Hazard identification of contaminated sites—ranking potential toxicity of organic sediment extracts in crustacean and fish

Background, aim, and scope  It is well known that contaminated sediments represent a potential long-term source of pollutants to the aquatic environment. To protect human and ecosystem health, it is becoming common to remediate contaminated sites. However, the great cost associated with, e.g., dredging in combination with the large numbers of contaminated sites makes it crucial to pinpoint those sites that are in greatest need of remediation. In most European countries, this prioritization process has almost exclusively been based on chemical analyses of known substances; only seldom toxicity data has been considered. The main objective of the current study was therefore to develop a tool for hazard identification of sediment by ranking potential toxicity of organic sediment extracts in a crustacean and a fish. A secondary objective was to investigate the difference in potential toxicity between compounds with different polarities. Materials and methods  Early life stages of the crustacean Nitocra spinipes and the fish Oncorhynchus mykiss, which represent organisms from different trophic levels (primary and secondary consumer) and with different routes of exposure (i.e., ingestion through food, diffusive uptake, and maternal transfer), were exposed to hexane and acetone fractions (semi-polar compounds) of sediment from five locations, ranging from heavily to low contaminated. Preliminary tests showed that the extracts were non-bioavailable to the crustacean when exposed via water, and the extracts were therefore loaded on silica gel. Rainbow trout embryos were exposed using nano-injection technique. Results and discussion  Clear concentration–response relationships of both mortality and larval development were observed in all tests with N. spinipes. Also for rainbow trout, the observed effects (e.g., abnormality, hemorrhage, asymmetric yolk sac) followed a dose-related pattern. Interestingly, our results indicate that some of the locations contained toxic semi-polar compounds, which are normally not considered in risk assessment of sediment since they are focused on compounds isolated in the hexane fraction. Conclusions  The ranking of the five sediments followed the expected pattern of potential toxicity in both organisms, i.e., sediments with known pollution history caused major effects while reference sediments caused minor effects in the two test systems. Silica gel turned out to be an excellent carrier for exposure of N. spinipes to very hydrophobic and otherwise non-bioavailable sediment extracts. Recommendations and perspectives  Since both test systems demonstrated that a substantial part of the potential toxicity was caused by semi-polar compounds in the acetone fractions, this study enlightens our poor understanding of which compounds are causing adverse effects in environmental samples. Therefore, by investigating potential toxicity (i.e., hazard identification) as a first screening step in prioritizing processes, these implications could be avoided. For proper sediment risk assessment, we however recommend whole sediment toxicity tests to be used for selected sites at following tiers.     

Variation in ozone concentration in relation to local climate in south-west Sweden

Ozone (O₃) concentration and air temperature/relative humidity were monitored using diffusive samplers (weekly, 3 m above ground) and Tinytag loggers (10 min sampling, 1 m above ground, self-ventilating radiation shields), respectively, in the forested landscape of south-west Sweden, 40 km north-east of Gothenburg. Two forest sites were included, one at a hilltop (175 m a.s.l.), and one in a nearby (～1 km) valley (110 m a.s.l.). In addition, a valley site (～3 km from the forest sites, 60 m a.s.l.) in an agricultural landscape was included, where ozone was measured using both a UV-based monitor and diffusive sampling. At the agricultural site measurements of temperature and relative humidity were made using a radiation shield with forced ventilation and with Tinytags, as on the forest sites, in addition to observations of wind speed and the vertical temperature gradient. Furthermore, comparison with O₃ concentrations at urban and coastal sites in the region was made. The temperature dependent, systematic error of using a self-ventilating radiation shield was estimated and corrected for. It was found that the elevated forested site experienced higher O₃ concentrations and lower evening cooling rates in calm situations as compared to the forest site in the valley and in particular as compared to the agricultural site. This can be explained by a stronger coupling with the planetary boundary layer at the elevated site and more pronounced night-inversions at the valley sites. The difference in weekly O₃ concentration between the two forested sites was correlated with the difference in average minimum night-time temperature. The coastal site had the highest ozone concentrations, related largely, but not fully, to higher night-time O₃ concentrations. The urban site showed a depression in O₃ concentration associated with the combination of large NO emissions and slow air mixing during the morning traffic rush hours.     

