-Level Lead Exposure and Intellectual Impairment in Children

    PubMed Central

    Koller, Karin; Brown, Terry; Spurgeon, Anne; Levy, Len

    2004-01-01

    In the last decade children’s blood lead levels have fallen significantly in a number of countries, and current mean levels in developed countries are in the region of 3 μg/dL. Despite this reduction, childhood lead poisoning continues to be a major public health problem for certain at-risk groups of children, and concerns remain over the effects of lead on intellectual development in infants and children. The evidence for lowered cognitive ability in children exposed to lead has come largely from prospective epidemiologic studies. The current World Health Organization/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blood level of concern reflects this and stands at 10 μg/dL. However, a recent study on a cohort of children whose lifetime peak blood levels were consistently < 10 μg/dL has extended the association of blood lead and intellectual impairment to lower levels of lead exposure and suggests there is no safety margin at existing exposures. Because of the importance of this finding, we reviewed this study in detail along with other recent developments in the field of low-level lead exposure and children’s cognitive development. We conclude that these findings are important scientifically, and efforts should continue to reduce childhood exposure. However, from a public health perspective, exposure to lead should be seen within the many other risk factors impacting on normal childhood development, in particular the influence of the learning environment itself. Current lead exposure accounts for a very small amount of variance in cognitive ability (1–4%), whereas social and parenting factors account for 40% or more. PMID:15198918

  8. Lead Concentration Levels in Water Samples Collected in Alameda County, CA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sethy, D.; Hoang, R.; Yu, I.; Hernandez, N.; Fang, K.; Zhang, W.; Li, J.; Munui, K. N.; Sot, R.; Luong, K.; Bonzo, R.; Sankar, R.; Chiu, D.; Rodriguez, V. A.

    2016-12-01

    The recent health crisis in Flint, Michigan has attracted an amount of interest in other public utilities' water supplies and infrastructure with regards to concerns over the presence of lead. In an effort to begin assessing the potential for a health crisis similar to that experienced in Flynt, during 2016 our team measured lead concentration levels in water samples by collected in Alameda County. More than 12 sites were selected from which samples were collected. These sites included parks, schools, and private residences. At each site 500mL samples were collected and prepared for later analysis. Samples were subjected to an analytical chemistry technique designed to isolate and concentrate lead to detectable levels of 1 part per billion (ppb). All 8 samples yielded detectable levels of lead; all samples were also well below the EPA regulatory 15 ppb. Two samples collected in West Oakland parks were found to have the highest and lowest levels: DeFremery (4 ppb) and Raimondi (1ppb), respectively. Though preliminary in nature, results from this study suggest that further investigations should be undertaken to assess possible lead contamination associated with drinking water sources in Alameda County.

  9. Airborne laser-diode-array illuminator assessment for the night vision's airborne mine-detection arid test

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stetson, Suzanne; Weber, Hadley; Crosby, Frank J.; Tinsley, Kenneth; Kloess, Edmund; Nevis, Andrew J.; Holloway, John H., Jr.; Witherspoon, Ned H.

    2004-09-01

    The Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technologies (ALRT) project has developed and tested a nighttime operational minefield detection capability using commercial off-the-shelf high-power Laser Diode Arrays (LDAs). The Coastal System Station"s ALRT project, under funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), has been designing, developing, integrating, and testing commercial arrays using a Cessna airborne platform over the last several years. This has led to the development of the Airborne Laser Diode Array Illuminator wide field-of-view (ALDAI-W) imaging test bed system. The ALRT project tested ALDAI-W at the Army"s Night Vision Lab"s Airborne Mine Detection Arid Test. By participating in Night Vision"s test, ALRT was able to collect initial prototype nighttime operational data using ALDAI-W, showing impressive results and pioneering the way for final test bed demonstration conducted in September 2003. This paper describes the ALDAI-W Arid Test and results, along with processing steps used to generate imagery.

  10. Occupational and Lifestyle Determinants of Blood Lead Levels among Men in Madras, India.

    PubMed

    Potula; Hu

    1996-01-01

    The objective of this epidemiologic study was to assess the relationship of blood lead levels to occupational exposure to the combustion products of leaded gasoline and to several lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and diet) among men from four occupational groups in Madras, India. Blood lead was measured using graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. The mean (SD) blood lead levels in 129 blood samples collected from traffic police, bus drivers, and auto-shop workers were 11.2 (8.8), 12 (11.1), and 17.5 (8.4) µg/dL, respectively; the corresponding value for urban controls (office workers) was 4.1 (2.1) µg/dL. In a final multivariate regression model, a non-vegetarian diet and job category remained the strongest predictors of blood lead level (p < 0.05), while smoking, alcohol consumption, and duration of employment were not significantly correlated with blood lead levels. The authors conclude that continued use of leaded gasoline probably plays a dominant role in determining blood lead levels in Madras.

  11. Airborne pollen of allergenic herb species in Toledo (Spain).

    PubMed

    Vaquero, Consolación; Rodríguez-Torres, Alfonso; Rojo, Jesús; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

    2013-01-01

    This study analysed airborne pollen counts for allergenic herb taxa in Toledo (central Spain), a major tourist city receiving over 2 million visitors per year, located in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The taxa selected were Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Plantago, Poaceae and Urticaceae, all of which produce allergenic pollen giving rise to serious symptoms in pollen-allergy sufferers. Aerobiological data were recorded over a 6-year period (2005 to 2010) using the sampling and analysis procedures recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. The abundance and the temporal (annual, daily and intradiurnal) distribution of these pollen types were analysed, and the influence of weather-related factors on airborne pollen counts was assessed. Pollen from herbaceous species accounted for 20.9% of total airborne pollen in Toledo, the largest contributor being Poaceae, with 8.5% of the total pollen count; this family was also the leading cause of respiratory allergies. Examination of intradiurnal variation revealed three distinct distribution patterns: (1) peak daily counts for Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae and Plantago were recorded during the hottest part of the day, i.e. from 1400 to 1600 hours; (2) Urticaceae displayed two peaks (1400-1600 and 2200 hours); and (3) Poaceae counts remained fairly stable throughout the day. Two main risk periods were identified for allergies: spring, with allergies caused by Urticaceae, Plantago and Poaceae pollen, and summer, due to Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae pollen.

  12. Assessing New GRAV-D Airborne Gravimetry Collected over the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holmes, S. A.; Li, X.; Roman, D. R.

    2013-12-01

    The U.S. National Geodetic Survey [NGS], through their Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum [GRAV-D] program, is updating its terrestrial gravimetry holdings by flying new airborne gravity surveys over a large fraction of the USA and its territories. By 2020, NGS intends that all orthometric heights in the USA will be determined in the field by using a reliable national gravimetric geoid model to transform from geodetic heights obtained from GPS. Towards this end, the newly-collected airborne-gravimety is repeatedly evaluated by using it to support experimental gravitational models and gravimetric geoids, and then comparing these against independent data sets, such as ';satgrav' models (GRACE/GOCE), GPS/Leveling, astronomical vertical defections, and others. Here we show some results from these tests for GRAV-D airborne gravimetry collected over 2012/2013.

  13. Fast-Time Evaluations of Airborne Merging and Spacing in Terminal Arrival Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishnamurthy, Karthik; Barmore, Bryan; Bussink, Frank; Weitz, Lesley; Dahlene, Laura

    2005-01-01

    NASA researchers are developing new airborne technologies and procedures to increase runway throughput at capacity-constrained airports by improving the precision of inter-arrival spacing at the runway threshold. In this new operational concept, pilots of equipped aircraft are cleared to adjust aircraft speed to achieve a designated spacing interval at the runway threshold, relative to a designated lead aircraft. A new airborne toolset, prototypes of which are being developed at the NASA Langley Research Center, assists pilots in achieving this objective. The current prototype allows precision spacing operations to commence even when the aircraft and its lead are not yet in-trail, but are on merging arrival routes to the runway. A series of fast-time evaluations of the new toolset were conducted at the Langley Research Center during the summer of 2004. The study assessed toolset performance in a mixed fleet of aircraft on three merging arrival streams under a range of operating conditions. The results of the study indicate that the prototype possesses a high degree of robustness to moderate variations in operating conditions.

  14. Surface and Airborne Arsenic Concentrations in a Recreational Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    PubMed Central

    Goossens, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    Elevated concentrations of arsenic, up to 7058 μg g-1 in topsoil and bedrock, and more than 0.03 μg m-3 in air on a 2-week basis, were measured in the Nellis Dunes Recreation Area (NDRA), a very popular off-road area near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The elevated arsenic concentrations in the topsoil and bedrock are correlated to outcrops of yellow sandstone belonging to the Muddy Creek Formation (≈ 10 to 4 Ma) and to faults crossing the area. Mineralized fluids moved to the surface through the faults and deposited the arsenic. A technique was developed to calculate airborne arsenic concentrations from the arsenic content in the topsoil. The technique was tested by comparing calculated with measured concentrations at 34 locations in the NDRA, for 3 periods of 2 weeks each. We then applied it to calculate airborne arsenic concentrations for more than 500 locations all over the NDRA. The highest airborne arsenic concentrations occur over sand dunes and other zones with a surficial layer of aeolian sand. Ironically these areas show the lowest levels of arsenic in the topsoil. However, they are highly susceptible to wind erosion and emit very large amounts of sand and dust during episodes of strong winds, thereby also emitting much arsenic. Elsewhere in the NDRA, in areas not or only very slightly affected by wind erosion, airborne arsenic levels equal the background level for airborne arsenic in the USA, approximately 0.0004 μg m-3. The results of this study are important because the NDRA is visited by more than 300,000 people annually. PMID:25897667

  15. Embedded ice with lead

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    Iceberg embedded in sea ice with a lead on one side. This opening was likely caused by winds blowing against the side of the iceberg. Credit: NASA / George Hale NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  16. Meteorological effects on variation of airborne algae in Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosas, Irma; Roy-Ocotla, Guadalupe; Mosiño, Pedro

    1989-09-01

    Sixteen species of algae were collected from 73.8 m3 of air. Eleven were obtained in Minatitlán and eleven in México City. The data show that similar diversity occurred between the two localities, in spite of the difference in altitude. This suggests that cosmopolitan airborne microorganisms might have been released from different sources. Three major algal divisions (Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta and Chrysophyta) formed the airborne algal group. Also, a large concentration of 2220 algae m-3 was found near sea-level, while lower amounts were recorded at the high altitude of México City. The genera Scenedesmus, Chlorella and Chlorococcum dominated. Striking relationships were noted between the concentration of airborne green and blue-green algae, and meteorological conditions such as rain, vapour pressure, temperature and winds for different altitudes. In Minatitlán a linear relationship was established between concentration of algae and both vapour pressure (mbar) and temperature (° C), while in México City the wind (m s-1) was associated with variations in the algal count.

  17. Effects of environmental lead pollution on blood lead and sex hormone levels among occupationally exposed group in an E-waste dismantling area.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yan; Lu, Xiao Song; Li, Ding Long; Yu, Yun Jiang

    2013-06-01

    To study the effects of environmental multi-media lead pollution on blood lead and sex hormone levels among lead exposed males engaged in E-waste dismantling, and the correlation between confounding factors and sex hormone levels. An E-waste dismantling area in Taizhou of Zhejiang Province was selected as the research site. One hundred and fifty two samples were collected from the groundwater, soil, rice, corn, chicken, and pork in the dismantling area. The effects of the multi-media lead pollution on the male blood lead and sex hormone levels of FSH, LH, and T, as well as the correlation with confounding factors, were studied. The blood lead concentrations in the males aged under 31, from 31 to 45 and from 46 to 60 were 98.55, 100.23, and 101.45 μg/L, respectively. Of all the environmental media lead exposures, the groundwater, rice and soil were main contributing factors to the lead accumulation in humans. FSH and LH levels increased with the age while the T levels decreased with the age instead. There was a significant correlation between the FSH and LH levels and wearing masks. There was correlation between the FSH, LH, and T levels, and the mean values of lead concentrations in environmental media, and the sex hormone levels were correlated with the confounding factor of wearing masks. Copyright © 2013 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

  18. Predictors of blood lead levels in agricultural villages practicing wastewater irrigation in Central Mexico.

    PubMed

    Cifuentes, E; Villanueva, J; Sanin, L H

    2000-01-01

    To investigate whether the agricultural use of untreated wastewater (i.e. crop irrigation) was associated with elevated blood lead levels in a farming population in the Mezquital Valley and which risk factors, other than exposure to untreated wastewater, were associated with elevated blood lead levels, lead levels were measured in venous blood obtained from 735 individuals. Blood samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Food habits and dietary intake were gathered by interview, using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The average blood lead level was 7.8 microg/dL (SD 4.66 microg/dL; range 1.2-36.7 microg/dL). 23% of the study population had blood lead levels exceeding 10 microg/dL. The use of lead-glazed ceramics (LGC) was significantly associated with elevated lead levels (p = < 0.001). Other significant variables included age, gender (males), and non-farming-related occupations (e.g., technicians, factory workers). p = 0.005, 0.08, and 0.001, respectively. When the analysis was stratified by the use of LGC for food preparation, an inverse relationship between higher daily calcium intake and blood lead level was detected (beta = - 0.040, p = < 0.05). Thus, blood lead levels were positively associated with the use of LGC. Calcium intake showed a protective effect, maybe by decreasing absorption of lead in the gastrointestinal tract. No association between occupational exposure to untreated wastewater or crop consumption and blood lead levels was detected. Further environmental and health surveillance is recommended.

  19. Exposure assessment in Beijing, China: biological agents, ultrafine particles, and lead.

    PubMed

    Dong, Shuofei; Yao, Maosheng

    2010-11-01

    In this study, air samples were taken using a BioSampler and gelatin filters from six sites in Beijing: office, hospital, student dormitory, train station, subway, and a commercial street. Dust samples were also collected using a surface sampler from the same environments. Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) and Glucatell assays were used to quantify sample endotoxin and (1,3)-β-d-glucan concentration levels, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the dust mite allergens (Der p 1 and Der f 1). Ultrafine particle and lead concentrations in these sampling sites were also measured using P-Trak and atomic absorption spectrometer, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the concentration data. Higher culturable bacteria (12,639 CFU/m3) and fungi (1,806 CFU/m3) concentrations were observed for the train station and the subway system, respectively. For the rest of sampling sites, their concentrations were comparable to those found in western countries, ranging from 990 to 2,276 CFU/m3 for bacteria, and from 119 to 269 CFU/m3 for fungi. ANOVA analysis indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the culturable bacterial and fungal concentration levels obtained for different sites (p value=0.0001 and 0.0047). As for dust allergens, endotoxin, and (1,3)-β-D-glucan, their concentrations also seemed to be comparable to those found in the developed countries. Airborne allergen concentrations ranged from 16 to 68 ng/m3. The dust-borne allergen concentration was observed to range from 0.063 to 0.327 ng/mg. As for endotoxin, the highest airborne concentration of 25.24 ng/m3 was observed for the commercial street, and others ranged from 0.0427 to 0.1259 ng/m3. And dust-borne endotoxin concentration ranged from 58.83 to 6,427.4 ng/mg. For (1,3)-β-D-glucan, the airborne concentration ranged from 0.02 to 1.2 ng/m3. Linear regression analyses showed that there existed

  20. Relationship Between Total and Bioaccessible Lead on Children’s Blood Lead Levels in Urban Residential Philadelphia Soils

    EPA Science Inventory

    Relationships between total soil or bioaccessible lead (Pb), measured using an in vitro bioaccessibility assay, and children’s blood lead levels (BLL) were investigated in an urban neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, with a history of soil Pb contamination....

  1. Improving estimation of tree carbon stocks by harvesting aboveground woody biomass within airborne LiDAR flight areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colgan, M.; Asner, G. P.; Swemmer, A. M.

    2011-12-01

    The accurate estimation of carbon stored in a tree is essential to accounting for the carbon emissions due to deforestation and degradation. Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has been successful in estimating aboveground carbon density (ACD) by correlating airborne metrics, such as canopy height, to field-estimated biomass. This latter step is reliant on field allometry which is applied to forest inventory quantities, such as stem diameter and height, to predict the biomass of a given tree stem. Constructing such allometry is expensive, time consuming, and requires destructive sampling. Consequently, the sample sizes used to construct such allometry are often small, and the largest tree sampled is often much smaller than the largest in the forest population. The uncertainty resulting from these sampling errors can lead to severe biases when the allometry is applied to stems larger than those harvested to construct the allometry, which is then subsequently propagated to airborne ACD estimates. The Kruger National Park (KNP) mission of maintaining biodiversity coincides with preserving ecosystem carbon stocks. However, one hurdle to accurately quantifying carbon density in savannas is that small stems are typically harvested to construct woody biomass allometry, yet they are not representative of Kruger's distribution of biomass. Consequently, these equations inadequately capture large tree variation in sapwood/hardwood composition, root/shoot/leaf allocation, branch fall, and stem rot. This study eliminates the "middleman" of field allometry by directly measuring, or harvesting, tree biomass within the extent of airborne LiDAR. This enables comparisons of field and airborne ACD estimates, and also enables creation of new airborne algorithms to estimate biomass at the scale of individual trees. A field campaign was conducted at Pompey Silica Mine 5km outside Kruger National Park, South Africa, in Mar-Aug 2010 to harvest and weigh tree mass. Since

  2. Evaluation of lead levels in children living near a Los Angeles county battery recycling facility.

    PubMed Central

    Wohl, A R; Dominguez, A; Flessel, P

    1996-01-01

    This cross-sectional study examined the association between environmental lead measurements surrounding a Los Angeles County battery recycling facility and the blood lead levels of the children living nearby. Environmental lead measurements and blood lead levels of young children living in a community adjacent to a stationary lead source were compared to those living in a community without a stationary lead source. Predictors of blood lead level were identified. The blood lead levels of the children living near the secondary lead smelter were within the normal range (< 5 micrograms/dl). The absence of ground cover was associated with slightly increased blood lead levels; however, this increase was not of biological significance. Lead levels in surface soil near the stationary lead source were elevated compared to the control community; however, the soil affected community, which may be due in part to controls recently installed at the stationary lead source. PMID:8919770

  3. Investigation of fluorine content in PM2.5 airborne particles of Istanbul, Turkey.

    PubMed

    Ozbek, Nil; Baltaci, Hakki; Baysal, Asli

    2016-07-01

    Fluorine determination in airborne samples is important due to its spread into the air from both natural and artificial sources. It can travel by wind over large distances before depositing on the Earth's surface. Its concentration in various matrices are limited and controlled by the regulations for causing health risks associated with environmental exposures. In this work, fluorine was determined in PM2.5 airborne samples by high-resolution continuum source electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. For these purpose, the PM2.5 airborne particulates were collected on quartz filters using high-volume samplers (500 L/min) in Istanbul (Turkey) for 96 h during January to June in 2 years. Then, instrumental and experimental parameters were optimized for the analyte in airborne samples. The validity of the method for the analyte was tested using standard reference material, and certified values were found in the limits of 95 % confidence level. The fluorine concentrations and meteorological conditions were compared statistically.

  4. An update on airborne contact dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Huygens, S; Goossens, A

    2001-01-01

    This review is an update of 2 previously published articles on airborne contact dermatoses. Because reports in the literature often omit the term 'airborne', 18 volumes of Contact Dermatitis (April 1991-June 2000), 8 volumes of the American Journal of Contact Dermatitis (1992 1999) and 4 volumes of La Lettre du Gerda (1996-1999) were screened, and the cases cited were classified as to history, lesion locations, sensitization sources, and other factors. Reports on airborne dermatitis are increasingly being published, sometimes in relation to specific occupational areas.

  5. A Concept for Airborne Precision Spacing for Dependent Parallel Approaches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barmore, Bryan E.; Baxley, Brian T.; Abbott, Terence S.; Capron, William R.; Smith, Colin L.; Shay, Richard F.; Hubbs, Clay

    2012-01-01

    The Airborne Precision Spacing concept of operations has been previously developed to support the precise delivery of aircraft landing successively on the same runway. The high-precision and consistent delivery of inter-aircraft spacing allows for increased runway throughput and the use of energy-efficient arrivals routes such as Continuous Descent Arrivals and Optimized Profile Descents. This paper describes an extension to the Airborne Precision Spacing concept to enable dependent parallel approach operations where the spacing aircraft must manage their in-trail spacing from a leading aircraft on approach to the same runway and spacing from an aircraft on approach to a parallel runway. Functionality for supporting automation is discussed as well as procedures for pilots and controllers. An analysis is performed to identify the required information and a new ADS-B report is proposed to support these information needs. Finally, several scenarios are described in detail.

  6. Iron deficiency in young Lebanese children: association with elevated blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Muwakkit, Samar; Nuwayhid, Iman; Nabulsi, Mona; al Hajj, Rima; Khoury, Ruby; Mikati, Mohamad; Abboud, Miguel R

    2008-05-01

    To measure the prevalence of transferrin saturation (TS) <12%, and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in Lebanese children, and their association with dietary habits, sociodemographic characteristics, and blood lead levels. A cross-sectional study was performed over a period of 2 years. Of 268 children studied, 142 (53%) were boys and 126 (47%) were girls with an age range of 11 to 75 months. Information collected included nutritional status, blood counts, TS, and blood lead levels. The total prevalence of TS<12% and IDA were 33.6% and 20.5%, respectively, and were associated with not having received iron supplements. IDA was more prevalent among males (P=0.04). TS<12% and IDA were significantly associated with elevated blood lead levels in the first age group (11 to 23 mo) (P=0.04, odds ratio=3.19) and (P=0.006, odds ratio=4.59), respectively. IDA is common in Lebanese children and is associated with increased blood lead levels, lack of iron supplementation, and cultural dietary habits. Remedial measures such as iron fortification of commonly consumed food are needed on the national level. Lead exposure must be controlled and awareness must be raised about the potentially devastating consequences of combined iron deficiency and lead poisoning on young children.

  7. Airborne-Managed Spacing in Multiple Arrival Streams

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barmore, Bryan; Abbott, Terence; Krishnamurthy, Karthik

    2004-01-01

    A significant bottleneck in the current air traffic system occurs at the runway. Expanding airports and adding new runways will help solve this problem; however, this comes at a significant cost, financially, politically and environmentally. A complementary solution is to safely increase the capacity of current runways. This can be achieved by precise spacing at the runway threshold with a resulting reduction in the spacing buffer required under today s operations. At the NASA Langley Research Center, the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) Project is investigating airborne technologies and procedures that will assist the pilot in achieving precise spacing behind another aircraft. This new spacing clearance instructs the pilot to follow speed cues from a new on-board guidance system called Airborne Merging and Spacing for Terminal Arrivals (AMSTAR). AMSTAR receives Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) reports from the leading aircraft and calculates the appropriate speed for the ownership to fly in order to achieve the desired spacing interval, time or distance-based, at the runway threshold. Since the goal is overall system capacity, the speed guidance algorithm is designed to provide system benefit over individual efficiency. This paper discusses the concept of operations and design of AMSTAR to support airborne precision spacing. Results from the previous stage of development, focused only on in-trail spacing, are discussed along with the evolution of the concept to include merging of converging streams of traffic. This paper also examines how this operation might support future wake vortex-based separation and other advances in terminal area operations. Finally, the research plan for the merging capabilities, to be performed during the summer and fall of 2004 is presented.

  8. Lead in school children from Morelos, Mexico: levels, sources and feasible interventions.

    PubMed

    Farías, Paulina; Álamo-Hernández, Urinda; Mancilla-Sánchez, Leonardo; Texcalac-Sangrador, José Luis; Carrizales-Yáñez, Leticia; Riojas-Rodríguez, Horacio

    2014-12-01

    Lead is a pervasive pollutant, associated at low levels to many adverse health effects. To investigate lead levels, exposure pathways and intervention possibilities in school children from Alpuyeca, in Morelos, Mexico. Blood lead concentrations (BPb) were measured in 226 children in 2011. Exposure pathways were assessed through a questionnaire, lead measurements in different environmental matrices and spatial aggregation analysis of lead concentrations. BPb ranged from 1.5 to 36.5 ìg/dL, with a mean (SD) of 7.23 (4.9) ìg/dL. Sixty-four and 18% of the children had BPb > 5 ìg/dL and > 10 ìg/dL, respectively. The use of lead glazed ceramics was reported in almost half of the households; it was the main BPb determinant and it was associated with an increased risk of having BPb > 5 g/dL by 2.7 times (p = 0.001). Environmental samples were within US EPA’s lead recommended limits, and blood lead levels were randomly distributed in the community. Lead remains a public health problem in Alpuyeca, Mexico. Unlike other local pollutant lead exposure prevention can be achieved inexpensively and in a short term. Interventions should make mothers aware of lead's health effects and empower them to safeguard their children's health by avoiding the culturally ingrained use of lead glazed pottery.

  9. CHILDHOOD BLOOD LEAD LEVELS NOT AFFECTED BY HOUSING COMPLIANCE STATUS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In a secondary analysis of data from the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program of Philadelphia (July 1, 1999 through September 1, 2004), the authors evaluated the effect of housing compliance status and time to achieve compliance on changes in children's blood lead levels. ...

  10. Blood lead levels in children, China

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang Shunqin; Zhang Jinliang

    2006-07-15

    To evaluate Chinese children's blood lead levels (BLLs) and identify its distribution features, we collected articles on children's BLLs published from 1994 to March 2004 using the Chinese Biomedical Disc and reviewed 32 articles eligible for the following criteria: (1) BLLs measured by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy or Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry; (2) strict quality control; (3) no lead pollution sources in the areas where the screened subjects live; and (4) sample size bigger than 100. We found that mean BLLs of Chinese children was 92.9 {mu}g/L (37.2-254.2 {mu}g/L), and 33.8% (9.6-80.5%) of the subjects had BLLs higher thanmore » 100 {mu}g/L. Nine of the 27 provinces or cities reported had average BLLs {>=}100 {mu}g/L. Boys' BLL was 96.4 {mu}g/L, significantly higher than girls' 89.4 {mu}g/L (P<0.001). BLLs of children {<=}6 years increased with age. The mean BLLs of children living in industrial and urban areas were significantly higher than those of children in suburbs and rural areas. Our results suggested that children's BLLs in China are higher than those of their counterparts in other countries due to its heavy lead pollution. Therefore, this is of great public health importance.« less

  11. Modeling of Blood Lead Levels in Astronauts Exposed to Lead from Microgravity-Accelerated Bone Loss

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garcia, H.; James, J.; Tsuji, J.

    2014-01-01

    Human exposure to lead has been associated with toxicity to multiple organ systems. Studies of various population groups with relatively low blood lead concentrations (<10 µg/dL) have indicated associations of blood lead level with lower cognitive test scores in children, later onset of puberty in girls, and increased blood pressure and cardiovascular mortality rates in adults. Cognitive effects are considered by regulatory agencies to be the most sensitive endpoint at low doses. Although 95% of the body burden of lead is stored in the bones, the adverse effects of lead correlate with the concentration of lead in the blood better than with that in the bones. NASA has found that prolonged exposure to microgravity during spaceflight results in a significant loss of bone minerals, the extent of which varies from individual to individual and from bone to bone, but generally averages about 0.5% per month. During such bone loss, lead that had been stored in bones would be released along with calcium. The effects on the concentration of lead in the blood (PbB) of various concentrations of lead in drinking water (PbW) and of lead released from bones due to accelerated osteoporosis in microgravity, as well as changes in exposure to environmental lead before, during, and after spaceflight were evaluated using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model that incorporated exposure to environmental lead both on earth and in flight and included temporarily increased rates of osteoporosis during spaceflight.

  12. Airborne electromagnetic bathymetry investigations in Port Lincoln, South Australia - comparison with an equivalent floating transient electromagnetic system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vrbancich, Julian

    2011-09-01

    Helicopter time-domain airborne electromagnetic (AEM) methodology is being investigated as a reconnaissance technique for bathymetric mapping in shallow coastal waters, especially in areas affected by water turbidity where light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and hyperspectral techniques may be limited. Previous studies in Port Lincoln, South Australia, used a floating AEM time-domain system to provide an upper limit to the expected bathymetric accuracy based on current technology for AEM systems. The survey lines traced by the towed floating system were also flown with an airborne system using the same transmitter and receiver electronic instrumentation, on two separate occasions. On the second occasion, significant improvements had been made to the instrumentation to reduce the system self-response at early times. A comparison of the interpreted water depths obtained from the airborne and floating systems is presented, showing the degradation in bathymetric accuracy obtained from the airborne data. An empirical data correction method based on modelled and observed EM responses over deep seawater (i.e. a quasi half-space response) at varying survey altitudes, combined with known seawater conductivity measured during the survey, can lead to significant improvements in interpreted water depths and serves as a useful method for checking system calibration. Another empirical data correction method based on observed and modelled EM responses in shallow water was shown to lead to similar improvements in interpreted water depths; however, this procedure is notably inferior to the quasi half-space response because more parameters need to be assumed in order to compute the modelled EM response. A comparison between the results of the two airborne surveys in Port Lincoln shows that uncorrected data obtained from the second airborne survey gives good agreement with known water depths without the need to apply any empirical corrections to the data. This result significantly

  13. Correlation between lead levels in drinking water and mothers' breast milk: Dakahlia, Egypt.

    PubMed

    Mandour, Raafat A; Ghanem, Abdel-Aziz; El-Azab, Somaia M

    2013-04-01

    This study was performed on fifty-two drinking tap water samples (surface and groundwater) collected from different districts of Dakahlia Governorate and fifty-two breast milk samples from lactating mothers hosted in Dakahlia Governorate hospitals. All these samples were subjected to lead analysis. Lead level in drinking groundwater showed higher levels than in drinking surface water. Also, an elevation of lead levels in breast milk of mothers drinking groundwater was noticed when compared with that of mothers drinking surface water. The comparison between mean lead levels in drinking water and mothers' breast milk samples showed positive relationship. Lead concentrations in breast milk of the studied samples were elevated by exposure to smoking. We conclude that prolonged contact with lead plumbing can increase the lead content in tap water with subsequent increase in lead burden in infant fed formula and infant blood. Also, we recommend that chemical analyses must be carried out periodically for the surface and groundwater to ensure the water suitability for drinking purposes. Passive exposure to smoking during lactation should be avoided. Capsule: Prolonged contact with lead plumbing can increase the lead content in tap water with subsequent increase in lead burden in infant fed formula and infant blood.

