Organochlorine pesticides in soil, moss and tree-bark from North-Eastern Romania.

Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) have been determined in soil, mosses and tree bark samples collected from the same locations in North-Eastern Romania (region of Moldavia). PCBs and PBDEs were under the limit of quantification in all investigated samples. OCPs were the principal pollutants found in the analysed samples.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in lung tissue of patients with pulmonary cancer from Romania. Influence according as demographic status and ABO phenotypes.

The lung is a target organ for the toxic effects of several chemical agents, including natural products, industrial chemicals, environmental agents, and occasionally, drugs. The assessment of PAHs in the lungs of patients with pulmonary cancer is important because these pollutants have mutagenic, carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting properties. This study included 31 histological confirmed lung cancer cases diagnosed consecutively at the Clinical Hospital of Pneumology (Iasi, Romania) from 2008 to 2009.

Organochlorine pesticides in colostrums in case of normal and preterm labor (Iasi, Romania).

Assessment of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in human body is important for human health because they have weak estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects and are considered endocrine disrupters. We used colostrum of women as indicator for levels of OCPs in human body for mothers with normal and preterm labor from eastern part of Romania. Sixty- three samples of colostrum were extracted by solid-phase extraction.

Inhibition vs. enhancement of the nitrate-induced phototransformation of organic substrates by the *OH scavengers bicarbonate and carbonate.

Contrary to common expectations, the hydroxyl scavengers, carbonate and bicarbonate, are able to enhance the phototransformation by nitrate of a number of substituted phenols. Carbonate and bicarbonate, in addition to modifying the solution pH, are also able to induce a considerable formation of the carbonate radicals upon nitrate photolysis. The higher availability of less-reactive species than the hydroxyl radical would contribute to substantially enhance the photodegradation of the phenols/phenolates that are sufficiently reactive toward the carbonate radical.

Sorption of some textile dyes by beech wood sawdust.

The purpose of this paper is to establish the experimental conditions for removal of several textile dyes from aqueous solutions by sorption on beech wood sawdust, an industrial waste lignocellulosic product. From the six dyes tested, the sorbent shows preference for three dyes: Direct Brown, Direct Brown 2 and Basic Blue 86. Sorption of dyes on the beech wood sawdust is dependent on the nature of dye, pH, dyes concentration, contact time, and amount of sorbent.

Formation of organobrominated compounds in the presence of bromide under simulated atmospheric aerosol conditions.

Photobromination of phenol takes place upon UV/Vis irradiation of FeIII and bromide under acidic conditions, and most likely involves the brominating agent Br2(-*). Bromination is also observed in the presence of nitrate and bromide under UV irradiation, most likely involving Br2(-*) formed upon oxidation of bromide by *OH. Moreover, quantitative bromination of phenol is observed in the dark in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and bromide.