A bulk potato trailer for research plots

A bulk trailer was designed and evaluated which facilitates the handling of potatoes from field plots to storage. To meet the requirements of harvesting field plots, the trailer was designed to accommodate both manual and mechanical harvesting. Design techniques, such as incorporating framing members into the shape of the bulk body, were utilized in order to develop a low profile trailer. This was also made possible by the use of cantilevered tandem axles. The resulting trailer had a loading height at either 1270 or 1575 mm with a maximum capacity of 6 tonnes. Tests which were conducted to measure the mechanical injury caused to the potatoes indicated that the average damage index was 166.2 which included both the harvesting and transportation.     

Papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas of horses

In a retrospective study encompassing 13 years of diagnostic work, papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas from horses were screened for papilloma-virus antigens, using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. Papillomas were most commonly found on the penis and vulva, followed by cutaneous, ocular, and oral locations. Squamous cell carcinomas were most frequently located on the third eyelid and cornea, followed by genital, oral, maxillary sinus, and cutaneous sites. Papillomavirus structural antigens were detected in 7 cutaneous and 5 genital papillomas, but not in squamous cell carcinomas.     

Overland flow systems for treatment of landfill leachates—Potential nitrification and structure of the ammonia-oxidising bacterial community during a growing season

Overland flow systems are useful for treating landfill leachates, because they provide favourable conditions for nitrification and they are easy to maintain. However, little is known about the microbial communities in such systems or the nitrification capacity of those microorganisms. In this study, seasonal variations in potential nitrification and in community composition of nitrifying bacteria were investigated in two overland flow areas receiving leachate from landfills at Korslöt and Hagby, Sweden. Samples were collected in the settling ponds sediment and at two depths in the overland flow areas (the macrophyte litter layer and the rhizosphere) in May, August and November 2003. A short-term incubation method was used to measure potential oxidation of ammonia and nitrite (designated PAO and PNO). The ammonia-oxidising bacterial (AOB) community was investigated using a 16S rRNA gene approach that included PCR amplification and analysis of PCR products by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), followed by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.PAO was determined in the range 5-2700 (NO₂⁻+NO₃⁻)-N g⁻¹ dw d⁻¹ and PNO in the range 60-2000 μg NO₂⁻-N g⁻¹ dw d⁻¹. At Korslöt, PAO and PNO showed similar temporal variation in the different ecosystems, whereas no such relationship was noticed at Hagby. Considering both sites, there was no obvious change in the composition of the AOB community over the growing season. However, the composition did differ between the ecosystems: Nitrosomonas-like sequences were more common in the ponds, and in the litter layers they were found as often as Nitrosospira-like sequences, whereas Nitrosospira-like sequences were more common in the rhizospheres. Altogether, we found nine different AOB sequences, five Nitrosomonas-like and four Nitrosospira-like, which belonged to clusters 0, 2, 3b, 6a, 6b and 7. There was no apparent relationship between the number of AOB populations and the PAO in different soil layers and sediments.     

An investigation of the causes of parturient calf mortality in Shorthorn heifers

A study of parturient calf mortality in a herd of 250 Shorthorn cattle on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales is reported. Death rates as high as 44% from heifer groups are described. There were 30 parturient deaths of which 27 were confirmed as due to maternal dystocia. Pathological changes in many of the dystocia-caused deaths were minimal, but a congested, swollen tongue was a definitive lesion. The death rate was not significantly higher in heifers mated at 14 to 16 months of age than in those mated at 20 to 22 months, but significantly more male than female calves died from maternal dystocia. As two dead calves were affected with goitre, a comparative trial using parenteral iodine was designed. Ratios of thyroid weight to calf body weight were examined for 24 of the calves where the mean was 0.52 gm/kg. Goitre was found not to be a contributing factor to the calving mortality problem. The use of a Jersey bull for heifer matings eliminated the dystocia problem. The Jersey cross allowed safe, early mating at 14 months of age.     