  14. Low-level lead exposure and the prevalence of gout: an observational study.

    PubMed

    Krishnan, Eswar; Lingala, Bharathi; Bhalla, Vivek

    2012-08-21

    Blood lead levels (BLLs) less than 1.21 µmol/L (<25 µg/dL) among adults are considered acceptable by current national standards. Lead toxicity can lead to gouty arthritis (gout), but whether the low lead exposure in the contemporary general population confers risk for gout is not known. To determine whether BLLs within the range currently considered acceptable are associated with gout. Population-based cross-sectional study. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005 through 2008. 6153 civilians aged 40 years or older with an estimated glomerular filtration rate greater than 10 mL/min per 1.73 m2. Outcome variables were self-reported physician diagnosis of gout and serum urate level. Blood lead level was the principal exposure variable. Additional data collected were anthropometric measures, blood pressure, dietary purine intake, medication use, medical history, and serum creatinine concentration. The prevalence of gout was 6.05% (95% CI, 4.49% to 7.62%) among patients in the highest BLL quartile (mean, 0.19 µmol/L [3.95 µg/dL]) compared with 1.76% (CI, 1.10% to 2.42%) among those in the lowest quartile (mean, 0.04 µmol/L [0.89 µg/dL]). Each doubling of BLL was associated with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.74 (CI, 1.47 to 2.05) for gout and 1.25 (CI, 1.12 to 1.40) for hyperuricemia. After adjustment for renal function, diabetes, diuretic use, hypertension, race, body mass index, income, and education level, the highest BLL quartile was associated with a 3.6-fold higher risk for gout and a 1.9-fold higher risk for hyperuricemia compared with the lowest quartile. Blood lead level does not necessarily reflect the total body lead burden. Blood lead levels in the range currently considered acceptable are associated with increased prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia.

  15. Scanning and transmission electron microscope of suspended lead-rich particles in the air of San Luis Potosi, Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piña, A. Aragón; Villaseñor, G. Torres; Jacinto, P. Santiago; Fernández, M. Monroy

    In the city of San Luis Potosi exists an important metallurgical plant and is known that in the adjacent urban zone, there is a high concentration of lead in the air, it is also supposed that most of the particles with lead have an anthropogenic origin because these particles show morphological characteristics and chemical composition very different in comparison with common lead minerals. In this work it was proved that most of the airborne particles with lead present in this urban zone, effectively came from the copper smelter. The airborne particles with lead were compared with particles with lead obtained starting from samples of slag and lead calcine of the copper smelter. To perform the comparative study, these particles were studied with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDS) in conjunction with scanning electron microscope to obtain chemical composition and associated morphological characteristics. Results suggest that these particles, composed of only one phase, are chemically distinct from any crustal lead mineral. Because of the complexity of the chemical composition of these particles (Pb, S, Cu, As, Fe, Zn, Cd, Sb, O), some of the airborne particles were analyzed by transmission microscopy in order to associate crystalline structure with any particular chemical phase.

  16. Lead in School Children from Morelos, Mexico: Levels, Sources and Feasible Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Farías, Paulina; Álamo-Hernández, Urinda; Mancilla-Sánchez, Leonardo; Texcalac-Sangrador, José Luis; Carrizales-Yáñez, Leticia; Riojas-Rodríguez, Horacio

    2014-01-01

    Background: Lead is a pervasive pollutant, associated at low levels to many adverse health effects. Objective: To investigate lead levels, exposure pathways and intervention possibilities in school children from Alpuyeca, in Morelos, Mexico. Methods: Blood lead concentrations (BPb) were measured in 226 children in 2011. Exposure pathways were assessed through a questionnaire, lead measurements in different environmental matrices and spatial aggregation analysis of lead concentrations. Results: BPb ranged from 1.5 to 36.5 µg/dL, with a mean (SD) of 7.23 (4.9) µg/dL. Sixty-four and 18% of the children had BPb > 5 µg/dL and > 10 µg/dL, respectively. The use of lead glazed ceramics was reported in almost half of the households; it was the main BPb determinant and it was associated with an increased risk of having BPb > 5 g/dL by 2.7 times (p = 0.001). Environmental samples were within US EPA’s lead recommended limits, and blood lead levels were randomly distributed in the community. Conclusions: Lead remains a public health problem in Alpuyeca, Mexico. Unlike other local pollutants, lead exposure prevention can be achieved inexpensively and in a short term. Interventions should make mothers aware of lead’s health effects and empower them to safeguard their children’s health by avoiding the culturally ingrained use of lead glazed pottery. PMID:25493390

  17. The NRL 2011 Airborne Sea-Ice Thickness Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brozena, J. M.; Gardner, J. M.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.; Richter-Menge, J.

    2011-12-01

    In March of 2011, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) performed a study focused on the estimation of sea-ice thickness from airborne radar, laser and photogrammetric sensors. The study was funded by ONR to take advantage of the Navy's ICEX2011 ice-camp /submarine exercise, and to serve as a lead-in year for NRL's five year basic research program on the measurement and modeling of sea-ice scheduled to take place from 2012-2017. Researchers from the Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and NRL worked with the Navy Arctic Submarine Lab (ASL) to emplace a 9 km-long ground-truth line near the ice-camp (see Richter-Menge et al., this session) along which ice and snow thickness were directly measured. Additionally, US Navy submarines collected ice draft measurements under the groundtruth line. Repeat passes directly over the ground-truth line were flown and a grid surrounding the line was also flown to collect altimeter, LiDAR and Photogrammetry data. Five CRYOSAT-2 satellite tracks were underflown, as well, coincident with satellite passage. Estimates of sea ice thickness are calculated assuming local hydrostatic balance, and require the densities of water, ice and snow, snow depth, and freeboard (defined as the elevation of sea ice, plus accumulated snow, above local sea level). Snow thickness is estimated from the difference between LiDAR and radar altimeter profiles, the latter of which is assumed to penetrate any snow cover. The concepts we used to estimate ice thickness are similar to those employed in NASA ICEBRIDGE sea-ice thickness estimation. Airborne sensors used for our experiment were a Reigl Q-560 scanning topographic LiDAR, a pulse-limited (2 nS), 10 GHz radar altimeter and an Applanix DSS-439 digital photogrammetric camera (for lead identification). Flights were conducted on a Twin Otter aircraft from Pt. Barrow, AK, and averaged ~ 5 hours in duration. It is challenging to directly compare results from the swath LiDAR with the

  18. The Role of Airborne Proteins in Atopic Dermatitis

    PubMed Central

    Hostetler, Sarah Grim; Kaffenberger, Benjamin; Hostetler, Todd

    2010-01-01

    Atopic dermatitis is a common, chronic skin condition. A subpopulation of patients may have cutaneous exposure to common airborne proteins exacerbating their disease through direct proteolytic activity, direct activation of proteinase-activated receptor-2 itch receptors, and immunoglobulin E binding. The most common airborne proteins significant in atopic dermatitis include house dust mites, cockroach, pet dander, and multiple pollens. The literature on atopy patch testing, skin-prick testing, and specific IgE is mixed, with greater support for the use of atopy patch test. Patients with airborne proteins contributing to their disease typically have lesions predominately on air-exposed skin surfaces including the face, neck, and arms; a history of exacerbations after exposure to airborne proteins; severe disease resistant to conventional therapies; and concurrent asthma. Treatment strategies include airborne protein avoidance, removal of airborne proteins from the skin, and barrier repair. Further research is needed to establish the benefit of allergen-specific immunotherapy. PMID:20725535

  19. Blood lead levels following consumption of game meat in Italy.

    PubMed

    Fustinoni, Silvia; Sucato, Sabrina; Consonni, Dario; Mannucci, Pier Mannuccio; Moretto, Angelo

    2017-05-01

    The aim of this study was to measure lead (Pb) levels in blood (Pb-blood) in consumers of game meat, taking into account other possible sources of lead exposure. A spot blood sample was obtained from 95 subjects, and a questionnaire was used to collect general information and data on game meat consumption, hunting, wine drinking and other possible sources of lead exposure. Pb-blood was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Pb-blood was not influenced by age, sex, residence in an urban or rural area, consumption of game meat, tobacco smoking or hobbies associated with potential exposure to lead, and median Pb-blood was 1.7 (5th-95th percentile 1.0-5.3)µg/dL and 3.4 (0.9-6.1)µg/dL for game meat non-eaters and eater, respectively. A multiple linear regression analysis (containing the covariates sex, age, hunting, wine drinking, game meat consumption, tobacco smoking, shooting range, and occupational exposure) found an association with hunting (Pb-blood almost double in hunters) and wine drinking (40% higher in drinkers) but not with consumption of game meat or other parameters. Whether the higher Pb-blood level was due to inhalation of lead fumes while shooting with lead ammunition, to handling lead ammunition or both could not be ascertained. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Assessing airborne aflatoxin B1 during on-farm grain handling activities.

    PubMed

    Selim, M I; Juchems, A M; Popendorf, W

    1998-04-01

    The presence of aflatoxin in corn and corn dust during relatively normal years and the increased risk of Aspergillus flavus infestation during drought conditions suggest that airborne agricultural exposures should be of considerable concern. Liquid extraction, thin layer chromatography, and high pressure liquid chromatography were used for the analysis of aflatoxin B1 in grain dust and bulk corn samples. A total of 24 samples of airborne dust were collected from 8 farms during harvest, 22 samples from 9 farms during animal feeding, and 14 sets of Andersen samples from 11 farms during bin cleaning. A total of 14 samples of settled dust and 18 samples of bulk corn were also collected and analyzed. The airborne concentration of aflatoxin B1 found in dust collected during harvest and grain unloading ranged from 0.04 to 92 ng/m3. Higher levels of aflatoxin B1 were found in the airborne dust samples collected from enclosed animal feeding buildings (5-421 ng/m3) and during bin cleaning (124-4849 ng/m3). Aflatoxin B1 up to 5100 ng/g were detected in settled dust collected from an enclosed animal feeding building; however, no apparent correlation was found between the airborne concentration of aflatoxin B1 and its concentration in settled dust or bulk corn. The data demonstrate that farmers and farm workers may be exposed to potentially hazardous concentrations of aflatoxin B1, particularly during bin cleaning and animal feeding in enclosed buildings.

  1. Airborne Transparencies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horne, Lois Thommason

    1984-01-01

    Starting from a science project on flight, art students discussed and investigated various means of moving in space. Then they made acetate illustrations which could be used as transparencies. The projection phenomenon made the illustrations look airborne. (CS)

  2. Hunting with lead: association between blood lead levels and wild game consumption.

    PubMed

    Iqbal, Shahed; Blumenthal, Wendy; Kennedy, Chinaro; Yip, Fuyuen Y; Pickard, Stephen; Flanders, W Dana; Loringer, Kelly; Kruger, Kirby; Caldwell, Kathleen L; Jean Brown, Mary

    2009-11-01

    Wild game hunting is a popular activity in many regions of the United States. Recently, the presence of lead fragments in wild game meat, presumably from the bullets or shot used for hunting, has raised concerns about health risks from meat consumption. This study examined the association between blood lead levels (PbB) and wild game consumption. We recruited 742 participants, aged 2-92 years, from six North Dakota cities. Blood lead samples were collected from 736 persons. Information on socio-demographic background, housing, lead exposure source, and types of wild game consumption (i.e., venison, other game such as moose, birds) was also collected. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to determine the association between PbB and wild game consumption. Most participants reported consuming wild game (80.8%) obtained from hunting (98.8%). The geometric mean PbB were 1.27 and 0.84 microg/dl among persons who did and did not consume wild game, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, persons who consumed wild game had 0.30 microg/dl (95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.44 microg/dl) higher PbB than persons who did not. For all game types, recent (<1 month) wild game consumption was associated with higher PbB. PbB was also higher among those who consumed a larger serving size (> or = 2 oz vs. <2 oz); however, this association was significant for 'other game' consumption only. Participants who consumed wild game had higher PbB than those who did not consume wild game. Careful review of butchering practices and monitoring of meat-packing processes may decrease lead exposure from wild game consumption.

  3. Airborne ballistic camera tracking systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redish, W. L.

    1976-01-01

    An operational airborne ballistic camera tracking system was tested for operational and data reduction feasibility. The acquisition and data processing requirements of the system are discussed. Suggestions for future improvements are also noted. A description of the data reduction mathematics is outlined. Results from a successful reentry test mission are tabulated. The test mission indicated that airborne ballistic camera tracking systems are feasible.

  4. Airborne Lidar Surface Topography (LIST) Simulator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yu, Anthony W.; Krainak, Michael A.; Harding, David J.; Abshire, James B.; Sun, Xiaoli; Cavanaugh, John; Valett, Susan; Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis; Winkert, Tom; Plants, Michael; hide

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we will discuss our development effort of an airborne instrument as a pathfinder for the Lidar Surface Technology (LIST) mission. This paper will discuss the system approach, enabling technologies, instrument concept and performance of the Airborne LIST Simulator (A-LISTS).

  5. Laboratory Study of Airborne Fallout Particles and Their Time Distribution.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, H. A., Jr.; And Others

    1979-01-01

    Samples of filtered airborne particulate, collected daily for the first month after the September 18, 1977 Chinese nuclear detonation, showed fourteen fission products. Fluctuations in the daily fallout activity levels suggested a global fallout orbit time of approximately twenty days. (Author/BB)

  6. SLAPex Freeze/Thaw 2015: The First Dedicated Soil Freeze/Thaw Airborne Campaign

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Edward; Wu, Albert; DeMarco, Eugenia; Powers, Jarrett; Berg, Aaron; Rowlandson, Tracy; Freeman, Jacqueline; Gottfried, Kurt; Toose, Peter; Roy, Alexandre; hide

    2016-01-01

    Soil freezing and thawing is an important process in the terrestrial water, energy, and carbon cycles, marking the change between two very different hydraulic, thermal, and biological regimes. NASA's Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) mission includes a binary freeze/thaw data product. While there have been ground-based remote sensing field measurements observing soil freeze/thaw at the point scale, and airborne campaigns that observed some frozen soil areas (e.g., BOREAS), the recently-completed SLAPex Freeze/Thaw (F/T) campaign is the first airborne campaign dedicated solely to observing frozen/thawed soil with both passive and active microwave sensors and dedicated ground truth, in order to enable detailed process-level exploration of the remote sensing signatures and in situ soil conditions. SLAPex F/T utilized the Scanning L-band Active/Passive (SLAP) instrument, an airborne simulator of SMAP developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and was conducted near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in October/November, 2015. Future soil moisture missions are also expected to include soil freeze/thaw products, and the loss of the radar on SMAP means that airborne radar-radiometer observations like those that SLAP provides are unique assets for freeze/thaw algorithm development. This paper will present an overview of SLAPex F/T, including descriptions of the site, airborne and ground-based remote sensing, ground truth, as well as preliminary results.

  7. Airborne remote sensing of forest biomes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sader, Steven A.

    1987-01-01

    Airborne sensor data of forest biomes obtained using an SAR, a laser profiler, an IR MSS, and a TM simulator are presented and examined. The SAR was utilized to investigate forest canopy structures in Mississippi and Costa Rica; the IR MSS measured forest canopy temperatures in Oregon and Puerto Rico; the TM simulator was employed in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico; and the laser profiler studied forest canopy characteristics in Costa Rica. The advantages and disadvantages of airborne systems are discussed. It is noted that the airborne sensors provide measurements applicable to forest monitoring programs.

  8. [Blood and urine lead levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Villegas, M del Carmen S; Cortés-Vargas, Astrid; Hidalgo-Luna, Ricardo Gerardo; Alam-Escamilla, David Abraham; Vargas-García, Víctor Manuel; Loría-Castellanos, Jorge

    2014-01-01

    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in children; symptoms can persist into adult life by 60 %. Our objective was to quantify the levels of lead in blood and urine in pediatric patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We did an observational study which included a captive population of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the mental health service of Hospital General, from Centro Médico Nacional La Raza. Lead levels were determined in blood and urine by atomic absorption technique. We included 39 patients, 932 % male, with a mean age of 9.2 ± 2.16 years. The deficit and hyperactivity disorder combined type was the most frequent (69.2 %); 49 % of patients were found with toxic lead levels in blood (above 10 mg/dL); 17.9 % with stage III and 5.12 % with stage IV, according to the Mexican Official Standard (NOM-199-SSA-2000). Significant association was found between blood lead levels and the clinical expression of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Levels of lead exposure during early childhood have been shown to be inversely proportional to neurological development in the first seven years of life. Data results are insufficient to relate them with causality.

  9. APEX - the Hyperspectral ESA Airborne Prism Experiment

    PubMed Central

    Itten, Klaus I.; Dell'Endice, Francesco; Hueni, Andreas; Kneubühler, Mathias; Schläpfer, Daniel; Odermatt, Daniel; Seidel, Felix; Huber, Silvia; Schopfer, Jürg; Kellenberger, Tobias; Bühler, Yves; D'Odorico, Petra; Nieke, Jens; Alberti, Edoardo; Meuleman, Koen

    2008-01-01

    The airborne ESA-APEX (Airborne Prism Experiment) hyperspectral mission simulator is described with its distinct specifications to provide high quality remote sensing data. The concept of an automatic calibration, performed in the Calibration Home Base (CHB) by using the Control Test Master (CTM), the In-Flight Calibration facility (IFC), quality flagging (QF) and specific processing in a dedicated Processing and Archiving Facility (PAF), and vicarious calibration experiments are presented. A preview on major applications and the corresponding development efforts to provide scientific data products up to level 2/3 to the user is presented for limnology, vegetation, aerosols, general classification routines and rapid mapping tasks. BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) issues are discussed and the spectral database SPECCHIO (Spectral Input/Output) introduced. The optical performance as well as the dedicated software utilities make APEX a state-of-the-art hyperspectral sensor, capable of (a) satisfying the needs of several research communities and (b) helping the understanding of the Earth's complex mechanisms. PMID:27873868

  10. Blood lead levels, iron metabolism gene polymorphisms and homocysteine: a gene-environment interaction study.

    PubMed

    Kim, Kyoung-Nam; Lee, Mee-Ri; Lim, Youn-Hee; Hong, Yun-Chul

    2017-12-01

    Homocysteine has been causally associated with various adverse health outcomes. Evidence supporting the relationship between lead and homocysteine levels has been accumulating, but most prior studies have not focused on the interaction with genetic polymorphisms. From a community-based prospective cohort, we analysed 386 participants (aged 41-71 years) with information regarding blood lead and plasma homocysteine levels. Blood lead levels were measured between 2001 and 2003, and plasma homocysteine levels were measured in 2007. Interactions of lead levels with 42 genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five genes ( TF , HFE , CBS , BHMT and MTR ) were assessed via a 2-degree of freedom (df) joint test and a 1-df interaction test. In secondary analyses using imputation, we further assessed 58 imputed SNPs in the TF and MTHFR genes. Blood lead concentrations were positively associated with plasma homocysteine levels (p=0.0276). Six SNPs in the TF and MTR genes were screened using the 2-df joint test, and among them, three SNPs in the TF gene showed interactions with lead with respect to homocysteine levels through the 1-df interaction test (p<0.0083). Seven SNPs in the MTHFR gene were associated with homocysteine levels at an α-level of 0.05, but the associations did not persist after Bonferroni correction. These SNPs did not show interactions with lead levels. Blood lead levels were positively associated with plasma homocysteine levels measured 4-6 years later, and three SNPs in the TF gene modified the association. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  11. Supplemental treatment of air in airborne infection isolation rooms using high-throughput in-room air decontamination units.

    PubMed

    Bergeron, Vance; Chalfine, Annie; Misset, Benoît; Moules, Vincent; Laudinet, Nicolas; Carlet, Jean; Lina, Bruno

    2011-05-01

    Evidence has recently emerged indicating that in addition to large airborne droplets, fine aerosol particles can be an important mode of influenza transmission that may have been hitherto underestimated. Furthermore, recent performance studies evaluating airborne infection isolation (AII) rooms designed to house infectious patients have revealed major discrepancies between what is prescribed and what is actually measured. We conducted an experimental study to investigate the use of high-throughput in-room air decontamination units for supplemental protection against airborne contamination in areas that host infectious patients. The study included both intrinsic performance tests of the air-decontamination unit against biological aerosols of particular epidemiologic interest and field tests in a hospital AII room under different ventilation scenarios. The unit tested efficiently eradicated airborne H5N2 influenza and Mycobacterium bovis (a 4- to 5-log single-pass reduction) and, when implemented with a room extractor, reduced the peak contamination levels by a factor of 5, with decontamination rates at least 33% faster than those achieved with the extractor alone. High-throughput in-room air treatment units can provide supplemental control of airborne pathogen levels in patient isolation rooms. Copyright © 2011 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Real-time PCR detection of toxigenic Fusarium in airborne and settled grain dust and associations with trichothecene mycotoxins.

    PubMed

    Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Eduard, Wijnand; Klemsdal, Sonja Sletner

    2006-12-01

    Inhalation of immunomodulating mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. that are commonly found in grain dust may imply health risks for grain farmers. Airborne Fusarium and mycotoxin exposure levels are mainly unknown due to difficulties in identifying Fusarium and mycotoxins in personal aerosol samples. We used a novel real-time PCR method to quantify the fungal trichodiene synthase gene (tri5) and DNA specific to F. langsethiae and F. avenaceum in airborne and settled grain dust, determined the personal inhalant exposure level to toxigenic Fusarium during various activities, and evaluated whether quantitative measurements of Fusarium-DNA could predict trichothecene levels in grain dust. Airborne Fusarium-DNA was detected in personal samples even from short tasks (10-60 min). The median Fusarium-DNA level was significantly higher in settled than in airborne grain dust (p < 0.001), and only the F. langsethiae-DNA levels correlated significantly in settled and airborne dust (r(s) = 0.20, p = 0.003). Both F. langsethiae-DNA and tri5-DNA were associated with HT-2 and T-2 toxins (r(s) = 0.24-0.71, p < 0.05 to p < 00.01) in settled dust, and could thus be suitable as indicators for HT-2 and T-2. The median personal inhalant exposure to specific toxigenic Fusarium spp. was less than 1 genome m(-3), but the exposure ranged from 0-10(5) genomes m(-3). This study is the first to apply real-time PCR on personal samples of inhalable grain dust for the quantification of tri5 and species-specific Fusarium-DNA, which may have potential for risk assessments of inhaled trichothecenes.

  13. Association between first airborne cedar pollen level peak and pollinosis symptom onset: a web-based survey.

    PubMed

    Bando, Harumi; Sugiura, Hiroaki; Ohkusa, Yasushi; Akahane, Manabu; Sano, Tomomi; Jojima, Noriko; Okabe, Nobuhiko; Imamura, Tomoaki

    2015-01-01

    Cedar pollinosis in Japan affects nearly 25 % of Japanese citizens. To develop a treatment for cedar pollinosis, it is necessary to understand the relationship between the time of its occurrence and the amount of airborne cedar pollen. In the spring of 2009, we conducted daily Internet-based epidemiologic surveys, which included 1453 individuals. We examined the relationship between initial date of onset of pollinosis symptoms and daily amount of airborne cedar pollen to which subjects were exposed. Approximately 35.2 % of the subjects experienced the onset of pollinosis during a one-week interval in which the middle day coincided with the peak pollen count. The odds ratio for this one-week time interval was 4.03 (95 % confidence interval: 3.34-4.86). The predicted date of the cedar pollen peak can be used to determine the appropriate date for initiation of self-medication with anti-allergy drugs and thus avoid development of sustained and severe pollinosis.

  14. A comparison of portable XRF and ICP-OES analysis for lead on air filter samples from a lead ore concentrator mill and a lead-acid battery recycler.

    PubMed

    Harper, Martin; Pacolay, Bruce; Hintz, Patrick; Andrew, Michael E

    2006-03-01

    Personal and area samples for airborne lead were taken at a lead mine concentrator mill, and at a lead-acid battery recycler. Lead is mined as its sulfidic ore, galena, which is often associated with zinc and silver. The ore typically is concentrated, and partially separated, on site by crushing and differential froth flotation of the ore minerals before being sent to a primary smelter. Besides lead, zinc and iron are also present in the airborne dusts, together with insignificant levels of copper and silver, and, in one area, manganese. The disposal of used lead-acid batteries presents environmental issues, and is also a waste of recoverable materials. Recycling operations allow for the recovery of lead, which can then be sold back to battery manufacturers to form a closed loop. At the recycling facility lead is the chief airborne metal, together with minor antimony and tin, but several other metals are generally present in much smaller quantities, including copper, chromium, manganese and cadmium. Samplers used in these studies included the closed-face 37 mm filter cassette (the current US standard method for lead sampling), the 37 mm GSP or "cone" sampler, the 25 mm Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) inhalable sampler, the 25 mm Button sampler, and the open-face 25 mm cassette. Mixed cellulose-ester filters were used in all samplers. The filters were analyzed after sampling for their content of the various metals, particularly lead, that could be analyzed by the specific portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer under study, and then were extracted with acid and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The 25 mm filters were analyzed using a single XRF reading, while three readings on different parts of the filter were taken from the 37 mm filters. For lead at the mine concentrate mill, all five samplers gave good correlations (r2 > 0.96) between the two analytical methods over the entire range of found lead mass

  15. Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition II: An overview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, James G.; Toon, Owen B.

    1993-11-01

    The sudden onset of ozone depletion in the antarctic vortex set a precedent for both the time scale and the severity of global change. The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), staged from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1987, established that CFCs, halons, and methyl bromide, the dominant sources of chlorine and bromine radicals in the stratosphere, control the rate of ozone destruction over the Antarctic; that the vortex is depleted in reactive nitrogen and water vapor; and that diabatic cooling during the Antarctic winter leads to subsidence within the vortex core, importing air from higher altitudes and lower latitudes. This last conclusion is based on observed dramatic distortion in the tracer fields, most notably N2O.In 1989, the first Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-I), staged from Stavanger, Norway, and using the same aircraft employed for AAOE (the NASA ER-2 and the NASA DC-8), discovered that while NOx and to some degree NOy were perturbed within the arctic vortex, there was little evidence for desiccation. Under these (in contrast to the antarctic) marginally perturbed conditions, however, ClO was found to be dramatically enhanced such that a large fraction of the available (inorganic) chlorine resided in the form of ClO and its dimer ClOOCl.This leaves two abiding issues for the northern hemisphere and the mission of the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-II): (1) Will significant ozone erosion occur within the arctic vortex in the next ten years as chlorine loading in the stratosphere exceeds four parts per billion by volume? (2) Which mechanisms are responsible for the observed ozone erosion poleward of 30°N in the winter/spring northern hemisphere reported in satellite observations?

  16. A Multiple Resource Inventory of Delaware Using an Airborne Profiling Laser

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nelson, Ross; Short, Austin; Valenti, Michael A.; Keller, Cherry; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    An airborne profiling laser is used to monitor multiple resources related to landscape structure, both natural and man-made, across regions encompassing hundreds of thousands of hectares. A small, lightweight, inexpensive airborne profiling laser is used to inventory Delaware forests, to estimate impervious surface area statewide, and to locate potentially Suitable Delmarva Fox Squirrel (Scrotum niger cinereus) habitat. Merchantable volume estimates are within 14% of US Forest Service estimates at the county level and within 4% statewide. Total above-ground dry biomass estimates are within 19% of USES estimates at the county level and within 16% statewide. Mature forest stands suitable for reintroduction of the Delmarva Fox Squirrel, an endangered species historically endemic to the eastern shores of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, are identified and mapped along the laser transacts. Intersection lengths with various types of impervious surface (roofs, concrete/asphalt) and open water are tallied to estimate percent and areal coverage statewide, by stratum and county. Laser estimates of open water are within 7% of photointerpreted GIS estimates at the county level and within 3% of the GIS at the state level.

  17. Air-borne contact dermatitis caused exclusively by xanthium strumarium.

    PubMed

    Pasricha, J S; Verma, K K; D'Souza, P

    1995-01-01

    Most cases having air-borne contact dermatitis (ABCD) in India are considered to be caused by Parthenium hysterophorus. In some cases however, other plants have also been noticed to give positive patch test reactions. We are reporting two cases presenting as ABCD who showed positive patch tests with Xanthium strumarium while the patch tests with Parthenium hysterophorus were negative. It is therefore necessary to realise that every case of ABCD is not caused by Parthenium, and patch testing with Parthenium alone can lead to serious mistakes.

  18. Airborne Turbulence Detection and Warning ACLAIM Flight Test Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hannon, Stephen M.; Bagley, Hal R.; Soreide, Dave C.; Bowdle, David A.; Bogue, Rodney K.; Ehernberger, L. Jack

    1999-01-01

    The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced Inflight Measurements (ACLAIM) is a NASA/Dryden-lead program to develop and demonstrate a 2 micrometers pulsed Doppler lidar for airborne look-ahead turbulence detection and warning. Advanced warning of approaching turbulence can significantly reduce injuries to passengers and crew aboard commercial airliners. The ACLAIM instrument is a key asset to the ongoing Turbulence component of NASA's Aviation Safety Program, aimed at reducing the accident rate aboard commercial airliners by a factor of five over the next ten years and by a factor of ten over the next twenty years. As well, the advanced turbulence warning capability can prevent "unstarts" in the inlet of supersonic aircraft engines by alerting the flight control computer which then adjusts the engine to operate in a less fuel efficient, and more turbulence tolerant, mode. Initial flight tests of the ACLAIM were completed in March and April of 1998. This paper and presentation gives results from these initial flights, with validated demonstration of Doppler lidar wind turbulence detection several kilometers ahead of the aircraft.

