Comparing PFAS analysis in batch leaching and column leaching tests.

Laboratory leaching tests are tools to assess the mobility of environmental contaminants released from granular materials. Comparative leaching tests were performed using four PFAS-contaminated soils whose concentration patterns of 10 selected perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) differed due to the two types of contamination sources. This study aimed to evaluate the equivalence of two usual laboratory-scale leaching test procedures, batch and column percolation tests, at liquid-to-solid ratios (L/S) of 2 l/kg, which is the current practice within the German assessment framework, and 10 l/kg (relevant for some EU regulations such as the landfill directive).

Innovative analytical methodologies for characterizing chemical exposure with a view to next-generation risk assessment.

The chemical burden on the environment and human population is increasing. Consequently, regulatory risk assessment must keep pace to manage, reduce, and prevent adverse impacts on human and environmental health associated with hazardous chemicals. Surveillance of chemicals of known, emerging, or potential future concern, entering the environment-food-human continuum is needed to document the reality of risks posed by chemicals on ecosystem and human health from a one health perspective, feed into early warning systems and support public policies for exposure mitigation provisions and safe and sustainable by design strategies.

Investigation of pH-dependent extraction methods for PFAS in (fluoropolymer-based) consumer products: A comparative study between targeted and sum parameter analysis.

Here, we report a comparative study of different sum parameter analysis methods for the extraction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from manufactured consumer products, which can be measured by combustion ion chromatography (CIC). Therefore, a hydrolysis-based extraction method was further developed, which accounts for the addition of hydrolyzable covalently bound polyfluoroalkylated side-chain polymers (SFPs) to the extractable organic fluorine portion of the mass balance proposed as "hydrolyzable organically bound fluorine" (HOF). To test this hypothesis, the method was applied to 39 different consumer products containing fluoropolymers or monomeric PFAS taken from four different categories: outdoor textiles, paper packaging, carpeting, and permanent baking sheets.

Long-term trend data for PFAS in soils from German ecosystems, including TOP assay.

In this study, soil top layers from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) covering a period from 2002 to 2018 and 11 sampling sites representing four ecosystem types were analysed for 24 PFAS (11 PFCA, 7 PFSA, and 6 precursors), including the total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay. Median ΣPFAS levels before and after TOP assay ranged from 0.31 to 19.

Using Environmental Simulations to Test the Release of Hazardous Substances from Polymer-Based Products: Are Realism and Pragmatism Mutually Exclusive Objectives?

The potential release of hazardous substances from polymer-based products is currently in the focus of environmental policy. Environmental simulations are applied to expose such products to selected aging conditions and to investigate release processes. Commonly applied aging exposure types such as solar and UV radiation in combination with water contact, corrosive gases, and soil contact as well as expected general effects on polymers and additional ingredients of polymer-based products are described.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in blood plasma - Results of the German environmental survey for children and adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V).

The German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V) investigated the current internal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP). These analyses were carried out for a population-representative sub-sample of 1135 children and adolescents (aged 3-17 years) of all 2394 GerES V participants. Blood plasma samples were analyzed for seven indicator PCB (PCB 28, PCB 52, PCB 101, PCB 118, PCB 138, PCB 153 and PCB 180) and selected OCP (hexachlorobenzene, three hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, 4,4'-DDT, 4,4'-DDD and 4,4'-DDE).

Assessment of leachates from reactive fire-retardant coatings by chemical analysis and ecotoxicity testing.

The environmental compatibility of reactive fire-retardant coatings (intumescent paints) was investigated by a combination of leaching and ecotoxicological tests. Three representative fire-retardant coating systems were tested using two leaching procedures: "Horizontal Dynamic Surface Leaching Test" (DSLT) and the "Intermittent Immersion Test" (IIT). All eluate fractions (8 for DSLT and 9 for IIT) were analyzed for pH, conductivity, concentration of total organic carbon and selected anions und cations.

The influence of facial expressions on attack recognition and response behaviour in karate kumite.

Facial expressions play a crucial role in human daily life interactions, so it is possible that they contain relevant anticipatory cues. Therefore, we conducted two studies in karate kumite to analyse the influence of facial expressions on the attack recognition (study A) and on the response behaviour (study B). In study A, 10 karate athletes (age 14-26 years, national and international level) had to recognize temporally occluded karate attacks in 2 conditions (normal and blurred face of the attacker) and identify the upcoming attack (verbal reports).

Evaluation of the impact of construction products on the environment by leaching of possibly hazardous substances.

Construction products are in contact with water (e.g., rain, seepage water) during their service lifetime and may release potentially harmful compounds by leaching processes.

Recommendation for a test battery for the ecotoxicological evaluation of the environmental safety of construction products.

The European Construction Products Regulation allows Member States to adopt rules for evaluating the environmental impact of their buildings. The aim of the project was to develop recommendations for a test battery for the ecotoxicological assessment of the environmental impact of construction products for outdoor use and contribute to the European harmonization of test methods. From a shortlist of 39 products 20 products were included in the ecotoxicological testing program.

Significance of cadmium from artists' paints to agricultural soil and the food chain.

Background: An Annex XV restriction dossier for cadmium in artists' paints was submitted by an EU member state to the European Chemicals Agency ECHA. By cleaning, used brushes under the tap cadmium can enter the food chain via waste water treatment and subsequent agricultural application of the sewage sludge. It was estimated that 110 kg Cd per year is spread on agricultural land via this exposure route.

Analysis of anticipation by 3D motion capturing - a new method presented in karate kumite.

Anticipation is an important performance factor in karate kumite. A new approach analysing anticipation in realistic combat situations by motion capturing with a high temporal resolution is presented. The advantage of this approach is that both karate athletes interacting sports specific can be recorded synchronously; thus, the presented method has the potential to analyse visual information pickup due to coordination pattern of interaction between real athletes.

Calibration and field application of passive sampling for episodic exposure to polar organic pesticides in streams.

Rainfall-triggered runoff is a major driver of pesticide input in streams. Only few studies have examined the suitability of passive sampling to quantify such episodic exposures. In this study, we used Empore™ styrene-divinylbenzene reverse phase sulfonated disks (SDB disks) and event-driven water samples (EDS) to assess exposure to 15 fungicides and 4 insecticides in 17 streams in a German vineyard area during 4 rainfall events.

Effect propagation in a toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic model explains delayed effects on the growth of unicellular green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus.

Ecotoxicological standard tests assess toxic effects by exposing an organism to high concentrations over defined periods of time. To evaluate toxicity under field conditions such as fluctuating and pulsed exposures, process-based toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic (TK/TD) models may be used for extrapolation from the existing evidence. A TK/TD model was developed that simulates the effect on growth of the green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus continuously exposed to the model chemicals norflurazon, triclosan, and N-phenyl-2-naphthylamine.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles detoxify pirimicarb under UV irradiation at ambient intensities.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO₂) form reactive oxygen species (ROS) under irradiation by ultraviolet light (UV). This known photocatalytic activity may finally affect the presence and toxicity of organic environmental chemicals, which have not yet been studied at ambient UV intensity. The authors used a three-factorial design to evaluate the interaction of the carbamate insecticide pirimicarb (initial nominal concentration, 20 µg/L), ambient UV irradiation (40 W/m² for 15 min), and nTiO₂(~100 nm; 2.

Application of nd-SPME to determine freely dissolved concentrations in the presence of green algae and algae-water partition coefficients.

Biological tests are essential for toxicity assessment of chemicals to aquatic organisms. Since awareness is increasing that freely dissolved concentrations in test media may change during exposure and deviate significantly from nominal concentrations there is a need for concentration monitoring in biotests. Biotests are increasingly miniaturized with effect amounts of toxicants that are close to or below quantification limits of conventional analytical methods.

Effect-directed analysis of contaminated sediments with partition-based dosing using green algae cell multiplication inhibition.

Effect-directed analysis (EDA) has been frequently and successfully used to identify key toxicants in sediment extracts. However, by disregarding bioavailability this approach may lead to a biased prioritisation of fractions and toxicants with respect to hazards and risks. To overcome this problem the present EDA of sediment components from the Bílina river (Most Czech Republic), that inhibit growth of the green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus, applies a novel partition-based dosing technique to prioritize and identify major toxic fractions and compounds in comparison to conventional solvent dosing.

Partitioning-based dosing: an approach to include bioavailability in the effect-directed analysis of contaminated sediment samples.

One of the major challenges of effect-directed identification of hazardous chemicals in sediments is the appropriate consideration of bioavailability for a hazard-based prioritization of fractions and toxicants. The equilibrium partitioning approach is frequently used to estimate the bioavailability of sediment contaminants. To simulate partitioning ofthe constituents of complex sediment contaminations in the sediment-water-biota system, a new dosing technique based on silicone elastomer stirrer bars (silicone rods) for use in a growth inhibition test with the green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus was developed.