Acta Hortic, 1998, 469, 195 - 201 Composting in advanced life support systems; Atkinson CF et al.; Space missions of extended duration are currently hampered by the prohibitive costs of external resupply . To reduce the need for resupply, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently testing methods to recycle solid wastes, water, and air . Composting can be an integral part of a biologically based waste treatment/recycling system . Results indicate that leachate from composted plant wastes is not inhibitory to seed germination and contains sufficient inorganic minerals to support plant growth . Other solid wastes, for example kitchen (food) wastes and human solid wastes, can be composted with inedible plant residues to safely reduce the volume of the wastes and levels of microorganisms potentially pathogenic to humans . Finished compost could serve as a medium for plant growth or mushroom production. Acta Astronaut, 1989 Apr, 19(4), 353 - 64 Analysis of an algae-based CELSS . Part 1: model development; Holtzapple MT et al.; A steady state chemical model and computer program have been developed for a life support system and applied to trade-off studies . The model is based on human demand for food and oxygen determined from crew metabolic needs . The model includes modules for water recycle, waste treatment, CO2 removal and treatment, and food production . The computer program calculates rates of use and material balance for food . O2, the recycle of human waste and trash, H2O, N2, and food production supply . A simple non-iterative solution for the model has been developed using the steady state rate equations for the chemical reactions . The model and program have been used in system sizing and subsystem trade-off studies of a partially closed life support system. Adv Space Res, 1996, 18(4-5), 215 - 24 NASA's Biomass Production Chamber: a testbed for bioregenerative life support studies; Wheeler RM et al.; The Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) located at Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA provides a large (20 m2 area, 113 m3 vol.), closed environment for crop growth tests for NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) program . Since the summer of 1988, the chamber has operated on a near-continuous basis (over 1200 days) without any major failures (excluding temporary power losses) . During this time, five crops of wheat (64-86 days each), three crops of soybean (90 to 97 days), five crops of lettuce (28-30 days), and four crops of potato (90 to 105 days were grown, producing 481 kg of dry plant biomass, 196 kg edible biomass, 540 kg of oxygen, 94,700 kg of condensed water, and fixing 739 kg of carbon dioxide . Results indicate that total biomass yields were close to expected values for the given light input, but edible biomass yields and harvest indices were slightly lower than expected . Stand photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and nutrient uptake rates were monitored throughout growth and development of the different crops, along with the build-up of ethylene and other volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere . Data were also gathered on system hardware maintenance and repair, as well as person-hours required for chamber operation . Future tests will include long-term crop production studies, tests in which nutrients from waste treatment systems will be used to grow new crops, and multi-species tests. Life Support Biosph Sci, 1996 Winter, 2(3-4), 161 - 8 Bioregenerative life support systems for long-term space habitation: a conceptual approach; Sadeh E et al.; Life support systems represent one of the most critical aspects of human space exploration . Future long-term missions such as the establishment of human-tended Lunar and Martian bases require closed life support systems . A conceptual approach to an Engineered Closed/Controlled EcoSystem incorporating bioregenerative capabilities by integrating humans, plants, and waste management processes is presented . The integration of physical/chemical and biological waste treatment processes is suitable for supporting plant growth through hydroponics and materially closing the human and plant metabolic loops . This conceptual design separates wastes into individual loops for treatment according to the specific metabolic needs of humans and plants . The means through which an integrated Engineered Closed/Controlled EcoSystem meets the life support objectives of long-term space habitation are summarized. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 485 - 90 Waste treatment integration in space; Baresi L et al.; The circumstances and criteria for space-based waste treatment bioregenerative life-support systems differ in many ways from those needed in terrestrial applications . In fact, the term "waste" may not even be appropriate in the context of nearly closed, cycling, ecosystems such as those under consideration . Because of these constraints there is a need for innovative approaches to the problem of "materials recycling" . Hybrid physico-chemico-biological systems offer advantages over both strictly physico-chemico or biological approaches that would be beneficial to material recycling . To effectively emulate terrestrial cycling, the use of various microbial consortia ("assemblies of interdependent microbes") should be seriously considered for the biological components of such systems . This paper will examine the use of consortia in the context of a hybrid-system for materials recycling in space. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 477 - 84 Terrestrial approaches to integration of waste treatment; Oswald WJ; Solar energy driven physical, chemical and biological recycling of nutrients is the characteristic of the Earth-Sun system which permits life on earth to continue . Natural recycle of nutrients on Earth may literally require thousands or even millions of years to be complete, but for modern civilization to continue on Earth or in space, mankind must take charge of, and accelerate, the recycle of all essentials of life . In this paper we describe studies of two accelerated recycle systems; a solar powered energy system and an integrated feed lot . Both systems require special infrastructures permitting the accelerated physical, chemical and biological processing to occur . These systems do not integrate respiratory carbon dioxide as must be done in a complete closed ecological life support system (CELSS) . The Algatron, a more complete system involving microalgal bacterial waste treatment with water, oxygen and carbon dioxide recycle was designed for use in Space Stations over 20 years ago. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 395 - 400 Conventional and innovative land-based technologies for waste combustion; Oberacker DA; This paper is an overview of various land-based technologies for safely treating waste materials . Covered are both the older, proven devices, such as conventional incinerators, as well as some of the new or novel technologies which thus far have found limited application . It is hoped that this paper can provide some degree of guidance to NASA in their search for appropriate systems for waste treatment, disposal, and/or recycling in space mission programs. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 389 - 94 Physical and chemical processes for solid waste treatment applied to a crewed space habitat; Savage GM; Solid wastes can be processed for material and energy recovery using a number of unit operations and system approaches . The selection and configuration of unit operations and systems depends upon the characteristics of the wastes to be processed and the uses for recovered secondary materials and for recovered energy forms . The discussion focuses on the types of materials and forms of energy potentially recoverable from solid wastes, waste processing and conversion systems, and design considerations. Waste Manag Res, 1991 Oct, 9(5), 379 - 87 Terrestrial physical and chemical processes for liquid waste treatment; McCarty PL; Experiences gained from full-scale evaluation of advanced treatment processes used for reclaiming wastewaters should help in the evaluation of potential treatment systems for treatment and reuse of water in space . Water Factory 21 is a 0.66 m3 s-1 (15 million gallons per day) water reclamation plant in California that has been in operation since 1976 . The plant receives biologically treated wastewater . Lime treatment is effective for removal of heavy metals . Volatile organic constitutes are efficiently removed by air stripping . Non-volatile organic constituents are removed by activated carbon adsorption and reverse osmosis (RO) . RO is a highly effective polishing step, and removes most of the remaining materials including inorganic salts, heavy metals, and organics . RO removed 85% of the total organic carbon, down to about 1 mg l-1, which is lower than in many treated drinking waters . The series of treatment processes used insured virus and pathogen removal, with lime treatment and chlorination together proving highly effective . Sufficient data has been collected to provide statistically reliable confidence limits to be set on the performance of each unit process. Adv Space Res, 1989, 9(8), 85 - 97 Sources and processing of CELSS wastes; Wydeven T et al.; The production rate and solid content of waste streams found in a life support system for a space habitat (in which plants are grown for food) are discussed . Two recycling scenarios, derived from qualitative considerations as opposed to quantitative mass and energy balances, tradeoff studies, etc., are presented; they reflect differing emphases on and responses to the waste stream formation rates and their composition, as well as indicate the required products from waste treatment that are needed in a life support system . The data presented demonstrate the magnitude of the challenge to developing a life support system for a space habitat requiring a high degree of closure. J Hazard Mater, 2001 Aug 17, 85(3), 229 - 41 Treatability of a simulated disperse dye-bath by ferrous iron coagulation, ozonation, and ferrous iron-catalyzed ozonation; Arslan I; Dyeing and finishing of textile yarns and fabrics are extremely important processes in terms of both quality and environmental concerns . Among the commercial textile dyes, particularly disperse dyestuffs are of environmental interest because of their widespread use, their potential for formation of toxic aromatic amines and their low removal rate during aerobic waste treatment as well as advanced chemical oxidation . Thus, in the present paper ferrous iron coagulation, ozonation and ferrous iron-catalyzed ozonation were employed at varying pH (3-13) and Fe(II)-ion doses (0.09-18mM) for the treatment of a simulated disperse dye-bath (average initial apparent color as absorbance at 566nm=815.4m(-1); COD(0)=3784mgl(-1); TOC(0)=670mgl(-1); BOD(5,0)=58mgl(-1)) that more closely resembled an actual dyehouse effluent than an aqueous disperse dye solution . Coagulation with 5000mgl(-1) FeSO4-7H2O (18mM Fe(2+)) at pH 11 removed up to 97% color and 54% COD, whereas oxidation via ozonation alone (applied ozone dose=2300mgl(-1)) was only effective at pH 3, resulting in 77% color and 11% COD removal . Fe(II)-ion-catalyzed ozonation (3.6mM Fe(2+) at pH 3; Fe(2+):O3 molar ratio 1:14) eliminated 95% color and 48% COD and appeared to be the most attractive option among the investigated chemical treatment methods as for its applicability at the natural acidic pH of the disperse dye-bath effluent and at relatively low Fe(2+)-ion doses as compared to ferrous sulfate coagulation . However, no TOC reduction was observable for ozonation and catalytic ozonation at the investigated reaction conditions (14gl(-1) O3 at pH 3) . An average six-fold enhancement in the biodegradability parameter of the synthetic dye wastewater expressed in terms of the BOD(5)/COD ratio could be achieved by the investigated chemical treatment methods. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig, 2001, 52(1), 19 - 24 {The effect of tannery waste products on viability of selected bacteria from activated sludge}; Mendrycka M et al.; In this study we have investigated the influence of sludge on the activity of bacteria strains: Acinetobacter baumannii, Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas cepacia . To our studies we have taken waste materials used in the chromium compound leather tanning process as well as materials from leather fat and waste materials, in general . It was confirmed that 1:20 dilution of chromium tanning leather waste, retanage and leather fat allowed the survivability of bacteria in all three strains . Through our research we were able to establish that general sewage with a decreased level of chromium practically did not effect the survivability of bacteria in a sewage environment . Both types of waste, city sewage as well as leather waste, were shown not to facilitate bacterial growth . If chromium waste flow into city sewage without treatment, bacteria can only survive at a dilution level of 1:20, which will not affect the survivability of bacteria used in biological waste treatment. Fresenius J Anal Chem, 2001 Jun, 370(2-3), 120 - 5 Trends in certified reference materials for the speciation of trace elements; Cornelis R et al.; The measurement of the chemical species of elements (instead of the total element concentration) has become an irreversible trend in analytical chemistry . The motivation lies in the fact that the biochemical and geochemical behaviour of an element is governed by its species . Quality assurance of the analytical procedures used for speciation analysis requires the analysis of representative reference materials, certified for the relevant species . Up to now the number of existing certified reference materials for trace element species is very limited . The most important ones are environmental CRMs certified for trialkyltin compounds, methylmercury, Cr(III)/Cr(VI) and food CRMs certified for arsenic species and methylmercury . Major developments are to be expected in CRMs focussed on environmental