  19. Generic aspects of the airborne spread of human pathogens indoors and emerging air decontamination technologies.

    PubMed

    Ijaz, M Khalid; Zargar, Bahram; Wright, Kathryn E; Rubino, Joseph R; Sattar, Syed A

    2016-09-02

    Indoor air can be an important vehicle for a variety of human pathogens. This review provides examples of airborne transmission of infectious agents from experimental and field studies and discusses how airborne pathogens can contaminate other parts of the environment to give rise to secondary vehicles leading air-surface-air nexus with possible transmission to susceptible hosts. The following groups of human pathogens are covered because of their known or potential airborne spread: vegetative bacteria (staphylococci and legionellae), fungi (Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Cladosporium spp and Stachybotrys chartarum), enteric viruses (noro- and rotaviruses), respiratory viruses (influenza and coronaviruses), mycobacteria (tuberculous and nontuberculous), and bacterial spore formers (Clostridium difficile and Bacillus anthracis). An overview of methods for experimentally generating and recovering airborne human pathogens is included, along with a discussion of factors that influence microbial survival in indoor air. Available guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other global regulatory bodies for the study of airborne pathogens are critically reviewed with particular reference to microbial surrogates that are recommended. Recent developments in experimental facilities to contaminate indoor air with microbial aerosols are presented, along with emerging technologies to decontaminate indoor air under field-relevant conditions. Furthermore, the role that air decontamination may play in reducing the contamination of environmental surfaces and its combined impact on interrupting the risk of pathogen spread in both domestic and institutional settings is discussed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. Sea Ice Thickness Estimates from Data Collected Using Airborne Sensors and Coincident In Situ Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardner, J. M.; Brozena, J. M.; Abelev, A.; Hagen, R. A.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.

    2016-12-01

    The Naval Research Laboratory collected data using Airborne sensors and coincident in-situ measurements over multiple sites of floating, but land-fast ice north of Barrow, AK. The in-situ data provide ground-truth for airborne measurements from a scanning LiDAR (Riegl Q 560i), digital photogrammetry (Applanix DSS-439), a low-frequency SAR (P-band in 2014 and P and L bands in 2015 and 2016) and a snow/Ku radar procured from the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets of the University of Kansas. The CReSIS radar was updated in 2015 to integrate the snow and Ku radars into a single continuous chirp, thus improving resolution. The objective of the surveys was to aid our understanding of the accuracy of ice thickness estimation via the freeboard method using the airborne sensor suite. Airborne data were collected on multiple overflights of the transect areas. The LiDAR measured total freeboard (ice + snow) referenced to leads in the ice, and produced swaths 200-300 m wide. The SAR imaged the ice beneath the snow and the snow/Ku radar measured snow thickness. The freeboard measurements and snow thickness are used to estimate ice thickness via isostasy and density estimates. Comparisons and processing methodology will be shown using data from three field seasons (2014-2016). The results of this ground-truth experiment will inform our analysis of grids of airborne data collected over areas of sea-ice illuminated by Cryosat-2.

  1. Levels of blood lead in Griffon vultures from a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Spain.

    PubMed

    González, Fernando; López, Irene; Suarez, Laura; Moraleda, Virginia; Rodríguez, Casilda

    2017-09-01

    Lead is considered a highly toxic contaminant with important impacts to bird wildlife. Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) are a sensitive indicator of the level of environmental contamination due to their position at the top of the food chain and their dependence on human activities. The aim of this study was to assess susceptibility to lead intoxication in Griffon vultures admitted to Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers (WRC), measuring blood lead levels and determining if blood lead concentrations are related to clinical signs, hematological, biochemical or radiographic findings. Also, the influence of age, gender, body condition, season and primary cause of admission were evaluated. This study was realized in all Griffon vultures admitted during a period of one year in the Rehabilitation Center GREFA. Blood lead levels are measured by using anodic stripping voltammetry. In Griffon vultures, we observed that 26% of the analyzed birds presented lead levels above 20µg/dL with 74% below 20µg/dL ([Pb] <20 =9.34±5.60µg/dL). In our study, statistically significant differences were found for lead according to sex, season of admission to the center and body condition. A negative correlation was found between levels of metal and hematocrit. No association was found between clinical signs and blood lead levels in Griffon vultures, except for digestive signs as stasis and weight loss. On numerous occasions, the intoxication in this specie is related to ingestion of lead ammunition; however, we have not detected radiographic lead in our vultures. Compared with other studies, we generally found low levels of lead in blood of Griffon vultures but the blood of all birds admitted to WRC presented detectable lead concentrations. This species apparently presents a higher sensibility to the toxic effects of this metal than that described by other authors. It have been observed that there is some evidence that suggests that subclinical levels of lead could be related with a

  2. Airborne cat allergen reduction in classrooms that use special school clothing or ban pet ownership.

    PubMed

    Karlsson, Anne-Sophie; Andersson, Berith; Renström, Anne; Svedmyr, Jan; Larsson, Kjell; Borres, Magnus P

    2004-06-01

    Allergens from furred animals are brought to school mainly via clothing of pet owners. Asthmatic children allergic to cat have more symptoms when attending a class with many cat owners, and some schools allocate specific resources to allergen avoidance measures. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of school clothing or pet owner-free classes compared with control classes on airborne cat allergen levels and to investigate attitudes and allergic symptoms among the children. Allergen measurements were performed prospectively in 2 classes with school clothing, 1 class of children who were not pet owners, and 3 control classes during a 6-week period in 2 consecutive years. Portable pumps and petri dishes were used for collection of airborne cat allergen, and a roller was used for sampling on children's clothes. Cat allergen (Fel d 1) was analyzed with enzyme-linked immunoassay and immunostaining. Both years, questionnaires were administered to the children. We found 4-fold to 6-fold lower airborne cat allergen levels in intervention classes compared with control classes. Levels of cat allergen were 3-fold higher on clothing of cat owners than of children without cats in control classes. Pet ownership ban seemed less accepted than school clothing as an intervention measure. For the first time, it has been shown that levels of airborne cat allergen can be reduced by allergen avoidance measures at school by using school clothing or pet ownership ban, and that both measures are equally efficient. The clinical effect of these interventions remains to be evaluated.

  3. Laboratory Measurement Implications of Decreasing Childhood Blood Lead Levels

    PubMed Central

    Caldwell, Kathleen L.; Cheng, Po-Yung; Jarrett, Jeffery M.; Makhmudov, Amir; Vance, Kathryn; Ward, Cynthia D.; Jones, Robert L.; Mortensen, Mary E.

    2017-01-01

    In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adopted its Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (ACCLPP) recommendation to use a population-based reference value to identify children and environments associated with lead hazards. The current reference value of 5 μg/dL is calculated as the 97.5th percentile of the distribution of blood lead levels (BLL) in children one to five years old from 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. We calculated and updated selected percentiles, including the 97.5th percentile, using NHANES 2011–2014 blood lead data and examined demographic characteristics of children whose blood lead was ≥90th percentile value. The 97.5% percentile BLL of 3.48 μg/dL highlighted analytical laboratory and clinical interpretation challenges of blood lead measurements ≤ 5 μg/dL. Review of five years of results for target blood lead values < 11 μg/dL for U.S. clinical laboratories participating in CDC’s voluntary Lead and Multi-Element Proficiency (LAMP) quality assurance program showed 40% unable to quantify and reported a non-detectable result at a target blood lead value of 1.48 μg/dL compared 5.5 % at a target blood lead of 4.60 μg/dL. We describe actions taken at CDC’s Environmental Health Laboratory in the Division of Laboratory Sciences, which measures blood lead for NHANES, to improve analytical accuracy and precision and to reduce external lead contamination during blood collection and analysis. PMID:28771411

  4. Airborne gamma-ray spectra processing: Extracting photopeaks.

    PubMed

    Druker, Eugene

    2018-07-01

    The acquisition of information from the airborne gamma-ray spectra is based on the ability to evaluate photopeak areas in regular spectra from natural and other sources. In airborne gamma-ray spectrometry, extraction of photopeaks of radionuclides from regular one-second spectra is a complex problem. In the region of higher energies, difficulties are associated with low signal level, i.e. low count rates, whereas at lower energies difficulties are associated with high noises due to a high signal level. In this article, a new procedure is proposed for processing the measured spectra up to and including the extraction of evident photopeaks. The procedure consists of reducing the noise in the energy channels along the flight lines, transforming the spectra into the spectra of equal resolution, removing the background from each spectrum, sharpening the details, and transforming the spectra back to the original energy scale. The resulting spectra are better suited for examining and using the photopeaks. No assumptions are required regarding the number, locations, and magnitudes of photopeaks. The procedure does not generate negative photopeaks. The resolution of the spectrometer is used for the purpose. The proposed methodology, apparently, will contribute also to study environmental problems, soil characterization, and other near-surface geophysical methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Association between Blood Lead Levels and Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase in Pregnant Women

    PubMed Central

    La-Llave-León, Osmel; Méndez-Hernández, Edna M.; Castellanos-Juárez, Francisco X.; Esquivel-Rodríguez, Eloísa; Vázquez-Alaniz, Fernando; Sandoval-Carrillo, Ada; García-Vargas, Gonzalo; Duarte-Sustaita, Jaime; Candelas-Rangel, Jorge L.; Salas-Pacheco, José M.

    2017-01-01

    Blood lead levels (BLLs) and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity are considered biomarkers of lead exposure and lead toxicity, respectively. The present study was designed to investigate the association between BLLs and ALAD activity in pregnant women from Durango, Mexico. A total of 633 pregnant women aged 13–43 years participated in this study. Blood lead was measured by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. ALAD activity was measured spectrophotometrically. Mean blood lead was 2.09 ± 2.34 µg/dL; and 26 women (4.1%) crossed the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended level of 5 µg/dL. ALAD activity was significantly lower in women with levels of lead ≥5 µg/dL compared to those with BLLs < 5 µg/dL (p = 0.002). To reduce the influence of extreme values on the statistical analysis, BLLs were analyzed by quartiles. A significant negative correlation between blood lead and ALAD activity was observed in the fourth quartile of BLLs (r = −0.113; p < 0.01). Among women with blood lead concentrations ≥2.2 µg/dL ALAD activity was negatively correlated with BLLs (r = −0.413; p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that inhibition of ALAD in pregnant women may occur at levels of lead in blood above 2.2 µg/dL. PMID:28420209

  6. Association between Blood Lead Levels and Delta-Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase in Pregnant Women.

    PubMed

    La-Llave-León, Osmel; Méndez-Hernández, Edna M; Castellanos-Juárez, Francisco X; Esquivel-Rodríguez, Eloísa; Vázquez-Alaniz, Fernando; Sandoval-Carrillo, Ada; García-Vargas, Gonzalo; Duarte-Sustaita, Jaime; Candelas-Rangel, Jorge L; Salas-Pacheco, José M

    2017-04-18

    Blood lead levels (BLLs) and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity are considered biomarkers of lead exposure and lead toxicity, respectively. The present study was designed to investigate the association between BLLs and ALAD activity in pregnant women from Durango, Mexico. A total of 633 pregnant women aged 13-43 years participated in this study. Blood lead was measured by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. ALAD activity was measured spectrophotometrically. Mean blood lead was 2.09 ± 2.34 µg/dL; and 26 women (4.1%) crossed the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended level of 5 µg/dL. ALAD activity was significantly lower in women with levels of lead ≥5 µg/dL compared to those with BLLs < 5 µg/dL ( p = 0.002). To reduce the influence of extreme values on the statistical analysis, BLLs were analyzed by quartiles. A significant negative correlation between blood lead and ALAD activity was observed in the fourth quartile of BLLs (r = -0.113; p < 0.01). Among women with blood lead concentrations ≥2.2 µg/dL ALAD activity was negatively correlated with BLLs (r = -0.413; p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that inhibition of ALAD in pregnant women may occur at levels of lead in blood above 2.2 µg/dL.

  7. A geospatial analysis of the effects of aviation gasoline on childhood blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Miranda, Marie Lynn; Anthopolos, Rebecca; Hastings, Douglas

    2011-10-01

    Aviation gasoline, commonly referred to as avgas, is a leaded fuel used in small aircraft. Recent concern about the effects of lead emissions from planes has motivated the U.S. Environmental Protection to consider regulating leaded avgas. In this study we investigated the relationship between lead from avgas and blood lead levels in children living in six counties in North Carolina. We used geographic information systems to approximate areas surrounding airports in which lead from avgas may be present in elevated concentrations in air and may also be deposited to soil. We then used regression analysis to examine the relationship between residential proximity to airports and North Carolina blood lead surveillance data in children 9 months to 7 years of age while controlling for factors including age of housing, socioeconomic characteristics, and seasonality. Our results suggest that children living within 500 m of an airport at which planes use leaded avgas have higher blood lead levels than other children. This apparent effect of avgas on blood lead levels was evident also among children living within 1,000 m of airports. The estimated effect on blood lead levels exhibited a monotonically decreasing dose-response pattern, with the largest impact on children living within 500 m. We estimated a significant association between potential exposure to lead emissions from avgas and blood lead levels in children. Although the estimated increase was not especially large, the results of this study are nonetheless directly relevant to the policy debate surrounding the regulation of leaded avgas.

  8. A Geospatial Analysis of the Effects of Aviation Gasoline on Childhood Blood Lead Levels

    PubMed Central

    Anthopolos, Rebecca; Hastings, Douglas

    2011-01-01

    Background: Aviation gasoline, commonly referred to as avgas, is a leaded fuel used in small aircraft. Recent concern about the effects of lead emissions from planes has motivated the U.S. Environmental Protection to consider regulating leaded avgas. Objective: In this study we investigated the relationship between lead from avgas and blood lead levels in children living in six counties in North Carolina. Methods: We used geographic information systems to approximate areas surrounding airports in which lead from avgas may be present in elevated concentrations in air and may also be deposited to soil. We then used regression analysis to examine the relationship between residential proximity to airports and North Carolina blood lead surveillance data in children 9 months to 7 years of age while controlling for factors including age of housing, socioeconomic characteristics, and seasonality. Results: Our results suggest that children living within 500 m of an airport at which planes use leaded avgas have higher blood lead levels than other children. This apparent effect of avgas on blood lead levels was evident also among children living within 1,000 m of airports. The estimated effect on blood lead levels exhibited a monotonically decreasing dose–response pattern, with the largest impact on children living within 500 m. Conclusions: We estimated a significant association between potential exposure to lead emissions from avgas and blood lead levels in children. Although the estimated increase was not especially large, the results of this study are nonetheless directly relevant to the policy debate surrounding the regulation of leaded avgas. PMID:21749964

  9. Airborne Particles.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ojala, Carl F.; Ojala, Eric J.

    1987-01-01

    Describes an activity in which students collect airborne particles using a common vacuum cleaner. Suggests ways for the students to convert their data into information related to air pollution and human health. Urges consideration of weather patterns when analyzing the results of the investigation. (TW)

  10. The non-linear association between low-level lead exposure and maternal stress among pregnant women.

    PubMed

    Li, Shufang; Xu, Jian; Liu, Zhiwei; Yan, Chong-Huai

    2017-03-01

    Neuro-developmental impairments in the developing fetus due to exposure to low-level lead have been well documented. However, few studies have investigated the relation between maternal stress levels and low-level lead exposure among pregnant women. To investigate the relation between maternal blood lead and stress levels during index pregnancy. 1931 pregnant women (gestational week 28-36) were investigated using stratified-cluster-sampling in Shanghai in 2010. Maternal life event stress and emotional stress were assessed using "Life-Event-Stress-Scale-for-Pregnant-Women" (LESPW) and "Symptom-Checklist-90-Revised" (SCL-90-R), respectively. Maternal whole blood lead levels were determined, and other data on covariates were obtained from maternal interviews and medical records. Two piecewise linear regression models were applied to assess the relations between blood lead and stress levels using a data-driven approach according to spline smoothing fitting of the data. Maternal blood lead levels ranged from 0.80 to 14.84μg/dL, and the geometric mean was 3.97μg/dL. The P-values for the two piecewise linear models against the single linear regression models were 0.010, 0.003 and 0.017 for models predicting GSI, depression and anxiety symptom scores, respectively. When blood lead levels were below 2.57μg/dL, each unit increase in log10 transformed blood lead levels (μg/dL) was associated with about 18% increase in maternal GSI, depression and anxiety symptom scores (P GSI =0.013, P depression =0.002, P anxiety =0.019, respectively). However, no significant relation was found when blood lead levels were above 2.57μg/dL (all P-values>0.05). Our findings suggested a nonlinear relationship between blood lead and emotional stress levels among pregnant women. Emotional stress increased along with blood lead levels, and appeared to be plateaued when blood lead levels reached 2.57μg/dL. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Blood lead levels of wild Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and black scoters (Melanitta nigra) in Alaska using a portable blood lead analyzer

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brown, Corrine S.; Luebbert, Joanne; Mulcahy, Daniel M.; Schamber, Jason L.; Rosenberg, Daniel H.

    2006-01-01

    Sea duck populations are declining in Alaska. The reasons for the decline are not known; environmental lead exposure is one suspected cause. Thirty wild Steller's eider ducks (Polysticta stelleri) and 40 wild black scoter ducks (Melanitta nigra) were tested for blood lead levels using a portable blood lead analyzer (LeadCare; ESA, Inc., Chelmsford, Massachusetts 01824, USA). Sixty-seven and one-tenth percent of the sea ducks had undetectable blood lead levels, 30.0% had values indicating normal or background lead exposure, and 2.9% had values indicating lead exposure. None of the birds had values indicating lead toxicity, and no birds demonstrated clinical signs of toxicity. Birds in areas with higher human population density had higher blood lead levels than those in less densely populated areas. This is the first time a portable blood lead analyzer has been utilized with sea ducks in a field setting. Because it provides immediate results, it is valuable as a screening tool for investigators carrying out surgical procedures on birds in the field as well as establishing baseline blood lead data on sea ducks. Lead exposure does occur in wild sea ducks, and the study indicates that additional research is needed in order to determine the role environmental lead plays in declining sea duck populations.

  12. Environmental assessment of three egg production systems - Part III: Airborne bacteria concentrations and emissions.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Y; Zhao, D; Ma, H; Liu, K; Atilgan, A; Xin, H

    2016-07-01

    Airborne microorganism level is an important indoor air quality indicator, yet it has not been well documented for laying-hen houses in the United States. As a part of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) environmental monitoring project, this study comparatively monitored the concentrations and emissions of airborne total and Gram-negative (Gram(-)) bacteria in three types of commercial laying-hen houses, i.e., conventional cage (CC), aviary (AV), and enriched colony (EC) houses, over a period of eight months covering the mid and late stages of the flock cycle. It also delineated the relationship between airborne total bacteria and particulate matter smaller than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10). The results showed airborne total bacteria concentrations (log CFU/m(3)) of 4.7 ± 0.3 in CC, 6.0 ± 0.8 in AV, and 4.8 ± 0.3 in EC, all being higher than the level recommended for human environment (3.0 log CFU/m(3)). The much higher concentrations in AV arose from the presence of floor litter and hen activities on it, as evidenced by the higher concentrations in the afternoon (with litter access) than in the morning (without litter access). The overall means and standard deviation of airborne total bacteria emission rates, in log CFU/[h-hen] (or log CFU/[h-AU], AU = animal unit or 500 kg live weight) were 4.8 ± 0.4 (or 7.3 ± 0.4) for CC, 6.1 ± 0.7 (or 8.6 ± 0.7) for AV, and 4.8 ± 0.5 (or 7.3 ± 0.5) for EC. Both concentration and emission rate of airborne total bacteria were positively related to PM10 Gram(-) bacteria were present at low concentrations in all houses; and only 2 samples (6%) in CC, 7 (22%) samples in AV, and 2 (6%) samples in EC out of 32 air samples collected in each house were found positive with Gram(-) bacteria. The concentration of airborne Gram(-) bacteria was estimated to be <2% of the total bacteria. Total bacteria counts in manure on belt (in all houses) and floor litter (only in AV) were similar; however, the manure had

  13. Peer Review of Report Modeling the Relationship Between Lead in Drinking Water and Blood Lead Levels in Children

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA is peer reviewing the Agency’s report modeling the relationship between lead in drinking water and blood lead levels in children utilizing the Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model. The report being peer reviewed may be used to inform the derivation of a concent...

  14. Predictors of Airborne Endotoxin Concentrations in Inner City Homes

    PubMed Central

    Mazique, D; Diette, GB; Breysse, PN; Matsui, EC; McCormack, MC; Curtin-Brosnan, J; Williams, D; Peng, RD; Hansel, NN

    2011-01-01

    Few studies have assessed in-home factors which contribute to airborne endotoxin concentrations. In 85 inner-city Baltimore homes, we found no significant correlation between settled dust and airborne endotoxin concentrations. Certain household activities and characteristics, including frequency of dusting, air conditioner use and type of flooring, explained 36–42% of the variability of airborne concentrations. Measurements of both airborne and settled dust endotoxin concentrations may be needed to fully characterize domestic exposure in epidemiologic investigations. PMID:21429483

  15. Enhanced Army Airborne Forces: A New Joint Operational Capability

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-01-01

    that are trained to carry out airborne operations, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and Army special forces. Today’s airborne forces lack protected...Operation Just Cause Airborne units were used extensively in Panama, and the 82nd Air- borne’s 1st Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment were both...carry out airborne operations, including the 75th Ranger Regiment and Army special forces. The changes made to transition the Army into a force

  16. Integrated Airborne and In-Situ Measurements Over Land-Fast Ice Near Barrow, AK.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardner, J. M.; Brozena, J. M.; Richter-Menge, J.; Abelev, A.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.; Claffey, K. J.; Hebert, D. A.; Jones, K.

    2015-12-01

    The Naval Research Laboratory has collected two field seasons of integrated airborne and in-situ measurements over multiple sites of floating, but land-fast ice north of Barrow, AK. During the first season in March of 2014 the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory led the on-ice group including NRL personnel and Naval Academy midshipmen. The second season (March 2015) included only NRL scientists and midshipmen. The in-situ data provided ground-truth for airborne measurements from a scanning LiDAR (Riegl Q 560i), digital photogrammetry (Applanix DSS-439), a low-frequency SAR (P-band in 2014 and P and L bands in 2015) and a snow/Ku radar procured from the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets of the University of Kansas. The CReSIS radar was updated in 2015 to integrate the snow and Ku radars into a single continuous chirp, thus improving resolution. The objective of the survey was to aid our understanding of the use of the airborne data to calibrate/validate Cryosat-2 data. Sampling size or "footprint" plays a critical role in the attempt to compare in-situ measurements with airborne (or satellite) measurements. Thus the in-situ data were arranged to minimize aliasing. Ground measurements were collected along transects a sites generally consisting of a 2 km long profile of Magnaprobe and EM31 measurements with periodic boreholes. A 60 m x 400 m swath of Magnaprobe measurements was centered on this profile. Airborne data were collected on multiple overflights of the transect areas. The LiDAR measured total freeboard (ice + snow) referenced to leads in the ice, and produced swaths 200-300 m wide. The SAR imaged the ice beneath the snow and the snow/Ku radar measured snow thickness. The freeboard measurements and snow thickness are used to estimate ice thickness via isostasy and density estimates. Comparisons and processing methodology will be shown. The results of this ground-truth experiment will inform our analysis of grids of airborne data collected

  17. Prevalence of culturable airborne spores of selected allergenic and pathogenic fungi in outdoor air

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Gorman, Céline M.; Fuller, Hubert T.

    2008-06-01

    Temporal and spatial variations in airborne spore concentrations of selected allergenic and pathogenic fungi were examined in Dublin, Ireland, in 2005. Air samples were taken at four outdoor locations in the city every 2 weeks, coupled with measurements of meteorological conditions. Total culturable airborne fungal spore concentrations in Dublin ranged from 30-6800 colony forming units per cubic metre of air (CFU m-3) over the 12-month period. Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alternaria spores were constantly present in the Dublin atmosphere, representing >20% of the total culturable spore count. Concentrations of Cladosporium increased significantly in summer and reached allergenic threshold levels, peaking at over 3200 CFU m-3 in August. Penicillium spore concentrations never reached allergenic threshold levels, with average concentrations of <150 CFU m-3. Alternaria conidia formed only 0.3% of the total culturable fungal spore count and concentrations never exceeded 50 CFU m-3, attributable to the coastal position of Dublin and its low levels of arable production. The opportunistic human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus was present throughout the year in nominal concentrations (<10 CFU m-3), but sporadic high counts were also recorded (300-400 CFU m-3), the potential health implications of which give cause for concern. Spores of neither Cryptococcus neoformans nor Stachybotrys chartarum were detected, but airborne basidiospores of Schizophyllum commune were evidenced by the dikaryotization of monokaryon tester strains following exposure to the air. The relationships between airborne fungal spore concentrations and meteorological factors were analysed by redundancy analysis and revealed positive correlations between temperature and Cladosporium and relative humidity and Penicillium and Aspergillus.

  18. Geoid determination by airborne gravimetry - principles and applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A. V.

    2009-12-01

    The operational development of long-range airborne gravimetry has meant that large areas can be covered in a short time frame with high-quality medium-wavelength gravity field data, perfectly matching the needs of geoid determination. Geoid from a combination of surface, airborne and satellite data not only is able to cover the remaining large data voids on the earth, notably Antarctica and tropical jungle regions, but also provide seamless coverage across the coastal zone, and tie in older marine and land gravity data. Airborne gravity can therefore provide essential data for GPS applications both on land and at sea, e.g. for marine construction projects such as bridges, wind mill farms etc. Current operational accuracies with the DTU-Space/UiB airborne system are in the 1-2 mGal range, which translates into geoid accuracies of 5-10 cm, dependent on track spacing. In the paper we will outline the current accuracy of airborne gravity and geoid determination, and show examples from recent international airborne gravity campaigns, aimed at either providing national survey infrastructure, or scientific applications for e.g. oceanography or sea-ice thickness determination.

  19. Rapid determination of lead for industrial hygiene surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schneider, E. W.; Hill, R. F.

    1982-02-01

    Emphasis on the continued reduction of personnel exposure to airborne lead has led to the development and evaluation of portable instrumentation for the rapid determination of microgram quantities of lead collected on air filter samples. The instrumentation is based on radioisotope-induced X-ray fluorescence; a cadmium-109 radioisotope source is used for sample excitation, and the characteristic lead X-rays emitted are measured by a proportional detector. The effects of excitation source geometry, particle size, and interferences from other elements were investigated. This type of portable instrumentation appears ideally suited for in-plant measurements intended to monitor lead and evaluate new control measures.

  20. 14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

  1. 14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

  2. 14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

  3. 14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

  4. 14 CFR 135.175 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Aircraft and Equipment § 135.175 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate a large, transport category aircraft in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather...

  5. Airborne lidar experiments at the Savannah River Plant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

    1985-01-01

    The results of remote sensing experiments at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Nuclear Facility utilizing the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) are presented. The flights were conducted in support of the numerous environmental monitoring requirements associated with the operation of the facility and for the purpose of furthering research and development of airborne lidar technology. Areas of application include airborne laser topographic mapping, hydrologic studies using fluorescent tracer dye, timber volume estimation, baseline characterization of wetlands, and aquatic chlorophyll and photopigment measurements. Conclusions relative to the usability of airborne lidar technology for the DOE for each of these remote sensing applications are discussed.

  6. [Air-borne disease].

    PubMed

    Lameiro Vilariño, Carmen; del Campo Pérez, Victor M; Alonso Bürger, Susana; Felpeto Nodar, Irene; Guimarey Pérez, Rosa; Pérez Alvarellos, Alberto

    2003-11-01

    Respiratory protection is a factor which worries nursing professionals who take care of patients susceptible of transmitting microorganisms through the air more as every day passes. This type of protection covers the use of surgical or hygienic masks against the transmission of infection by airborne drops to the use of highly effective masks or respirators against the transmission of airborne diseases such as tuberculosis or SARS, a recently discovered disease. The adequate choice of this protective device and its correct use are fundamental in order to have an effective protection for exposed personnel. The authors summarize the main protective respiratory devices used by health workers, their characteristics and degree of effectiveness, as well as the circumstances under which each device is indicated for use.

  7. The Effects of Lever Arm (Instrument Offset) Error on GRAV-D Airborne Gravity Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, J. A.; Youngman, M.; Damiani, T.

    2017-12-01

    High quality airborne gravity collection with a 2-axis, stabilized platform gravity instrument, such as with a Micro-g LaCoste Turnkey Airborne Gravity System (TAGS), is dependent on the aircraft's ability to maintain "straight and level" flight. However, during flight there is constant rotation about the aircraft's center of gravity. Standard practice is to install the scientific equipment close to the aircraft's estimated center of gravity to minimize the relative rotations with aircraft motion. However, there remain small offsets between the instruments. These distance offsets, the lever arm, are used to define the rigid-body, spatial relationship between the IMU, GPS antenna, and airborne gravimeter within the aircraft body frame. The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project, which is collecting airborne gravity data across the U.S., uses a commercial software package for coupled IMU-GNSS aircraft positioning. This software incorporates a lever arm correction to calculate a precise position for the airborne gravimeter. The positioning software must do a coordinate transformation to relate each epoch of the coupled GNSS-IMU derived position to the position of the gravimeter within the constantly-rotating aircraft. This transformation requires three inputs: accurate IMU-measured aircraft rotations, GNSS positions, and lever arm distances between instruments. Previous studies show that correcting for the lever arm distances improves gravity results, but no sensitivity tests have been done to investigate how error in the lever arm distances affects the final airborne gravity products. This research investigates the effects of lever arm measurement error on airborne gravity data. GRAV-D lever arms are nominally measured to the cm-level using surveying equipment. "Truth" data sets will be created by processing GRAV-D flight lines with both relatively small lever arms and large lever arms. Then negative and positive incremental

  8. Lead levels in Canadian children: Do we have to review the standard?

    PubMed Central

    Tsekrekos, Stephen N; Buka, Irena

    2005-01-01

    Research indicates that the blood lead levels that were once considered safe can adversely affect the neurodevelopment of children. The purpose of the present article is to review issues surrounding lead exposure in Canadian children, including sources, chronic low levels of exposure, and recommendations for prevention. Information was obtained through searches of MEDLINE and Web of Science using a combination of: “Canada” or “Canadian” plus “child” or “paediatrics” plus “lead” or “lead poisoning” or “blood lead”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data and American peer-reviewed literature were also used. On-line Health Canada advisories (available since 1995), as well as relevant reports from nongovernmental organization and the media, were reviewed. The present review found that there has been limited surveillance of blood lead levels of Canadian children and, mainly, among high-risk groups. Harmful health effects may occur below the current standards and the threat of lead in consumer products remains. The current regulation seems to be inadequate to protect Canadian children. PMID:19668617

  9. Nepal and Papua Airborne Gravity Surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olesen, A. V.; Forsberg, R.; Kasenda, F.; Einarsson, I.; Manandhar, N.

