Determination of Trace Elements in Aerosols at a Rural Mountainous Area and a Local City of Eastern Shikoku Region, Japan.

A simple digestion method for a mixed cellulose membrane filter in order to analyze trace elements in aerosols was examined. The determination of Cu, Fe and Ni in the certified reference materials of China loess (CJ-1) could be conducted using the digestion method. Trace elements in aerosols smaller than 10 μm size collected at Tokushima City and near mountain areas for each season were determined as a water-soluble fraction and all components by the digestion method.

Elevation of intracellular Zn2+ level by nanomolar concentrations of triclocarban in rat thymocytes.

It was recently reported that nanomolar concentrations of triclocarban, an antimicrobial agent, were detected in human blood after the use of soap containing triclocarban. Due to the widespread use of triclocarban in adult and infant personal care products, the report prompted us to study its cytotoxicity. The cytotoxicity of triclocarban was examined in rat thymocytes by using a cytometric technique with propidium iodide for examining cell lethality, FluoZin-3-AM for monitoring the intracellular Zn(2+) level, and 5-chloromethylfluorescencein diacetate for estimating the cellular content of non-protein thiol.