problems, including waste treatment, on bioavailability of trace elements in food and on bio-monitoring in occupational health and hygiene . It is, however, unlikely that the producers of CRMs will ever be able to cover all needs . Add to this that many, very active species are notoriously unstable and/or short living and require in-situ analysis . This will lead to different analytical developments, such as analyses in-situ, where the classical concept of CRMs may not stand firm anymore. Environ Technol, 2001 May, 22(5), 561 - 5 Enhancement in the treatment efficiency and conversion to energy of dairy wastewaters by augmenting CST reactors with simple biofilm support systems; Ramasamy EV et al.; Dairy wastewaters are rich in organic carbon and nutrients . When disposed without proper treatment they cause severe pollution of water and land . But if treated by anaerobic fermentation such wastewaters can yield useful clean energy in the form of methane . The systems commonly used for such fermentation throughout the world are Continuously Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs) . We describe attempts to upgrade CSTR performance by incorporating biofilm support systems (BSSs) within the existing reactors . The focus of the work has been to find inexpensive and easy-to-install BSS which could significantly enhance the rate of waste treatment as well as quantum of energy recovery (as methane) . Our experiments with various BSS options have revealed that rolls of nylon mesh (-1 mm openings), of 5 cm height and 2 cm dia, when incorporated in CSTRs at the biofilm-surface: digester-volume ratio of 0.3 cm2 cm-3, enabled the CSTRs to perform better with up to 25% improvement in methane yield . The studies, thus, reveal that simple devices of the type used by us as BSS can significantly improve the performance of CST anaerobic digesters treating dairy wastes . The enhancement is evidently due to the development of active biofilms on the BSS which not only enhance the contact of the water with micro-organisms but also reduce microbial washout . Further, such devices are inexpensive and very easy to incorporate--the gains are thus achieved with very little cost and effort . BSSs were also found by us to enhance conversion of volatile fatty acids--derived earlier by us from aquatic weed water hyacinth--into methane-rich biogas. Water Sci Technol, 2000, 41(3), 263 - 73 Ecological, energetic and economic comparison of anaerobic digestion with different competing technologies to treat biogenic wastes; Edelmann W et al.; In order to get more detailed information for better decision making in future biogenic waste treatment, different processes to treat biogenic wastes in plants with a treating capacity of 10,000 tons of organic household wastes per year were compared . The comparison included life cycle assessments as well as economic considerations for different treating methods . Measurements on compost plants showed that methane emissions are higher than estimated so far . With the tools ECOINDICATOR and UBP anaerobic digestion shows to be advantageous as compared to composting, incineration or combination of digestion and composting, mainly because of a better energy balance . In fully enclosed, professional treatment plants, the specific biotechnological treatment costs are in the range of about 150.-sFr/ton for aerobic, anaerobic and combined technologies . It can be concluded, that anaerobic processes will become considerably more important in the future mainly for ecological reasons. Chemosphere, 2001 May-Jun, 43(4-7), 727 - 35 Contribution of stack gases and solid process wastes to the organic pollutant output of thermal waste treatment plants; Hentschel B et al.; Within the scope of fundamental investigations as well as individual research projects (W . Knorr, B . Hentschel, C . Marb . S . Schadel, M . Swerev, O . Vierle, J.-P . Lay, 1999 . Ruckstande aus der Mullverbrennung-Chancen fur eine stoffliche Verwertung von Aschen und Schlacken . Initiativen zum Umweltschutz, 13 ed., Deutsche Bundesstiftung Ulmwelt, Erich Schmidt, Berlin), the Bavarian State Office for Environmental Protection performs emission measurements at thermal waste treatment plants to optimize operation, to accompany and support development of new technologies, and to study the effect of this kind of waste treatment technology on the environment . Based on recent studies (October 1995-July 1999) at six municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) in Bavaria all emission streams (solid and gas) are characterized with respect to organic pollutant contents and compared to the emissions of waste pyrolysis . The significant ranges of pollutant concentration as well as the specific congener patterns observed are similar for all MSWI, regardless of differences in technical design and waste input, but differ markedly from those of the pyrolysis products . The overall approach, including the sampling of all output streams and the determination of mass streams and volume flow rates, allows the calculation of the total output of different organic pollutants for waste incineration plants aand to estimate the relative contribution of each of the emission streams to the total pollutant load . Removal efficiencies are also calculated for the air pollution control (APC) systems of the different MSWI plants. J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2001 May, 51(5), 742 - 9 The use of a multimedia risk analysis approach in designing waste management strategies; Ma HW et al.; A pollution source may release residuals to any of several environmental media, depending on the process design and control strategies . These residuals then are subject to transfer, transport, and transformation within the interconnected compartments of the environmental system . The exposure and susceptibility of people and other receptors to pollutants are different in these various media, and so that risks imposed will vary according to the fate of the pollutants in the system . Because of interactions between compartments in the system, a single-medium approach to environmental management that mitigates problems in one environmental medium at a time independently of risk through other media may not minimize the aggregate risk a receptor receives from all pathways . Alternatively, a multimedia approach advocates focusing on the full environmental system providing pathways for exposure and selecting risk management strategies based on minimization of the aggregate and cumulative risk from all pathways and all compounds . This study combines multimedia risk analysis and an optimization framework to examine a methodology for selecting waste treatment/disposal and pollution control measures, applies the methodology to a sludge management decision problem, and considers the implications for continued use of single-medium analyses. Bioresour Technol, 2001 Jul, 78(3), 257 - 65 Characterisation of organic matter from anaerobic digestion of organic waste by aerobic microbial activity; Vorkamp K et al.; The aim of this study was to examine whether the characterisation of organic matter on the basis of an oxygen uptake rate (OUR) could be applied to organic waste from an anaerobic waste treatment process . Three anaerobic digestion experiments were carried out in a bioreactor . Volatile fatty acids (VFA) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were monitored . OUR-experiments were carried out with diluted samples from the process . The graphs of the OUR-experiments showed a clear lag-phase, which was due to the slow adaptation of aerobic microorganisms . Model simulations of the OUR versus time curve showed sufficient agreement, if based on one fraction of readily biodegradable and two fractions of less easily biodegradable organic matter . The shape of the simulated graphs was affected considerably by the value of the maintenance energy requirement rate qm and could be improved by reducing the standard value qm = 1 d(-1) to qm = 0.1 d(-1) . Only little agreement was achieved when comparing the results of the OUR-experiments with the VFA- and DOC-concentrations . Experiments with additional trace elements and vitamins led to an increase in the OUR and proved that the oxygen consumption was not exclusively determined by the availability of organic matter. Environ Manage, 2001 May, 27(5), 697 - 704 Solid waste treatment as a high-priority and low-cost alternative for greenhouse gas mitigation; Ayalon O et al.; The increased concern about environmental problems caused by inadequate waste management, as well as the concern about global warming, promotes actions toward a sustainable management of the organic fraction of the waste . Landfills, the most common means to dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW), lead to the conversion of the organic waste to biogas, containing about 50% methane, a very active greenhouse gas (GHG) . One unit of methane has a global warming potential of 21 computed for a 100-year horizon or 56 computed for 20 years . The waste sector in Israel contributes 13% of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions for a time horizon of 100 years (for a time horizon of 20 years, the waste sector contribution equals to more than 25% of total GHG emissions) . The ultimate goal is to minimize the amount of methane (CH4) by converting it to CO2 . This can be achieved by physicochemical means (e.g., landfill gas flare, incineration) or by biological processes (e.g., composting, anaerobic digestion) . Since the waste in Israel has a high organic material content, it was found that the most cost-effective means to treat the degradable organic components is by aerobic composting (investment of less than US$ 10 to reduce emission of one ton CO2 equivalent per year) . Another benefit of this technology is the ability to implement it within a short period . The suggested approach, which should be implemented especially in developing countries, could reduce a significant amount of GHG at relatively low cost and short time . The development of a national policy for proper waste treatment can be a significant means to abate GHG emissions in the short term, enabling a gain in time to develop other means for the long run . In addition, the use of CO2 quotas will credit the waste sector and will promote profitable proper waste management. Environ Health Perspect, 2001 Mar, 109(3), 205 - 7 Solutions to health care waste: life-cycle thinking and "green" purchasing; Kaiser B et al.; Health care waste treatment is linked to bioaccumulative toxic substances, such as mercury and dioxins, which suggests the need for a new approach to product selection . To address environmental issues proactively, all stages of the product life cycle should be considered during material selection . The purchasing mechanism is a promising channel for action that can be used to promote the use of environmentally preferable products in the health care industry; health care facilities can improve environmental performance and still decrease costs . Tools that focus on environmentally preferable purchasing are now emerging for the health care industry . These tools can help hospitals select products that create the least amount of environmental pollution . Environmental performance should be incorporated into the evolving definition of quality for health care. Fresenius J Anal Chem, 2000 Sep-Oct, 368(2-3), 263 - 7 Metal(loid)organic compounds in contaminated soil; Hirner AV et al.; 13 samples of soils contaminated with petrol, coaly residues, shredder and domestic waste have been investigated by low temperature gas chromatography with plasma mass spectrometry detection after sample derivatisation by hydride generation (HG/LT-GC/ICP-MS) . 24 organic compounds of 9 elements could be analysed, one fifth of them exceeding the concentration of 1 microg/kg . These results are roughly comparable with those on harbour and river sediments, and are discussed in respect to a preliminary evaluation of the emission potential of solid waste and contaminated soil as well as waste treatment processes. Environ Microbiol, 2000 Dec, 2(6), 695 - 702 Antigen 43 facilitates formation of multispecies biofilms; Kjaergaard K et al.; Antigen 43 (Ag43) is a surface-displayed autotransporter protein of Escherichia coli . By virtue of its self-association characteristics, this protein is able to mediate autoaggregation of E . coli cells in static cultures . Here, we show that Ag43 can be expressed in a functional form on the surface of Pseudomonas fluorescens . Ag43 expression dramatically enhances the biofilm-forming potential of both E . coli and P . fluorescens to abiotic surfaces in simple microtitre well assays and in flow chambers . Importantly, Ag43-expressing E . coli and P . fluorescens cells tagged with Gfp and Rfp were shown to form interwoven biofilms in flow chambers . The three-dimensional structures of the biofilms were analysed by laser-confocal microscopy . Heterogeneous expression of Ag43 induced interspecies cell-to-cell contact that generated multispecies biofilm formation . Our data indicate that this versatile molecular tool can be used for the rational design of multispecies biofilms . More specifically, this novel technology offers opportunities for the design of multispecies consortia in which the concerted action of several bacterial species is required, e.g . waste treatment and degradation of pollutants. JAMA, 2000 Oct 4, 284(13), 1683 - 8 Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from medical waste; Johnson KR et al.; CONTEXT: Washington State has a relatively low incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) infection . However, from May to September 1997, 3 cases of pulmonary TB were reported among medical waste treatment workers at 1 facility in Washington . There is no previous documentation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission as a result of processing medical waste . OBJECTIVE: To identify the source(s) of these 3 TB infections . DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Interviews of the 3 infected patient-workers and their contacts, review of patient-worker medical records and the state TB registry, and collection of all multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) isolates identified after January 1, 1995, from the facility's catchment area; DNA fingerprinting of all isolates; polymerase chain reaction and automated DNA sequencing to determine genetic mutations associated with drug resistance; and occupational safety and environmental evaluations of the facility . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Previous exposures of patient-workers to TB; verification of patient-worker tuberculin skin test histories; identification of other cases of TB in the community and at the facility; drug susceptibility of patient-worker isolates; and potential for worker exposure to live M tuberculosis cultures . RESULTS: All 3 patient-workers were younger than 55 years, were born in the United States, and reported no known exposures to TB . We did not identify other TB cases . The 3 patient-workers' isolates had different DNA fingerprints . One of 10 MDR-TB catchment-area isolates matched an MDR-TB patient-worker isolate by DNA fingerprint pattern . DNA sequencing demonstrated the same rare mutation in these isolates . There was no evidence of personal contact between these 2 individuals . The laboratory that initially processed the matching isolate sent contaminated waste to the treatment facility . The facility accepted contaminated medical waste where it was shredded, blown, compacted, and finally deactivated . Equipment failures, insufficient employee training, and respiratory protective equipment inadequacies were identified at the facility . CONCLUSION: Processing contaminated medical waste resulted in transmission of M tuberculosis to at least 1 medical waste treatment facility worker . JAMA . 2000;284:1683-1688. J Chromatogr Sci, 2000 Aug, 38(8), 353 - 6 On-line monitoring of wastewater using ion chromatography; Hodge EM; Ion Chromatography (IC) has been used for the on-line determination of anions and cations in a variety of process streams . On-line monitoring of process and wastewater streams optimizes the control of treatment methods by providing early indications of problems that could increase discharges of hazardous compounds to the environment . It is important for the immediate detection and remediation of process upsets in critical streams . The waste flow to the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is processed before discharge and requires monitoring . Process chromatography is used to monitor the trends of contaminants in real time . The purpose of this study is to develop an automated on-line IC procedure for the simultaneous determination of anions in LANL wastewater. J Bacteriol, 2000 Sep, 182(17), 4789 - 96 Antigen 43 from Escherichia coli induces inter- and intraspecies cell aggregation and changes in colony morphology of Pseudomonas fluorescens; Kjaergaard K et al.; Antigen 43 (Ag43) is a surface-displayed autotransporter protein of Escherichia coli . By virtue of its self-association characteristics, this protein is able to mediate autoaggregation and flocculation of E . coli cells in static cultures . Additionally, surface display of Ag43 is associated with a distinct frizzy colony morphology in E . coli . Here we show that Ag43 can be expressed in a functional form on the surface of the environmentally important Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SBW25 with ensuing cell aggregation and frizzy colony types . Using green fluorescence protein-tagged cells, we demonstrate that Ag43 can be used as a tool to provide interspecies cell aggregation between E . coli and P . fluorescens . Furthermore, Ag43 expression enhances biofilm formation in P . fluorescens to glass surfaces . The versatility of this protein was also reflected in Ag43 surface display in a variety of other gram-negative bacteria . Display of heterologous Ag43 in selected bacteria might offer opportunities for rational design of multispecies consortia where the concerted action of several bacterial species is required, e.g., waste treatment and degradation of pollutants. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2000 Aug, 66(8), 3283 - 9 Autocloning and amplification of LIP2 in Yarrowia lipolytica; Pignede G et al.; We synthesized a Yarrowia lipolytica strain overproducing lipase for industrial applications by using long terminal repeat (zeta) of the Y . lipolytica retrotransposon Ylt1 and an allele of URA3 with a promoter deletion to construct JMP3 . JMP3 is a derivative of plasmid pHSS6 carrying a NotI-NotI cassette which contains a defective URA3 allele, a polylinker sequence, and the zeta region for targeting to multiple sites in the genome of the recipient . We inserted the LIP2 gene (encoding extracellular lipase) under the control of the strong POX2 promoter into JMP3 to generate JMP6 . The pHSS6 region was removed by NotI digestion prior to transformation . Two Y . lipolytica strains transformed with the JMP6 LIP2 cassette had a mean of 10 integrated copies devoid of the Escherichia coli region, corresponding to an autocloning event . The copy number in the transformants was stable even after 120 generations in nonselective and lipase-inducing conditions . The resulting strains could produce 0.5 g of active lipase per liter in the supernatant, 40 times more than the single-copy strain with the LIP2 promoter . This work provides a new expression system in Y . lipolytica that results in strains devoid of bacterial DNA and in strains producing a high level of lipase for industrial uses, waste treatment, and pancreatic insufficiency therapy. J Natl Med Assoc, 2000 Jun, 92(6), 275 - 80 Impact of environmental inequity on health outcome: where is the epidemiological evidence? Rene AA, Daniels DE, Martin SA Jr. A significant amount of evidence reveals a presence of environmental inequity . Although there is a disproportionate distribution of waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities, and chemical and manufacturing plants in minority and low-income communities in the United States, little research has been devoted to show any associations based on analytic epidemiological methods . To date, attempts to quantify health disparities have included demographic data, race, sex, income, other socioeconomic factors, and broad symptomatic survey instruments . To study this, we examined the latest epidemiological evidence documenting the existence of adverse health impacts resulting from environmental inequity . We observed that the overwhelming majority of studies were descriptive in nature and lacked comparison populations . As a result, we believe that further research based on analytic epidemiological methods would further contribute to the determination of the cause-effect relationship between environmental exposure and health outcome. Br J Biomed Sci, 2000, 57(2), 107 - 13 Heat disinfection of clinical waste: microbiological assessment and monitoring of effectiveness; Holliday MG et al.; Simple, rapid and reproducible protocols are described for the microbiological assessment of clinical waste treatment processes, using Bacillus subtilis spore tests and end-product sampling . The use of these protocols to commission a new heat disinfection system (HDS), based on a hot oil-filled auger, and to monitor it over the first 21 months of operation is described . It is suggested that these protocols are suitable for assessment of other non-burn heat-treatment technologies. Rinsho Byori, 2000 May, Suppl 112, 64 - 75 {Alternative technologies on infectious waste treatment, and guidelines for evaluation on safety and efficacy of the alternative technologies}; Haishima Y; Recently, regulations on incinerators have been tightened, the number of incinerators in medical facilities has hastily decreased . Under these circumstances, alternative technologies for medical waste treatments that can be substituted for incinerators have received considerable attention . Many alternative technologies for treating medical wastes have already been installed in many facilities in advanced nations such as United States of America, Europe and Australia . Appropriate guidelines are essential for safe treatment of medical wastes, and hence some guidelines for evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the alternative technologies have been established in advanced nations including Japan . In this chapter, a summary of alternative technologies, recent regulations worldwide on the technology and an outline of the guidelines are described. Rinsho Byori, 2000 May, Suppl 112, 26 - 31 {Proper disposal(management) of medical wastes--infection prevention and waste management(Clean Hospital Project) at Hiroshima City, Asa Hospital}; Hayashi Y et al.; Hospitals are socially obligated to maintain a clean environment and to dispose of medical waste, in order to prevent pollution and infection within and near the hospital . Since its establishment, Hiroshima City, Asa Hospital has been implementing a "Clean Hospital Project", which has two goals: infection prevention and waste management . The nosocomial infection prevention committee and medical waste treatment and disposal examination committee lead these efforts. Schriftenr Ver Wasser Boden Lufthyg, 1999, 104, 585 - 96 {Occupational protection in biological waste treatment plants from the occupational medicine viewpoint}; Schappler-Scheele B; Composting of biogenous waste matter constitutes an important segment in the Federal Republic of Germany's developing waste and recycling management . The processes used in compost production entail exposure to bio-aerosols, gases, dust, microorganisms and their toxins, additionally noise, fluctuating climatic conditions and various accident dangers . A study carried out was task with elaborating a specific profile of strains on compost workers in comparison with a control group . 42 composting plants were visited in 1996 and 1997 . In the plants, spread out over seven federal states, 184 compost workers participated in 1996 and 178 in 1997 . The control group comprised 66 (1996) and 63 (1997) employees of a senior state authority with office and laboratory jobs . About 400 mainly humanly relevant air measurements for meso-phile/thermo-phile actinomycetins or mould fungi provided emissions data for the purpose of estimating biological risks . Jeopardy analysis of jobs for chemical and physical jeopardy factors was based on the checklist method supported by GC-MS screening as well as measurements of noise level, light density and dust concentrations . On-site medical examination of all 491 employees comprised detailed industrial-medical anamnesis, internistic-clinical physical examination, recording of static-dynamic pulmonary function parameters as well as haematological-immuno-serological screening . From the results, it can be concluded that ailments of the respiratory tract and the lungs as well as chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma and exogenous allergic alveolitis are not found with significantly greater frequency in compost workers than they were in the control group . The same is likewise true for allergies, diseases of the locomotor system and the skin . ODTS did not occur . During the study period, there was one case of occupational disease in a compost worker with an hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus . Efforts are necessary for a better filter technique and the reduction of noise and carbon dioxide hazards. Schriftenr Ver Wasser Boden Lufthyg, 1999, 104, 483 - 500 {'Microbial air pollutants' . Emission sources and preventive measures}; Kummer V et al.; Already in the planning or monitoring phase, measures have to be realized for the reduction in emissions of bio-aerosols in biological waste treatment plants . For this purpose, operation-related measures (in open and partially closed plants) and technology-related measures (in closed plants with automatic ventilation) can be taken . A survey on the currently feasible measures for reduction is submitted . The realization has to be adapted to the individual site and type of plant . An enormous demand for examinations is envisaged in order to enable a qualified assessment of the emission behaviour of diverse waste air systems or process steps. Schriftenr Ver Wasser Boden Lufthyg, 1999, 104, 141 - 8 {Immunological reactions and health complaints in biological refuse personnel and composting by biological aerosol exposure}; Bunger J et al.; Employees in waste treatment industries are exposed to high levels of airborne microorganisms . Concentrations of 10(7) cfu/m3 air were measured in composting facilities, whereas exposures of bio-waste collectors were two orders of magnitude lower with exposure peaks up to 10(6) cfu/m3 air . These exposures were compared to specific antibody levels against molds and actinomycetes, work related health complaints, and diseases of the workers . 72 bio-waste collectors and 77 compost workers were examined and interviewed for work related symptoms, current occupational exposures, smoking habits, and exposures from other sources (farming, bird breeding, gardening) by physicians specialized in occupational medicine, using a standardized protocol . Levels of specific IgG antibodies to molds and actinomycetes occurring regularly at these workplaces were determined as biomarkers of exposure . The exposure data from the workplaces indicate a higher exposure of compost workers compared to bio-waste collectors . This corresponds with significantly increased health complaints of the upper airways and the skin and higher concentrations of specific antibodies against molds and actinomycetes in the compost workers . Atopic diseases were underrepresented in the compost workers compared to bio-waste collectors and population based data, indicating a healthy worker effect in this group . Occupational diseases from airborne microorganisms eligible for insurance compensation were observed in waste treatment facilities . More detailed studies are needed for exact assessment of health risks of workers in these industries. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol, 2000, 163, 1 - 27 Application of chitosan for treatment of wastewaters; No HK et al.; Research has clearly demonstrated that the biopolymer chitosan (deacetylated chitin) can be used as an effective coagulating agent for organic compounds, as a chelating polymer for binding toxic heavy metals, as well as an adsorption medium for dyes and small concentrations of phenols and PCBs present in various industrial wastewaters . In these specific applications, chitosan appears more effective than other polymers such as synthetic resins, activated charcoal, and even chitin itself . In addition, the amino group in chitosan is an effective functional group that can be altered chemically for production of other chitinous derivatives with specific useful characteristics as effective absorptive agents . Chitosans exhibiting different physicochemical characteristics, i.e., molecular weight, crystallinity, deacetylation, particle size, and hydrophilicity, differ in their effectiveness as waste treatment agents . The specific relationship between methods and the particular crustacean species used in preparation of chitosan for wastewater treatment needs further examination . Use of bioremediation approaches, combined with immobilization of specific microorganisms on immobilized chitinous columns, is an extremely promising area of current research and actual plant operation. Risk Anal, 1999 Apr, 19(2), 249 - 59 Reliability analysis for hazardous waste treatment processes; Waters RD et al.; The reliability of a treatment process is addressed in terms of achieving a regulatory effluent concentration standard and the design safety factors associated with the treatment process . This methodology was then applied to two aqueous hazardous waste treatment processes: packed tower aeration and activated sludge (aerobic) biological treatment . The designs achieving 95 percent reliability were compared with those designs based on conventional practice to determine their patterns of conservatism . Scoping-level treatment costs were also related to reliability levels for these treatment processes . The results indicate that the reliability levels for the physical/chemical treatment process (packed tower aeration) based on the deterministic safety factors range from 80 percent to over 99 percent, whereas those for the biological treatment process range from near 0 percent to over 99 percent, depending on the compound evaluated . Increases in reliability per unit increase in treatment costs are most pronounced at lower reliability levels (less than about 80 percent) than at the higher reliability levels (greater than 90 percent, indicating a point of diminishing returns . Additional research focused on process parameters that presently contain large uncertainties may reduce those uncertainties, with attending increases in the reliability levels of the treatment processes. Health Estate, 1999 Dec, 53(10), 6 - 8, 10-12 A decade of change in clinical waste treatment and disposal in Scotland; Wassermann D; Ten years ago there were over 150 small incinerators located on hospital premises throughout Scotland . The majority were operated by portering staff, had poor combustion and no gas cleaning equipment . At that time alternatives to incineration were in their infancy and relatively expensive . Funding for major capital projects lay with the Government, and a strategic study suggested the installation of 12 centralised modern incinerators on the mainland and three on the islands: one per Scottish Health Board . Some health boards proceeded with new installations well ahead of dead-lines for closure of old plant . Others adopted a 'wait and see' policy and were overtaken by political changes . These resulted in a cutback in government-funded capital investment and a shift of non-core services to the private sector . Clinical waste disposal was contracted out as a service contract and some private sector companies offered alternative low-temperature technologies for clinical waste treatment . As a result there is now the opportunity to compare the advantages and disadvantages of incineration, sterilization, dry heat disinfection and other techniques . Technological change has also required revised waste segregation methods within the hospitals . In parallel with this there has been an overall reduction in waste quantities . The remaining incinerator operators are now faced with more stringent emission limits to be implemented by June 2000 . This is resulting in closures of incinerators that have been operating for a few years . The situation continues to change. Crit Rev Microbiol, 1999, 25(4), 245 - 73 Characterization and regulation of catabolic genes; Johri AK et al.; Although a wide range of microorganisms have been discovered that are able to degrade highly stable, toxic xenobiotics, still many pollutants persist in the environment . Recent advances in the field of r-DNA technology has provided solutions to these problems . One important factor limiting the bioremediation of sites contaminated with certain hazardous wastes is the slow rate of degradation . This slow rate limits the practicality of using bacteria in remediating contaminated sites . It is possible to extend the range of substrates that an organism can utilize . It is even possible to endow an organism with the ability to degrade a predetermined range of xenobiotics . Because biotechnological processes are based on natural activities of microorganisms and constitute variations in classic domestic waste treatment processes, they are publicly more accepted . This is an area where genetic engineering can make a marked improvement by manipulating catabolic genes of microorganisms . Advances in r-DNA technology have opened up new avenues to move toward the goal of genetically engineered microorganisms to function as "designer biocatalysts" in which certain desirable biodegradation pathways or enzymes from different organisms are brought together in a single host with the aim of performing specific detoxification . In the last 2 decades much progress has been made in this direction, and as a result catabolic genes have been cloned and characterized for organochlorines, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorobenzoates, naphthalene etc . The aim of this review is to provide an insight in the recent advances made on characterization and expression of catabolic genes that encode the degradation/detoxification of these persistent and toxic xenobiotic compounds. Prof Dev Ser (Chic Ill) . 1998 Apr;:4-24. Medical waste autoclaves: not just a lot of hot air; Urbanowicz GR; Over the past ten years, the treatment of medical waste has received much attention . During this time, an entire new industry to develop "alternate medical waste treatment technologies" has emerged . Much of this has been in response to increasingly stringent air quality standards along with public sentiment opposed to incineration, with a resultant decline in the use of on-site medical waste incinerators . However, in between incinerators and alternative treatment systems is a technology that is as much a part of American healthcare as hospitals themselves . Medical waste regulation in all fifty states recognize steam sterilization as an acceptable method of treatment prior to disposal . Within this category of medical waste treatment technology, there is a wide array of systems available, many of which have altered the basic, simple principles of steam treatment to make it more conducive to this application . This Professional Development Series reviews some the basic and newer innovative techniques of steam treatment of medical waste. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol, 1999, 162, 105 - 57 Management and utilization of poultry wastes; Williams CM et al.; Waste by-products such as excreta or bedding material that are generated by the worldwide annual production of more than 40 million metric tons (t) of poultry meat and 600 billion eggs are generally land applied as the final step of a producer's waste management strategy . Under proper land application conditions, the nutrients and organisms in poultry wastes pose little environmental threat . Environmental contamination occurs when land application of poultry wastes is in excess of crop utilization potential, or is done under poor management conditions causing nutrient loss from environmental factors such as soil erosion or surface runoff during rainfall . Environmental parameters of concern are N, P, and certain metals (Cu and Zn in particular), as well as pathogenic microorganisms that may be contained in poultry waste . The biochemical cycle of N is very dynamic, and N contained in poultry waste may either be removed by crop harvest, leave the animal production facility, waste treatment lagoon, or application field as a gas (NH3, NO, NO2, N2O, or N2), or, due to its mobility in soil, be transported in organic or inorganic N forms in the liquid state via surface runoff or leaching into groundwater . Elevated concentrations of NO3-N in groundwater used for human consumption is a health risk to infants that are susceptible to methemoglobinemia . An environmental impact resulting from elevated NO3-N is eutrophication of surface waters . Ammonia loss from poultry waste is an environmental concern because of volatilized wet and dry deposits of NH3 into nitrogen-sensitive ecosystems . Phosphorus in poultry wastes may contribute to environmental degradation by accelerating the process of eutrophication . Unlike N, P is very immobile in soil and must first be transported to a surface water environment to have an environmental impact . It is generally accepted, however, that this nutrient affects receiving waters via transport in eroding soil as sediment-bound P or in surface runoff as soluble inorganic or organic P . Numerous studies have reported that excess P contained in land-applied manures may contribute to eutrophication . Soils containing P concentrations that greatly exceed the agronomic potential of crops may require years or even decades to return to levels that are crop limiting for this nutrient . Environmental concerns include the capacity of such soils to adsorb new P and the amount of P loss from these soils from erosion, runoff, drainage, or leaching to groundwater . Although much information is available regarding the loss of P from agricultural fields from erosion and runoff, less information is available regarding P losses from fields receiving poultry wastes . However, studies have shown that there are many challenges to controlling P losses from fields receiving manures . In addition, subsurface transport of P resulting from repeated application of poultry manure onto soils that are artificially drained is an environmental concern where drainage waters enter or interact with water bodies sensitive to eutrophication . Trace elements such as As, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, and Zn are often added in excess to poultry feed to increase the animal's rate of weight gain, feed efficiency, and egg production and to prevent diseases . Because most of the excess trace elements are not absorbed by the bird, the concentration of elements excreted in the manure will reflect dietary overformulation . Because trace elements are generally required in very small quantities for crop growth and, like P, are immobile in most soil types, their concentrations will increase with repeated land application of poultry wastes . Of particular concern are accumulations of Cu and Zn in certain soil types utilized for certain crops . Copper and Zn toxicity for some crops have been documented in some areas receiving repeated land-applied poultry wastes . A potential environmental concern relative to poultry litter and trace elements in receiving soils involves the transpor Ann Agric Environ Med, 1999, 6(1), 39 - 44 Exposure to airborne microorganisms and volatile organic compounds in different types of waste handling; Kiviranta H et al.; Occupational exposure of workers to airborne microorganisms and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in different types of waste treatment situations was examined during summer time . Microorganisms were collected as stationary samples using a six-stage Andersen impactor, while for VOCs both personal and stationary sampling was conducted . The exposure at the waste handling facility was considerably greater than at landfill sites or in waste collection . The concentrations of viable fungi were maximally 10(5) cfu/m3, and the concentrations of both total culturable bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria exceeded the proposed occupational exposure limit values (OELV), being 10(4) and 10(3) cfu/m3, respectively . Exposure to VOCs in the waste handling facility was three times higher than at the landfill sites, being at highest 3000 microg/m3, considered to be the limit for discomfort . The use of personal protective equipment at work, thorough hand washing and changing clothes after the work shift are strongly recommended in the waste handling facility and the landfill sites. Appl Radiat Isot, 1999 Jun, 50(6), 1063 - 73 Air concentration of radiocaesium in Tsukuba, Japan following the release from the Tokai waste treatment plant: comparisons of observations with predictions; Igarashi Y et al.; On March 11, 1997 a fire and explosion accident occurred at the bituminization facility of the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development, Tokai, Japan . As a result of this accident, 134,137Cs was detected in an air filter sample collected at the Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba during March 10 to 12 . The 134,137Cs air concentration was about 100 and 10 muBq m-3, respectively . This result suggests that there was little radiation exposure of the residents in the area . The average 137Cs air concentration during this period was about two orders of magnitude higher than "baseline" air (sub-muBq m-3) during February to April, 1997, measured by ultra-low background gamma-spectrometry . By a simple calculation using a Gaussian plume model with the measured data, we estimated the minimum emission of the radioactivity by the PNC accident to be in the range 