    2011-12-01

    Airborne gravimetry offers a fast and economic way to cover vast areas and it allows access to otherwise difficult accessible areas like mountains, jungles and the near coastal zone. It has the potential to deliver high resolution and bias free data that may bridge the spectral gap between global satellite gravity models and the high resolution gravity information embedded in digital terrain models. DTU Space has for more than a decade done airborne gravity surveys in many parts of the world. Most surveys were done with a LaCoste & Romberg S-meter updated for airborne use. This instrument has proven to deliver near bias free data when properly processed. A Chekan AM gravimeter was recently added to the airborne gravity mapping system and will potentially enhance the spatial resolution and the robustness of the system. This paper will focus on results from two recent surveys over Nepal, flown in December 2010, and over Papua (eastern Indonesia), flown in May and June 2011. Both surveys were flown with the new double gravimeter setup and initial assessment of system performance indicates improved spatial resolution compared to the single gravimeter system. Comparison to EGM08 and to the most recent GOCE models highlights the impact of the new airborne gravity data in both cases. A newly computed geoid model for Nepal based on the airborne data allows for a more precise definition of the height of Mt. Everest in a global height system. This geoid model suggests that the height of Mt. Everest should be increased by approximately 1 meter. The paper will also briefly discuss system setup and will highlight a few essential processing steps that ensure that bias problems are minimized and spatial resolution enhanced.

  10. 14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

  11. 14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

  12. 14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

  13. 14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

  14. 14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

  15. 14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

  16. 14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

  17. 14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

  18. 14 CFR 125.223 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... Equipment Requirements § 125.223 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate an airplane governed by this part in passenger-carrying operations unless approved airborne weather radar...

  19. 14 CFR 121.357 - Airborne weather radar equipment requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Airborne weather radar equipment... § 121.357 Airborne weather radar equipment requirements. (a) No person may operate any transport... December 31, 1964, unless approved airborne weather radar equipment has been installed in the airplane. (b...

  20. [Frequencies of airborne moulds in Zagreb].

    PubMed

    Segvić, Maja; Pepeljnjak, Stjepan

    2004-06-01

    Airborne fungi are sometimes associated with several respiratory diseases and allergies. This paper describes a study of qualitative and quantitative variations in the occurrence of airborne moulds in Zagreb area on three locations: centre of the city (C), Pharmaceutical Botanical Garden "Fran Kusan" (BG) and the mountain Medvednica (M) during autumn, winter, spring and summer 2002-03. Lower concentrations of airborne moulds were found in all three locations in autumn (up to 76.88 CFU/m3) and winter (31.46 CFU/m3), with significantly higher levels in C and BG than in M (P<0.001). In spring and summer, these concentrations were much higher in all sampling sites and were significantly higher in C (160.00 CFU/m3) and BG (134.00 CFU/m3) in spring than in M (90.07 CFU/m3) (P<0.001). In summer, significantly higher concentration was found in C (237.5 CFU/m3) than in BG (186.50 CFU/m3) (P<0.01), while concentrations in C and M (216.70 CFU/m3) were similar. Airspora belonging to 29 fungal genera were identified, and allergologicaly significant moulds, Cladosporium (up to 79.5%) and Alternaria (up to 59.4%) dominated in all sampling sites. Penicillium, Fusarium and Aspergillus were also constant fungal entities (43.0-70.5%), but in much lower concentrations than Cladosporium and Alternaria. Airsporas of Cladosporium and Alternaria were more frequent in spring and summer in all locations, with significantly higher concentrations in C and BG (P<0.05). The risk from allergies increases with higher airspora concentrations in spring and summer due to an increase in Cladosporium and Alternaria.

  1. Blood Lead Levels and Risk Factors for Lead Exposure in a Pediatric Population in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    PubMed Central

    Havens, Deborah; Pham, Minh Hong; Karr, Catherine J.

    2018-01-01

    Although lead recycling activities are a known risk factor for elevated blood levels in South East Asia, little is known regarding the prevalence of and risk factors for elevated blood lead levels (BLL) among the general pediatric population in Vietnam. This study is a cross-sectional evaluation of 311 children from Children’s Hospital #2 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Capillary blood lead testing was performed using the LeadCare II. Mean BLLs were 4.97 μg/dL (Standard Deviation (SD) 5.50), with 7% of the participants having levels greater than 10 μg/dL. Living in Bing Duong province (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.4–5.6.1) or the Dong Nai province (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0–5.1) and having an age greater than 12 months (OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.1–11.8) were associated with higher BLLs. The prevalence of elevated BLLs in Vietnam is consistent with other SE Asian countries. Mean BLLs in Ho Chi Minh City are markedly less than those seen in a separate study of children living near lead recycling activities. Additional evaluation is necessary to better detail potential risk factors if screening is to be implemented within Vietnam. PMID:29316694

  2. NASA Program of Airborne Optical Observations.

    PubMed

    Bader, M; Wagoner, C B

    1970-02-01

    NASA's Ames Research Center currently operates a Convair 990 four-engine jet transport as a National Facility for airborne scientific research (astronomy, aurora, airglow, meteorology, earth resources). This aircraft can carry about twelve experiments to 12 km for several hours. A second aircraft, a twin-engine Lear Jet, has been used on a limited basis for airborne science and can carry one experiment to 15 km for 1 h. Mobility and altitude are the principal advantages over ground sites, while large payload and personnel carrying capabilities, combined with ease of operations and relatively low cost, are the main advantages compared to balloons, rockets, or satellites. Typical airborne instrumentation and scientific results are presented.

  3. Medical support to military airborne training and operations.

    PubMed

    Starkey, Kerry J; Lyon, J; Sigman, E; Pynn, H J; Nordmann, G

    2018-05-01

    Airborne operations enable large numbers of military forces to deploy on the ground in the shortest possible time. This however must be balanced by an increased risk of injury. The aim of this paper is to review the current UK military drop zone medical estimate process, which may help to predict the risk of potential injury and assist in planning appropriate levels of medical support. In spring 2015, a British Airborne Battlegroup (UKBG) deployed on a 7-week overseas interoperability training exercise in the USA with their American counterparts (USBG). This culminated in a 7-day Combined Joint Operations Access Exercise, which began with an airborne Joint Forcible Entry (JFE) of approximately 2100 paratroopers.The predicted number of jump-related injuries was estimated using Parachute Order Number 8 (PO No 8). Such injuries were defined as injuries occurring from the time the paratrooper exited the aircraft until they released their parachute harness on the ground. Overall, a total of 53 (2.5%) casualties occurred in the JFE phase of the exercise, lower than the predicted number of 168 (8%) using the PO No 8 tool. There was a higher incidence of back (30% actual vs 20% estimated) and head injuries (21% actual vs 5% estimated) than predicted with PO No 8. The current method for predicting the incidence of medical injuries after a parachute drop using the PO No 8 tool is potentially not accurate enough for current requirements. Further research into injury rate, influencing factors and injury type are urgently required in order to provide an evidence base to ensure optimal medical logistical and clinical planning for airborne training and operations in the future. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  4. Airborne particle-bound brominated flame retardants: Levels, size distribution and indoor-outdoor exchange.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Yue-Shan; Yang, Wan-Dong; Li, Xiu-Wen; Ni, Hong-Gang; Zeng, Hui

    2018-02-01

    The quality of indoor environments has a significant impact on public health. Usually, an indoor environment is treated as a static box, in which physicochemical reactions of indoor air contaminants are negligible. This results in conservative estimates for primary indoor air pollutant concentrations, while also ignoring secondary pollutants. Thus, understanding the relationship between indoor and outdoor particles and particle-bound pollutants is of great significance. For this reason, we collected simultaneous indoor and outdoor measurements of the size distribution of airborne brominated flame retardant (BFR) congeners. The time-dependent concentrations of indoor particles and particle-bound BFRs were then estimated with the mass balance model, accounting for the outdoor concentration, indoor source strength, infiltration, penetration, deposition and indoor resuspension. Based on qualitative observation, the size distributions of ΣPBDE and ΣHBCD were characterized by bimodal peaks. According to our results, particle-bound BDE209 and γ-HBCD underwent degradation. Regardless of the surface adsorption capability of particles and the physicochemical properties of the target compounds, the concentration of BFRs in particles of different size fractions seemed to be governed by the particle distribution. Based on our estimations, for airborne particles and particle-bound BFRs, a window-open ventilated room only takes a quarter of the time to reach an equilibrium between the concentration of pollutants inside and outside compared to a closed room. Unfortunately, indoor pollutants and outdoor pollutants always exist simultaneously, which poses a window-open-or-closed dilemma to achieve proper ventilation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. WESTERN AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS ASSESSMENT PROJECT RESEARCH PLAN

    EPA Science Inventory

    The goal of the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) is to assess the deposition of airborne contaminants in Western National Parks, providing regional and local information on exposure, accumulation, impacts, and probable sources. This project is being desig...

  6. Blood Lead Level in Children with Neurological Disorders.

    PubMed

    Parhoudeh, Marzieh; Inaloo, Soroor; Zahmatkeshan, Mozhgan; Seratishirazi, Zahra; Haghbin, Saeedeh

    2018-01-01

    We aimed to investigate the blood lead level (BLL) in children with neurologic disorders of unknown causes and compare with normal children. In this prospective case-control study, 68 patients aged 1 to 18 yr with neurologic disorders of unknown causes, were referred to pediatric neurology clinics and wards, Shiraz, Iran selected during a 12 months period from Sep 2013. They were compared with 1:1 ratio, age, and sex-matched healthy children. BLL was checked from all participants using 3 cc heparinized venous blood sample. Level of ≥5 mcg/dl was considered toxic dose. Totally, 136 children (68 cases and 68 controls) with mean ages of 5.20±4.12 and 4.18±3.86 yr, respectively, were enrolled. Mean BLL was higher in case group than in controls but the difference was not significant ( P =0.84), though they were less than toxic levels in both. In addition, the difference in mean BLLs was not significant in terms of living place, sex, and age. Totally, 17.7% of the study sample had BLL ≥5 mcg/dl. The frequency of BLL ≥5 mcg/dl was significantly higher in case group ( P =0.024) with an odds ratio 2.9 times higher (95% CI: 1.066-7.60). Strategies in public health must focus on practicing primary and secondary preventions of lead exposure in children.

  7. The relationship between blood lead levels and occupational exposure in a pregnant population.

    PubMed

    La-Llave-León, Osmel; Salas Pacheco, José Manuel; Estrada Martínez, Sergio; Esquivel Rodríguez, Eloísa; Castellanos Juárez, Francisco X; Sandoval Carrillo, Ada; Lechuga Quiñones, Angélica María; Vázquez Alanís, Fernando; García Vargas, Gonzalo; Méndez Hernández, Edna Madai; Duarte Sustaita, Jaime

    2016-12-07

    Pregnant women exposed to lead are at risk of suffering reproductive damages, such as miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature delivery and low birth weight. Despite that the workplace offers the greatest potential for lead exposure, there is relatively little information about occupational exposure to lead during pregnancy. This study aims to assess the association between blood lead levels and occupational exposure in pregnant women from Durango, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a population of 299 pregnant women. Blood lead was measured in 31 women who worked in jobs where lead is used (exposed group) and 268 who did not work in those places (control group). Chi-square test was applied to compare exposed and control groups with regard to blood lead levels. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Multivariable regression analysis was applied to determine significant predictors of blood lead concentrations in the exposed group. Exposed women had higher blood lead levels than those in the control group (4.00 ± 4.08 μg/dL vs 2.65 ± 1.75 μg/dL, p = 0.002). Furthermore, women in the exposed group had 3.82 times higher probability of having blood lead levels ≥ 5 μg/dL than those in the control group. Wearing of special workwear, changing clothes after work, living near a painting store, printing office, junkyard or rubbish dump, and washing the workwear together with other clothes resulted as significant predictors of elevated blood lead levels in the exposed group. Pregnant working women may be at risk of lead poisoning because of occupational and environmental exposure. The risk increases if they do not improve the use of protective equipment and their personal hygiene.

  8. Chronic lead poisoning in horses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Knight, H.D.; Burau, R.G.

    1973-05-01

    Chronic lead poisoning in horses was manifested as anorexia, loss of body weight, muscular weakness, anemia, laryngeal hemiplegia, and, terminally, inhalation pneumonia. Some deaths were sudden and unexplained. The lead content in liver specimens from 10 horses was greater than that considered indicative of lead intoxication; however, the lead content of blood was equivocal. The most conclusive laboratory finding was increased urine lead concentration after chelation therapy. The concentration of lead in a sample of vegetation considered to be representative of what a horse would eat if he was grazing in the area sampled was 325 ppM (oven-dry basis). Itmore » was determined that a 450-kg horse grazing grass of this lead content would consume 2.9 Gm of lead daily (6.4 mg/kg of body weight), an amount considered toxic for horses. Leaching lowered the calcium content of the forage but failed to reduce the lead concentration of the plants significantly, thus opening the possibility that winter rains might have influenced the onset of poisoning. Airborne fallout from a nearby lead smelter was proposed as the primary mode of pasture contamination.« less

  9. An overview of Airborne Data for Assessing Models (ADAM): a web development effort to effectively disseminate airborne data products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mangosing, D. C.; Chen, G.; Kusterer, J.; Rinsland, P.; Perez, J.; Sorlie, S.; Parker, L.

    2011-12-01

    One of the objectives of the NASA Langley Research Center's MEaSURES project, "Creating a Unified Airborne Database for Model Assessment", is the development of airborne Earth System Data Records (ESDR) for the regional and global model assessment and validation activities performed by the tropospheric chemistry and climate modeling communities. The ongoing development of ADAM, a web site designed to access a unified, standardized and relational ESDR database, meets this objective. The ESDR database is derived from publically available data sets, from NASA airborne field studies to airborne and in-situ studies sponsored by NOAA, NSF, and numerous international partners. The ADAM web development activities provide an opportunity to highlight a growing synergy between the Airborne Science Data for Atmospheric Composition (ASD-AC) group at NASA Langley and the NASA Langley's Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC). These teams will collaborate on the ADAM web application by leveraging the state-of-the-art service and message-oriented data distribution architecture developed and implemented by ASDC and using a web-based tool provided by the ASD-AC group whose user interface accommodates the nuanced perspective of science users in the atmospheric chemistry and composition and climate modeling communities.

  10. Ambrosia airborne pollen concentration modelling and evaluation over Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamaoui-Laguel, Lynda; Vautard, Robert; Viovy, Nicolas; Khvorostyanov, Dmitry; Colette, Augustin

    2014-05-01

    Native from North America, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Common Ragweed) is an invasive annual weed introduced in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. It has a very high spreading potential throughout Europe and releases very allergenic pollen leading to health problems for sensitive persons. Because of its health effects, it is necessary to develop modelling tools to be able to forecast ambrosia air pollen concentration and to inform allergy populations of allergenic threshold exceedance. This study is realised within the framework of the ATOPICA project (https://www.atopica.eu/) which is designed to provide first steps in tools and estimations of the fate of allergies in Europe due to changes in climate, land use and air quality. To calculate and predict airborne concentrations of ambrosia pollen, a chain of models has been built. Models have been developed or adapted for simulating the phenology (PMP phonological modelling platform), inter-annual production (ORCHIDEE vegetation model), release and airborne processes (CHIMERE chemical transport model) of ragweed pollen. Airborne pollens follow processes similar to air quality pollutants in CHIMERE with some adaptations. The detailed methodology, formulations and input data will be presented. A set of simulations has been performed to simulate airborne concentrations of pollens over long time periods on a large European domain. Hindcast simulations (2000 - 2012) driven by ERA-Interim re-analyses are designed to best simulate past periods airborne pollens. The modelled pollen concentrations are calibrated with observations and validated against additional observations. Then, 20-year long historical simulations (1986 - 2005) are carried out using calibrated ambrosia density distribution and climate model-driven weather in order to serve as a control simulation for future scenarios. By comparison with multi-annual observed daily pollen counts we have shown that the model captures well the gross features of the pollen

  11. An update on airborne contact dermatitis: 2001-2006.

    PubMed

    Santos, Raquel; Goossens, An

    2007-12-01

    Reports on airborne dermatoses are mainly published in the context of occupational settings. Hence, in recent years, dermatologists and also occupational physicians have become increasingly aware of the airborne source of contact dermatitis, resulting mainly from exposure to irritants or allergens. However, their occurrence is still underestimated, because reports often omit the term 'airborne' in relation to dust or volatile allergens. For the present update, we screened the journals 'Contact Dermatitis' (July 2000 to December 2006); 'Dermatitis', formerly named 'American Journal of Contact Dermatitis'; 'La Lettre du Gerda' (January 2000 to December 2006); and also included relevant articles from other journals published during the same period. This resulted in an updated list of airborne dermatitis causes.

  12. Determinants of blood-lead levels in children in Callao and Lima metropolitan area.

    PubMed

    Espinoza, Rocío; Hernández-Avila, Mauricio; Narciso, Juan; Castañaga, Carmen; Moscoso, Shirley; Ortiz, Georgina; Carbajal, Luz; Wegner, Steve; Noonan, Gary

    2003-01-01

    To determine blood lead levels in urban populations of children (n = 2,510) and women (n = 874) in the early postpartum in certain districts of Lima and Callao, and to correlate those levels with particular exposures. Between July 1998 and January 1999 cross sectional study was conducted. The study population was selected using three sampling strategies in the government operated school system and from public pediatric and maternity hospitals at Lima and Callao, Peru. Study personnel were trained to collect finger stick blood samples with a protocol that minimizes external lead contamination. Lead determinations in blood and environmental samples were performed at the study site using portable anodic striping voltamenters. To determine the simultaneous effects of different predictors on blood lead levels, multivariate regression models were used to estimate adjusted mean differences. The mean blood lead level in the children studied was 9.9 micrograms/dl ranging from 1 microgram/dl to 64 micrograms/dl with 29% of the children displaying values greater than 10 micrograms/dl and 9.4% at levels greater than 20 micrograms/dl. Among the women, the mean was 3.5 micrograms/dl (SD = 2.4 micrograms/dl), and 2.4% (n = 21) displayed levels greater than 10 micrograms/dl. Important differences were observed between the sample locations, and the highest levels were documented in the port region near Callao. The mean level of blood lead in this group was 25.6 micrograms/dl (SD = 4.6 micrograms/dl), while among the rest of the sample it was 7.1 micrograms/dl (SD = 5.1 micrograms/dl). The presence of a mineral storage area signified a difference in exposure in excess of 13 micrograms/dl for children living near the port area in contrast to the other children who were not as close to such fixed sources of lead exposure. For the participants in Lima, the risk of showing levels above 10 micrograms/dl was associated with exposure to high vehicular traffic. In metropolitan Lima, we

  13. A Flight Test of the Strapdown Airborne Gravimeter SGA-WZ in Greenland

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Lei; Forsberg, René; Wu, Meiping; Olesen, Arne Vestergaard; Zhang, Kaidong; Cao, Juliang

    2015-01-01

    An airborne gravimeter is one of the most important tools for gravity data collection over large areas with mGal accuracy and a spatial resolution of several kilometers. In August 2012, a flight test was carried out to determine the feasibility and to assess the accuracy of the new Chinese SGA-WZ strapdown airborne gravimeter in Greenland, in an area with good gravity coverage from earlier marine and airborne surveys. An overview of this new system SGA-WZ is given, including system design, sensor performance and data processing. The processing of the SGA-WZ includes a 160 s length finite impulse response filter, corresponding to a spatial resolution of 6 km. For the primary repeated line, a mean r.m.s. deviation of the differences was less than 1.5 mGal, with the error estimate confirmed from ground truth data. This implies that the SGA-WZ could meet standard geophysical survey requirements at the 1 mGal level. PMID:26057039

  14. Airborne detection of diffuse carbon dioxide emissions at Mammoth Mountain, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gerlach, T.M.; Doukas, M.P.; McGee, K.A.; Kessler, R.

    1999-01-01

    We report the first airborne detection of CO2 degassing from diffuse volcanic sources. Airborne measurement of diffuse CO2 degassing offers a rapid alternative for monitoring CO2 emission rates at Mammoth Mountain. CO2 concentrations, temperatures, and barometric pressures were measured at ~2,500 GPS-referenced locations during a one-hour, eleven-orbit survey of air around Mammoth Mountain at ~3 km from the summit and altitudes of 2,895-3,657 m. A volcanic CO2 anomaly 4-5 km across with CO2 levels ~1 ppm above background was revealed downwind of tree-kill areas. It contained a 1-km core with concentrations exceeding background by >3 ppm. Emission rates of ~250 t d-1 are indicated. Orographic winds may play a key role in transporting the diffusely degassed CO2 upslope to elevations where it is lofted into the regional wind system.We report the first airborne detection of CO2 degassing from diffuse volcanic sources. Airborne measurement of diffuse CO2 degassing offers a rapid alternative for monitoring CO2 emission rates at Mammoth Mountain. CO2 concentrations, temperatures, and barometric pressures were measured at approximately 2,500 GPS-referenced locations during a one-hour, eleven-orbit survey of air around Mammoth Mountain at approximately 3 km from the summit and altitudes of 2,895-3,657 m. A volcanic CO2 anomaly 4-5 km across with CO2 levels approximately 1 ppm above background was revealed downwind of tree-kill areas. It contained a 1-km core with concentrations exceeding background by >3 ppm. Emission rates of approximately 250 t d-1 are indicated. Orographic winds may play a key role in transporting the diffusely degassed CO2 upslope to elevations where it is lofted into the regional wind system.

  15. Spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types derived from airborne laser-induced fluorescence emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoge, Frank E.; Wright, C. Wayne; Kana, Todd M.; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

    1998-07-01

    We report spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types detected by means of a blue spectral shift in airborne laser-induced fluorescence emission. The blue shift of the phycoerythrobilin fluorescence is known from laboratory studies to be induced by phycourobilin chromophore substitution at phycoerythrobilin chromophore sites in some strains of phycoerythrin-containing marine cyanobacteria. The airborne 532-nm laser-induced phycoerythrin fluorescence of the upper oceanic volume showed distinct segregation of cyanobacterial chromophore types in a flight transect from coastal water to the Sargasso Sea in the western North Atlantic. High phycourobilin levels were restricted to the oceanic (oligotrophic) end of the flight transect, in agreement with historical ship findings. These remotely observed phycoerythrin spectral fluorescence shifts have the potential to permit rapid, wide-area studies of the spatial variability of spectrally distinct cyanobacteria, especially across interfacial regions of coastal and oceanic water masses. Airborne laser-induced phytoplankton spectral fluorescence observations also further the development of satellite algorithms for passive detection of phytoplankton pigments. Optical modifications to the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar are briefly described that permitted observation of the fluorescence spectral shifts.

  16. Human Indoor Exposure to Airborne Halogenated Flame Retardants: Influence of Airborne Particle Size

    PubMed Central

    La Guardia, Mark J.; Schreder, Erika D.; Uding, Nancy; Hale, Robert C.

    2017-01-01

    uptake from inhaled particles was estimated to be through the digestive tract, with lower bioavailability. We compared inhalation exposure estimates to chronic oral reference doses (RfDs) established by several regulatory agencies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) RfD levels for several HFRs are considered outdated; however, BDE-99 levels exceeded those suggested by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) by up to 26 times. These findings indicate that contributions and bioavailability of respirable and inhalable airborne particulates should both be considered in future risk assessments. PMID:28486433

  17. Human Indoor Exposure to Airborne Halogenated Flame Retardants: Influence of Airborne Particle Size.

    PubMed

    La Guardia, Mark J; Schreder, Erika D; Uding, Nancy; Hale, Robert C

    2017-05-09

    uptake from inhaled particles was estimated to be through the digestive tract, with lower bioavailability. We compared inhalation exposure estimates to chronic oral reference doses (R f Ds) established by several regulatory agencies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) R f D levels for several HFRs are considered outdated; however, BDE-99 levels exceeded those suggested by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) by up to 26 times. These findings indicate that contributions and bioavailability of respirable and inhalable airborne particulates should both be considered in future risk assessments.

  18. Detection of airborne genetically modified maize pollen by real-time PCR.

    PubMed

    Folloni, Silvia; Kagkli, Dafni-Maria; Rajcevic, Bojan; Guimarães, Nilson C C; Van Droogenbroeck, Bart; Valicente, Fernando H; Van den Eede, Guy; Van den Bulcke, Marc

    2012-09-01

    The cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops has raised numerous concerns in the European Union and other parts of the world about their environmental and economic impact. Especially outcrossing of genetically modified organisms (GMO) was from the beginning a critical issue as airborne pollen has been considered an important way of GMO dispersal. Here, we investigate the use of airborne pollen sampling combined with microscopic analysis and molecular PCR analysis as an approach to monitor GM maize cultivations in a specific area. Field trial experiments in the European Union and South America demonstrated the applicability of the approach under different climate conditions, in rural and semi-urban environment, even at very low levels of airborne pollen. The study documents in detail the sampling of GM pollen, sample DNA extraction and real-time PCR analysis. Our results suggest that this 'GM pollen monitoring by bioaerosol sampling and PCR screening' approach might represent an useful aid in the surveillance of GM-free areas, centres of origin and natural reserves. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  19. Airborne metal concentrations in shipyard environment.

    PubMed

    Alebić-Juretić, A; Matković, N

    2000-06-01

    Protection against corrosion in the shipyard is a source of airborne particles. From October 1996 to September 1997 samples of suspended particles (1 site) and dustfall (6 sites) were collected in the vicinity of a repairs shipyard situated in the martinsćica Cove, east of the city of Rijeka, Croatia. Collected samples were analysed for lead, cadmium, iron, copper, and zinc content. Though annual mean concentrations of suspended particles, lead, and cadmium kept below the guideline values, the metal contents were generally higher than values measured in the city centre. The correlation between the quantity of abrasives used at the shipyard and monthly mean concentrations of all parameters except cadmium suggests that the shipyard was the main source of those pollutants. The annual mean, as well as maximum monthly amount of dustfall at the site next to the shipyard zone exceeded the national limit values, indicating considerable pollution of this area with coarse particles. The annual mean quantity of lead in dustfall exceeded the guideline values at the same site. The content of metals occasionally observed in dustfall at particular sites surrounding the shipyard depended on the location of corrosion protection activities and meterological conditions within the Martinsćica Cove.

  20. Airborne measurements of organic bromine compounds in the Pacific tropical tropopause layer

    PubMed Central

    Navarro, Maria A.; Atlas, Elliot L.; Saiz-Lopez, Alfonso; Rodriguez-Lloveras, Xavier; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Tilmes, Simone; Filus, Michal; Harris, Neil R. P.; Meneguz, Elena; Ashfold, Matthew J.; Manning, Alistair J.; Cuevas, Carlos A.; Schauffler, Sue M.; Donets, Valeria

    2015-01-01

    Very short-lived brominated substances (VSLBr) are an important source of stratospheric bromine, an effective ozone destruction catalyst. However, the accurate estimation of the organic and inorganic partitioning of bromine and the input to the stratosphere remains uncertain. Here, we report near-tropopause measurements of organic brominated substances found over the tropical Pacific during the NASA Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment campaigns. We combine aircraft observations and a chemistry−climate model to quantify the total bromine loading injected to the stratosphere. Surprisingly, despite differences in vertical transport between the Eastern and Western Pacific, VSLBr (organic + inorganic) contribute approximately similar amounts of bromine [∼6 (4−9) parts per thousand] to the stratospheric input at the tropical tropopause. These levels of bromine cause substantial ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere, and any increases in future abundances (e.g., as a result of aquaculture) will lead to larger depletions. PMID:26504212

  1. Meeting Review: Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baumgardner, Darrel; Huebert, Barry; Wilson, Chuck

    1991-01-01

    Proceedings from the Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop are presented. The two central topics of discussion were the role of aerosols in atmospheric processes and the difficulties in characterizing aerosols. The following topics were discussed during the working sessions: airborne observations to date; identification of inlet design issues; inlet modeling needs and directions; objectives for aircraft experiments; and future laboratory and wind tunnel studies.

  2. Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) (Global Carbon Cycle)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    This bimonthly contractor progress report covers the operation, maintenance and data management of the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar and the Airborne Topographic Mapper. Monthly activities included: mission planning, sensor operation and calibration, data processing, data analysis, network development and maintenance and instrument maintenance engineering and fabrication.

  3. Seasonal and diurnal variability in airborne mold from an indoor residential environment in northern New York.

    PubMed

    LeBouf, Ryan; Yesse, Liesel; Rossner, Alan

    2008-05-01

    It is well known that characterization of airborne bioaerosols in indoor environments is a challenge because of inherent irregularity in concentrations, which are influenced by many environmental factors. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the day-to-day variability of airborne fungal levels in a single residential environment over multiple seasons. Indoor air quality practitioners must recognize the inherent variability in airborne bio-aerosol measurements during data analysis of mold investigations. Changes in airborne fungi due to varying season and day is important to recognize when considering health impacts of these contaminants and when establishing effective controls. Using an Andersen N6 impactor, indoor and outdoor bioaerosol samples were collected on malt extract agar plates for 18 weekdays and 19 weekdays in winter and summer, respectively. Interday and intraday variability for the bioaerosols were determined for each sampler. Average fungal concentrations were 26 times higher during the summer months. Day-to-day fungal samples showed a relatively high inconsistency suggesting airborne fungal levels are very episodic and are influenced by several environmental factors. Summer bio-aerosol variability ranged from 7 to 36% and winter variability from 24 to 212%; these should be incorporated into results of indoor mold investigations. The second objective was to observe the relationship between biological and nonbiological particulate matter (PM). No correlation was observed between biological and nonbiological PM. Six side-by-side particulate samplers collected coarse PM (PM10) and fine PM (PM2.5) levels in both seasons. PM2.5 particulate concentrations were found to be statistically higher during summer months. Interday variability observed during this study suggests that indoor air quality practitioners must adjust their exposure assessment strategies to reflect the temporal variability in bioaerosol concentrations.

