ORCID Profile
0000-0002-2543-9023
Current Organisation
University of Queensland
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Analytical spectrometry | Analytical chemistry | Instrumental methods (excl. immunological and bioassay methods) | Separation science |
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 12-04-2017
Abstract: This study highlights the potential of uptake into tree inner wood via direct-transfer through bark, as one contributing mechanism to describe atmospheric uptake of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) into trees. The uptake of PACs into blue spruce tree wood was measured, with wood-air partition coefficients (K
Publisher: Canadian Science Publishing
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1139/ER-2018-0039
Abstract: This air synthesis review presents the current state of knowledge on the sources, fates, and effects for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) and related chemicals released to air in the oil sands region (OSR) in Alberta, Canada. Through the implementation of the Joint Canada–Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring Program in 2012 a vast amount of new information on PACs has been acquired through directed monitoring and research projects and reported to the scientific community and public. This new knowledge addresses questions related to cumulative effects and informs the sustainable management of the oil sands resource while helping to identify gaps in understanding and priorities for future work. As a result of this air synthesis review on PACs, the following topics have been identified as new science priorities: (i) improving emissions reporting to better account for fugitive mining emissions of PACs that includes a broader range of PACs beyond the conventional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including, inter alia, alkylated-PAHs (alk-PAHs), dibenzothiophene (DBT), alk-DBTs, nitro-PAHs, oxy-PAHs including quinones and thia- and aza-arenes (ii) improving information on the ambient concentrations, long-range transport, and atmospheric deposition of these broader classes of PACs and their release (with co-contaminants) from different types of mining activities (iii) further optimizing electricity-free and cost-effective approaches for assessing PAC deposition (e.g., snow s ling, lichens, passive ambient s ling) spatially across the OSR and downwind regions (iv) designing projects that integrate monitoring efforts with source attribution models and ecosystem health studies to improve understanding of sources, receptors, and effects (v) further optimizing natural deposition archives (e.g., sediment, peat, tree rings) and advanced forensic techniques (e.g., isotope analysis, marker compounds) to provide better understanding of sources of PACs in the OSR over space and time (vi) conducting process research to improve model capabilities for simulating atmospheric chemistry of PACs and assessing exposure to wildlife and humans and (vii) developing tools and integrated strategies for assessing cumulative risk to wildlife and humans by accounting for the toxicity of the mixture of chemicals in air rather than on a single compound basis.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2021.152382
Abstract: This study investigated the occurrence and contribution of plastic particles associated with size fractionated biosolids to the total concentration in biosolids (treated sewage sludge) s les collected from 20 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) across Australia. This was achieved through sequential size fractionation of biosolids s les to quantify the mass concentration of 7 common plastics across a range of biosolids size fractions, including below 25 μm which has not been assessed in many previous studies. Quantitative analysis was performed by pressurized liquid extraction followed by pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Of the total quantified plastics (Σ
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.159251
Abstract: Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a central point of collection of plastic particles from households and industry and for their re-distribution into the environment. Existing studies evaluating levels of plastics in WWTPs, and their removal rates have reported and used data on polymer type, size, shape, colour, and number of plastic particles, while the total mass concentration of plastic particles (especially >1 μm) remains unclear and unknown. To address this knowledge gap, raw influent, effluent, and reference water s les from three WWTPs in Australia were collected to analyse the mass concentrations and removal rates of seven common plastics (>1 μm in size) across the treatment schemes. Quantitative analysis was performed by pressurized liquid extraction followed by pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Results showed that the total plastic content in the WWTPs raw influent s les was between 840 and 3116 μg/L, resulting in an inflow of between about 2.1 and 196.4 kg/day of the total measured plastics. Overall, >99 % by mass of the plastics entering the three WWTPs from the raw influent was removed during the pre-treatment stages, presumably ending up in the sewage sludge, which means emissions (via treated effluent) from the treatment plants are low. Compared with the raw influent, the plastic mass concentrations in the treated effluents (i.e., Class C, A, and final effluent) from the three WWTPs, as well as the reference water s les within their catchments were below the limits of reporting. Of the five quantified plastic types, polyethylene (PE, 76.4 %), and polyvinylchloride (PVC, 21 %) dominated by mass, while polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 1.9 %), polypropylene (PP, 0.4 %) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, 0.3 %) accounted for a small proportion of the total. Overall, this study investigated the mass concentrations of plastic particles above 1 μm in wastewater and their removal, which provided valuable information regarding the pollution level and distribution characteristics of plastic polymers in Australian WWTPs.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 02-07-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2016.07.043