60 MBq to around 600 MBq . The meteorological condition during the week of the accident are also described. Chemosphere, 1999 Jun, 38(13), 2979 - 93 Biological treatment of whey by Tetrahymena pyriformis and impact study on laboratory-scale wastewater lagoon process; Bonnet JL et al.; A procedure based on a biological treatment of whey was tested as part of research on waste treatment at the scale of small cheesemaking units . We studied the potential biodegradation of whey by a protozoan ciliate, Tetrahymena pyriformis, and evaluated the functional, microbiological and physiological disturbances caused by crude whey and the biodegraded whey in laboratory-scale pilots mimicking a natural lagoon treatment . The results show that T . pyriformis can strongly reduce the pollutant load of whey . In the lagoon pilots serving as example of receptor media, crude whey gradually but completely arrested operation, whereas with the biodegraded whey adverse effects were only temporary, and normal operation versus a control was gradually recovered in a few days. Biotechnol Bioeng, 1999 Apr 5, 63(1), 87 - 97 Phosphate release and heavy metal accumulation by biofilm-immobilized and chemically-coupled cells of a Citrobacter sp . pre-grown in continuous culture; Finlay JA et al.; A heavy metal-accumulating Citrobacter sp . was grown in carbon-limiting continuous culture in an air-lift fermentor containing raschig rings as support for biofilm development . Planktonic cells from the culture outflow were immobilized in parallel on raschig rings by chemical coupling (silanization), for quantitative comparison of phosphatase activity and uranyl uptake by both types of immobilized cell . The flow rate giving 50% conversion of substrate to product (phosphate) in flow-through reactors was higher, by 35-40%, for the biofilm-immobilized cells, possibly exploiting a pH-buffering effect of inorganic phosphate species within the extracellular polymeric material . Upon incorporation of uranyl ions (0.2 mM UO22+), both types of cell removed more than 90% of the input UO22+ at slow flow rates, but the chemically-coupled cells performed better at higher flow rates . The deposited material (HUO2PO4) subsequently removed Ni2+ from a second flow via intercalative ion exchange of Ni2+ into the crystalline HUO2PO4.4H2O lattice . This occurred irrespective of the method of coupling of the biomass to the support and suggested that uranyl phosphate accumulated by both types of cell has potential as a bio-inorganic ion exchanger-a potential use for the uranium recoved from primary waste treatment processes . J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 1998 Jun, 48(6), 516 - 26 Medical waste treatment and disposal methods used by hospitals in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; Klangsin P et al.; This study investigated medical waste practices used by hospitals in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, which includes the majority of hospitals in the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Region 10 . During the fall of 1993, 225 hospitals were surveyed with a response rate of 72.5% . The results reported here focus on infectious waste segregation practices, medical waste treatment and disposal practices, and the operating status of hospital incinerators in these three states . Hospitals were provided a definition of medical waste in the survey, but were queried about how they define infectious waste . The results implied that there was no consensus about which agency or organization's definition of infectious waste should be used in their waste management programs . Confusion around the definition of infectious waste may also have contributed to the finding that almost half of the hospitals are not segregating infectious waste from other medical waste . The most frequently used practice of treating and disposing of medical waste was the use of private haulers that transport medical waste to treatment facilities (61.5%) . The next most frequently reported techniques were pouring into municipal sewage (46.6%), depositing in landfills (41.6%), and autoclaving (32.3%) . Other methods adopted by hospitals included Electro-Thermal-Deactivation (ETD), hydropulping, microwaving, and grinding before pouring into the municipal sewer . Hospitals were asked to identify all methods they used in the treatment and disposal of medical waste . Percentages, therefore, add up to greater than 100% because the majority chose more than one method . Hospitals in Oregon and Washington used microwaving and ETD methods to treat medical waste, while those in Idaho did not . No hospitals in any of the states reported using irradiation as a treatment technique . Most hospitals in Oregon and Washington no longer operate their incinerators due to more stringent regulations regarding air pollution emissions . Hospitals in Idaho, however, were still operating incinerators in the absence of state regulations specific to these types of facilities. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev, 1998 Oct-Dec, 1(4), 347 - 71 An overview of recent studies on the potential of pulp-mill effluents to alter reproductive parameters in fish; Munkittrick KR et al.; In the early 1990s, many Canadian pulp and paper mills implemented process changes to comply with new regulations that came into effect in 1993 . These regulations placed stricter guidelines on a number of parameters in effluent discharges, including limits on acute toxicity, on the discharges of suspended solids, and on biochemical oxygen demand . To meet these new regulations, many of the older Canadian pulp and paper mills had to install secondary treatment systems . The investment by the Canadian pulp and paper industry was in excess of $5 billion, and the implementation of the new regulations and the process changes took several years . The new regulations were an extension of regulations designed in the early 1970s and were not designed specifically to address the reproductive responses recently reported in fish collected downstream of mills in Scandinavia and North America . This report describes a series of projects conducted between 1991 and 1996 to evaluate the effectiveness of the new regulations to address the issue of reproductive responses in fish associated with exposure to pulp-mill effluents . These studies have shown that the existing short-term bioassays do not adequately predict the potential of effluents to affect reproduction in wild fish . Laboratory testing using fathead minnows exposed over a full life cycle confirmed depression in sex steroid production, delay in sexual maturity, reduced egg production, and changes in secondary sex characteristics documented at some sites . Our studies demonstrated that both steroid hormone changes and induction of liver detoxification enzymes take place quickly . While short-term exposures can predict the potential of some effluents to impact steroid hormone production, there is no readily available assay that can be widely applied . In the absence of a usable and transferable laboratory bioassay, field collections were conducted at a number of sites . Generalizations are not possible at this time, but impacts have been seen at a variety of sites, and partial recovery has been documented at five sites in North America following various process and waste treatment changes . Data gaps and critical research areas are identified. J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 1998 Sep, 48(9), 798 - 808 A discussion of regulatory requirements and air dispersion modeling approaches applicable to U.S . chemical demilitarization facilities; Higgins BW et al.; Owners of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, and certain major air pollution sources, must conduct several separate ambient air dispersion modeling analyses before beginning construction of new facilities or modifying existing facilities . These analyses are critical components of the environmental permitting and facility certification processes and must be completed to the satisfaction of federal, state, and local regulatory authorities . The U.S . Army has conducted air dispersion modeling for its proposed chemical agent disposal facilities to fulfill the following environmental regulatory and risk management requirements: (1) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act human health and ecological risk assessment analysis for the hazardous waste treatment and storage permit applications, (2) Quantitative Risk Assessment to support the site-specific risk management programs, and (3) Prevention of Significant Deterioration ambient air impact analysis for the air permit applications . The purpose of these air dispersion modeling studies is to show that the potential impacts on human health and the environment, due to operation of the chemical agent disposal facilities, are acceptable . This paper describes and compares the types of air dispersion models, modeling input data requirements, modeling algorithms, and approaches used to satisfy the three environmental regulatory and risk management requirements listed above . Although this paper discusses only one industry (i.e., chemical demilitarization), the information it contains could help those in other industries who need to communicate to the public the purpose and objectives of each modeling analysis . It may also be useful in integrating the results of each analysis into an overarching summary of compliance and potential risks. Sci Total Environ, 1998 Jul 30, 218(2-3), 141 - 52 A toxicity reduction evaluation for an oily waste treatment plant exhibiting episodic effluent toxicity; Erten-Unal M et al.; A Toxicity Reduction Evaluation (TRE) was conducted on the oily wastewater treatment plant (Plant) at a Naval Fuel Depot . The Plant treats ship and ballast wastes, berm water from fuel storage areas and wastes generated in the fuel reclamation plant utilizing physical/chemical treatment processes . In the first period of the project (Period I), the TRE included chemical characterization of the plant wastewaters, monitoring the final effluent for acute toxicity and a thorough evaluation of each treatment process and Plant operating procedures . Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) procedures were performed as part of the overall TRE to characterize and identify possible sources of toxicity . Several difficulties were encountered because the effluent was saline, test organisms were marine species and toxicity was sporadic and unpredictable . The treatability approach utilizing enhancements, improved housekeeping, and operational changes produced substantial reductions in the acute toxicity of the final effluent . In the second period (Period II), additional acute toxicity testing and chemical characterization were performed through the Plant to assess the long-term effects of major unit process improvements for the removal of toxicity . The TIE procedures were also modified for saline wastewaters to focus on suspected class of toxicants such as surfactants . The TRE was successful in reducing acute toxicity of the final effluent through process improvements and operational modifications . The results indicated that the cause of toxicity was most likely due to combination of pollutants (matrix effect) rather than a single pollutant. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev, 1998 Jul-Sep, 1(3), 259 - 70 Improving the U.S . EPA Toxic Release Inventory database for environmental health research; Neumann CM; In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) in response to the tragic death of thousands of people in Bhopal, India, following the accidental release of the toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) from a Union Carbide facility . As a component of EPCRA, certain manufacturers are required to report annually the total mass (pounds per year, lb/yr) of toxic chemicals released into the environment (air, water, land, or underground injection), treated on-site, or shipped off-site for further waste treatment . This information is compiled by the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into a publicly accessible database known as the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) . The TRI database is designed to encourage pollution prevention and waste reduction by increasing public access to and knowledge of environmental chemical releases . EPCRA has been generally considered by industry, government, and community representatives as one of the most successful environmental laws in U.S . history . Over the past few years, EPA has initiated a three-phased expansion to EPCRA reporting requirements that will enhance the overall usefulness of the TRI database . The focus of this article is to discuss these changes and highlight several current uses of the TRI database in environmental health research. Microbiologia, 1997 Dec, 13(4), 437 - 44 Selenite bioremediation potential of indigenous microorganisms from industrial activated sludge; Garbisu C et al.; Ten bacterial strains were isolated from the activated sludge waste treatment system (BIOX) at the Exxon refinery in Benicia, California . Half of these isolates could be grown in minimal medium . When tested for selenite detoxification capability, these five isolates (members of the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter and Aeromonas), were capable of detoxifying selenite with kinetics similar to those of a well characterized Bacillus subtilis strain (168 Trp+) studied previously . The selenite detoxification phenotype of the Exxon isolates was stable to repeated transfer on culture media which did not contain selenium . Microorganisms isolated from the Exxon BIOX reactor were capable of detoxifying selenite . Treatability studies using the whole BIOX microbial community were also carried out to evaluate substrates for their ability to support growth and selenite bioremediation . Under the appropriate conditions, indigenous microbial communities are capable of remediating selenite in situ. Environ Manage, 1998 Jul, 22(4), 533 - 45 Canadian Innovations in Siting Hazardous Waste Management Facilities Kuhn RG, Ballard KR. / Siting hazardous waste facilities is an extremely complex and difficult endeavor . Public aversion to the construction of these facilities in or near their community often results in concerted opposition, referred to as the NIMBY syndrome . For the most part, siting processes do not fail because of inadequate environmental or technical considerations, but because of the adversarial decision-making strategies employed by the proponents . Innovative siting processes used in the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba offer tangible evidence of the successful application of an innovative siting approach based on the principles of decentralization of decision-making authority and full and meaningful public involvement . The purpose of this paper is to evaluate four Canadian siting processes from the perspective of public participation and access to decision-making authority . Examples of siting processes related to hazardous waste management facilities are provided from the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Ontario . Siting has evolved from approaches dominated by top-down decision making to increasing decentralized and pluralistic approaches . Focusing on social and political concerns of potentially affected communities and on the process of decision making itself are fundamental to achieving siting success . In Alberta initially, and later in Manitoba, this new "open approach" to siting has resulted in the construction of the first two comprehensive hazardous waste treatment facilities in Canada.KEY WORDS: Hazardous waste facilities; Siting methodologies; Public participation Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 1998 Feb, 34(2), 145 - 51 Ecotoxicological hazard assessment of two polymers of distinctively different molecular weights; Jop KM et al.; Assessment of ecological risks during manufacturing, use, transport, and disposal are becoming increasingly important as planning tools during development of new products . The objective of this study was to establish the potential ecotoxicological hazard associated with two polycarboxylate polymers in water, sludge, sediment, and soil . The concentrations of both polymers were quantified using 14C-radiolabeled synthesis and liquid scintillation counting (LSC) . The program included water column acute and chronic exposures with Ceriodaphnia dubia, Pimephales promelas, and Selenastrum capricornutum, sediment exposures with Chironomus riparius, and soil exposures with Eisenia foetida . Sludge treated with either polymer, from a semicontinuous activated sludge unit, was used to evaluate the effect on growth of five plants . The hazard assessment program for both polymers indicated a very low order of toxicity as defined by the U.S . EPA and OECD . Very small fractions of each polymer may not be removed by waste treatment and could accumulate in sediments, but should not pose a significant risk because of their low toxicity to benthic organisms . Terrestrial testing demonstrated that soil needs to be saturated with these chemicals to produce adverse effects . Bioaccumulation potential for both polymers was extremely low . Use of these polymers does not appear to pose a significant risk to the environment, based on their low inherent toxicity. Mich Health Hosp, 1998 Mar-Apr, 34(2), 38 - 9 Going green by reducing red . New alternative medical waste treatment technologies; Zanoni P; The field of medical waste disposal is changing rapidly . Over the past decade, there has been increasing public health concern over health care's red bag waste . The health care industry must routinely contend with a complex set of regulations covering occupational safety, transportation and packaging, medical waste disposal management, and now environmental regulations for medical waste incinerators. Chemosphere, 1998 Feb, 36(3), 461 - 73 Relevance of aquatic biodegradation tests for predicting degradation of polymeric materials during biological solid waste treatment; van der Zee M et al.; The aquatic biodegradability of cellulose and cellulose acetate with degrees of substitution (d.s.) in the range of 1.5 to 3.0, was compared with the mineralization under laboratory controlled composting conditions . In line with previous observations, it was found that cellulose acetates with d.s . < or = 2.5 were readily mineralized to CO2 in the controlled composting test . The degradation rate was clearly affected by the degree of substitution (d.s . 1.5 > d.s . 2.5 > d.s . 3.0) . Surprisingly, however, biodegradation of cellulose acetate materials was not observed in the aquatic Strum test . Modifications of the pH and the inoculum source in an attempt to improve the activity of fungi and actinomycetes in the aquatic environment, did not increase CO2-evolution . It is concluded that the relevance of modified Strum tests is limited for predicting complete biodegradation of polymeric materials during biological waste processing . For evaluation of the compostability of polymeric products or packaging materials, more relevant laboratory controlled composting tests should be used. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1996 Mar 27, 220(3), 828 - 33 Improved catalytic performance of a 2-haloacid dehalogenase from Azotobacter sp . by ion-exchange immobilisation; Diez A et al.; The stability and catalytic efficacy of the L-2-haloacid dehalogenase isolated from Azotobacter sp . RC26 were studied after immobilisation on a DEAE Sephacel solid matrix . While the optimum temperature for the soluble dehalogenase falls in the range of 30-40 degrees C, the activity of the immobilised enzyme shows a four-fold increase at 60 degree C . Immobilisation on a plug-flow bioreactor extends the range of usable substrate concentration . The improved catalytic characteristics after immobilisation of the haloacid dehalogenase may be relevant for its possible utilization in biotechnological applications ranging from waste treatment to synthesis of stereoisomers. Cent Eur J Public Health, 1995 Nov, 3(4), 199 - 201 Hospital waste--the current and future treatment and disposal trends; Culikova H et al.; Hospital wastes pose a serious public health problem . This is primarily caused by the diversity of the individual components of the waste which constitute a risk to health if inadequately handled . It is evident that economic and technical conditions for both a safe disposal, including environmentally sound manner incineration as well as efficient stem or microwave disinfection and a safe management practice based on legal regulations consequently will contribute to protections of both human health and the environment . There is no reason to assume there may be any universal, standard regulations to be used and accepted unianimously and consistently valid for all countries . It is necessary to honor the specific, social and economic background of every country . Nevertheless the European Community principles of hospital waste treatment and disposal will be eventually accepted by this country in principal, in the framework of a general economic and political integration of European countries. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 1995 Nov, 32(2), 147 - 53 Polarography as a tool in peptide and protein analysis: studies on metal-chelating substances induced by cadmium in the algae Pheodactylum tricornutum and the graminae Agrostis capillaris; Nyberg S et al.; Methods to determine characteristics and quantities of metal-binding substances are needed in order to identify phytochemical systems for use in agriculture and waste treatment . A metal-binding polypeptide (phytochelatin) was prepared by liquid chromatography from the algae Pheodactylum tricornutum and roots of the graminae Agrostis capillaris after exposure to cadmium . Polarographic (voltammetric) analysis indicated binding of cadmium by the polypeptide at different stabilities . No catalytic hydrogen peak at -1.7 V appeared in the polarogram of plant and algae metal-binding substance, but did appear in the polarogram of the metal-chelating protein metallothionein . In all polarograms, two significant peaks were detected . One at approximately -520 mV probably represents the reduction of single cadmium-sulfur bonds, and one at -930 mV the reduction of cadmium-thiolate complexes . A dose-response relationship between cadmium concentration and peak current at -930 mV was observed after exposure of roots of Agrostis at 5 and 10 microM. Chemosphere, 1995 Oct, 31(7), 3687 - 98 Photodecomposition of 1,2,3,4- and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in water-alcohol media on a solid support; Hosoya K et al.; We used a hydrophobic solid support, octadecylsilylated silica gel (C18), packed in a quartz column as a reaction medium for the photolysis of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) and 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,3,4-TCDD) . When we exposed the column to a 450 W UV lamp, the adsorbed 1,2,3,4-TCDD or 2,3,7,8-TCDD in 10% 2-propanol/water decomposed completely in 20 minutes and 5 minutes, respectively . The large estimated partition coefficient of 1,2,3,4-TCDD in 10% 2-propanol/water (> 1000) indicates that on the C18 stationary phase, both the saturated hydrocarbon chains and the absorbed 2-propanol may act as proton donors and accelerate the photolysis . In direct sunlight, the adsorbed 1,2,3,4-TCDD in 10% 2-propanol/water decomposed much faster than in a nonaqueous solvent (50% 2-propanol/methanol) . This solvent effect is advantageous for the practical use of the C18 photolysis process in aqueous waste treatment . We have demonstrated that complete C18 trapping with continuous photodecomposition of TCDD contained in an aqueous alcohol waste is possible. Indian J Exp Biol, 1995 May, 33(5), 353 - 6 Degradation of naphthalene by a Pseudomonas strain NGK1; Manohar S et al.; A Pseudomonas strain NGK1 capable of degrading naphthalene as a sole carbon source was isolated from biological waste treatment effluent . After 48 hr of incubation in 0.1% naphthalene mineral salts medium, the bacterial culture showed irregular clumped cells and salicylic acid (68 micrograms per ml) in the medium (pH 3.8) . The strain degraded naphthalene through salicylate and catechol as was evidenced by metabolite characterization, oxygen uptake and enzymatic studies. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 1995 Feb, 30(1), 85 - 100 Sources of pollution and sediment contamination in Newark Bay, New Jersey; Crawford DW et al.; A review of historical water quality and sediment quality data and chemical body burdens in biota reveals significant levels of a wide range of chemicals and water quality stressors throughout the Newark Bay, New Jersey estuary . The estuary, which encompasses the Passaic River, Hackensack River, Kill van Kull, and the Arthur Kill, has been heavily impacted by both industrial and urban expansion for more than 200 years . The available information was sufficient to identify the major sources of pollution and the contributions of various metals and organic chemicals to the aquatic environment . Mass loadings for several chemicals and water quality parameters were estimated for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and combined sewer overflows (CSOs), industrial waste discharged either directly to the estuary or through POTWs, stormwater runoff, and accidental spills of petroleum products and hazardous chemicals . The recent trend toward regionalized waste treatment systems to provide secondary levels of treatment have provided some reductions of overall contaminant mass loadings . However, CSOs remain a significant source of untreated waste in the estuary . Additionally, the magnitude of the major sources relative to the ability of the estuary to absorb and dilute the various waste streams suggests that much more must be done to reduce chemical inputs at the source. Air Waste, 1994 Oct, 44(10), 1176 - 9 Medical waste disposal . Medical Waste Committee (WT-3) . Technical Council Air & Waste Management Association; Recall bias in disease status associated with perceived exposure to hazardous substances; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Public Health Service, U.S . Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA 30333Recall bias was assessed in a study of cancers reported by persons living in a community with a hazardous waste treatment facility (A) and a control community (B) . The self-reported cancers were verified against medical records and pathology reports . Of the 56 cancer cases reported, 43 were in community A and 13 were in community B . The difference in incorrect reporting of neoplasms between community A and community B was 12% for neoplasms and 23% for malignancies . Before verification, there was a borderline significant association (P = 0.049) between living in community A and all self-reported cancers {odds ratio (OR) 1.88, 95% confidence interval 0.99-3.57} . The verified data showed that ORs decreased with the increasing precision of diagnosis . The effect of misclassification on the OR was an inflation by 15% for neoplasms and by 31% for malignancies . The results demonstrate the importance of verifying reported cases of disease, even a disease as well defined as cancer. Environ Res, 1994 Aug, 66(2), 143 - 51 Using administrative health data to monitor potential adverse health effects in environmental studies; Scherer K et al.; Following episodes of environmental contamination, health professionals are limited in their ability to detect adverse health effects in surrounding communities due to lack of relevant baseline health data, resources, and appropriate control populations . The objective of this study was to ascertain the feasibility of using administrative health data for these purposes . The Manitoba Health Services Commission's (MHSC) database is comprehensive since universal health care is free in Canada . As part of an evaluation of two proposed hazardous waste treatment sites, the feasibility of using MHSC's data was tested by (a) defining the two study and control sites through use of MHSC's population registry and (b) determining baseline morbidity rates through analysis of MHSC's physician visit payment files; diagnoses were coded using ICD-9-CM . The results indicated that there were some differences between the groups studied in the age- and sex-standardized morbidity rates of diagnoses potentially influenced by exposures to chemicals . Use of administrative data provided by a national health service is an inexpensive and efficient way to create and follow potentially exposed cohorts residing in defined communities . Despite limitations related to small populations in exposed communities and lack of standardized diagnostic criteria by physicians, this method should be explored further in environmental studies. Zentralbl Hyg Umweltmed, 1994 Aug, 196(1), 38 - 51 {Occurrence and isolation of human enteroviruses from the air of waste removal and disposal plants}; Pfirrmann A et al.; Aerosols from waste treatment plants were examined with regard to the presence of airborne viruses . For the purpose of a comparative evaluation, two different collecting devices consisting of an electroprecipitator and a special-impinger apparatus were used for extraction and collection of viruses from air samples . The collected suspensions were concentrated and fractionated by means of hydroextraction in combination with a differential centrifugation procedure . After solubilisation of the sedimented material with the anionic detergent, sodium-dodecylsulfate, and following ultrasonic treatment, viral infectivity could be demonstrated in 12 out of 36 examined specimens, after inoculation on BGM cells . The highest virus isolation rates were obtained with the electroprecipitator . Based on the results of investigations of biological, physicochemical as well as antigenic characteristics, the isolated strains revealed to belong to the family of Picornaviridae . According to the results of additional characterization assays, the isolates were identified as Coxsackie-B and ECHO-viruses . The linkage between the occurrence of these viruses and a possible risk of infection for humans remains to be elucidated by further epidemiological studies . However, the results of the present work indicate that, besides of an increased dust and germ concentration in such facilities, there is substantial evidence of increased viral contamination as well . Enteroviruses are generally considered as indicator viruses revealing the presence of viral contaminants in tap water and sewage . As human enteroviruses can be regularly isolated from such aerosols, the detection of these viruses in air samples may also be an appropriate criterion to estimate the amount to which virus concentrations may build up within waste treatment plants. Curr Opin Biotechnol, 1994 Jun, 5(3), 249 - 52 Designing pathways for environmental purposes; Ensley BD; Genetic modifications intended to improve the properties of enzymes or entire metabolic pathways involved in hazardous waste treatment have resulted in the discovery of promising approaches for expanding the utility of biotreatment . Construction of hybrid metabolic pathways as well as hybrid enzymes, site-directed mutagenesis, and gene amplification have all facilitated the desired outcome of more complete and rapid contaminant removal and considerably broadened substrate specificity. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1994 May 2, 721, 30 - 42 Tyrosinase production in recombinant E . coli containing trp promoter and ubiquitin sequence; Han K et al.; We have successfully expressed the active tyrosinase of Streptomyces antibioticus in Escherichia coli under the control of the trp promoter by fusing the sequence to the ORF438 gene . Because our attempt to connect the polycistronic gene of ORF438 and tyrosinase directly to the trp promoter of E . coli resulted in the expression of functionally inactive tyrosinase, we decided to fuse the COOH-terminus of ubiquitin sequence to the NH2-terminus of ORF438 . Ubiquitin fusion has been shown to augment the yield of cloned gene products in E . coli by increasing the stability or translational efficiency of the fusion proteins . As a result, E . coli transformants harboring a plasmid pTRUBF that contains the ubiquitin-fused ORF438 and the tyrosinase gene produced the strong black pigment of melanin . About 300 units of tyrosinase per liter of batch culture were detected when cultivated in M9 medium containing casamino acids, L-tyrosine, and copper supplements . The black pigment, however, was not seen when grown in LB medium, suggesting that the trp promoter is well regulated . When recombinant E . coli cells grown in LB medium were transferred to a tryptophan-deficient minimal medium with phenol, we observed that phenol was removed from the solution, and the color of the medium turned black . This is due to the fact that the tyrosinase has polyphenol oxidase properties . We expect to use this recombinant E . coli for the waste treatment of phenolic compounds. Healthc Facil Manag Ser . 1994 Mar;:1-21. The latest developments in alternative and emerging medical waste treatment technologies; Doucet LG; With the almost constant change in medical waste treatment processes--including the introduction of new systems and technologies--it's hard to stay current on developments with existing and new treatment processes . This paper presents a discussion of the most recent developments in alternative medical waste treatment, and includes data and descriptions of different vendors based on extensive research. Microbiol Rev, 1993 Jun, 57(2), 451 - 509 Biology, ecology, and biotechnological applications of anaerobic bacteria adapted to environmental stresses in temperature, pH, salinity, or substrates; Lowe SE et al.; Anaerobic bacteria include diverse species that can grow at environmental extremes of temperature, pH, salinity, substrate toxicity, or available free energy . The first evolved archaebacterial and eubacterial species appear to have been anaerobes adapted to high temperatures . Thermoanaerobes and their stable enzymes have served as model systems for basic and applied studies of microbial cellulose and starch degradation, methanogenesis, ethanologenesis, acetogenesis, autotrophic CO2 fixation, saccharidases, hydrogenases, and alcohol dehydrogenases . Anaerobes, unlike aerobes, appear to have evolved more energy-conserving mechanisms for physiological adaptation to environmental stresses such as novel enzyme activities and stabilities and novel membrane lipid compositions and functions . Anaerobic syntrophs do not have similar aerobic bacterial counterparts . The metabolic end products of syntrophs are potent thermodynamic inhibitors of energy conservation mechanisms, and they require coordinated consumption by a second partner organism for species growth . Anaerobes adapted to environmental stresses and their enzymes have biotechnological applications in organic waste treatment systems and chemical and fuel production systems based on biomass-derived substrates or syngas . These kinds of anaerobes have only recently been examined by biologists, and considerably more study is required before they are fully appreciated by science and technology. Health Estate J, 1993 Jun, 47(5), 14 - 6 Ecological control of hospital engineering operations; Hartung C; Environmental protection must be accomplishable in a hospital . Thus the goals have to be set in such a way that they are achievable . The track towards a positive environmental balance should be passable, ie environmental protection has to be on the people's mind and not on some single persons' . Environmental protection in the hospital starts in the purchasing department . If hospitals show an environmentally conscious demand, the industry will react with the supply of non-polluting products in order to not lose this market sector . Medical and the remaining hospital services may contribute to the protection of the environment by avoiding, reducing, and recycling waste . The responsibility for environmentally protective measures, such as noise reduction, sewage- and waste treatment, and avoidance of air pollution lies with hospital engineering . Operations (measuring, controlling) and maintenance (inspecting, servicing, overhauling) have to be available, safe, and economical . Thus the ecological demands for operations control are identically satisfied . The only task of the administration remaining is to support environmental consciousness and practice of environmental protection, to distribute attained knowledge and to survey the developments . Good environmental practice has to quantify environmental protection in the hospital. Healthc Hazard Mater Manage . 1993 Apr;6(7):6. Medical waste treatment technology 4: MedAway-1; The use of the Microtox system for evaluation of toxicity of the wastes in Vítkovice Steelworks et al.; Institute of Industrial Landscape Ecology, CS Academy of Sciences, Ostrava, CzechoslovakiaOstrava's Industrial Agglomeration is one of the most polluted areas in Czechoslovakia due to an enormous production of wastes and wastewaters from both industry and municipal sources . As most of the wastes are deposited in the environment in a very simple way (usually in landfills) they may cause negative environmental effects and represent a serious hazardous factor for the surroundings . Complex legislative regulations on waste treatment with respect to environmental protection are currently accepted . Many data on the character of produced and deposited wastes which are necessary for classification of wastes are, however, missing . Rapid and reliable estimates of biological effects of wastes were made in one of the biggest steelwork enterprises which belongs to the most significant producers of wastes in the Ostrava region . Typical wastes which are produced in the greatest amount were selected and the leachates of the wastes were tested using the microbial toxicity test, Microtox . The results contribute to a monitoring programme for evaluation of environmental quality. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1992 Nov, 58(11), 3677 - 82 Introduction of a de novo bioremediation ability, aryl reductive dechlorination, into anaerobic granular sludge by inoculation of sludge with Desulfomonile tiedjei; Ahring BK et al.; Methanogenic upflow anaerobic granular-sludge blanket (UASB) reactors treat wastewaters at a high rate while simultaneously producing a useful product, methane; however, recalcitrant environmental pollutants may not be degraded . To impart 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CB)-dechlorinating ability to UASB reactors, we inoculated granular sludge in UASB reactors with either a pure culture of Desulfomonile tiedjei (a 3-CB-dechlorinating anaerobe) or a three-member consortium consisting of D . tiejei, a benzoate degrader, and an H2-utilizing methanogen . No degradation occurred in an uninoculated control reactor which was started with the same granular sludge, but inoculated reactors and granules from the inoculated UASB systems rapidly transformed 3-CB (54 mumol/day/g of granule biomass) . After several months at a hydraulic retention time of 0.5 day, much shorter than the generation time of D . tiedjei, the reactors still dechlorinated 3-CB . This indicated that the bacteria were immobilized in the reactor granules, and by using an antibody probe for D . tiedjei, we demonstrated that this microorganism had colonized the sludge granules . These results represent the first addition of a pure culture or a defined microbial mixture to a viable waste treatment process to introduce a specific de novo degradative pathway into a granular-sludge consortium. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1992 Aug, 58(8), 2368 - 74 Degradation of Giardia lamblia cysts in mixed human and swine wastes; Deng MY et al.; This study was conducted to determine the persistence of Giardia lamblia cysts in mixed septic tank effluent and swine manure slurry and to correlate fluorescein diacetate-propidium iodide staining of G . lamblia cysts with their morphology under low-voltage scanning electron microscopy . Under field conditions, G . lamblia cysts were degraded more rapidly in the mixed waste than in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) . For total and viable cysts, the mixed waste had D values (time for a 90% reduction in number of cysts) of 18.3 and 15.5 days, and the Dulbecco's PBS control had D values of 41.6 and 26.8 days . The rates of cyst degradation in septic tank effluent and in Dulbecco's PBS were similar . Increasing the proportion of swine manure slurry in the mixed waste favored degradation of the parasite . These results indicate that the mixed waste treatment was the predominant factor affecting the cyst persistence and that it was swine manure slurry that played the role of degrading the parasite . Visualization of viable and nonviable Giardia cysts with low-voltage scanning electron microscopy revealed an excellent correlation between the viability of the cysts determined by fluorescein diacetate-propidium iodide staining and their electron microscopic morphology. N C Med J, 1992 Jul, 53(7), 338 - 43 Hazardous waste . A North Carolina dilemma; Davis TG; North Carolina, along with the rest of the nation, faces a number of dilemmas regarding management of hazardous waste: 1 . North Carolina businesses and industries generate a lot of hazardous waste, but the state lacks the capacity to manage it . For many, it has been acceptable to ship the waste to other states for treatment, storage, and disposal . Some of the receiving states have indicated that they are no longer willing to serve as the "dumping ground" for North Carolina . 2 . North Carolina, along with the EPA, has identified a number of hazardous waste sites now listed on the NPL . However, the state was excluded from its regional agreement with Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee in January 1991, meaning that Superfund monies may be withdrawn and that cleanup won't be completed at these sites . 3 . Every year the country produces at least 260 million tons of hazardous waste--more than one ton for every man, woman, and child . Those opposed to constructing hazardous waste treatment facilities charge that businesses and industries should reduce their hazardous waste to zero or near zero, and they charge that the state is not doing enough to encourage waste reduction . North Carolina's hazardous waste regulations already require programs to minimize the amounts of waste generated by industries, but for most industrial processes, it is impossible to reduce the generation of waste to zero . However, industries must continue to reduce their waste through source reduction and recycling . Hazardous waste and toxic materials do pose a risk to human health and the environment unless properly managed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Calif Hosp . 1991 Sep-Oct;5(5):41, 44. Plasma pyrolysis for clean medical waste treatment; Technological innovation in hazardous waste remediation; U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.CThe following is the first in a series of articles on various efforts to encourage and support innovation in hazardous waste treatment technologies for sites and affected groundwater . This article provides a brief discussion of the origins of the U.S . EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) Technology Innovation Office (TIO), its mission, and the major initiatives underway or under contemplation . Subsequent articles will provide progress reports on these initiatives and other activities related to technology innovation by federal and state regulators, technology developers, responsible parties, the engineering community, and other interested parties. J Air Waste Manage Assoc, 1991 Mar, 41(3), 344 - 7 Overview and update of the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Demonstration Program; Martin JF; The Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program is now in its sixth year of demonstrating technologies applicable to Superfund sites . The SITE Program, conducted by the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, is intended to accelerate the use of new and innovative treatment processes as well as evaluate innovative measurement and monitoring techniques . Within the SITE Program, the Demonstration Program and the Emerging Technologies Program are responsible for innovative/alternative waste treatment technology development . Separate and parallel activities are progressing for development and evaluation of measuring and monitoring technologies as well as technology transfer operations. Prim Care, 1991 Mar, 18(1), 25 - 41 The roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides; Tietze PE et al.; Ascaris lumbricoides is a significant health problem . One billion people worldwide are infected . Most frequently it is seen in malnourished people residing in developing countries . Areas with modern water and waste treatment have a low incidence . The major serious sequelae associated with the parasite is intestinal obstruction, which occurs at a rate of 2 per 1000 people infected . Intestinal obstruction is fatal in 6 per 100,000 children . An estimated 20,000 people die of this infection annually . Although effective chemotherapy is available, long-term cure and ultimate eradication of this parasite requires improved sanitation and change in some cultural habits . The incidence in the United States has seemed to decrease, presumably because of improved sanitation . This problem is still encountered occasionally, necessitating familiarity with the clinical manifestations and treatment modalities . A professional explanation of this parasite and its life cycle will go far to eliminate the guilt of parents whose child has "passed a worm." Appl Environ Microbiol, 1991 Feb, 57(2), 440 - 4 Purification and characterization of a secreted recombinant phosphotriesterase (parathion hydrolase) from Streptomyces lividans; Rowland SS et al.; A heterologous phosphotriesterase (parathion hydrolase), previously cloned from a Flavobacterium species into Streptomyces lividans, was secreted at high levels and purified to homogeneity . N-terminal analysis revealed that it had been processed in the same manner as the native membrane-bound Flavobacterium hydrolase . The enzyme consisted of a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . Substrate specificity studies showed Kms of 68 microM for parathion, 46 microM for O-ethyl O-p-nitrophenyl phenylphosphonothioate, 599 microM for methyl parathion, and 357 microM for p-nitrophenyl ethyl(phenyl)phosphinate . Temperature and pH optima were 45 degrees C and 9.0, respectively . The purified enzyme was inhibited by 1 mM dithiothreitol and 1 mM CuSO4 . After chelation and inactivation by o-phenanthroline, however, activity could be partially restored by 1 mM CuCl or 1 mM CuSO4 . The results showed that the purified recombinant parathion hydrolase has the same characteristics as the native Flavobacterium hydrolase . This system provides a source of milligram quantities of parathion hydrolase for future structural and mechanism studies and has the potential to be used in toxic waste treatment strategies. Crit Rev Biotechnol, 1991, 11(1), 41 - 112 The application of biotechnology to the treatment of wastes produced from the nuclear fuel cycle: biodegradation and bioaccumulation as a means of treating radionuclide-containing streams; Macaskie LE; Recent concerns on the radiotoxicity and longevity of nuclides have prompted the development of new technologies for their removal from wastes produced from nuclear power programs and nuclear fuel reprocessing activities . Alongside developments from traditional chemical treatment processes, interest has also centered on the application of biotechnology for efficient waste treatment . Many biological techniques have relied on empirical approaches in simple model systems, with scant regard to the nature and volume of actual target wastes; such considerations may limit the application of the new technologies in practice . This review aims to identify some of the likely problems, to discuss the various approaches under current consideration, and to evaluate ways in which either the target waste or the detoxifying biomass may be modified or presented for the most efficient treatment. Int J Health Serv, 1991, 21(4), 759 - 77 Transboundary movements of hazardous wastes: the case of toxic waste dumping in Africa; Anyinam CA; Developed and developing countries are in the throes of environmental crisis . The planet earth is increasingly being literally choked by the waste by-products of development . Of major concern, especially to industrialized countries, is the problem of what to do with the millions of tons of waste materials produced each year . Owing to mounting pressure from environmental groups, the "not-in-mu-backyard" movement, the close monitoring of the activities of waste management agents, an increasing paucity of repositories for waste, and the high cost of waste treatment, the search for dumping sites for waste disposal has, in recent years, extended beyond regional and national boundaries . The 1980s have seen several attempts to export hazardous wastes to third world countries . Africa, for example, is gradually becoming the prime hunting ground for waste disposal companies . This article seeks to examine, in the context of the African continent, the sources and destinations of this form of relocation-diffusion of pollution, factors that have contributed to international trade in hazardous wastes between developed and developing countries, the potential problems such exports would bring to African countries, and measures being taken to abolish this form of international trade. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 1990 Nov, 26(2), 139 - 49 Biooxidation of a synthetic waste by a microbial film grown on the liquid surface in a shallow flow reactor; Toda K et al.; A new process of biological waste treatment was developed by use of microbial films grown on the liquid surface in a shallow flow reactor . The performance of this process was tested using a synthetic waste that contained acetic acid as a model organic pollutant . About 90% of acetic acid (10,000 mg/L-1) in the synthetic waste was removed by setting alpha tau: (alpha specific liquid surface area, cm-1, and tau: hydraulic liquid detention time, h) higher than 15 cm-1/h . It was necessary to maintain alpha large enough (more than 10 cm-1 in most cases) to satisfy oxygen demand for the biooxidation . The oxygen balance and TOC determinations showed that the acetic acid removed was completely oxidized with oxygen transferred through the liquid surface . This process would contribute to energy savings, since it requires no forced aeration for oxygen supply. Aust J Biotechnol, 1990 Jul, 4(3), 193 - 6, 204 Waste treatment technologies from the Genesearch Group of companies; Reichelt JL et al.; Genesearch is a 10 year old research and development company of Australian scientists, specializing in microbiology and genetics . This research expertise has formed the basis of a number of microbial processes for waste treatment . In addition, a novel type of high yield fermenter for aerobic bacteria allows the economical production of high-potency bacterial preparations for waste treatment processes . A novel approach to the rapid biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls has been developed . Photochemical pretreatment partially dechlorinates the molecules, rendering them susceptible to complete and rapid digestion by wild-type soil bacteria . In the area of non-toxic waste, Genesearch has developed products for on-site treatment of, for example, grease-trap wastes and waste oil in ship bilges; and a large scale process for conversion of municipal grease wastes into protein-rich biomass . The prospects for novel biological waste treatment are improving, as public pressure grows, and as increasing government monitoring and penalties make inadequate waste disposal uneconomic. Radioisotopes, 1990 Apr, 39(4), 174 - 7 {Treatment of radioactive waste phenol with Fenton's oxidation}; Osaki S et al.; A new procedure was developed for the waste treatment of radioactive phenol on a laboratory scale . Waste phenol was dissolved in water (2% as phenol), and ferrous ion (10 mg/l as Fe2+) was added . Hydrogen peroxide (6% as H2O2) was added separately in three steps, 20, 30, and 50% of the volume, in order to avoid rapid reaction . The solution was heated at 80-90 degrees C for several hours in a beaker covered with a watch glass till the color of the solution changes from red purple to pale yellow . Then, the solution was neutralized with sodium hydroxide and heated for 1 h to decompose excess hydrogen peroxide . When the procedure is carried out with four 2 l beakers on a hot plate, 100 ml of phenol (1,200 ml of the aqueous solution saturated with phenol) can be oxidized simultaneously. Biotechnol Prog, 1990 Jan-Feb, 6(1), 76 - 81 Genetic engineering approach to toxic waste management: case study for organophosphate waste treatment; Coppella SJ et al.; Currently, there has been limited use of genetic engineering for waste treatment . In this work, we are developing a procedure for the in situ treatment of toxic organophosphate wastes using the enzyme parathion hydrolase . Since this strategy is based on the use of an enzyme and not viable microorganisms, recombinant DNA technology could be used without the problems associated with releasing genetically altered microorganisms into the environment . The gene coding for parathion hydrolase was cloned into a Streptomyces lividans, and this transformed bacterium was observed to express and excrete this enzyme . Subsequently, fermentation conditions were developed to enhance enzyme production, and this fermentation was scaled-up to the pilot scale . The cell-free culture fluid (i.e., a nonpurified enzyme solution) was observed to be capable of effectively hydrolyzing organophosphate compounds under laboratory and simulated in situ conditions. J Chem Technol Biotechnol, 1990, 49(4), 381 - 94 Review of biotechnology applications to nuclear waste treatment; Ashley NV et al.; This paper gives an overview of the feasibility of the application of biotechnology to nuclear waste treatment . The contents are based on a report which PA Technology carried out for the Department of the Environment (DoE Reference: DoE/RW/88.008 Sector No 2.3) . Many living and dead organisms accumulate heavy metals and radionuclides . The controlled use of this phenomenon forms the basis for the application of biotechnology to the removal of radionuclides from nuclear waste streams . Indeed, biotechnology offers a series of new opportunities for removal of radionuclides from dilute aqueous process effluents . Such technology is already used for heavy metal removal on a commercial basis and could be optimised for radionuclide removal . An overview of biotechnology areas, namely the use of biopolymers and biosorption using biomass applicable to the removal of radionuclides from industrial nuclear effluents is given . The potential of biomagnetic separation technology, genetic engineering and monoclonal antibody technology is also to be examined . The most appropriate technologies to develop for radionuclide removal in the short term appear to be those based on biosorption of radionuclides by biomass and the use of modified and unmodified biopolymers in the medium term. Science, 1989 Oct 13, 246(4927), 251 - 5 Human genotoxicity: pesticide applicators and phosphine; Garry VF et al.; Fumigant applicators who, 6 weeks to 3 months earlier, were exposed to phosphine, a common grain fumigant, or to phosphine and other pesticides had significantly increased stable chromosome rearrangements, primarily translocations in G-banded lymphocytes . Less stable aberrations including chromatid deletions and gaps were significantly increased only during the application season, but not at this later time point . During fumigant application, measured exposure to phosphine exceeds accepted national standards . Because phosphine is also used as a dopant in the microchip industry and is generated in waste treatment, the possibility of more widespread exposure and long-term health sequelae must be considered. J Appl Bacteriol, 1988 Jul, 65(1),