Estimating 42 pesticide sampling rates by POCIS and POCIS-MIP samplers for groundwater monitoring: a pilot-scale calibration.

Pesticides occur in groundwater as a result of agricultural activity. Their monitoring under the Water Framework Directive is based on only a few spot-sampling measurements per year despite their temporal variability. Passive sampling, which was successfully tested in surface water to provide a more representative assessment of contamination, could be applied to groundwater for a better definition of its contamination.

Nanoparticle stability in lake water shaped by natural organic matter properties and presence of particulate matter.

Predicting nanoparticle (NP) fate in the environment continues to remain a challenge, especially for natural surface water systems, where NPs can hetero-aggregate with natural organic and mineral suspended matter. Here we present the interactions and aggregation behavior of TiO NPs with natural organic matter (NOM) in a natural lake water. NP fate in a synthetic water of the same pH and ionic composition was also tested in the presence and absence of NOM analogs to gain insight into the different stabilizing effects of each NOM type.

Analysis of endocrine activity in drinking water, surface water and treated wastewater from six countries.

The aquatic environment can contain numerous micropollutants and there are concerns about endocrine activity in environmental waters and the potential impacts on human and ecosystem health. In this study a complementary chemical analysis and in vitro bioassay approach was applied to evaluate endocrine activity in treated wastewater, surface water and drinking water samples from six countries (Germany, Australia, France, South Africa, the Netherlands and Spain). The bioassay test battery included assays indicative of seven endocrine pathways, while 58 different chemicals, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial compounds, were analysed by targeted chemical analysis.

Low plasma cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite measures as indicators of compromised welfare in domestic horses (Equus caballus).

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to chronic stress is far from straight forward, particularly with regards to animal welfare. There are reports of no effect as well as both decreases and increases in cortisol after chronic stressors. Therefore, the first aim of the present study was to determine how measures of compromised welfare, such as chronic pain and haematological anomalies, related to cortisol levels in domestic horses (Equus caballus).

Probing the interaction of U(vi) with phosphonate-functionalized mesoporous silica using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The fundamental interaction of U(vi) with diethylphosphatoethyl triethoxysilane functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica is studied by macroscopic batch experiments and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. DPTS-functionalized silica has been shown to extract U(vi) from nitric acid solutions at or above pH 3. Extraction is dependent on pH and ionic strength.