  4. Olfactory recognition memory is disrupted in young mice with chronic low-level lead exposure

    PubMed Central

    Flores-Montoya, Mayra Gisel; Alvarez, Juan Manuel; Sobin, Christina

    2015-01-01

    Chronic developmental lead exposure yielding very low blood lead burden is an unresolved child public health problem. Few studies have attempted to model neurobehavioral changes in young animals following very low level exposure, and studies are needed to identify tests that are sensitive to the neurobehavioral changes that may occur. Mechanisms of action are not yet known however results have suggested that hippocampus/dentate gyrus may be uniquely vulnerable to early chronic low-level lead exposure. This study examined the sensitivity of a novel odor recognition task to differences in pre-adolescent C57BL/6J mice chronically exposed from birth to PND 28, to 0 ppm (control), 30 ppm (low-dose), or 330 ppm (higher-dose) lead acetate (N = 33). Blood lead levels (BLLs) determined by ICP-MS ranged from 0.02 to 20.31 µg/dL. Generalized linear mixed model analyses with litter as a random effect showed a significant interaction of BLL × sex. As BLLs increased olfactory recognition memory decreased in males. Among females, non-linear effects were observed at lower but not higher levels of lead exposure. The novel odor detection task is sensitive to effects associated with early chronic low-level lead exposure in young C57BL/6J mice. PMID:25936521

  5. Airborne oceanographic lidar system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Specifications and preliminary design of an Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) system, which is to be constructed for installation and used on a NASA Wallops Flight Center (WFC) C-54 research aircraft, are reported. The AOL system is to provide an airborne facility for use by various government agencies to demonstrate the utility and practicality of hardware of this type in the wide area collection of oceanographic data on an operational basis. System measurement and performance requirements are presented, followed by a description of the conceptual system approach and the considerations attendant to its development. System performance calculations are addressed, and the system specifications and preliminary design are presented and discussed.

  6. A multi-level model of blood lead as a function of air lead.

    PubMed

    Richmond-Bryant, Jennifer; Meng, Qingyu; Davis, J Allen; Cohen, Jonathan; Svendsgaard, David; Brown, James S; Tuttle, Lauren; Hubbard, Heidi; Rice, Joann; Kirrane, Ellen; Vinikoor-Imler, Lisa; Kotchmar, Dennis; Hines, Erin; Ross, Mary

    2013-09-01

    National and local declines in lead (Pb) in blood (PbB) over the past several years coincide with the decline in ambient air Pb (PbA) concentrations. The objective of this work is to evaluate how the relationship between PbB levels and PbA levels has changed following the phase out of leaded gasoline and tightened controls on industrial Pb emissions over the past 30 years among a national population sample. Participant-level data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were employed for two time periods (1988-1994 and 1999-2008), and the model was corrected for housing, demographic, socioeconomic, and other covariates present in NHANES. NHANES data for PbB and covariates were merged with PbA data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Linear mixed effects models (LMEs) were run to assess the relationship of PbB with PbA; sample weights were omitted, given biases encountered with the use of sample weights in LMEs. The 1988-1994 age-stratified results found that ln(PbB) was statistically significantly associated with ln(PbA) for all age groups. The consistent influence of PbA on PbB across age groups for the years 1988-1994 suggests a ubiquitous exposure unrelated to age of the sample population. The comparison of effect estimates for ln(PbA) shows a statistically significant effect estimate and ANOVA results for ln(PbB) for the 6- to 11-year and 12- to 19-year age groups during 1999-2008. The more recent finding suggests that PbA has less consistent influence on PbB compared with other factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. [Phylogenetic diversity of airborne microbes in Qingdao downtown in autumn].

    PubMed

    Wang, Lin; Song, Zhi-wen; Xu, Ai-ling; Wu, Deng-deng; Xia, Yan

    2015-04-01

    To determine the community structure of airborne microbes in Qingdao downtown in autumn, the airborne bacteria and fungi were collected by the KC-6120 air sampler and analyzed using the 16S/18S rDNA gene clone library method. Phylogenetic analysis of airborne bacteria showed that they belonged to six major phylogenetic groups: Proteobacteria (78. 8%), Firmicutes (14.6%), Actinobacteria (4.0%), Planctomycetes (1.3%), Cyanobacteria (0.7%), and Deinococcus-Thermus (0.7%). The dominant genera of airborne bacteria included Acinetobacter (39.7%), Staphylococcus (11.3%), Sphingomonas (8.6%), Paracoccus (6.0%) and Massilia (5.3%). The main types of airborne fungi were Ascomycota (97.5%) and Basidiomycota (2.5%). Dominant genera of airborne fungi included Pyrenophora (76.5%), Xylaria (13.6%) and Exophiala (2.5%). The pathogens or conditioned pathogens, such as Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus, or Sphingomonas were detected in the airborne bacteria, whereas certain kinds of fungi, such as P. graminea, X. hypoxylon and Zasmidium angulare that could cause a variety of crop diseases were also detected.

  8. Workflow with pitfalls to derive a regional airborne magnetic compilation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brönner, Marco; Baykiev, Eldar; Ebbing, Jörg

    2017-04-01

    Today, large scale magnetic maps are usually a patchwork of different airborne surveys from different size, different resolution and different years. Airborne magnetic acquisition is a fast and economic method to map and gain geological and tectonic information for large areas, onshore and offshore. Depending on the aim of a survey, acquisition parameters like altitude and profile distance are usually adjusted to match the purpose of investigation. The subsequent data processing commonly follows a standardized workflow comprising core-field subtraction and line leveling to yield a coherent crustal field magnetic grid for a survey area. The resulting data makes it possible to correlate with geological and tectonic features in the subsurface, which is of importance for e.g. oil and mineral exploration. Crustal scale magnetic interpretation and modeling demand regional compilation of magnetic data and the merger of adjacent magnetic surveys. These studies not only focus on shallower sources, reflected by short to intermediate magnetic wavelength anomalies, but also have a particular interest in the long wavelength deriving from deep seated sources. However, whilst the workflow to produce such a merger is supported by quite a few powerful routines, the resulting compilation contains several pitfalls and limitations, which were discussed before, but still are very little recognized. The maximum wavelength that can be resolved of each individual survey is directly related to the survey size and consequently a merger will contribute erroneous long-wavelength components in the magnetic data compilation. To minimize this problem and to homogenous the longer wavelengths, a first order approach is the combination of airborne and satellite magnetic data commonly combined with the compilation from airborne data, which is sufficient only under particular preconditions. A more advanced approach considers the gap in frequencies between airborne and satellite data, which motivated

  9. Lead, Allergen, and Pesticide Levels in Licensed Child Care Centers in the United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    The First National Environmental Health Survey of Child Care Centers was conducted to provide information about lead, allergens, and pesticide levels in licensed U.S. child care centers. Lead levels were measured in settled dust, paint, and play area soil; indoor allergen levels ...

  10. Efficacy of antimicrobial 405 nm blue-light for inactivation of airborne bacteria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dougall, Laura R.; Anderson, John G.; Timoshkin, Igor V.; MacGregor, Scott J.; Maclean, Michelle

    2018-02-01

    Airborne transmission of infectious organisms is a considerable concern within the healthcare environment. A number of novel methods for `whole room' decontamination, including antimicrobial 405 nm blue light, are being developed. To date, research has focused on its effects against surface-deposited contamination; however, it is important to also establish its efficacy against airborne bacteria. This study demonstrates evidence of the dose-response kinetics of airborne bacterial contamination when exposed to 405 nm light and compares bacterial susceptibility when exposed in three different media: air, liquid and surfaces. Bacterial aerosols of Staphylococcus epidermidis, generated using a 6-Jet Collison nebulizer, were introduced into an aerosol suspension chamber. Aerosolized bacteria were exposed to increasing doses of 405 nm light, and air samples were extracted from the chamber using a BioSampler liquid impinger, with viability analysed using pour-plate culture. Results have demonstrated successful aerosol inactivation, with a 99.1% reduction achieved with a 30 minute exposure to high irradiance (22 mWcm-2) 405 nm light (P=0.001). Comparison to liquid and surface exposures proved bacteria to be 3-4 times more susceptible to 405 nm light inactivation when in aerosol form. Overall, results have provided fundamental evidence of the susceptibility of bacterial aerosols to antimicrobial 405 nm light treatment, which offers benefits in terms of increased safety for human exposure, and eradication of microbes regardless of antibiotic resistance. Such benefits provide advantages for a number of applications including `whole room' environmental decontamination, in which reducing levels of airborne bacteria should reduce the number of infections arising from airborne contamination.

  11. Infrared airborne spectroradiometer survey results in the western Nevada area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collins, W.; Chang, S. H.; Kuo, J. T.

    1982-01-01

    The Mark II airborne spectroradiometer system was flown over several geologic test sites in western Nevada. The infrared mineral absorption bands were observed and recorded for the first time using an airborne system with high spectral resolution in the 2.0 to 2.5 micron region. The data show that the hydrothermal alteration zone minerals, carbonates, and other minerals are clearly visible in the airborne survey mode. The finer spectral features that distinguish the various minerals with infrared bands are also clearly visible in the airborne survey data. Using specialized computer pattern recognition methods, it is possible to identify mineralogy and map alteration zones and lithologies by airborne spectroradiometer survey techniques.

  12. NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Common Variable Naming Schema

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, G.; Early, A. B.; Peeters, M. C.

    2014-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, which are characterized by a wide range of trace gases and aerosol properties. The airborne observational data have often been used in assessment and validation of models and satellite instruments. One particular issue is a lack of consistent variable naming across field campaigns, which makes cross-mission data discovery difficult. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. As part of this effort, a common naming system was developed to provide a link between variables from different aircraft field studies. This system covers all current and past airborne in-situ measurements housed at the ASDC, as well as select NOAA missions. The TAD common variable naming system consists of 6 categories and 3 sub-levels. The top-level category is primarily defined by the physical characteristics of the measurement: e.g., aerosol, cloud, trace gases. The sub-levels were designed to organize the variables according to nature of measurement (e.g., aerosol microphysical and optical properties) or chemical structures (e.g., carbon compound). The development of the TAD common variable naming system was in consultation with staff from the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) and referenced/expanded the existing Climate and Forecast (CF) variable naming conventions. The detailed structure of the TAD common variable naming convention and its application in TAD development will be presented.

  13. Elevation of blood lead levels in emergency department patients with extra-articular retained missiles.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Ann; Schaider, Jeffrey J; Manzanares, Mariah; Hanaki, Roy; Rydman, Robert J; Bokhari, Faran

    2005-02-01

    Patients who survive gunshot wounds often have retained missiles. Unlike intra-articular retained missiles, extra-articular retained missiles (EARMs) are not routinely removed. Cases of lead toxicity from EARMs have been described. This study seeks to determine whether blood lead levels are elevated in emergency department patients with EARMs compared with matched controls, whether clinical symptoms of lead toxicity are more prevalent in patients with EARMs than in controls, and whether longer missile retention times or recent hypermetabolic conditions are associated with higher blood lead levels. One hundred twenty adults with EARMs and 120 age- and gender-matched controls with no history of gunshot wound were prospectively enrolled on presentation to a large urban emergency department. Whole blood lead (WBL), zinc protoporphyrin, and hemoglobin levels were obtained. Patients completed a questionnaire regarding time since gunshot injury; symptoms of lead toxicity; and occurrence within 30 days of any surgery, alcohol abuse, illicit drug abuse, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperthyroidism, infection, fracture, pregnancy, or lactation. Five EARM patients (4%) and no control patients (0%) had WBL greater than our threshold for medical follow-up (20 microg/dL). Mean WBL was 6.71 microg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.68-7.74 microg/dL) in EARM patients and 3.16 mug/dL (95% CI, 2.79-3.53 microg/dL) in controls. This difference was statistically significant when analyzed by matched pairs t test (p = 0.0001). There was no difference in the number of symptoms associated with lead toxicity that were noted by EARM patients versus controls (p = 0.377). Longer duration of missile retention was not associated with higher blood lead levels (r = 0.125, p = 0.172). Of the five hypermetabolic conditions analyzed, only fractures were associated with elevated blood lead levels (9.95 microg/dL [95% CI, 5.77-14.13 microg/dL] in EARM patients with fractures vs. 6.23 microg/dL [95% CI, 5

  14. An Overview of New Technologies Driving Innovation in the Airborne Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew M.

    2017-01-01

    Following a more than a century of scientific aircraft and ballooning there is a sense that a renaissance of sorts is at hand in the aviation industry. The advent of incredibly miniaturized autopilots, inertial navigation systems, GPS antennae, and payloads has sparked a revolution in manned and unmanned aircraft. Improved SATCOM and onboard computing has enabled realtime data processing and improved transfer of data on and off the aircraft, making flight planning and data collection more efficient and effective. Electric propulsion systems are scaling up to larger and larger vehicles as evidenced by the NASA GL-10, which is leading to a new X-plane and is leading to renewed interest in personal air vehicles. There is also significant private and government investments in the development of High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. This presentation will explore how such developments are likely to improve our ability to observe earth systems processes from aircraft by providing an overview of current NASA Airborne Science capabilities, followed by a brief discussion of new technologies being applied to Airborne Science missions, and then conclude with an overview of new capabilities on the horizon that are likely to be of interest to the Earth Science community.

  15. A Overview of New Technologies Driving Innovation in the Airborne Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew M.

    2017-01-01

    Following a more than a century of scientific aircraft and ballooning there is a sense that a renaissance of sorts is at hand in the aviation industry. The advent of incredibly miniaturized autopilots, inertial navigation systems, GPS antennae, and payloads has sparked a revolution in manned and unmanned aircraft. Improved SATCOM and onboard computing has enabled realtime data processing and improved transfer of data on and off the aircraft, making flight planning and data collection more efficient and effective. Electric propulsion systems are scaling up to larger and larger vehicles as evidenced by the NASA GL-10, which is leading to a new X-plane and is leading to renewed interest in personal air vehicles. There is also significant private and government investments in the development of High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. This presentation will explore how such developments are likely to improve our ability to observe earth systems processes from aircraft by providing an overview of current NASA Airborne Science capabilities, followed by a brief discussion of new technologies being applied to Airborne Science missions, and then conclude with an overview of new capabilities on the horizon that are likely to be of interest to the Earth Science community.

  16. Oxidative stress and neurological disorders in relation to blood lead levels in children.

    PubMed

    Ahamed, M; Fareed, Mohd; Kumar, A; Siddiqui, W A; Siddiqui, M K J

    2008-01-01

    Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Free radical generation appears to be the mode of lead toxicity. We evaluated the effects of blood lead levels on oxidative stress parameters in children suffering from neurological disorders. Thirty children (aged 3-12 years) with neurological disorders (cerebral palsy [n = 12], seizures [n = 11], and encephalopathy [n = 7]) were recruited in the study group. Sixty healthy children (aged 3-12 years) from similar socio-economic environments and not suffering from any chronic disease were taken as the controls. Blood lead levels and oxidant/antioxidant status were determined. Mean blood lead level was significantly higher while delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (delta-ALAD) activity, a biomarker for lead exposure, was significantly lower in the study group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05 for each). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, an end-product of lipid peroxidation, were significantly higher while the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly lower in the study group as compared to the control group (P < 0.05 for each). Activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly higher in the study group than those of the control group (P < 0.05 for each). There were significant negative correlations of blood lead levels with delta-ALAD (r = -0.35; P < 0.05) and GSH (r = -0.31; P < 0.05), and positive correlations with MDA (r = 0.37; P < 0.05), SOD (r = 0.53; P < 0.05), and CAT (r = 0.31; P < 0.05). In turn, delta-ALAD had significant negative correlations with MDA (r = -0.29; P < 0.05), SOD (r = -0.28; P < 0.05) and CAT (r = -0.34; P < 0.05), but positive correlation with GSH (r = 0.32; P < 0.05). Although a causal pathway can not be determined from the present study, our findings indicate lead-induced oxidative stress in blood of children with neurological disorders. Lead-induced oxidative stress as an

  17. Enumerating Spore-Forming Bacteria Airborne with Particles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, Ying; Barengoltz, Jack

    2006-01-01

    A laboratory method has been conceived to enable the enumeration of (1) Cultivable bacteria and bacterial spores that are, variously, airborne by themselves or carried by, parts of, or otherwise associated with, other airborne particles; and (2) Spore-forming bacteria among all of the aforementioned cultivable microbes.

  18. Air-borne heavy metal contamination to dietary vegetables: a case study from India.

    PubMed

    Pandey, J; Pandey, Richa; Shubhashish, K

    2009-12-01

    Contamination of edible parts of three dietary vegetables, Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), Radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) by air-borne cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) was determined using pot culture experiments at three sites in the city of Varanasi, India. The data revealed that although Cr and Cu in vegetables remained below their safe limits, about 68% of the total samples contained Cd, Ni, and Pb above their respective safe limits of 1.5, 1.5, and 2.5 μg g(-1). Site wise synchrony and air accumulation factor (AAF) indicated that atmospheric deposition was the main contributor of metal contamination to vegetables. The study suggests that if the present trends of atmospheric deposition are continued, air-borne heavy metals will contaminate the agricultural produce with long-term health implications.

  19. Interrupted time series analysis of children's blood lead levels: A case study of lead hazard control program in Syracuse, New York.

    PubMed

    Shao, Liyang; Zhang, Lianjun; Zhen, Zhen

    2017-01-01

    Children's blood lead concentrations have been closely monitored over the last two decades in the United States. The bio-monitoring surveillance data collected in local agencies reflected the local temporal trends of children's blood lead levels (BLLs). However, the analysis and modeling of the long-term time series of BLLs have rarely been reported. We attempted to quantify the long-term trends of children's BLLs in the city of Syracuse, New York and evaluate the impacts of local lead poisoning prevention programs and Lead Hazard Control Program on reducing the children's BLLs. We applied interrupted time series analysis on the monthly time series of BLLs surveillance data and used ARMA (autoregressive and moving average) models to measure the average children's blood lead level shift and detect the seasonal pattern change. Our results showed that there were three intervention stages over the past 20 years to reduce children's BLLs in the city of Syracuse, NY. The average of children's BLLs was significantly decreased after the interventions, declining from 8.77μg/dL to 3.94μg/dL during1992 to 2011. The seasonal variation diminished over the past decade, but more short term influences were in the variation. The lead hazard control treatment intervention proved effective in reducing the children's blood lead levels in Syracuse, NY. Also, the reduction of the seasonal variation of children's BLLs reflected the impacts of the local lead-based paint mitigation program. The replacement of window and door was the major cost of lead house abatement. However, soil lead was not considered a major source of lead hazard in our analysis.

  20. Cyberinfrastructure for Airborne Sensor Webs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freudinger, Lawrence C.

    2009-01-01

    Since 2004 the NASA Airborne Science Program has been prototyping and using infrastructure that enables researchers to interact with each other and with their instruments via network communications. This infrastructure uses satellite links and an evolving suite of applications and services that leverage open-source software. The use of these tools has increased near-real-time situational awareness during field operations, resulting in productivity improvements and the collection of better data. This paper describes the high-level system architecture and major components, with example highlights from the use of the infrastructure. The paper concludes with a discussion of ongoing efforts to transition to operational status.

  1. AIRBORNE ASBESTOS CONCENTRATIONS DURING BUFFING, BURNISHING, AND STRIPPING OF RESILIENT FLOOR TILE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The study was conducted to evaluate airborne asbestos concentrations during low-speed spray-buffing, ultra high-speed burnishing, and wet-stripping of asbestos-containing resilient floor tile under pre-existing and prepared levels of floor care maintenance. Low-speed spray-buffin...

  2. Northwest corner, showing arcade at ground level, and triple leaded ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Northwest corner, showing arcade at ground level, and triple leaded glass windows of bender room high on north elevation. - Stanford University Library, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, CA

  3. Determination of airborne nanoparticles from welding operations.

    PubMed

    Gomes, João Fernando Pereira; Albuquerque, Paula Cristina Silva; Miranda, Rosa Maria Mendes; Vieira, Maria Teresa Freire

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study is to assess the levels of airborne ultrafine particles emitted in welding processes (tungsten inert gas [TIG], metal active gas [MAG] of carbon steel, and friction stir welding [FSW] of aluminum) in terms of deposited area in pulmonary alveolar tract using a nanoparticle surface area monitor (NSAM) analyzer. The obtained results showed the dependence of process parameters on emitted ultrafine particles and demonstrated the presence of ultrafine particles compared to background levels. Data indicated that the process that resulted in the lowest levels of alveolar deposited surface area (ADSA) was FSW, followed by TIG and MAG. However, all tested processes resulted in significant concentrations of ultrafine particles being deposited in humans lungs of exposed workers.

  4. Risk factors for high levels of lead in blood of schoolchildren in Mexico City.

    PubMed

    Olaiz, G; Fortoul, T I; Rojas, R; Doyer, M; Palazuelos, E; Tapia, C R

    1996-01-01

    Risk factors associated with blood lead levels exceeding 15 microg/dl were analyzed in this report. This relatively high lead level was selected because, at the time the study commenced, it was considered to be a "safe" level. A total of 1583 schoolchildren were studied. The students were from (a) two areas in Mexico City (Tlalnepantla and Xalostoc) that have had historically high concentrations of lead in air, and (b) three areas (Pedregal, Iztalpalapa, and Centro) with less impressive air lead levels. Parents were presented with a questionnaire that solicited information about lead risk factors. A bivariate analysis and a multilogistic analysis were conducted to identify associations and to identify the model that most accurately explains the variability of the sample. High blood lead concentrations were found in children who lived in Xalostoc and Tlalnepantla (16.1 and 17.0 microg/dl, respectively), and the lowest concentration (i.e., 10 microg/dl) was found in children from Iztapalapa. The strongest association was with area of residence, followed by education level of parents, cooking of meals in glazed pottery, and chewing or sucking of yellow or other colored pencils. A child's area of residence is the most significant risk factor that must be accounted for when any study of lead and blood lead concentrations is undertaken. Follow-up in similar populations should assist greatly in the evaluation of the impact of governmental actions on public health.

  5. Comparison of airborne lidar measurements with 420 kHz echo-sounder measurements of zooplankton.

    PubMed

    Churnside, James H; Thorne, Richard E

    2005-09-10

    Airborne lidar has the potential to survey large areas quickly and at a low cost per kilometer along a survey line. For this reason, we investigated the performance of an airborne lidar for surveys of zooplankton. In particular, we compared the lidar returns with echo-sounder measurements of zooplankton in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Data from eight regions of the Sound were compared, and the correlation between the two methods was 0.78. To obtain this level of agreement, a threshold was applied to the lidar return to remove the effects of scattering from phytoplankton.

  6. Levels of blood lead and urinary cadmium in industrial complex residents in Ulsan.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sang Hoon; Kim, Yang Ho; An, Hyun Chan; Sung, Joo Hyun; Sim, Chang Sun

    2017-01-01

    Populations neighboring industrial complexes are at an increased health risk, due to constant exposure to various potentially hazardous compounds released during industrial production activity. Although there are many previous studies that focus on occupational exposure to heavy metals, studies that focused on environmental exposure to lead and cadmium are relatively rare. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent of the environmental exposure of heavy metals in residents of industrial area. Four areas in close proximity to the Ulsan petrochemical industrial complex and the Onsan national industrial complex were selected to be included in the exposure group, and an area remotely located from these industrial complexes was selected as the non-exposure group. Among the residents of our study areas, a total of 1573 subjects aged 20 years and older were selected and all study subjects completed a written questionnaire. Blood and urine samples were obtained from about one third of the subjects (465 subjects) who provided informed consent for biological sample collection. Total 429 subjects (320 subjects from exposure area, 109 subjects from non-exposure area) were included in final analysis. The geometric mean blood lead level among the subjects in the exposed group was 2.449 μg/dL, which was significantly higher than the non-exposure group's level of 2.172 μg/dL. Similarly, the geometric mean urine cadmium levels between the two groups differed significantly, at 1.077 μg/g Cr. for the exposed group, and 0.709 μg/g Cr. for the non-exposure group. In a multiple linear regression analysis to determine the relationship between blood lead level and related factors, the results showed that blood lead level had a significant positive correlation with age, the male, exposure area, and non-drinkers. In the same way, urine cadmium level was positively correlated with age, the female, exposure area, and smokers. This study found that blood lead levels and urine

  7. Olfactory recognition memory is disrupted in young mice with chronic low-level lead exposure.

    PubMed

    Flores-Montoya, Mayra Gisel; Alvarez, Juan Manuel; Sobin, Christina

    2015-07-02

    Chronic developmental lead exposure yielding very low blood lead burden is an unresolved child public health problem. Few studies have attempted to model neurobehavioral changes in young animals following very low level exposure, and studies are needed to identify tests that are sensitive to the neurobehavioral changes that may occur. Mechanisms of action are not yet known however results have suggested that hippocampus/dentate gyrus may be uniquely vulnerable to early chronic low-level lead exposure. This study examined the sensitivity of a novel odor recognition task to differences in pre-adolescent C57BL/6J mice chronically exposed from birth to PND 28, to 0 ppm (control), 30 ppm (low-dose), or 330 ppm (higher-dose) lead acetate (N=33). Blood lead levels (BLLs) determined by ICP-MS ranged from 0.02 to 20.31 μg/dL. Generalized linear mixed model analyses with litter as a random effect showed a significant interaction of BLL×sex. As BLLs increased olfactory recognition memory decreased in males. Among females, non-linear effects were observed at lower but not higher levels of lead exposure. The novel odor detection task is sensitive to effects associated with early chronic low-level lead exposure in young C57BL/6J mice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. 76 FR 76333 - Notification for Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-07

    ...-1279; Notice No. 11-07] Notification for Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) AGENCY: Federal Aviation... CFR) part 77, ``Safe, Efficient Use and Preservation of the Navigable Airspace,'' to airborne wind energy systems (AWES). In addition, this notice requests information from airborne wind energy system...

  9. Lead levels of edibles grown in contaminated residential soils: a field survey.

    PubMed

    Finster, Mary E; Gray, Kimberly A; Binns, Helen J

    2004-03-29

    Plants grown in lead contaminated soils can accumulate lead from the adherence of dust and translocation into the plant tissue. In order to evaluate the potential health hazard due to the consumption of plants grown in residential gardens contaminated by lead, a survey of the lead concentrations in a typical array of edible vegetables, fruits and herbs was conducted. Samples of garden plants harvested from the field were washed with detergent or water alone to remove adhered soil. They were dried, separated into sections including root, shoot and edible fruit, and then analyzed for lead content using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Soil samples, taken in conjunction with the plant harvesting, were analyzed using flame atomic absorbance (FAA). A pattern of lead transference from soil through the root to the stem and leaves of garden crops was found. The majority of the lead was concentrated in the roots (root:soil ranging from 0.02 to 0.51), with some translocation into the shoots (shoot:soil as high as 0.10). This pattern is a concern particularly for crops in which the root, stems, stalks or leaves are edible. The lead concentration in fruiting vegetables was less than the detection limit of 10 ppm (microgram lead/gram dry plant matter). Some edible portions of the leafy vegetables and herbs, however, were found to have lead levels that, if consumed, could contribute to the total body burden of lead. Therefore, urban gardeners should test the lead levels in their soils and develop strategies to ensure safety.

  10. NEON Airborne Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Ecosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kampe, T. U.; Leisso, N.; Krause, K.; Karpowicz, B. M.

    2012-12-01

    sensing data collection protocol to meet NEON science requirements? How do aircraft altitude, spatial sampling, spatial resolution, and LiDAR instrument configuration affect data retrievals? What are appropriate algorithms to derive ECVs from AOP data? What methodology should be followed to validate AOP remote sensing products and how should ground truth data be collected? Early test flights were focused on radiometric and geometric calibration as well as processing from raw data to Level-1 products. Subsequent flights were conducted focusing on collecting vegetation chemistry and structure measurements. These test flights that were conducted during 2012 have proved to be extremely valuable for verifying instrument functionality and performance, exercising remote sensing collection protocols, and providing data for algorithm and science product validation. Results from these early flights are presented, including the radiometric and geometric calibration of the AOP instruments. These 2012 flight campaigns are just the first of a series of test flights that will take place over the next several years as part of the NEON observatory construction. Lessons learned from these early campaigns will inform both airborne and ground data collection methodologies for future campaigns as well as guide the AOP sampling strategy before NEON enters full science operations.

  11. Recognizing Airborne Hazards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schneider, Christian M.

    1990-01-01

    The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in older buildings often do not adequately handle air-borne contaminants. Outlines a three-stage Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) assessment and describes a case in point at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, school. (MLF)

  12. Ethical Issues in Using Children's Blood Lead Levels as a Remedial Action Objective

    PubMed Central

    Evans, Emily Lorraine

    2011-01-01

    The Environmental Protection Agency measures the success or failure of Superfund site remediation efforts against remedial action objectives (RAOs). RAOs are frequently based on environmental contaminant concentrations, but with lead exposure, blood lead levels from the population at risk are often used. Although childhood lead screening is an important public health tool, an RAO based on child blood lead levels raises ethical concerns: public health efforts that are more reactive than preventive, a blood lead standard (10 μg/dL) that may not be fully protective, the use of a measure whose validity and reliability may be easily compromised, and exacerbation of environmental injustice and systematic disadvantages. The example of Bunker Hill mine, Kellogg, Idaho, allowed an examination of these ethical concerns. PMID:21836120

  13. Compact Highly Sensitive Multi-species Airborne Mid-IR Spectrometer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Richter, Dirk; Weibring, P.; Walega, J.

    2015-02-01

    We report on the development and airborne field deployment of a mid-IR laser based spectrometer. The instrument was configured for the simultaneous in-situ detection of formaldehyde (CH2O) and ethane (C2H6). Numerous mechanical, optical, electronic, and software improvements over a previous instrument design resulted in reliable highly sensitive airborne operation with long stability times yielding 90% airborne measurement coverage during the recent air quality study over the Colorado front range, FRAPPÉ 2014. Airborne detection sensitivities of ~ 15 pptv (C2H6) and ~40 pptv (CH2O) were generally obtained for 1 s of averaging for simultaneous detection.

  14. Source of lead-210 and polonium-210 in tobacco.

    PubMed

    Tso, T C; Harley, N; Alexander, L T

    1966-08-19

    Test plants were grown within a chamber enriched with radon-222 in the atmosphere, in tobacco fields with different sources of phosphate-containing fertilizer, and in culture containing lead-210 in the nutrient solution. Harvested leaves were subjected to three curing conditions. The major portion of the lead-210 in the plant was probably absorbed through the roots. Airborne radon 222 and its daughters contributed much less to the plant's content of lead-210 and of polonium-210. The stage of leaf development and the methods used to cure the leaf affected the final amount of polonium-210 in tobacco leaf.

  15. 30 CFR 57.5005 - Control of exposure to airborne contaminants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control of exposure to airborne contaminants... Underground § 57.5005 Control of exposure to airborne contaminants. Control of employee exposure to harmful airborne contaminants shall be, insofar as feasible, by prevention of contamination, removal by exhaust...

  16. Appendix : airborne incidents : an econometric analysis of severity

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-12-19

    This is the Appendix for Airborne Incidents: An Econometric Analysis of Severity Report. : Airborne loss of separation incidents occur when an aircraft breaches the defined separation limit (vertical and/or horizontal) with another aircraft or terrai...

  17. CAROLS: a new airborne L-band radiometer for ocean surface and land observations.

    PubMed

    Zribi, Mehrez; Pardé, Mickael; Boutin, Jacquline; Fanise, Pascal; Hauser, Daniele; Dechambre, Monique; Kerr, Yann; Leduc-Leballeur, Marion; Reverdin, Gilles; Skou, Niels; Søbjærg, Sten; Albergel, Clement; Calvet, Jean Christophe; Wigneron, Jean Pierre; Lopez-Baeza, Ernesto; Rius, Antonio; Tenerelli, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    The "Cooperative Airborne Radiometer for Ocean and Land Studies" (CAROLS) L-Band radiometer was designed and built as a copy of the EMIRAD II radiometer constructed by the Technical University of Denmark team. It is a fully polarimetric and direct sampling correlation radiometer. It is installed on board a dedicated French ATR42 research aircraft, in conjunction with other airborne instruments (C-Band scatterometer-STORM, the GOLD-RTR GPS system, the infrared CIMEL radiometer and a visible wavelength camera). Following initial laboratory qualifications, three airborne campaigns involving 21 flights were carried out over South West France, the Valencia site and the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) in 2007, 2008 and 2009, in coordination with in situ field campaigns. In order to validate the CAROLS data, various aircraft flight patterns and maneuvers were implemented, including straight horizontal flights, circular flights, wing and nose wags over the ocean. Analysis of the first two campaigns in 2007 and 2008 leads us to improve the CAROLS radiometer regarding isolation between channels and filter bandwidth. After implementation of these improvements, results show that the instrument is conforming to specification and is a useful tool for Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite validation as well as for specific studies on surface soil moisture or ocean salinity.

  18. Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi Beam Directional Links

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-05

    Networked Airborne Communications Using Adaptive Multi-Beam Directional Links R. Bruce MacLeod Member, IEEE, and Adam Margetts Member, IEEE MIT...provide new techniques for increasing throughput in airborne adaptive directional net- works. By adaptive directional linking, we mean systems that can...techniques can dramatically increase the capacity in airborne networks. Advances in digital array technology are beginning to put these gains within reach

  19. Scratched: World War II Airborne Operations That Never Happened

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-05-22

    Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited SCRATCHED: WORLD WAR II AIRBORNE OPERATIONS THAT NEVER HAPPENED A Monograph by...2. REPORT TYPE Master’s Thesis 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) JUN 2013-MAY 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Scratched: World War II Airborne...Maastricht gap, to get Allied troops through the West Wall. For numerous reasons, the overall Allied airborne effort of World War II provided mixed

  20. Satellite and airborne IR sensor validation by an airborne interferometer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gumley, L.E.; Delst, P.F. van; Moeller, C.C.

    1996-11-01

    The validation of in-orbit longwave IR radiances from the GOES-8 Sounder and inflight longwave IR radiances from the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is described. The reference used is the airborne University of Wisconsin High Resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS). The calibration of each sensor is described. Data collected during the Ocean Temperature Interferometric Survey (OTIS) experiment in January 1995 is used in the comparison between sensors. Detailed forward calculations of at-sensor radiance are used to account for the difference in GOES-8 and HIS altitude and viewing geometry. MAS radiances and spectrally averaged HIS radiances are compared directly. Differences between GOES-8 andmore » HIS brightness temperatures, and GOES-8 and MAS brightness temperatures, are found to be with 1.0 K for the majority of longwave channels examined. The same validation approach will be used for future sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). 11 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.« less

  1. Dose-Response Relationship between Cumulative Occupational Lead Exposure and the Associated Health Damages: A 20-Year Cohort Study of a Smelter in China

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yue; Gu, Jun-Ming; Huang, Yun; Duan, Yan-Ying; Huang, Rui-Xue; Hu, Jian-An

    2016-01-01

    Long-term airborne lead exposure, even below official occupational limits, has been found to cause lead poisoning at higher frequencies than expected, which suggests that China’s existing occupational exposure limits should be reexamined. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 1832 smelting workers from 1988 to 2008 in China. These were individuals who entered the plant and came into continuous contact with lead at work for longer than 3 months. The dose-response relationship between occupational cumulative lead exposure and lead poisoning, abnormal blood lead, urinary lead and erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) were analyzed and the benchmark dose lower bound confidence limits (BMDLs) were calculated. Statistically significant positive correlations were found between cumulative lead dust and lead fumes exposures and workplace seniority, blood lead, urinary lead and ZPP values. A dose-response relationship was observed between cumulative lead dust or lead fumes exposure and lead poisoning (p < 0.01). The BMDLs of the cumulative occupational lead dust and fumes doses were 0.68 mg-year/m3 and 0.30 mg-year/m3 for lead poisoning, respectively. The BMDLs of workplace airborne lead concentrations associated with lead poisoning were 0.02 mg/m3 and 0.01 mg/m3 for occupational exposure lead dust and lead fume, respectively. In conclusion, BMDLs for airborne lead were lower than occupational exposure limits, suggesting that the occupational lead exposure limits need re-examination and adjustment. Occupational cumulative exposure limits (OCELs) should be established to better prevent occupational lead poisoning. PMID:26999177

  2. Breast Milk Lead Levels in 3 Major Regions of the West Bank of Palestine.

    PubMed

    Shawahna, Ramzi; Zyoud, Ahed; Dwikat, Jamela; El-Helo, Maram; Yacoub, Bayan; Hilal, Hikmat

    2016-08-01

    Lead is a neurotoxic pollutant that is ubiquitously spread in our environment. Breast milk contaminated with lead poses a potential risk of exposing a recipient infant to lead. The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the breast milk lead levels (BMLLs) in breastfeeding mothers in 3 major regions of the West Bank of Palestine and to investigate the effects of some sociodemographic variables on the BMLLs. Breast milk samples were collected from 89 breastfeeding mothers from the Nablus, Ramallah, and Jerusalem regions and analyzed for their BMLLs using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Breastfeeding mothers were interviewed and responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire. The median BMLL was 4.0 µg/L, ranging from 2.0 to 12.0 µg/L. Breast milk lead levels in 19.1% of the samples analyzed were higher than the World Health Organization's safety limits of 2.0 to 5.0 µg/L for an occupationally unexposed population. Breast milk lead levels were significantly higher in breast milk of mothers who lived in cities and refugee camps (P < .01), had lower monthly household income levels (P < .05), lived close to paint shops (P < .05), lived in houses with peeling or chipping paint (P < .05), used eye kohl (P < .01), and worked in agriculture for a duration longer than 3 years (P < .01). Breast milk lead levels were higher than the safety limits for occupationally unexposed populations. Authorities need to implement measures to eliminate or reduce lead exposure, especially in refugee camps and cities. Marketed eye kohl preparations should be tested for their lead contents. © The Author(s) 2016.

  3. Blood lead level and its relationship to essential elements in preschool children from Nanning, China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jingwen; Li, Muyan; Lv, Qun; Chen, Guoli; Li, Yong; Li, Shaojun; Mo, Yuhuan; Ou, Shiyan; Yuan, Zongxiang; Huang, Mingli; Jiang, Yueming

    2015-04-01

    Our study aimed to assess the distribution of blood lead level and its relationship to essential elements in preschool children in an urban area of China. A total of 6741 children aged 0- to 6-year-old were recruited. Levels of lead, zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium in whole blood samples were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean blood lead level (BLL) and the prevalence of BLL≥10μg/dl (5.26±4.08μg/dl and 6.84%, respectively) increased with age gradually, and there was a gender-difference for blood lead, copper, zinc and iron levels. Compared with the group of children who had BLLs<5μg/dl, the groups of 5≤BLLs<10μg/dl and 10≤BLLs<15μg/dl showed higher blood zinc, iron and magnesium levels, and a lower blood calcium level. A positive correlation of lead with zinc, iron and magnesium, and a negative correlation of lead with calcium were found in the group of children with BLL<5μg/dl. Age- and gender-differences were found when assessing the BLL and intoxication prevalence in preschool children. Metabolic disorder of essential elements was found even with a low level of lead exposure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  4. Effect of land uses and wind direction on the contribution of local sources to airborne pollen.

    PubMed

    Rojo, Jesús; Rapp, Ana; Lara, Beatriz; Fernández-González, Federico; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

    2015-12-15

    The interpretation of airborne pollen levels in cities based on the contribution of the surrounding flora and vegetation is a useful tool to estimate airborne allergen concentrations and, consequently, to determine the allergy risk for local residents. This study examined the pollen spectrum in a city in central Spain (Guadalajara) and analysed the vegetation landscape and land uses within a radius of 20km in an attempt to identify and locate the origin of airborne pollen and to determine the effect of meteorological variables on pollen emission and dispersal. The results showed that local wind direction was largely responsible for changes in the concentrations of different airborne pollen types. The land uses contributing most to airborne pollen counts were urban green spaces, though only 0.1% of the total surface area studied, and broadleaved forest which covered 5% of the study area. These two types of land use together accounted for 70% of the airborne pollen. Crops, scrubland and pastureland, though covering 80% of the total surface area, contributed only 18.6% to the total pollen count, and this contribution mainly consisted of pollen from Olea and herbaceous plants, including Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae. Pollen from ornamental species were mainly associated with easterly (Platanus), southerly (Cupressaceae) and westerly (Cupressaceae and Platanus) winds from the areas where the city's largest parks and gardens are located. Quercus pollen was mostly transported by winds blowing in from holm-oak stands on the eastern edge of the city. The highest Populus pollen counts were associated with easterly and westerly winds blowing in from areas containing rivers and streams. The airborne pollen counts generally rose with increasing temperature, solar radiation and hours of sunlight, all of which favour pollen release. In contrast, pollen counts declined with increased relative humidity and rainfall, which hinder airborne pollen transport

  5. Distribution of lead and cadmium in trophic levels of some marine organisms.

    PubMed

    Mesmar, M

    1987-01-01

    The concentrations of lead and cadmium in two species of algae, two species of invertebrates, and one species of fish (from Fehmern Baltic Sea) were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of these metals at the producer level (algae) were always higher than at the consumer level. Also, among the consumers there was an obvious difference according to feeding habits, in such a way that they could be ranked according to their high content of lead and cadmium as follows: filter feeder (detritous feeder), plankton feeder. In addition, distribution of lead and cadmium varied within the individual producer (Fucus vesiculosus) in such a way that the holdfast exhibited the highest concentration followed by the apcial tip and the branches of the first dichotomy was the lowest. This alga reflects clear selectivity in absorbing more lead than cadmium.

  6. Airborne irritant contact dermatitis due to synthetic fibres from an air-conditioning filter.

    PubMed

    Patiwael, Jiska A; Wintzen, Marjolein; Rustemeyer, Thomas; Bruynzeel, Derk P

    2005-03-01

    We describe 8 cases of occupational airborne irritant contact dermatitis in intensive care unit (ICU) employees caused by synthetic (polypropylene and polyethylene) fibres from an air-conditioning filter. Not until a workplace investigation was conducted, was it possible to clarify the unusual sequence of events. High filter pressure in the intensive care air-conditioning system, maintained to establish an outward airflow and prevent microorganisms from entering the ward, probably caused fibres from the filter to become airborne. Upon contact with air-exposed skin, fibres subsequently provoked skin irritation. Test periods in the ICU with varying filter pressures, in an attempt to improve environmental conditions, led to even higher filter pressure levels and more complaints. The sometimes-very-low humidity might have contributed to development of skin irritation. The fact that most patients recovered quickly after treatment with emollients and changing the filters made it most likely that the airborne dermatitis was of an irritant nature.

  7. Should the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood lead poisoning intervention level be lowered?

    PubMed

    Bernard, Susan M

    2003-08-01

    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1991 chose 10 micro g/dL as an initial screening level for lead in children's blood. Current data on health risks and intervention options do not support generally lowering that level, but federal lead poisoning prevention efforts can be improved by revising the follow-up testing schedule for infants aged 1 year or less with blood lead levels of 5 micro g/dL or higher; universal education about lead exposure risks; universal administration of improved, locally validated risk-screening questionnaires; enhanced compliance with targeted screening recommendations and federal health program requirements; and development by regulatory agencies of primary prevention criteria that do not use the CDC's intervention level as a target "safe" lead exposure.

  8. 30 CFR 56.5005 - Control of exposure to airborne contaminants.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Control of exposure to airborne contaminants... Air Quality and Physical Agents Air Quality § 56.5005 Control of exposure to airborne contaminants. Control of employee exposure to harmful airborne contaminants shall be, insofar as feasible, by prevention...

  9. 41 CFR 50-204.22 - Exposure to airborne radioactive material.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Exposure to airborne... FEDERAL SUPPLY CONTRACTS Radiation Standards § 50-204.22 Exposure to airborne radioactive material. (a) No..., within a restricted area, to be exposed to airborne radioactive material in an average concentration in...

  10. Detection of airborne bacteria with disposable bio-precipitator and NanoGene assay.

    PubMed

    Lee, Eun-Hee; Chua, Beelee; Son, Ahjeong

    2016-09-15

    We demonstrated the detection of airborne bacteria by a disposable bio-precipitator and NanoGene assay combination. The bio-precipitator employed micro corona discharge at 1960V and at less than 35µA to simultaneously charge, capture and lyse the airborne bacteria. This was enabled by the use of a 15μL liquid anode. Using a custom exposure setup, the target bacterium Bacillus subtilis in the atomization solution was rendered airborne. After exposure, the liquid anode in the bio-precipitator was subsequently measured for DNA concentration and analyzed with the NanoGene assay. As the bacterial concentration increased from 0.0104 to 42.6 g-DCW/L the released DNA concentration in the liquid anode increased from 2.10±1.57 to 75.00±7.15ng/μL. More importantly, the NanoGene assay showed an increase in normalized fluorescence (gene quantification) from 18.03±1.18 to 49.71±1.82 as the bacterial concentrations increased from 0.0104 to 42.6 g-DCW/L. the electrical power consumption of the bio-precipitator was shown to be amenable for portable use. In addition, the detection limit of bio-precipitator and NanoGene assay combination in the context of environmentally relevant levels of airborne bacteria was also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Characterization of airborne and bulk particulate from iron and steel manufacturing facilities.

    PubMed

    Machemer, Steven D

    2004-01-15

    Characterization of airborne and bulk particulate material from iron and steel manufacturing facilities, commonly referred to as kish, indicated graphite flakes and graphite flakes associated with spherical iron oxide particles were unique particle characteristics useful in identifying particle emissions from iron and steel manufacturing. Characterization of airborne particulate material collected in receptor areas was consistent with multiple atmospheric release events of kish particles from the local iron and steel facilities into neighboring residential areas. Kish particles deposited in nearby residential areas included an abundance of graphite flakes, tens of micrometers to millimeters in size, and spherical iron oxide particles, submicrometer to tens of micrometers in size. Bulk kish from local iron and steel facilities contained an abundance of similar particles. Approximately 60% of blast furnace kish by volume consisted of spherical iron oxide particles in the respirable size range. Basic oxygen furnace kish contained percent levels of strongly alkaline components such as calcium hydroxide. In addition, concentrations of respirable Mn in airborne particulate in residential areas and at local iron and steel facilities were approximately 1.6 and 53 times the inhalation reference concentration of 0.05 microg/m3 for chronic inhalation exposure of Mn, respectively. Thus, airborne release of kish may pose potential respirable particulate, corrosive, or toxic hazards for human health and/or a corrosive hazard for property and the environment.

  12. NASA airborne laser altimetry and ICESat-2 post-launch data validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Studinger, M.; Hawley, R. L.; Markus, T.

    2016-12-01

    A series of NASA airborne lidars have made repeated surveys over an 11,000-m ground-based kinematic GPS traverse near Summit Station, Greenland. These ground-based data were used to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of two airborne laser altimeters: Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS). Data from the ongoing monthly traverses allowed for the assessment of 8 airborne lidar campaigns; elevation biases for these altimeters were less than 12.2 cm, while assessments of surface measurement precision were less than 9.1 cm. Results from the analyses of the Greenland ground-based GPS and airborne lidar data provide guidance for validation strategies for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products. Specifically, a nested approach to validation is required, where ground-based GPS data are used to constrain the bias and measurement precision of the airborne lidar data; airborne surveys can then be designed and conducted on longer length-scales to provide the amount of airborne data required to make more statistically meaningful assessments of satellite elevation data. This nested validation approach will continue for the ground-traverse in Greenland; further, the ICESat-2 Project Science Office has plans to conduct similar coordinated ground-based and airborne data collection in Antarctica.

  13. Lead toxicity and metabolism in animals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Neathery, M.W.; Miller, W.J.

    1976-02-16

    The main biological interest in lead is its toxicity. Among farm animals, ruminants are most often affected, followed by horses, poultry and swine. Although information is sparse, inhalation of airborne lead is of much less practical importance than ingestion. Most commonly, acute lead poisoning in cattle arises from eating flaking paint, motor oil, linoleum and certain types of grease and putty. Ingestion of lead is one of the most frequently reported causes of acute poisoning, especially in cattle. General clinical symptoms of lead toxicity in farm animals include anemia, depressed appearance, anorexia and muscular incoordination. A special effect in horsesmore » is a laryngeal paralysis which produces an obstruction in the air passage causing them to roar. Lead absorption from the intestine is relatively low (less than 2%), and accumulation occurs mostly in the bone, liver and kidney. Very little is secreted into the milk or concentrated into the muscles. However, lead easily passes the placental barrier, causing serious damage and sometimes death to the fetus. 48 references, 2 tables.« less

  14. Warriors from the Sky: US Army Airborne Operational Art in Normandy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-05-25

    capabilities required for conducting a cross- Channel joint forcible entry operation. This included the identification of specific missions for the airborne...cross- Channel joint forcible entry operation. This included the identification of specific missions for the airborne forces. As a result, the airborne...Operation Market Garden, Holland 1944 (HQ, 82 Airborne Division: Feb 1946), 4. Market Garden, following the invasion in Normandy, was the first

  15. Determining a pre-mining radiological baseline from historic airborne gamma surveys: a case study.

    PubMed

    Bollhöfer, Andreas; Beraldo, Annamarie; Pfitzner, Kirrilly; Esparon, Andrew; Doering, Che

    2014-01-15

    Knowing the baseline level of radioactivity in areas naturally enriched in radionuclides is important in the uranium mining context to assess radiation doses to humans and the environment both during and after mining. This information is particularly useful in rehabilitation planning and developing closure criteria for uranium mines as only radiation doses additional to the natural background are usually considered 'controllable' for radiation protection purposes. In this case study we have tested whether the method of contemporary groundtruthing of a historic airborne gamma survey could be used to determine the pre-mining radiological conditions at the Ranger mine in northern Australia. The airborne gamma survey was flown in 1976 before mining started and groundtruthed using ground gamma dose rate measurements made between 2007 and 2009 at an undisturbed area naturally enriched in uranium (Anomaly 2) located nearby the Ranger mine. Measurements of (226)Ra soil activity concentration and (222)Rn exhalation flux density at Anomaly 2 were made concurrent with the ground gamma dose rate measurements. Algorithms were developed to upscale the ground gamma data to the same spatial resolution as the historic airborne gamma survey data using a geographic information system, allowing comparison of the datasets. Linear correlation models were developed to estimate the pre-mining gamma dose rates, (226)Ra soil activity concentrations, and (222)Rn exhalation flux densities at selected areas in the greater Ranger region. The modelled levels agreed with measurements made at the Ranger Orebodies 1 and 3 before mining started, and at environmental sites in the region. The conclusion is that our approach can be used to determine baseline radiation levels, and provide a benchmark for rehabilitation of uranium mines or industrial sites where historical airborne gamma survey data are available and an undisturbed radiological analogue exists to groundtruth the data. © 2013.

  16. A Simple Method for Collecting Airborne Pollen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kevan, Peter G.; DiGiovanni, Franco; Ho, Rong H.; Taki, Hisatomo; Ferguson, Kristyn A.; Pawlowski, Agata K.

    2006-01-01

    Pollination is a broad area of study within biology. For many plants, pollen carried by wind is required for successful seed set. Airborne pollen also affects human health. To foster studies of airborne pollen, we introduce a simple device--the "megastigma"--for collecting pollen from the air. This device is flexible, yielding easily obtained data…

  17. High-Intensity Targeted Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Children in 2 Inner-City Chicago Communities

    PubMed Central

    Dignam, Timothy A.; Evens, Anne; Eduardo, Eduard; Ramirez, Shokufeh M.; Caldwell, Kathleen L.; Kilpatrick, Nikki; Noonan, Gary P.; Flanders, W. Dana; Meyer, Pamela A.; McGeehin, Michael A.

    2004-01-01

    Objectives. We assessed the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (≥ 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood), risk factors, and previous blood lead testing among children in 2 high-risk Chicago, Ill, communities. Methods. Through high-intensity targeted screening, blood lead levels were tested and risks were assessed among a representative sample of children aged 1 to 5 years who were at risk for lead exposure. Results. Of the 539 children who were tested, 27% had elevated blood lead levels, and 61% had never been tested previously. Elevated blood lead levels were associated with chipped exterior house paint. Conclusions. Most of the children who lived in these communities—where the prevalence for elevated blood lead levels among children was 12 times higher than the national prevalence—were not tested for lead poisoning. Our findings highlight the need for targeted community outreach that includes testing blood lead levels in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations. PMID:15514235

  18. Reasons for testing and exposure sources among women of childbearing age with moderate blood lead levels.

    PubMed

    Fletcher, A M; Gelberg, K H; Marshall, E G

    1999-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the circumstances under which women receive blood lead tests in New York State and to characterize the sources of lead exposure among women of childbearing age with moderate blood lead levels. Telephone interviews were conducted with 135 women between the ages of 18 and 45, with blood lead levels from 10 through 25 micrograms/dl, were used to collect information on the reason for their blood lead test and possible sources of lead exposure. It was found that the two most common reasons to be tested for blood lead were workplace screening (47%) and pregnancy (27%). Occupational exposure was the primary source of lead exposure in this population (46%). Another common source of lead exposure was home renovation (24%). A significant proportion (31%) of women with blood lead levels from 10 through 25 micrograms/dl had no known current source of lead exposure. Based on New York's sample, there are a significant number of women of reproductive age with potentially fetotoxic blood lead levels.

  19. Airborne Acoustic Perception by a Jumping Spider.

    PubMed

    Shamble, Paul S; Menda, Gil; Golden, James R; Nitzany, Eyal I; Walden, Katherine; Beatus, Tsevi; Elias, Damian O; Cohen, Itai; Miles, Ronald N; Hoy, Ronald R

    2016-11-07

    Jumping spiders (Salticidae) are famous for their visually driven behaviors [1]. Here, however, we present behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that these animals also perceive and respond to airborne acoustic stimuli, even when the distance between the animal and the sound source is relatively large (∼3 m) and with stimulus amplitudes at the position of the spider of ∼65 dB sound pressure level (SPL). Behavioral experiments with the jumping spider Phidippus audax reveal that these animals respond to low-frequency sounds (80 Hz; 65 dB SPL) by freezing-a common anti-predatory behavior characteristic of an acoustic startle response. Neurophysiological recordings from auditory-sensitive neural units in the brains of these jumping spiders showed responses to low-frequency tones (80 Hz at ∼65 dB SPL)-recordings that also represent the first record of acoustically responsive neural units in the jumping spider brain. Responses persisted even when the distances between spider and stimulus source exceeded 3 m and under anechoic conditions. Thus, these spiders appear able to detect airborne sound at distances in the acoustic far-field region, beyond the near-field range often thought to bound acoustic perception in arthropods that lack tympanic ears (e.g., spiders) [2]. Furthermore, direct mechanical stimulation of hairs on the patella of the foreleg was sufficient to generate responses in neural units that also responded to airborne acoustic stimuli-evidence that these hairs likely play a role in the detection of acoustic cues. We suggest that these auditory responses enable the detection of predators and facilitate an acoustic startle response. VIDEO ABSTRACT. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. DIFFERENTIAL LUNG GENE EXPRESSION IN IMMUNOLOGICALLY-CHALLENGED RATS EXPOSED TO CONCENTRATED AIRBORNE PARTICULATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Children residing in urbanized areas suffer disproportionately higher asthma-related morbidity and mortality. One explanation is that inner city children are exposured to higher levels of environmental asthma triggers such as airborne particulate matter. To elucidate gene-environ...

  1. Airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR data integration for weed detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tamás, János; Lehoczky, Éva; Fehér, János; Fórián, Tünde; Nagy, Attila; Bozsik, Éva; Gálya, Bernadett; Riczu, Péter

    2014-05-01

    Agriculture uses 70% of global available fresh water. However, ca. 50-70% of water used by cultivated plants, the rest of water transpirated by the weeds. Thus, to define the distribution of weeds is very important in precision agriculture and horticulture as well. To survey weeds on larger fields by traditional methods is often time consuming. Remote sensing instruments are useful to detect weeds in larger area. In our investigation a 3D airborne laser scanner (RIEGL LMS-Q680i) was used in agricultural field near Sopron to scouting weeds. Beside the airborne LiDAR, hyperspectral imaging system (AISA DUAL) and air photos helped to investigate weed coverage. The LiDAR survey was carried out at early April, 2012, before sprouting of cultivated plants. Thus, there could be detected emerging of weeds and direction of cultivation. However airborne LiDAR system was ideal to detect weeds, identification of weeds at species level was infeasible. Higher point density LiDAR - Terrestrial laser scanning - systems are appropriate to distinguish weed species. Based on the results, laser scanner is an effective tool to scouting of weeds. Appropriate weed detection and mapping systems could contribute to elaborate water and herbicide saving management technique. This publication was supported by the OTKA project K 105789.

  2. Surface dust wipes are the best predictors of blood leads in young children with elevated blood lead levels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gulson, Brian, E-mail: brian.gulson@mq.edu.au; CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering, North Ryde NSW 2113; Anderson, Phil

    Background: As part of the only national survey of lead in Australian children, which was undertaken in 1996, lead isotopic and lead concentration measurements were obtained from children from 24 dwellings whose blood lead levels were ≥15 µg/dL in an attempt to determine the source(s) of their elevated blood lead. Comparisons were made with data for six children with lower blood lead levels (<10 µg/dL). Methods: Thermal ionisation and isotope dilution mass spectrometry were used to determine high precision lead isotopic ratios ({sup 208}Pb/{sup 206}Pb, {sup 207}Pb/{sup 206}Pb and {sup 206}Pb/{sup 204}Pb) and lead concentrations in blood, dust from floormore » wipes, soil, drinking water and paint (where available). Evaluation of associations between blood and the environmental samples was based on the analysis of individual cases, and Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses based on the whole dataset. Results and discussion: The correlations showed an association for isotopic ratios in blood and wipes (r=0.52, 95% CI 0.19–0.74), blood and soil (r=0.33, 95% CI −0.05–0.62), and blood and paint (r=0.56, 95% CI 0.09–0.83). The regression analyses indicated that the only statistically significant relationship for blood isotopic ratios was with dust wipes (B=0.65, 95% CI 0.35–0.95); there were no significant associations for lead concentrations in blood and environmental samples. There is a strong isotopic correlation of soils and house dust (r=0.53, 95% CI 0.20–0.75) indicative of a common source(s) for lead in soil and house dust. In contrast, as with the regression analyses, no such association is present for bulk lead concentrations (r=−0.003, 95% CI −0.37–0.36), the most common approach employed in source investigations. In evaluation of the isotopic results on a case by case basis, the strongest associations were for dust wipes and blood. -- Highlights: • Children with elevated blood lead ≥15 µg/dL compared with a group

  3. Airborne Visible Laser Optical Communications Program (AVLOC)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ward, J. H.

    1975-01-01

    The design, development, and operation of airborne and ground-based laser communications and laser radar hardware is described in support of the Airborne Visible Laser Optical Communication program. The major emphasis is placed on the development of a highly flexible test bed for the evaluation of laser communications systems techniques and components in an operational environment.

  4. Global Test Range: Toward Airborne Sensor Webs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mace, Thomas H.; Freudinger, Larry; DelFrate John H.

    2008-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the planned global sensor network that will monitor the Earth's climate, and resources using airborne sensor systems. The vision is an intelligent, affordable Earth Observation System. Global Test Range is a lab developing trustworthy services for airborne instruments - a specialized Internet Service Provider. There is discussion of several current and planned missions.

  5. Airborne gravimetry for geoid, geopotential models and GOCE - Himalaya and Antarctica cases (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A. V.

    2013-12-01

    DTU-Space has since many years carried out large area airborne surveys over both polar, tropical and temperate regions, especially for geoid determination and global geopotential models. Recently we have started flying two gravimeters (LCR and Chekan-AM) side by side for increased reliability and redundancy. Typical gravity results are at the 2 mGal rms level, translating into 5-10 cm accuracy in geoid. However, in rough mountainous areas results can be more noisy, mainly due to long-period mountain waves and turbulence. In the paper we outline results of recent challenging campaigns in Nepal (2010) and Antarctica (Antarctic Peninsula and East Antarctica, 2010-13). The latest Antarctic campaign 2012/13, carried out in cooperation with the British Antarctic Survey, Norwegian Polar Institute, and the Argentine Antarctic Institute, involved air drops of fuel to a remote field camp in the Recovery Lakes region, one of the least explored region of deep interior Antarctica. The airborne data collected are validated by cross-over comparisons and comparisons to independent data (IceBridge), and serve at the same time as an independent validation of GOCE satellite gravity data, confirming the satellite data to contain information at half-wavelengths down to 80 km. With no bias between the airborne data and GOCE, airborne gravimetry is perfectly suited to cover the GOCE data gap south of 83 S. We recommend an international, coordinated airborne gravity effort should be carried out over the south polar gap as soon as possible, to ensure a uniform global accuracy of GOCE heritage future geopotential models.

  6. Association of Airborne Microorganisms in the Operating Room With Implant Infections: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Darouiche, Rabih O; Green, David M; Harrington, Melvyn A; Ehni, Bruce L; Kougias, Panagiotis; Bechara, Carlos F; O'Connor, Daniel P

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of airborne colony-forming units (CFU) at incision sites during implantation of prostheses with the incidence of either incisional or prosthesis-related surgical site infections. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Primary, public institution. PATIENTS Three hundred patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty, instrumented spinal procedures, or vascular bypass graft implantation. METHODS Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention group or the control group. A novel device (Air Barrier System), previously shown to reduce airborne CFU at incision sites, was utilized in the intervention group. Procedures assigned to the control group were performed without the device, under routine operating room atmospheric conditions. Patients were followed up for 12 months to determine whether airborne CFU levels at the incision sites predicted the incidence of incisional or prosthesis-related infection. RESULTS Data were available for 294 patients, 148 in the intervention group and 146 in the control group. CFU density at the incision site was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P<.001). The density of airborne CFU at the incision site during the procedures was significantly related to the incidence of implant infection (P=.021). Airborne CFU densities were 4 times greater in procedures with implant infection versus no implant infection. All 4 of the observed prosthesis infections occurred in the control group. CONCLUSION Reduction of airborne CFU specifically at the incision site during operations may be an effective strategy to reduce prosthesis-related infections. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01610271 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-8.

  7. Early Blood Lead Levels and Sleep Disturbance in Preadolescence

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Jianghong; Liu, Xianchen; Pak, Victoria; Wang, Yingjie; Yan, Chonghuai; Pinto-Martin, Jennifer; Dinges, David

    2015-01-01

    Study Objectives: Little is known about the effect of lead exposure on children's sleep. This study examined the association between blood lead levels (BLL) and sleep problems in a longitudinal study of children. Setting: Four community-based elementary schools in Jintan City, China. Participants: 1,419 Chinese children. Measurement and Results: BLL were measured when children were aged 3–5 y, and sleep was assessed at ages 9–13 y. Sleep was assessed by both parents' report, using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and children's report, using an adolescent sleep questionnaire. A total of 665 children with complete data on BLL and sleep at both ages were included in the current study. Mean age of the sample at BLL assessment was 4.74 y (standard deviation [SD] = 0.89) and at sleep assessment was 11.05 y (SD = 0.88). Mean BLL was 6.26 μg/dL (SD = 2.54). There were significant positive correlations between BLL and 3 CSHQ subscales: Sleep onset delay (r = 0.113, P < 0.01), sleep duration (r = 0.139, P < 0.001), and night waking (r = 0.089, P < 0.05). Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) (26.1% versus 9.0%, P < 0.001) and use of sleeping pills (6.5% versus 1.8%, P = 0.03) were more prevalent in children BLL ≥ 10.0 μg/dL than in those children BLL < 10.0 μg/dL. After adjusting for demographics, BLL ≥ 10.0 μg/dL was significantly associated with increased risk for insomnia symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–3.95) and EDS (OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.27–6.61). Conclusion: The findings indicate that elevated blood lead levels in early childhood are associated with increased risk for sleep problems and excessive daytime sleepiness in later childhood. Citation: Liu J, Liu X, Pak V, Wang Y, Yan C, Pinto-Martin J, Dinges D. Early blood lead levels and sleep disturbance in preadolescence. SLEEP 2015;38(12):1869–1874. PMID:26194570

  8. Elevated Blood Lead Levels Are Associated with Reduced Risk of Malaria in Beninese Infants.

    PubMed

    Moya-Alvarez, Violeta; Mireku, Michael Osei; Ayotte, Pierre; Cot, Michel; Bodeau-Livinec, Florence

    2016-01-01

    Elevated blood lead levels (BLL) and malaria carry an important burden of disease in West Africa. Both diseases might cause anemia and they might entail long-term consequences for the development and the health status of the child. Albeit the significant impact of malaria on lead levels described in Nigeria, no evaluation of the effect of elevated BLL on malaria risk has been investigated so far. Between 2010 and 2012, blood lead levels of 203 Beninese infants from Allada, a semi-rural area 50km North from Cotonou, were assessed at 12 months of age. To assess lead levels, blood samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry. In parallel, clinical, microbiological and hematological data were collected. More precisely, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, CRP, vitamin B12, folate levels, and Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia were assessed and stool samples were also analyzed. At 12 months, the mean BLL of infants was 7.41 μg/dL (CI: 65.2; 83), and 128 infants (63%) had elevated blood lead levels, defined by the CDC as BLL>5 μg/dL. Lead poisoning, defined as BLL>10 μg/dL, was found in 39 infants (19%). Twenty-five infants (12.5%) had a positive blood smear at 12 months and 144 infants were anemic (71%, hemoglobin<110 g/L). Elevated blood lead levels were significantly associated with reduced risk of a positive blood smear (AOR = 0.38, P-value = 0.048) and P. falciparum parasite density (beta-estimate = -1.42, P-value = 0.03) in logistic and negative binomial regression multivariate models, respectively, adjusted on clinical and environmental indicators. Our study shows for the first time that BLL are negatively associated with malarial risk considering other risk factors. Malaria is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in infants under 5 years worldwide, and lead poisoning is the 6th most important contributor to the global burden of diseases measured in disability adjusted life years (DALYs) according to the Institute of Health Metrics. In conclusion, due to the

  9. Towards a Multi-Mission, Airborne Science Data System Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crichton, D. J.; Hardman, S.; Law, E.; Freeborn, D.; Kay-Im, E.; Lau, G.; Oswald, J.

    2011-12-01

    . A principal goal is to provide support for the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) instrument which will produce over 700,000 soundings over the life of their three-year mission. The cost to purchase and operate a cluster-based system in order to generate Level 2 Full Physics products from this data was prohibitive. Through an evaluation of cloud computing solutions, Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) was selected for the CARVE deployment. As the ACCE infrastructure is developed and extended to form an infrastructure for airborne missions, the experience of working with CARVE has provided a number of lessons learned and has proven to be important in reinforcing the unique aspects of airborne missions and the importance of the ACCE infrastructure in developing a cost effective, flexible multi-mission capability that leverages emerging capabilities in cloud computing, workflow management, and distributed computing.

  10. An airborne sunphotometer for use with helicopters

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walthall, C.L.; Halthore, R.N.; Elman, G.C.

    1996-04-01

    One solution for atmospheric correction and calibration of remotely sensed data from airborne platforms is the use of radiometrically calibrated instruments, sunphotometers and an atmospheric radiative transfer model. Sunphotometers are used to measure the direct solar irradiance at the level at which they are operating and the data are used in the computation of atmospheric optical depth. Atmospheric optical depth is an input to atmospheric correction algorithms that convert at-sensor radiance to required surface properties such as reflectance and temperature. Airborne sun photometry has thus far seen limited use and has not been used with a helicopter platform. The hardware,more » software, calibration and deployment of an automatic sun-tracking sunphotometer specifically designed for use on a helicopter are described. Sample data sets taken with the system during the 1994 Boreal Ecosystem and Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) are presented. The addition of the sun photometer to the helicopter system adds another tool for monitoring the environment and makes the helicopter remote sensing system capable of collecting calibrated, atmospherically corrected data independent of the need for measurements from other systems.« less

  11. OPTIMIZING THE PAKS METHOD FOR MEASURING AIRBORNE ACROLEIN

    EPA Science Inventory

    Airborne acrolein is produced from the combustion of fuel and tobacco and is of concern due to its potential for respiratory tract irritation and other adverse health effects. Active sampling with DNPH-coated solid sorbents has been widely used for sampling airborne carbonyls; ...

  12. OPTIMIZING THE PAKS METHOD FOR MEASURING AIRBORNE ACROLEIN

    EPA Science Inventory

    Airborne acrolein is produced from the combustion of fuel and tobacco and is of concern due to its potential for respiratory tract irritation and other adverse health effects. DNPH active-sampling is a method widely used for sampling airborne aldehydes and ketones (carbonyls); ...

  13. Lead

    MedlinePlus

    ... Agendas, and Minutes New Blood Lead Level Information Funding Information Lead in Drinking Water Lead-based Water Lines Washington, D.C. Blood Lead Level Tests Effect of Previously Missing Blood Lead Level (BPb) Surveillance ...

  14. Development of an Airborne Micropulse Water Vapor DIAL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nehrir, A. R.; Ismail, S.

    2012-12-01

    Water vapor plays a key role in many atmospheric processes affecting both weather and climate. Airborne measurements of tropospheric water vapor profiles have been a longstanding observational need to not only the active remote sensing community but also to the meteorological, weather forecasting, and climate/radiation science communities. Microscale measurements of tropospheric water vapor are important for enhancing near term meteorological forecasting capabilities while mesoscale and synopticscale measurements can lead to an enhanced understanding of the complex coupled feedback mechanisms between water vapor, temperature, aerosols, and clouds. To realize tropospheric measurements of water vapor profiles over the microscale-synopticscale areas of meteorological interest, a compact and cost effective airborne micropulse differential absorption lidar (DIAL) is being investigated using newly emerging semiconductor based laser technology. Ground based micropulse DIAL (MPD) measurements of tropospheric water vapor and aerosol profiles up to 6 km and 15 km, respectively, have been previously demonstrated using an all semiconductor based laser transmitter. The DIAL transmitter utilizes a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration where two semiconductor seed lasers are used to seed a single pass traveling wave tapered semiconductor optical amplifier (TSOA), producing up to 7μJ pulse energies over a 1 μs pulse duration at a 10 kHz pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Intercomparisons between the ground based instrument measurements and radiosonde profiles demonstrating the MPD performance under varying atmospheric conditions will be presented. Work is currently ongoing to expand upon the ground based MPD concept and to develop a compact and cost effective system capable of deployment on a mid-low altitude aircraft such as the NASA Langley B200 King Air. Initial lab experiments show that a two-three fold increase in the laser energy compared to the ground

  15. The influence of declining air lead levels on blood lead-air lead slope factors in children.

    PubMed

    Richmond-Bryant, Jennifer; Meng, Qingyu; Davis, Allen; Cohen, Jonathan; Lu, Shou-En; Svendsgaard, David; Brown, James S; Tuttle, Lauren; Hubbard, Heidi; Rice, Joann; Kirrane, Ellen; Vinikoor-Imler, Lisa C; Kotchmar, Dennis; Hines, Erin P; Ross, Mary

    2014-07-01

    It is difficult to discern the proportion of blood lead (PbB) attributable to ambient air lead (PbA), given the multitude of lead (Pb) sources and pathways of exposure. The PbB-PbA relationship has previously been evaluated across populations. This relationship was a central consideration in the 2008 review of the Pb national ambient air quality standards. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between PbB and PbA concentrations among children nationwide for recent years and to compare the relationship with those obtained from other studies in the literature. We merged participant-level data for PbB from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994) and NHANES 9908 (1999-2008) with PbA data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We applied mixed-effects models, and we computed slope factor, d[PbB]/d[PbA] or the change in PbB per unit change in PbA, from the model results to assess the relationship between PbB and PbA. Comparing the NHANES regression results with those from the literature shows that slope factor increased with decreasing PbA among children 0-11 years of age. These findings suggest that a larger relative public health benefit may be derived among children from decreases in PbA at low PbA exposures. Simultaneous declines in Pb from other sources, changes in PbA sampling uncertainties over time largely related to changes in the size distribution of Pb-bearing particulate matter, and limitations regarding sampling size and exposure error may contribute to the variability in slope factor observed across peer-reviewed studies.

  16. Handling Trajectory Uncertainties for Airborne Conflict Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barhydt, Richard; Doble, Nathan A.; Karr, David; Palmer, Michael T.

    2005-01-01

    Airborne conflict management is an enabling capability for NASA's Distributed Air-Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept. DAGTM has the goal of significantly increasing capacity within the National Airspace System, while maintaining or improving safety. Under DAG-TM, autonomous aircraft maintain separation from each other and from managed aircraft unequipped for autonomous flight. NASA Langley Research Center has developed the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP), an onboard decision support system that provides airborne conflict management (ACM) and strategic flight planning support for autonomous aircraft pilots. The AOP performs conflict detection, prevention, and resolution from nearby traffic aircraft and area hazards. Traffic trajectory information is assumed to be provided by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). Reliable trajectory prediction is a key capability for providing effective ACM functions. Trajectory uncertainties due to environmental effects, differences in aircraft systems and performance, and unknown intent information lead to prediction errors that can adversely affect AOP performance. To accommodate these uncertainties, the AOP has been enhanced to create cross-track, vertical, and along-track buffers along the predicted trajectories of both ownship and traffic aircraft. These buffers will be structured based on prediction errors noted from previous simulations such as a recent Joint Experiment between NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers and from other outside studies. Currently defined ADS-B parameters related to navigation capability, trajectory type, and path conformance will be used to support the algorithms that generate the buffers.

  17. Airborne Soil Moisture determination at regional level: A data fusion mission approach for Catalan territory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Francisco; Corbera, Jordi; Marchan, Juan Fernando; Camps, Adriano

    2010-05-01

    During the last years the importance of water management has grown considerably. Average temperatures exhibit an increasing pattern (0.77 °C during the last 20 years) that is expected to continue in the next years. These results in a decrease in the hydrical resources (15% during the last 20 years for the Catalan territori) being the expectative not very optimist. A tangible consequence was the drought episode that suffers Catalonia. It is within this scenario that the ‘Programa Català d'Observació de la Terra' (PCOT) as a unit of the official mapping agency of Catalonia, the ‘Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya' (ICC) has detected the need to develop new tools to improve the management of water resources. The knowledge of soil moisture across a given region can help to efficiently manage the limited water resources. Present Earth Observations missions such as ESA's SMOS, or the future NASA's SMAP focus considerably their efforts in the estimation of soil moisture. The main drawbacks are the resolutions obtained (40 km for SMOS, 10 km for SMAP), which are not adequate for regional scale and territorial availability such as the case of Catalonia where a spatial resolution in a range between 20-30m. and 100-150m. is desired both for local actuations and to deteminate hidric soil patterns In this scenario, PCOT is carrying out an airborne soil moisture mission for the Catalan territory, taking advantage of the availability of ICC aircrafts and of more than 20 years of experience in making aircraft campaigns and operating hyperspectral airborne sensors such as CASI (0.75-1.4 µm) and TASI (8-11.5 µm) to respond to environmental and cartographic end users needs of geoinformation data, products and services. This mission will generate soil moisture maps over the Catalan region that will improve the water management, and will also be used for the study of the hydrological patterns of Catalonia. Soil moisture determination will be achieved by means of L

  18. Blood lead levels in a group of children: the potential risk factors and health problems.

    PubMed

    AbuShady, Mones M; Fathy, Hanan A; Fathy, Gihan A; Fatah, Samer Abd El; Ali, Alaa; Abbas, Mohamed A

    To investigate blood lead levels in schoolchildren in two areas of Egypt to understand the current lead pollution exposure and its risk factors, aiming to improve prevention politicies. This was a cross-sectional study in children (n=400) aged 6-12 years recruited from two areas in Egypt (industrial and urban). Blood lead levels were measured using an atomic absorption method. Detailed questionnaires on sources of lead exposure and history of school performance and any behavioral changes were obtained. The mean blood lead level in the urban area of Egypt (Dokki) was 5.45±3.90μg/dL, while that in the industrial area (Helwan) was 10.37±7.94μg/dL, with a statistically significant difference between both areas (p<0.05). In Dokki, 20% of the studied group had blood lead levels≥10μg/dL, versus 42% of those in Helwan. A significant association was found between children with abnormal behavior and those with pallor with blood lead level≥10μg/dL, when compared with those with blood lead level<10μg/dL (p<0.05). Those living in Helwan area, those with bad health habits, and those living in housing with increased exposure were at a statistically significantly higher risk of having blood lead level≥10μg/dL. Lead remains a public health problem in Egypt. High blood lead levels were significantly associated with bad health habits and housing with increased exposure, as well as abnormal behavior and pallor. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  19. Comparative performance between compressed and uncompressed airborne imagery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phan, Chung; Rupp, Ronald; Agarwal, Sanjeev; Trang, Anh; Nair, Sumesh

    2008-04-01

    The US Army's RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division is evaluating the compressibility of airborne multi-spectral imagery for mine and minefield detection application. Of particular interest is to assess the highest image data compression rate that can be afforded without the loss of image quality for war fighters in the loop and performance of near real time mine detection algorithm. The JPEG-2000 compression standard is used to perform data compression. Both lossless and lossy compressions are considered. A multi-spectral anomaly detector such as RX (Reed & Xiaoli), which is widely used as a core algorithm baseline in airborne mine and minefield detection on different mine types, minefields, and terrains to identify potential individual targets, is used to compare the mine detection performance. This paper presents the compression scheme and compares detection performance results between compressed and uncompressed imagery for various level of compressions. The compression efficiency is evaluated and its dependence upon different backgrounds and other factors are documented and presented using multi-spectral data.

  20. Changes in serial blood lead levels during pregnancy.

    PubMed Central

    Rothenberg, S J; Karchmer, S; Schnaas, L; Perroni, E; Zea, F; Fernández Alba, J

    1994-01-01

    The first step in modeling lead kinetics during pregnancy includes a description of sequential maternal blood lead (PbB) during pregnancy and the factors controlling it. We analyzed PbB of 105 women living in the Valley of Mexico from week 12 to week 36 of pregnancy and again at parturition. We also used data from all women contributing blood at any stage of pregnancy to determine antecedents of PbB. Pregnancies were uneventful, and offspring were normal. Although geometric mean PbB level averaged around 7.0 micrograms/dl (0.34 mumol/l), with a range of 1.0-35.5 micrograms/dl throughout pregnancy, analysis of variance revealed a significant decrease in mean PbB from week 12 to week 20 (1.1 micrograms/dl) and various significant increases in mean PbB from week 20 to parturition (1.6 micrograms/dl). Regression analyses confirmed the positive linear PbB trend from 20 weeks to parturition and additional contributions of dietary calcium, reproductive history, lifetime residence of Mexico City, coffee drinking, and use of indigenous lead-glazed pottery. Although decreasing hematocrit has been suggested to explain first-half pregnancy PbB decrease, the time course of hematocrit decrease in the present study did not match the sequential changes in PbB. While hemodilution and organ growth in the first half of pregnancy may account for much of the PbB decrease seen between 12 and 20 weeks, the remaining hemodilution and accelerated organ growth of the last half of pregnancy do not predict the trend toward increasing maternal PbB concentration from 20 weeks to delivery. Mobilization of bone lead, increased gut absorption, and increased retention of lead may explain part of the upward PbB trend in the second half of pregnancy. Reduction of lifetime lead exposure may be required to decrease risk of fetal exposure. Images Figure 1. Figure 2. PMID:9644197

  1. Temporal fluctuation of the lead level in the cord blood of neonates in Taipei.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Y H; Wang, J D

    1990-01-01

    From August 1985 to September 1987, 9,502 cord blood samples were obtained from the Taipei Municipal Maternal and Child Hospital. A total of 205 cord blood samples chosen randomly from newborns without parental exposure to lead were analyzed by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The average blood lead level was .36 +/- .11 mumol/l (7.48 +/- 2.25 micrograms/dl). A similar analysis was performed on samples obtained from 160 newborns whose fathers had occupational lead exposure. In both groups, the average concentration of lead in cord blood in the summer was statistically greater than that in the winter. Air lead and total amount of lead in gasoline consumed in Taipei appeared to be associated with this seasonal fluctuation in the average lead level of cord blood. After considering alternative sources, we conclude that the seasonal fluctuation of cord blood lead is probably influenced by air lead produced from the combustion of gasoline.

  2. The effect of the OSHA lead exposure in construction standard on blood lead levels among iron workers employed in bridge rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Levin, S M; Goldberg, M; Doucette, J T

    1997-03-01

    Over 50,000 workers are at risk of occupational exposure to lead in the course of renovating the nation's deteriorating infrastructure. In mid-1993, to control exposure to lead in the construction setting OSHA promulgated a Lead in Construction Standard. In this study, we assessed the effect of the mandated changes in exposure conditions which followed the introduction of this new standard. We analyzed changes in baseline and maximum blood lead concentrations and in maximum increments in blood lead levels before and after introduction of the standard among iron workers employed in the renovation of a large, lead-painted, steel bridge in New York City. Results indicated that baseline and maximum blood lead levels fell significantly after the implementation of the provisions of the standard, as did maximum increments in blood lead concentrations. Seventy-six percent of the workers maintained blood lead concentrations below 20 micrograms/dl after the OSHA standard, as compared with 66% prior to its implementation. Increments of 20 micrograms/dl or more occurred considerably more frequently before introduction of the standard (13% before vs. 4% after; p = 0.01). Evidence of decreased exposure to lead was observed among iron workers who were present both before and after the introduction of the OSHA standard, as well as among iron workers newly hired after the OSHA provisions were put in place. These findings document the effectiveness of the OSHA construction lead standard in controlling exposure to lead in this complex and variable environment. The data indicate the utility of blood lead determinations in assessing the outcome of industrial hygiene interventions to reduce exposures to lead in the construction setting.

  3. Study on analysis from sources of error for Airborne LIDAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ren, H. C.; Yan, Q.; Liu, Z. J.; Zuo, Z. Q.; Xu, Q. Q.; Li, F. F.; Song, C.

    2016-11-01

    With the advancement of Aerial Photogrammetry, it appears that to obtain geo-spatial information of high spatial and temporal resolution provides a new technical means for Airborne LIDAR measurement techniques, with unique advantages and broad application prospects. Airborne LIDAR is increasingly becoming a new kind of space for earth observation technology, which is mounted by launching platform for aviation, accepting laser pulses to get high-precision, high-density three-dimensional coordinate point cloud data and intensity information. In this paper, we briefly demonstrates Airborne laser radar systems, and that some errors about Airborne LIDAR data sources are analyzed in detail, so the corresponding methods is put forwarded to avoid or eliminate it. Taking into account the practical application of engineering, some recommendations were developed for these designs, which has crucial theoretical and practical significance in Airborne LIDAR data processing fields.

  4. Airborne gamma radiation soil moisture measurements over short flight lines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peck, Eugene L.; Carrol, Thomas R.; Lipinski, Daniel M.

    1990-01-01

    Results are presented on airborne gamma radiation measurements of soil moisture condition, carried out along short flight lines as part of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project Field Experiment (FIFE). Data were collected over an area in Kansas during the summers of 1987 and 1989. The airborne surveys, together with ground measurements, provide the most comprehensive set of airborne and ground truth data available in the U.S. for calibrating and evaluating airborne gamma flight lines. Analysis showed that, using standard National Weather Service weights for the K, Tl, and Gc radiation windows, the airborne soil moisture estimates for the FIFE lines had a root mean square error of no greater than 3.0 percent soil moisture. The soil moisture estimates for sections having acquisition time of at least 15 sec were found to be reliable.

  5. 77 FR 21834 - Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For Air Carrier Aircraft)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment... Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C67, Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For Air Carrier Aircraft). SUMMARY: This is a confirmation notice of the cancellation of TSO-C67, Airborne Radar Altimeter Equipment (For...

  6. *Evaluating the toxicity of airborne particulate matter and nanoparticles by measuring oxidative strett potential - A workshop report and consensus statement

    EPA Science Inventory

    BACKGROUND: There is a strong need for laboratory in vitro test systems for the toxicity of airborne particulate matter and nanoparticles. The measurement of oxidative stress potential offers a promising way forward. OBJECTIVES: A workshop was convened involving leading workers f...

  7. Blood lead is a predictor of homocysteine levels in a population-based study of older adults.

    PubMed

    Schafer, Jyme H; Glass, Thomas A; Bressler, Joseph; Todd, Andrew C; Schwartz, Brian S

    2005-01-01

    Lead and homocysteine are both associated with cardiovascular disease and cognitive dysfunction. We evaluated the relations among blood lead, tibia lead, and homocysteine levels by cross-sectional analysis of data among subjects in the Baltimore Memory Study, a longitudinal study of 1,140 randomly selected residents in Baltimore, Maryland, who were 50-70 years of age. Tibia lead was measured by (superscript)109(/superscript)Cd K-shell X-ray fluorescence. The subject population had a mean +/- SD age of 59.3 +/- 5.9 years and was 66.0% female, 53.9% white, and 41.4% black or African American. Mean +/- SD blood lead, tibia lead, and homocysteine levels were 3.5 +/- 2.4 microg/dL, 18.9 +/- 12.5 microg/g, and 10.0 +/- 4.1 micromol/L, respectively. In unadjusted analysis, blood lead and homocysteine were moderately correlated (Pearson's r = 0.27, p < 0.01). After adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational level, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and body mass index using multiple linear regression, results revealed that homocysteine levels increased 0.35 micromol/L per 1.0 microg/dL increase in blood lead (p < 0.01). The relations of blood lead with homocysteine levels did not differ in subgroups distinguished by age, sex, or race/ethnicity. Tibia lead was modestly correlated with blood lead (Pearson's r = 0.12, p < 0.01) but was not associated with homocysteine levels. To our knowledge, these are the first data to reveal an association between blood lead and homocysteine. These results suggest that homocysteine could be a mechanism that underlies the effects of lead on the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, possibly offering new targets for intervention to prevent the long-term consequences of lead exposure.

  8. Cadmium in forest ecosystems around lead smelters in Missouri.

    PubMed Central

    Gale, N L; Wixson, B G

    1979-01-01

    The development of Missouri's new lead belt within the past decase has provided an excellent opportunity to study the dissemination and effects of heavy metals in a deciduous forest ecosystem. Primary lead smelters within the new lead belt have been identified as potential sources of cadmium as well as lead, zinc, and copper. Sintering and blast furnace operations tend to produce significant quantities of small particulates highly enriched in cadmium and other heavy metals. At one smelter, samples of stack particulate emissions indicate that as ms accompanied by 0.44 lb zinc, 4.66 lb lead, and 0.01 lb copper/hr. These point-source emissions, as well as a number of other sources of fugitive (wind blown) and waterborne emissions contribute to a significant deposition of cadmium in the surrounding forest and stream beds. Mobilization of vagrant heavy metals may be significantly increased by contact of baghouse dusts or scrubber slurries with acidic effluents emanating from acid plants designed to produce H2SO4 as a smelter by-product. Two separate drainage forks within the Crooked Creek watershed permit some comparisons of the relative contributions of cadmium by air-borne versus water-borne contaminants. Cadmium and other heavy metals have been found to accumulate in the forest litter and partially decomposed litter along stream beds. Greater solubility, lower levels of complexation with organic ligands in the litter, and greater overall mobility of cadmium compared with lead, zinc, and copper result in appreciable contributions of dissolved cadmium to the watershed runoff. The present paper attempts to define the principle sources and current levels of heavy metal contamination and summarizes the efforts undertaken by the industry to curtail the problem. PMID:488037

  9. Interrupted time series analysis of children’s blood lead levels: A case study of lead hazard control program in Syracuse, New York

    PubMed Central

    Shao, Liyang; Zhang, Lianjun; Zhen, Zhen

    2017-01-01

    Children’s blood lead concentrations have been closely monitored over the last two decades in the United States. The bio-monitoring surveillance data collected in local agencies reflected the local temporal trends of children’s blood lead levels (BLLs). However, the analysis and modeling of the long-term time series of BLLs have rarely been reported. We attempted to quantify the long-term trends of children’s BLLs in the city of Syracuse, New York and evaluate the impacts of local lead poisoning prevention programs and Lead Hazard Control Program on reducing the children’s BLLs. We applied interrupted time series analysis on the monthly time series of BLLs surveillance data and used ARMA (autoregressive and moving average) models to measure the average children’s blood lead level shift and detect the seasonal pattern change. Our results showed that there were three intervention stages over the past 20 years to reduce children’s BLLs in the city of Syracuse, NY. The average of children’s BLLs was significantly decreased after the interventions, declining from 8.77μg/dL to 3.94μg/dL during1992 to 2011. The seasonal variation diminished over the past decade, but more short term influences were in the variation. The lead hazard control treatment intervention proved effective in reducing the children’s blood lead levels in Syracuse, NY. Also, the reduction of the seasonal variation of children’s BLLs reflected the impacts of the local lead-based paint mitigation program. The replacement of window and door was the major cost of lead house abatement. However, soil lead was not considered a major source of lead hazard in our analysis. PMID:28182688

  10. Temperature dependent energy levels of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, Benjamin J.; Marlowe, Daniel L.; Sun, Keye; Saidi, Wissam A.; Scudiero, Louis; Gupta, Mool C.; Choi, Joshua J.

    2015-06-01

    Temperature dependent energy levels of methylammonium lead iodide are investigated using a combination of ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and optical spectroscopy. Our results show that the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum shift down in energy by 110 meV and 77 meV as temperature increases from 28 °C to 85 °C. Density functional theory calculations using slab structures show that the decreased orbital splitting due to thermal expansion is a major contribution to the experimentally observed shift in energy levels. Our results have implications for solar cell performance under operating conditions with continued sunlight exposure and increased temperature.

  11. Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-05-15

    An airplane drops essential support on the Austfonna Ice Cap in Svalbard (Norwegian Arctic). The triangular structure is a corner reflector used as ground reference for airborne radar surveys. To learn about the contributions of glaciers to sea level rise, visit: www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/glacier-sea-rise.html Credit: Andrea Taurisano, Norwegian Polar Institute NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  12. Airborne Polarimeter Intercomparison for the NASA Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knobelspiesse, Kirk; Redemann, Jens

    2014-01-01

    The Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) mission, recommended by the National Research Council's Decadal Survey, calls for a multi-angle, multi-spectral polarimeter devoted to observations of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. In preparation for ACE, NASA funds the deployment of airborne polarimeters, including the Airborne Multi-angle SpectroPolarimeter Imager (AirMSPI), the Passive Aerosol and Cloud Suite (PACS) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). These instruments have been operated together on NASA's ER-2 high altitude aircraft as part of field campaigns such as the POlarimeter DEfinition EXperiment (PODEX) (California, early 2013) and Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, California and Texas, summer 2013). Our role in these efforts has been to serve as an assessment team performing level 1 (calibrated radiance, polarization) and level 2 (retrieved geophysical parameter) instrument intercomparisons, and to promote unified and generalized calibration, uncertainty assessment and retrieval techniques. We will present our progress in this endeavor thus far and describe upcoming research in 2015.

  13. Interpreting and managing blood lead levels of less than 10 microg/dL in children and reducing childhood exposure to lead: recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention.

    PubMed

    Binns, Helen J; Campbell, Carla; Brown, Mary Jean

    2007-11-01

    Lead is a common environmental contaminant. Lead exposure is a preventable risk that exists in all areas of the United States. In children, lead is associated with impaired cognitive, motor, behavioral, and physical abilities. In 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined the blood lead level that should prompt public health actions as 10 microg/dL. Concurrently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recognized that a blood lead level of 10 microg/dL did not define a threshold for the harmful effects of lead. Research conducted since 1991 has strengthened the evidence that children's physical and mental development can be affected at blood lead levels of < 10 microg/dL. In this report we provide information to help clinicians understand blood lead levels < 10 microg/dL, identify gaps in knowledge concerning lead levels in this range, and outline strategies to reduce childhood exposures to lead. We also summarize scientific data relevant to counseling, blood lead screening, and lead-exposure risk assessment. To aid in the interpretation of blood lead levels, clinicians should understand the laboratory error range for blood lead values and, if possible, select a laboratory that achieves routine performance within +/-2 microg/dL. Clinicians should obtain an environmental history on all children they examine, provide families with lead-prevention counseling, and follow blood lead screening recommendations established for their areas. As circumstances permit, clinicians should consider referral to developmental programs for children at high risk for exposure to lead and more frequent rescreening of children with blood lead levels approaching 10 microg/dL. In addition, clinicians should direct parents to agencies and sources of information that will help them establish a lead-safe environment for their children. For these preventive strategies to succeed, partnerships between health care providers, families, and local public health and

  14. Forced-air warming: a source of airborne contamination in the operating room?

    PubMed

    Albrecht, Mark; Gauthier, Robert; Leaper, David

    2009-10-10

    Forced-air-warming (FAW) is an effective and widely used means for maintaining surgical normothermia, but FAW also has the potential to generate and mobilize airborne contamination in the operating room.We measured the emission of viable and non-viable forms of airborne contamination from an arbitrary selection of FAW blowers (n=25) in the operating room. A laser particle counter measured particulate concentrations of the air near the intake filter and in the distal hose airstream. Filtration efficiency was calculated as the reduction in particulate concentration in the distal hose airstream relative to that of the intake. Microbial colonization of the FAW blower's internal hose surfaces was assessed by culturing the microorganisms recovered through swabbing (n=17) and rinsing (n=9) techniques.Particle counting revealed that 24% of FAW blowers were emitting significant levels of internally generated airborne contamination in the 0.5 to 5.0 µm size range, evidenced by a steep decrease in FAW blower filtration efficiency for particles 0.5 to 5.0 µm in size. The particle size-range-specific reduction in efficiency could not be explained by the filtration properties of the intake filter. Instead, the reduction was found to be caused by size-range-specific particle generation within the FAW blowers. Microorganisms were detected on the internal air path surfaces of 94% of FAW blowers.The design of FAW blowers was found to be questionable for preventing the build-up of internal contamination and the emission of airborne contamination into the operating room. Although we did not evaluate the link between FAW and surgical site infection rates, a significant percentage of FAW blowers with positive microbial cultures were emitting internally generated airborne contamination within the size range of free floating bacteria and fungi (<4 µm) that could, conceivably, settle onto the surgical site.

  15. SGA-WZ: A New Strapdown Airborne Gravimeter

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yangming; Olesen, Arne Vestergaard; Wu, Meiping; Zhang, Kaidong

    2012-01-01

    Inertial navigation systems and gravimeters are now routinely used to map the regional gravitational quantities from an aircraft with mGal accuracy and a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. However, airborne gravimeter of this kind is limited by the inaccuracy of the inertial sensor performance, the integrated navigation technique and the kinematic acceleration determination. As the GPS technique developed, the vehicle acceleration determination is no longer the limiting factor in airborne gravity due to the cancellation of the common mode acceleration in differential mode. A new airborne gravimeter taking full advantage of the inertial navigation system is described with improved mechanical design, high precision time synchronization, better thermal control and optimized sensor modeling. Apart from the general usage, the Global Positioning System (GPS) after differentiation is integrated to the inertial navigation system which provides not only more precise altitude information along with the navigation aiding, but also an effective way to calculate the vehicle acceleration. Design description and test results on the performance of the gyroscopes and accelerations will be emphasized. Analysis and discussion of the airborne field test results are also given. PMID:23012545

  16. NTP monograph on health effects of low-level lead.

    PubMed

    2012-06-01

    Although reductions in lead (Pb) exposure for the U.S. population have resulted in lower blood Pb levels over time, epidemiological studies continue to provide evidence of health effects at lower and lower blood Pb levels. Low-level Pb was selected for evaluation by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) because of (1) the availability of a large number of epidemiological studies of Pb, (2) a nomination by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for an assessment of Pb at lower levels of exposure, and (3) public concern for effects of Pb in children and adults. This evaluation summarizes the evidence in humans and presents conclusions on health effects in children and adults associated with low-level Pb exposure as indicated by less than 10 micrograms of Pb per deciliter of blood (< 10 microg/dL). The assessment focuses on epidemiological evidence at blood Pb levels < 10 microg/dL and < 5 microg/dL because health effects at higher blood Pb levels are well established. The NTP evaluation was conducted through the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT, formerly the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction) and completed in April of 2012. The results of this evaluation are published in the NTP Monograph on Health Effects of Low-Level Lead. The document and appendices are available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/evals. This document provides background on Pb exposure and includes a review of the primary epidemiological literature for evidence that low-level Pb is associated with neurological, immunological, cardiovascular, renal, and/or reproductive and developmental effects. The NTP Monograph presents specific conclusions for each health effect area. Overall, the NTP concludes that there is sufficient evidence that blood Pb levels < 10 microg/dL and < 5 microg/dL are associated with adverse health effects in children and adults. This conclusion was based on a review of the primary epidemiological literature, scientific

  17. Exposure to airborne asbestos in buildings

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, R.J.; Van Orden, D.R.; Corn, M.

    The concentration of airborne asbestos in buildings and its implication for the health of building occupants is a major public health issue. A total of 2892 air samples from 315 public, commercial, residential, school, and university buildings has been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. The buildings that were surveyed were the subject of litigation related to suits alleging the general building occupants were exposed to a potential health hazard as a result of exposure to the presence of asbestos containing materials (ACM). The average concentration of all asbestos structures was 0.02 structures/ml (s/ml) and the average concentration of asbestos greatermore » than or equal to 5 microns long was 0.00013 fibers/ml (f/ml). The concentration of asbestos was higher in schools than in other buildings. In 48% of indoor samples and 75% of outdoor samples, no asbestos fibers were detected. The observed airborne concentration in 74% of the indoor samples and 96% of the outdoor samples is below the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act clearance level of 0.01 s/ml. Finally, using those fibers which could be seen optically, all indoor samples and all outdoor samples are below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure level of 0.1 f/ml for fibers greater than or equal to 5 microns in length. These results provide substantive verification of the findings of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency public building study which found very low ambient concentrations of asbestos fibers in buildings with ACM, irrespective of the condition of the material in the buildings.« less

  18. [Occupational exposure to airborne chemical substances in paintings conservators].

    PubMed

    Jezewska, Anna; Szewczyńska, Małgorzata; Woźnica, Agnieszka

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the results of the quantitative study of the airborne chemical substances detected in the conservator's work environment. The quantitative tests were carried out in 6 museum easel paintings conservation studios. The air test samples were taken at various stages of restoration works, such as cleaning, doubling, impregnation, varnishing, retouching, just to name a few. The chemical substances in the sampled air were measured by the GC-FID (gas chromatography with flame ionization detector) test method. The study results demonstrated that concentrations of airborne substances, e.g., toluene, 1,4-dioxane, turpentine and white spirit in the work environment of paintings conservators exceeded the values allowed by hygiene standards. It was found that exposure levels to the same chemical agents, released during similar activities, varied for different paintings conservation studios. It is likely that this discrepancy resulted from the indoor air exchange system for a given studio (e.g. type of ventilation and its efficiency), the size of the object under maintenance, and also from the methodology and protection used by individual employees. The levels of organic solvent vapors, present in the workplace air in the course of painting conservation, were found to be well above the occupational exposure limits, thus posing a threat to the worker's health.

  19. Airborne Microalgae: Insights, Opportunities, and Challenges

    PubMed Central

    Skjøth, Carsten Ambelas; Šantl-Temkiv, Tina; Löndahl, Jakob

    2016-01-01

    Airborne dispersal of microalgae has largely been a blind spot in environmental biological studies because of their low concentration in the atmosphere and the technical limitations in investigating microalgae from air samples. Recent studies show that airborne microalgae can survive air transportation and interact with the environment, possibly influencing their deposition rates. This minireview presents a summary of these studies and traces the possible route, step by step, from established ecosystems to new habitats through air transportation over a variety of geographic scales. Emission, transportation, deposition, and adaptation to atmospheric stress are discussed, as well as the consequences of their dispersal on health and the environment and state-of-the-art techniques to detect and model airborne microalga dispersal. More-detailed studies on the microalga atmospheric cycle, including, for instance, ice nucleation activity and transport simulations, are crucial for improving our understanding of microalga ecology, identifying microalga interactions with the environment, and preventing unwanted contamination events or invasions. PMID:26801574

  20. Airborne microorganisms associated with grain handling.

    PubMed

    Swan, J R; Crook, B

    1998-01-01

    There is substantial evidence that workers handling grain develop allergic respiratory symptoms. Microbiological contaminants are likely to be a significant contributing factor. Worker's exposure to microorganisms contaminating grain dust in the UK was therefore examined. Aerobiological studies were made when grain was being handled on farms and also during bulk handling of grain in dockside terminals. A quantitative and qualitative microbiological examination of the airborne grain dust was carried out. Samples of airborne grain dust were collected and viable bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were grown, isolated and identified. It was found that workers handling grain or working close to grain at farms and docks were frequently exposed to more than 1 million bacteria and fungi per m3 air, and that airborne bacteria and fungi exceeded 10(4) per m3 air in all areas sampled. The qualitative examination of the samples showed that the predominant microorganisms present differed between freshly harvested grain and stored grain, but not between different types of grain.

  1. The effects of temperature and pressure on airborne exposure concentrations when performing compliance evaluations using ACGIH TLVs and OSHA PELs.

    PubMed

    Stephenson, D J; Lillquist, D R

    2001-04-01

    Occupational hygienists perform air sampling to characterize airborne contaminant emissions, assess occupational exposures, and establish allowable workplace airborne exposure concentrations. To perform these air sampling applications, occupational hygienists often compare an airborne exposure concentration to a corresponding American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) or an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL). To perform such comparisons, one must understand the physiological assumptions used to establish these occupational exposure limits, the relationship between a workplace airborne exposure concentration and its associated TLV or PEL, and the effect of temperature and pressure on the performance of an accurate compliance evaluation. This article illustrates the correct procedure for performing compliance evaluations using airborne exposure concentrations expressed in both parts per million and milligrams per cubic meter. In so doing, a brief discussion is given on the physiological assumptions used to establish TLVs and PELs. It is further shown how an accurate compliance evaluation is fundamentally based on comparison of a measured work site exposure dose (derived from the sampling site exposure concentration estimate) to an estimated acceptable exposure dose (derived from the occupational exposure limit concentration). In addition, this article correctly illustrates the effect that atmospheric temperature and pressure have on airborne exposure concentrations and the eventual performance of a compliance evaluation. This article also reveals that under fairly moderate conditions of temperature and pressure, 30 degrees C and 670 torr, a misunderstanding of how varying atmospheric conditions affect concentration values can lead to a 15 percent error in assessing compliance.

  2. Family environmental and dietary implications for low-level prenatal lead exposure in Wujiang City, China.

    PubMed

    Yan, Jin; Gao, Zhenyan; Wang, Ju; Ma, Wenjuan; Ying, Xiaolan; Zhou, Cancan; Yan, Chonghuai

    2018-05-01

    To explore the potential environmental and dietary factors during pregnancy affecting low-level prenatal lead exposure, we conducted a longitudinal study in Wujiang City, China. A total of 1976 mother-infant pairs were included from 2009 to 2010. An interviewed questionnaire was conducted and cord blood samples were collected. The geometric means of cord blood lead level was 30.3 μg/L (95% CI, 29.8-30.8) with 99.24% below 100 μg/L. Maternal age, passive smoking, and living in the countryside were significantly associated with cord blood lead concentrations. Multiple logistic models showed that some family environmental factors including using firewood and electricity as kitchen fuel were positively correlated with increased cord blood lead levels. Among dietary sources recorded in this study, meat consumption (> 3 times/week), fish consumption (1-3 times/week), vegetables consumption (> 1 times/day), and fruit intake (> 1 times/day) had inverse relationship with cord blood lead levels. In general, our findings may have important implications for family environmental and dietary direction during pregnancy to decrease prenatal lead exposure.

  3. Airborne microorganisms from waste containers.

    PubMed

    Jedlicka, Sabrina S; Stravitz, David M; Lyman, Charles E

    2012-01-01

    In physician's offices and biomedical labs, biological waste is handled every day. This waste is disposed of in waste containers designed for holding red autoclave bags. The containers used in these environments are closed hands-free containers, often with a step pedal. While these containers protect the user from surface-borne microorganisms, the containers may allow airborne microorganisms to escape via the open/close mechanism because of the air current produced upon open/close cycles. In this study, the air current was shown to be sufficient to allow airborne escape of microorganisms held in the container, including Aspergillus niger. However, bacterial cultures, such as Escherichia coli and Lactococcus lactis did not escape. This may be due to the choice of bacterial cultures and the absence of solid waste, such as dust or other particulate matter in the waste containers, that such strains of bacteria could travel on during aerosolization. We compared these results to those obtained using a re-designed receptacle, which mimimizes air currents, and detected no escaping microorganisms. This study highlights one potential source of airborne contamination in labs, hospitals, and other environments that dispose of biological waste.

  4. Inactivation of an enterovirus by airborne disinfectants

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background The activity of airborne disinfectants on bacteria, fungi and spores has been reported. However, the issue of the virucidal effect of disinfectants spread by fogging has not been studied thoroughly. Methods A procedure has been developed to determine the virucidal activity of peracetic acid-based airborne disinfectants on a resistant non-enveloped virus poliovirus type 1. This virus was laid on a stainless carrier. The products were spread into the room by hot fogging at 55°C for 30 minutes at a concentration of 7.5 mL.m-3. Poliovirus inoculum, supplemented with 5%, heat inactivated non fat dry organic milk, were applied into the middle of the stainless steel disc and were dried under the air flow of a class II biological safety cabinet at room temperature. The Viral preparations were recovered by using flocked swabs and were titered on Vero cells using the classical Spearman-Kärber CPE reading method, the results were expressed as TCID50.ml-1. Results The infectious titer of dried poliovirus inocula was kept at 105 TCID50.mL-1 up to 150 minutes at room temperature. Dried inocula exposed to airborne peracetic acid containing disinfectants were recovered at 60 and 120 minutes post-exposition and suspended in culture medium again. The cytotoxicity of disinfectant containing medium was eliminated through gel filtration columns. A 4 log reduction of infectious titer of dried poliovirus inocula exposed to peracetic-based airborne disinfectant was obtained. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the virucidal activity of airborne disinfectants can be tested on dried poliovirus. PMID:23587047

  5. The Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project (WACAP): An interdisciplinary evaluation of the impacts of airborne contaminants in Western U.S. National Parks

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) was initiated in 2002 by the National Park Service to determine if airborne contaminants were having an impact on remote western ecosystems. Multiple sample media (snow, water, sediment, fish and terrestrial vegetation...

  6. Geronimo: Planning Considerations for Employing Airborne Forces

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-05-25

    Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that... operation , a planner must adhere to joint planning considerations and understand the Air Force and Army requirements. Today the Army maintains only...one brigade and two battalions of deployable conventional airborne combat power. The special operations community also is airborne capable, and the

  7. Airborne Network Optimization with Dynamic Network Update

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-26

    Faculty Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University...Member Dr. Barry E. Mullins Member AFIT-ENG-MS-15-M-030 Abstract Modern networks employ congestion and routing management algorithms that can perform...airborne networks. Intelligent agents can make use of Kalman filter predictions to make informed decisions to manage communication in airborne networks. The

  8. Airborne bacteria associated with corrosion of mild steel 1010 and aluminum alloy 1100.

    PubMed

    Rajasekar, Aruliah; Xiao, Wang; Sethuraman, Manivannan; Parthipan, Punniyakotti; Elumalai, Punniyakotti

    2017-03-01

    A novel approach to measure the contribution of airborne bacteria on corrosion effects of mild steel (MS) and aluminum alloy (AA) as a function of their exposure period, and the atmospheric chemical composition was investigated at an urban industrial coastal site, Singapore. The 16S rRNA and phylogenetic analyses showed that Firmicutes are the predominant bacteria detected in AA and MS samples. The dominant bacterial groups identified were Bacillaceae, Staphylococcaceae, and Paenibacillaceae. The growth and proliferation of these bacteria could be due to the presence of humidity and chemical pollutants in the atmosphere, leading to corrosion. Weight loss showed stronger corrosion resistance of AA (1.37 mg/cm 2 ) than MS (26.13 mg/cm 2 ) over the exposure period of 150 days. The higher corrosion rate could be a result of simultaneous action of pollutants and bacterial exopolysaccharides on the metal surfaces. This study demonstrates the significant involvement of airborne bacteria on atmospheric corrosion of engineering materials.

  9. Nitrous oxide as a dynamical tracer in the 1987 Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loewenstein, M.; Podolske, J. R.; Chan, K. R.; Strahan, S. E.

    1989-01-01

    In situ N2O measurements were made using an airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer (ATLAS) on 12 flights into the Antarctic vortex, as well as on five transit flights outside the vortex region in August and September 1987, as part of the Airborne Antartic Ozone Experiment. Vertical profiles of N2O were obtained within the vortex on most of these flights and were obtained outside the vortex on several occasions. Flights into the vortex region show N2O decreasing southward between 53 and 72 S latitude on constant potential temperature surfaces in the lower stratosphere. The data lead to two important conclusions about the vortex region: (1) the lower stratosphere in August/September 1987 was occupied by 'old' air, which had subsided several kilometers during polar winter; (2) the N2O profile in the vortex was in an approximately steady state in August/September 1987, which indicates that the spring upwelling, suggested by several theories, did not occur.

  10. 47 CFR 22.925 - Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular telephones.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Prohibition on airborne operation of cellular... CARRIER SERVICES PUBLIC MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.925 Prohibition on airborne... any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the...

  11. Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar Post Data Processing Software DAPS-LV

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kavaya, Michael J. (Inventor); Beyon, Jeffrey Y. (Inventor); Koch, Grady J. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    Systems, methods, and devices of the present invention enable post processing of airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data. In an embodiment, airborne Doppler wind LIDAR data software written in LabVIEW may be provided and may run two versions of different airborne wind profiling algorithms. A first algorithm may be the Airborne Wind Profiling Algorithm for Doppler Wind LIDAR ("APOLO") using airborne wind LIDAR data from two orthogonal directions to estimate wind parameters, and a second algorithm may be a five direction based method using pseudo inverse functions to estimate wind parameters. The various embodiments may enable wind profiles to be compared using different algorithms, may enable wind profile data for long haul color displays to be generated, may display long haul color displays, and/or may enable archiving of data at user-selectable altitudes over a long observation period for data distribution and population.

  12. Airborne Lidar Measurements of Surface Topography and Structure in Arctic-Boreal Ecosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofton, M. A.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Cornejo, H.; Story, S.

    2017-12-01

    In June-July 2017, NASA's Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS) Facility was deployed to sites in northern Canada and Alaska as part of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 airborne campaign. ABoVE is a large-scale, multi-year study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems, and involves multiple airborne sensors flying both field-based and larger scale sampling sites. During the 4 week deployment of LVIS-F, a total of 15 flights were flown over diverse science targets based out of multiple airports in Canada and Alaska. LVIS-F is NASA's high-altitude airborne lidar sensor, collecting a nominal 2km wide swath of data from 10km altitude above the ground. Footprints are continguous both along and across track and for ABoVE operations, were 6m in diameter. Full waveform data are collected for every footprint and georeferenced to provide a true 3 dimensional view of overflown terrain. Along with precise positioning and pointing information, the LVIS laser range and waveform data are processed to provide high-quality measurements of surface structure including ground elevation, canopy height and canopy volume metrics. Information on data coverage and examples of level1b and level2 data products at science target sites will be shown along with initial results for data precision and accuracy. All AboVe LVIS data products will be available to investigators via a NASA DAAC.

  13. Spectral deconvolution and operational use of stripping ratios in airborne radiometrics.

    PubMed

    Allyson, J D; Sanderson, D C

    2001-01-01

    Spectral deconvolution using stripping ratios for a set of pre-defined energy windows is the simplest means of reducing the most important part of gamma-ray spectral information. In this way, the effective interferences between the measured peaks are removed, leading, through a calibration, to clear estimates of radionuclide inventory. While laboratory measurements of stripping ratios are relatively easy to acquire, with detectors placed above small-scale calibration pads of known radionuclide concentrations, the extrapolation to measurements at altitudes where airborne survey detectors are used bring difficulties such as air-path attenuation and greater uncertainties in knowing ground level inventories. Stripping ratios are altitude dependent, and laboratory measurements using various absorbers to simulate the air-path have been used with some success. Full-scale measurements from an aircraft require a suitable location where radionuclide concentrations vary little over the field of view of the detector (which may be hundreds of metres). Monte Carlo simulations offer the potential of full-scale reproduction of gamma-ray transport and detection mechanisms. Investigations have been made to evaluate stripping ratios using experimental and Monte Carlo methods.

  14. Urban greenness influences airborne bacterial community composition.

    PubMed

    Mhuireach, Gwynne; Johnson, Bart R; Altrichter, Adam E; Ladau, Joshua; Meadow, James F; Pollard, Katherine S; Green, Jessica L

    2016-11-15

    Urban green space provides health benefits for city dwellers, and new evidence suggests that microorganisms associated with soil and vegetation could play a role. While airborne microorganisms are ubiquitous in urban areas, the influence of nearby vegetation on airborne microbial communities remains poorly understood. We examined airborne microbial communities in parks and parking lots in Eugene, Oregon, using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform to identify bacterial taxa, and GIS to measure vegetation cover in buffer zones of different diameters. Our goal was to explore variation among highly vegetated (parks) versus non-vegetated (parking lots) urban environments. A secondary objective was to evaluate passive versus active collection methods for outdoor airborne microbial sampling. Airborne bacterial communities from five parks were different from those of five parking lots (p=0.023), although alpha diversity was similar. Direct gradient analysis showed that the proportion of vegetated area within a 50m radius of the sampling station explained 15% of the variation in bacterial community composition. A number of key taxa, including several Acidobacteriaceae were substantially more abundant in parks, while parking lots had higher relative abundance of Acetobacteraceae. Parks had greater beta diversity than parking lots, i.e. individual parks were characterized by unique bacterial signatures, whereas parking lot communities tended to be similar to each other. Although parks and parking lots were selected to form pairs of nearby sites, spatial proximity did not appear to affect compositional similarity. Our results also showed that passive and active collection methods gave comparable results, indicating the "settling dish" method is effective for outdoor airborne sampling. This work sets a foundation for understanding how urban vegetation may impact microbial communities, with potential implications for designing

  15. Airborne radionuclides in the proglacial environment as indicators of sources and transfers of soil material.

    PubMed

    Łokas, Edyta; Wachniew, Przemysław; Jodłowski, Paweł; Gąsiorek, Michał

    2017-11-01

    A survey of artificial ( 137 Cs, 238 Pu, 239+240 Pu, 241 Am) and natural ( 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K, 210 Pb) radioactive isotopes in proglacial soils of an Arctic glacier have revealed high spatial variability of activity concentrations and inventories of the airborne radionuclides. Soil column 137 Cs inventories range from below the detection limit to nearly 120 kBq m -2 , this value significantly exceeding direct atmospheric deposition. This variability may result from the mixing of materials characterised by different contents of airborne radionuclides. The highest activity concentrations observed in the proglacial soils may result from the deposition of cryoconites, which have been shown to accumulate airborne radionuclides on the surface of glaciers. The role of cryoconites in radionuclide accumulation is supported by the concordant enrichment of the naturally occurring airborne 210 Pb in proglacial soil cores showing elevated levels of artificial radionuclides. The lithogenic radionuclides show less variability than the airborne radionuclides because their activity concentrations are controlled only by the mixing of material derived from the weathering of different parent rocks. Soil properties vary little within and between the profiles and there is no unequivocal relationship between them and the radionuclide contents. The inventories reflect the pathways and time variable inputs of soil material to particular sites of the proglacial zone. Lack of the airborne radionuclides reflects no deposition of material exposed to the atmosphere after the 1950s or its removal by erosion. Inventories above the direct atmospheric deposition indicate secondary deposition of radionuclide-bearing material. Very high inventories indicate sites where transport pathways of cryoconite material terminated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A resonance-free nano-film airborne ultrasound emitter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daschewski, Maxim; Harrer, Andrea; Prager, Jens; Kreutzbruck, Marc; Beck, Uwe; Lange, Thorid; Weise, Matthias

    2013-01-01

    In this contribution we present a novel thermo-acoustic approach for the generation of broad band airborne ultrasound and investigate the applicability of resonance-free thermo-acoustic emitters for very short high pressure airborne ultrasound pulses. We report on measurements of thermo-acoustic emitter consisting of a 30 nm thin metallic film on a usual soda-lime glass substrate, generating sound pressure values of more than 140 dB at 60 mm distance from the transducer and compare the results with conventional piezoelectric airborne ultrasound transducers. Our experimental investigations show that such thermo-acoustic devices can be used as broad band emitters using pulse excitation.

  17. Airborne space laser communication system and experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiao-Ming; Zhang, Li-zhong; Meng, Li-Xin

    2015-11-01

    Airborne space laser communication is characterized by its high speed, anti-electromagnetic interference, security, easy to assign. It has broad application in the areas of integrated space-ground communication networking, military communication, anti-electromagnetic communication. This paper introduce the component and APT system of the airborne laser communication system design by Changchun university of science and technology base on characteristic of airborne laser communication and Y12 plan, especially introduce the high communication speed and long distance communication experiment of the system that among two Y12 plans. In the experiment got the aim that the max communication distance 144Km, error 10-6 2.5Gbps - 10-7 1.5Gbps capture probability 97%, average capture time 20s. The experiment proving the adaptability of the APT and the high speed long distance communication.

  18. Bone lead levels in an environmentally exposed elderly population in shanghai, China.

    PubMed

    Specht, Aaron J; Lin, Yanfen; Xu, Jian; Weisskopf, Marc; Nie, Linda H

    2018-06-01

    This study looked at measurements of lead (Pb) in a pilot population of environmentally exposed elderly residents of Shanghai, China and presented the first set of bone Pb data on an elderly Chinese population. We found that with environmental exposures in this population using K-shell x-ray fluorescence (KXRF) bone Pb measurements 40% of the individuals had bone Pb levels above the nominal detection limit with an average bone lead level of 4.9 ± 3.6 μg/g. This bone lead level is lower than comparable values from previous studies of community dwelling adults in US cities. This population had a slightly higher geometric mean blood Pb of 2.6 μg/dL than the adult US population. The main conclusion of this data is that in Shanghai there is environmental exposure to Pb, measured through blood and bone, which should be further investigated to assess the health impact of this exposure. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Main controlling factors and forecasting models of lead accumulation in earthworms based on low-level lead-contaminated soils.

    PubMed

    Tang, Ronggui; Ding, Changfeng; Ma, Yibing; Wan, Mengxue; Zhang, Taolin; Wang, Xingxiang

    2018-06-02

    To explore the main controlling factors in soil and build a predictive model between the lead concentrations in earthworms (Pb earthworm ) and the soil physicochemical parameters, 13 soils with low level of lead contamination were used to conduct toxicity experiments using earthworms. The results indicated that a relatively high bioaccumulation factor appeared in the soils with low pH values. The lead concentrations between earthworms and soils after log transformation had a significantly positive correlation (R 2  = 0.46, P < 0.0001, n = 39). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis derived a fitting empirical model between Pb earthworm and the soil physicochemical properties: log(Pb earthworm ) = 0.96log(Pb soil ) - 0.74log(OC) - 0.22pH + 0.95, (R 2  = 0.66, n = 39). Furthermore, path analysis confirmed that the Pb concentrations in the soil (Pb soil ), soil pH, and soil organic carbon (OC) were the primary controlling factors of Pb earthworm with high pathway parameters (0.71, - 0.51, and - 0.49, respectively). The predictive model based on Pb earthworm in a nationwide range of soils with low-level lead contamination could provide a reference for the establishment of safety thresholds in Pb-contaminated soils from the perspective of soil-animal systems.

  20. [Studies on the size distribution of airborne microbes at home in Beijing].

    PubMed

    Fang, Zhi-Guo; Sun, Ping; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Liu, Peng; Sun, Li; Wang, Xiao-Yong

    2013-07-01

    The effect of airborne microbes on human health not only depends on their compositions (genera and species), but also on their concentrations and sizes. Moreover, there are different mechanisms of airborne microbes of different sizes with different effects on human health. The size distributions and median diameters were investigated in detail with imitated six-stage Andersen sampler in 31 selected family homes with children in Beijing. Results showed that there was similar distribution characteristics of airborne microbes in different home environment, different season, different child's sex, and different apartment's architecture, but different distribution characteristics between airborne bacteria and fungi were observed in family homes in Beijing. In general, although airborne bacteria and fungi were plotted with normal logarithmic distribution, the particle percentage of airborne bacteria increased gradually from stage 1 (> 8.2 microm) to stage 5 (1.0-2.0 microm), and then decreased dramatically in stage 6 (< 1.0 microm), the percentage of airborne fungi increased gradually from stage 1 to stage 4 (2.0-3.5 microm), and then decreased dramatically from stage 4 to stage 6. The size distributions of dominant fungi were different in different fungal genera. Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus were recorded with normal logarithmic distribution, with the highest percentage detected in stage 4, and Alternaria were observed with skew distribution, with the highest percentage detected in stage 2 (5.0-10.4 microm). Finally, the median diameters of airborne bacteria were larger than those of airborne fungi, and the lowest median diameter of airborne bacteria and fungi was found in winter, while there were no significant variations of airborne bacterial and fungal median diameters in spring, summer and autumn in a year in this study.