Masked,diluted and drowned out: how global seafood trade weakens signals from marine ecosystems

Nearly 40% of seafood is traded internationally and an even bigger proportion is affected by international trade, yet scholarship on marine fisheries has focused on global trends in stocks and catches, or on dynamics of individual fisheries, with limited attention to the link between individual fisheries, global trade and distant consumers. This paper examines the usefulness of fish price as a feedback signal to consumers about the state of fisheries and marine ecosystems. We suggest that the current nature of fisheries systems and global markets prevent transmission of such price signals from source fisheries to consumers. We propose several mechanisms that combine to weaken price signals, and present one example – the North Sea cod – to show how these mechanisms can be tested. The lack of a reliable price feedback to consumers represents a challenge for sustainable fisheries governance. We therefore propose three complimentary approaches to address the missing feedback: (i) strengthening information flow through improved traceability and visibility of individual fishers to consumers, (ii) capitalizing on the changing seafood trade structures and (iii) bypassing and complementing market mechanisms by directly targeting citizens and political actors regarding marine environmental issues through publicity and information campaigns. These strategies each have limitations and thus need to be pursued together to address the challenge of sustainability in global marine fisheries.     

Use of Vaginal Electrical Resistance to Diagnose Oestrus,Dioestrus and Early Pregnancy in Synchronized Tropically Adapted Beef Heifers

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether a single measurement of intravaginal electrical resistance (VER), using the commercially available Ovatec^® probe, can discriminate between dioestrus and oestrus in Bos indicus females, which had been treated to synchronize oestrus. Santa Gertrudis heifers (n = 226) received one of three oestrous synchronization treatments: double PGF_2α 10 days apart, 8‐day controlled internal drug release (CIDR) treatment or CIDR pre‐synchronization + PGF_2α 10 days after CIDR removal. The heifers were inseminated within 12 h following observed oestrus, or, if not observed, at a fixed time approximately 80 h, following the last synchronization treatment. They were palpated per rectum for signs of pregnancy 9 weeks after artificial insemination (AI). Vaginal electrical resistance measurements were taken at the completion of synchronization treatments (presumed dioestrus), immediately prior to AI (oestrus), and then at 3 and 9 weeks post‐AI. Mean VER differed between presumed dioestrus and oestrus (113.7 vs 87.4, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was 0.925, indicating that VER was highly discriminatory between dioestrus and oestrus. Vaginal electrical resistance at time of AI was negatively associated with odds of conception when all inseminations were included in the analyses [odds ratio (OR) = 0.97; 95% CI 0.95–1.00; p = 0.018], but not when fixed time AIs were excluded (OR = 1.00; 95% CI 0.97–1.03; p = 0.982). Mean VER readings differed between pregnant and non‐pregnant animals at both 3 weeks (120.5 vs 96.7, p < 0.001) and 9 weeks (124.0 vs 100.3, p < 0.001) post‐AI. However, 3‐ and 9‐week VER measurements were not highly discriminatory between pregnancy and non‐pregnancy (area under ROC curve = 0.791 and 0.736, respectively). Mean VER at time of AI for animals diagnosed in oestrus differed between each of the oestrous synchronization treatments (84.7, 73.6 and 78.9, groups 1–3 respectively, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that measurement of VER may improve accuracy of oestrus diagnoses when selecting cattle for AI following oestrous synchronization programmes involving tropically adapted cattle.     

Myofibroblastic fibrosarcoma with multifocal osseous metaplasia at the site of equine influenza vaccination

We describe a fibrosarcoma in a 12-year-old Quarterhorse × Arabian gelding as a sequela to equine influenza vaccination. Shortly after the second vaccination, swelling at the site was noticed by the owner and it continued to increase in size over the following 6 months. Biopsy of the mass indicated a fibrosarcoma had developed at the vaccination site. It was approximately 20 cm in diameter and elevated well above the level of the skin. There was no clinical evidence of metastases to the lungs or local lymph nodes. Surgical resection of the mass was performed and the wound healed by first and second intention. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical staining confirmed a myofibroblastic fibrosarcoma with multifocal osseous metaplasia. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first equine case of a vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma.