Air, soils and sediments surrounding an abandoned pentachlorophenol (PCP) factory were sampled to determine the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), unintentionally formed during PCP production. The mean concentration of PCDD/Fs in ambient air was one order of magnitude higher than that of the reference site. A trend of decreasing concentrations with increasi...

In situ air concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) and vegetation–atmosphere fluxes were quantified in both high (Cala Norte, CN) low-to-moderate (Alcochete, ALC) Hg-contaminated saltmarsh areas the Tagus estuary colonized by plant species Halimione portulacoides (Hp) Sarcocornia fruticosa (Sf). Atmospheric Hg(0) ranged between 1.08–18.15 ng m−3 CN 1.18–3.53 ALC. CN, most levels oc...

The generation of aerosols and the contamination of surfaces arising from the use of a number of special purpose centrifuges have been measured. Except when sealed containers were used all the equipment tested generated airborne particles and contaminated surrounding surfaces. The magnitude of this contamination was shown to be associated with several factors, and it could be considerably reduc...

An one year epidemiological study was carried out between February 2005 and January 2006 in Belgium to assess the Campylobacter prevalence in free-range broiler production. Three successive broiler flocks on 6 belgian farms were investigated for the presence of Campylobacter ssp. during the rearing period. Each flock was visited four times, before and after the outdoor rearing period. During ea...

This paper presents two-dimensional laboratory experiments performed to study how groundwater flow may affect the injected air zone of influence and remedial performance, and how injected air may alter subsurface groundwater flow and contaminant migration during in situ air sparging. Tests were performed by subjecting uniform sand profiles contaminated with dissolved-phase benzene to a hydrauli...

Softcomputing techniques are fast becoming reliable and efficient means of prediction and estimation. This has made their application more wide spread in recent years. With the growing need for intelligent devices and systems comes the need to explore these techniques even further. This paper applies neural networks and differential evolution (two of the most effective softcomputing algorithms)...

This paper summarizes the currently available information on gasoline exposure to the general population. In general, the largest contribution to the time weighted exposures results from exposures while indoors, which are influenced by the outside air, indoor sources, and attached garages. Personal activities, including refueling and commuting, contribute significantly higher exposures but last...

OBJECTIVES This paper reports on the results of the study aimed at application of ergosterol as an quantitative indicator of fungal bioaerosol present in the indoor air in occupational environment heavily contaminated with organic dust as well as its comparison with the culturable method. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was conducted in the indoor solid waste sorting plant. Using Andersen impa...

Virulent Rhodococcus equi causes pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia in foals. The route of infection of foals has been considered to be inhalation of aerosolized bacteria from soil that is contaminated with equine feces. Thus, disease caused by R. equi has been regarded as an opportunistic infection of environmental origin and not a contagious disease. In this study, we report the exhalation of ...