Airborne ultrafine particles (diameter <100 nm) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been associated with adverse health effects. The respiratory-tract deposition of these particles is fundamentally influenced by their hygroscopicity: their ability to grow by condensation of water in the humid respiratory system. Ambient particles are typically hygroscopic, to varying degrees. This article investigates the influence of hygroscopicity, exercise level, gender, and intersubject variability on size-dependent deposition of fine and ultrafine particles during spontaneous breathing. Using a novel and well-characterized setup, respiratory-tract deposition in the range 12-320 nm has been measured for 29 healthy adults (20 men, 9 women). Each subject completed four sessions: rest and light exercise on an ergometer bicycle while inhaling both hydrophobic (diethylhexylsebacate) and hygroscopic (NaCl) particles. The deposited fraction (DF) based on dry diameters was two to four times higher for the hydrophobic ultrafine particles than for the hygroscopic. The DF of hygroscopic ultrafine particles could be estimated by calculating their equilibrium size at 99.5% relative humidity. The differences in average DF due to exercise level and gender were essentially less than 0.03. However, the minute ventilation increased fourfold during exercise and was 18-46% higher for the men than for the women. Consequently the deposited dose of particles was fourfold higher during exercise and considerably increased for the male subjects. Some individuals consistently had a high DF in all four sessions. As an example, the results show that an average person exposed to 100-nm hydrophobic particles during exercise will receive a 16 times higher dose than a relaxed person exposed to an equal amount of hygroscopic (NaCl) particles.

Presently, there is a basic lack of information concerning the accumulation of antibacterial agent residues in agricultural soils. In this field study, performed in southern Denmark, we assess the dissipation of chlortetracycline (CTC), and tylosin A (TYL A) as a function of time. Field soils were classified as a sandy loam soil (field A) and a sandy soil (field B) and each field was sampled on six occasions during the 155-d experimental period from May to October 2000 for chemical analysis and counts of colony-forming units (CFU) detecting the level of aerobic bacteria surviving antibiotic exposure. Colony-forming units and TYL A were detected throughout the entire sampling period, with respective starting soil concentrations of 30 and 50 microg kg(-1) soil declining to 1 and 5 microg kg(-1) soil, on day 155. Compound half-lives (95% confidence limits in parentheses) were estimated for both fields and T1/2 for CTC was 25 d (20-34) and 34 d (28-42) in fields A and B, respectively, and T1/2 for TYL A was 67 d (54-86) and 49 d (40-64) in fields A and B, respectively. No significant difference was determined between compound half-lives on the two fields. The level of aerobic antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the soil over time and soil fauna community was assessed in relation to application of manure containing antibacterial agents to the agricultural fields. The level of both CTC- and TYL-resistant bacteria was affected in the soil by amendment of manure, but declined during the study to the same level as observed at the beginning.

Extensive use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine results in environmental exposure. Of major concern are microbial effects; including effects on nutrient soil cycles and antibiotic resistance. There is a need to assess the effects of these compounds in the environment. The application of standardized guidelines is relevant in studying many compounds. However there is a lack of special test methods designed for antibiotics.We validate manometric test flasks using glucose and a recalcitrant herbicide. The suitability of these tests for studying antibacterial agents is then investigated using two target functions (aerobic biodegradation and carbon transformation). Compound stability is quantified using HPLC techniques.Effects on total soil respiration in the biodegradation test are immediate and differ significantly from background. We show that compounds do not function as substrates, so effects are due to other soil processes, correlate well to sorption characteristics and are not dose dependent. This test provides details of relative antimicrobial potency towards soil microorganisms and can be used to rank compounds. However the test does not provide details on the nature or extent of specific microbial effects. In contrast, the carbon transformation test is more specific and provides a reproducible indication of dose effect relationships, which is more suitable in assessing the effects of these compounds in the environment.Presently, standard guidelines do not take into account the normal input of antibiotics into soils via contaminated sludge or manure. This should be corrected in future guidelines as these inputs alter microbial composition, organic matter, ionic strength and pH affect sorption and overall impact the test results.

A wide variety of chemicals are used in pharmaceuticals. Most of these are already under thorough control for endocrine activity. The main causal agents recognized for endocrine disruption from sewage are substances used in medicine (sex hormones, glucocorticoids, and others), natural substances (estrone and 17β-estradiol), and synthetic estrogens (e.g., 17α-ethinylestradiol). Similar substances are used in anabolic agents (growth hormones) in livestock production in some countries. Although the estimated use of anabolic agents in livestock production is approximately one order of magnitude below the natural release of estrogens from farm animals, their possible significance remains unanswered.At present, no other medical substances are recognized as endocrine disruptors in the environment. However, candidates may be identified on the basis of simple assumptions regarding their use and activity: (1) Nonestrogenic steroids may react with environmental endocrine receptors or metabolize on their way to the environment and thus form endocrine disruptors.(2) Many high-volume drugs released to the environment have not yet been tested for their endocrine properties, and some of these are known to interact with the human endocrine system. (3) Compared to medicinal substances, personal care products and additives in drugs are used in high amounts; from this group, parabens, siloxanes, and other substances are suspected of causing endocrine disruption in the environment.

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