Abstract: The potential of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to act as sources of poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), volatile methyl siloxanes (VMSs) and organic UV-filters to the atmosphere was investigated. Target compounds included: PFASs (fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), perfluorooctane sulfonamides/sulfonamidoethanols (FOSAs/FOSEs), perfluroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs) and perfluroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs)), cyclic VMSs (D3 to D6), linear VMSs (L3 to L5) and eight UV-filters. Emissions to air were assessed at eight WWTPs using paired sorbent-impregnated polyurethane foam passive air s lers, deployed during summer 2013 and winter 2014. S lers were deployed on-site above the active tank and off-site as a reference. Several types of WWTPs were investigated: secondary activated sludge in urban areas (UR-AS), secondary extended aeration in towns (TW-EA) and facultative lagoons in rural areas (RU-LG). The concentrations of target compounds in air were ∼1.7-35 times higher on-site compared to the corresponding off-site location. Highest concentrations in air were observed at UR-AS sites while the lowest were at RU-LG. Higher air concentrations (∼2-9 times) were observed on-site during summer compared to winter, possibly reflecting enhanced volatilization due to higher wastewater temperatures or differences in influent wastewater concentrations. A significant positive correlation was obtained between concentrations in air and WWTP characteristics (influent flow rate and population in the catchment of the WWTP) whereas a weak negative correlation was obtained with hydraulic retention time. Emissions to air were estimated using a simplified dispersion model. Highest emissions to air were seen at the UR-AS locations. Emissions to air (g/year/tank) were highest for VMSs (5000-112,000) followed by UV-filters (16-2000) then ΣPFASs (10-110).
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-03-2023
Abstract: Explanted polypropylene (PP) surgical mesh has frequently been reported to show surface alterations, such as cracks and flaking. However, to date the consequence of PP mesh degradation is not clearly understood, particularly its potential to influence the biological host response of surrounding tissues. Of particular concern is a possible host reaction to polypropylene particles released through degradation of surgical mesh in vivo. This concern is driven by previous studies which have postulated that an oxidative stress environment has the potential to etch away particles from the surface of a PP fibers. The release of such particles is of considerable significance as particles in the nano‐ to micro range have been shown to have the capacity to irritate cells and stimulate the immune system. The authors are not aware of any previous studies that have attempted to characterize, quantify or identify any particles released from PP mesh after exposure to an oxidative stress environment. Characterization of the PP mesh, post oxidative stress exposure, including identification of particles was achieved through application of a range of techniques: low voltage‐scanning electron microscopy (LV‐SEM), pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Pyr‐GCMS), nano‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nano‐FTIR), scattering‐type, scanning near‐field optical microscopy (s‐SNOM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) and uniaxial tensile testing. The findings of this study indicate that oxidative stress alone is a major factor in the production of PP particle debris. PP debris identified within solution, using Pyr‐GCMS, was shown to be in order of the micron scale.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2019
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 21-09-2023
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 31-01-2022
Abstract: Tire road wear particles (TRWPs) are one of the largest sources of microplastics to the urban environment with recent concerns as they also provide a pathway for additive chemicals to leach into the environment. Stormwater is a major source of TRWPs and associated additives to urban surface water, with additives including the antioxidant derivative
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2017.08.062
Abstract: Human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was investigated in a cohort of 20 UK adults along with their anthropometric covariates and relevant properties such as room surveys, lifestyle, diet and activity details. Selected PBDE congeners were measured in matched s les of indoor dust (n = 41), vehicles (n = 8), duplicate diet (n = 24), serum (n = 24) and breast milk (n = 6). Combined exposure estimates via dust and diet revealed total PBDE intakes of 104 to 1,440 pg kg
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2015.08.066
Abstract: PFASs concentrations in dust s les collected from three microenvironments in Cairo ranged from 1.3 to 69 ng g(-1) with FTOHs being dominant. The 8:2 FTOH was detected in all s les. Among the FOSAs and FOSEs the MeFOSE was dominant while among ionic PFASs, PFOS and PFOA were most prominent. The concentrations of PFASs were among the lowest worldwide. Correlations between worldwide concentrations of PFOS + PFOA and country development indexes highlight higher usage and human exposure in more developed countries. Food packaging was analyzed for PFSAs, PFCAs and PAPs. The 6:2 and 8:2 monoPAPs were found to be above the MDL in 18% of the s les. PFOA was detected in 79% of the s les with median concentration of 2.40 ng g(-1). PFOS was detected in 58% of the s les with median concentration of 0.29 ng g(-1) while PFHxS and PFDS were below detection limit. Different human exposure scenarios were estimated.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2018.09.048
Abstract: A special initiative in the Global Atmospheric Passive S ling (GAPS) Network was implemented to provide information on new and emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region. Regional-scale atmospheric concentrations of the new and emerging POPs hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD), pentachloroanisole (PCA) and dicofol indicators (breakdown products) are reported for the first time. HCBD was detected in similar concentrations at all location types (<20-120 pg/m
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-02-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JVH.13412
Abstract: The 69th World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Health Sector Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, embracing a goal to eliminate hepatitis infection as a public health threat by 2030. This was followed by the World Health Organization's (WHO) global targets for the care and management of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. These announcements and targets were important in raising awareness and calling for action however, tracking countries’ progress towards these elimination goals has provided insights to the limitations of these targets. The existing targets compare a country's progress relative to its 2015 values, penalizing countries who started their programmes prior to 2015, countries with a young population, or countries with a low prevalence. We recommend that (1) WHO simplify the hepatitis elimination targets, (2) change to absolute targets and (3) allow countries to achieve these disease targets with their own service coverage initiatives that will have the maximum impact. The recommended targets are as follows: reduce HCV new chronic cases to ≤5 per 100 000, reduce HBV prevalence among 1‐year‐olds to ≤0.1%, reduce HBV and HCV mortality to ≤5 per 100 000, and demonstrate HBV and HCV year‐to‐year decrease in new HCV‐ and HBV‐related HCC cases. The objective of our recommendations is not to lower expectations or diminish the hepatitis elimination standards, but to provide clearer targets that recognize the past and current elimination efforts by countries, help measure progress towards true elimination, and motivate other countries to follow suit.
Publisher: OAE Publishing Inc.
Date: 2022
Abstract: While it is recognised that humans are constantly exposed to plastics, there are limitations in understanding the extent of this exposure, particularly dietary exposure. This lack of information is partly due to challenges with the analysis of complicated matrices. This study aimed to assess the impact of medium to high lipid content ( 3%) food s les on the accurate quantification of polyethylene (PE), using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and develop an alternative s le processing strategy. Analysis of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats was demonstrated to form the same pyrolysis products as PE, producing a significant interference hindering quantification. An extraction protocol was developed that involves enzyme digestion to break the lipids into smaller chain fatty acids, removal of these interferences with pressurised liquid extraction washes, before a final extraction of the PE by pressurised liquid extraction. This new method was validated through the analysis of three medium- to high-fat content foods: cow’s milk, eggs and lamb meat, where PE recoveries were acceptable (104% to 127%). Method detection limits were also significantly reduced from 1.9 to 0.05 µg/injection (380 to 10 µg/g) with the new protocol, through the removal of matrix background. PE traces were observed in the three food matrices of 72-240 µg/g, significantly reduced as compared to s les extracted with the old method where concentrations of 12-32 mg/g were calculated, demonstrating the potential for overestimation of dietary exposure. Finally, a simple protocol is reported for future studies to (i) determine if an interference is present and (ii) s le processing methods to remove identified interferences.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2015.12.054
Abstract: Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are a class of brominated flame retardant that have found extensive application in consumer products used widely in indoor environments. Although uncertainty remains about the human health impacts of HBCDs, ingestion of HBCD-contaminated indoor dust has been shown to be a particularly significant exposure pathway for young children. Despite this, understanding of the mechanisms via which HBCD transfer from products to indoor dust remains incomplete. In this study, an in-house test chamber was used to investigate transfer of HBCDs from a treated textile s le to indoor dust via direct textile:dust contact. Results were compared with previous data using the same test chamber to examine other pathways via which HBCDs transfer from products to dust, and highlighted HBCD transfer via direct source:dust contact as being particularly important. This novel finding was corroborated by complementary experiments that examined HBCD transfer via direct contact, from other treated textiles to three major components of indoor dust: artificial indoor dust, soil particles, and cotton linters.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2019.01.027
Abstract: Based on distinct land-use categories, a s ling c aign was carried out at eight locations across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area in 2016-2017. Source sectors' dependent patterns of atmospheric concentrations of 9 organophosphate esters (OPEs), 9 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 5 novel flame retardants (NFRs) showed dominance of OPEs and PBDEs at highly commercialised urban and traffic sites, while NFRs, were dominant at residential sites. Overall, average concentrations of Σ
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2015.07.050
Abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely detected in humans with substantial exposure thought to occur in indoor environments and particularly via contact with indoor dust. Despite this, knowledge of how PBDEs migrate to indoor dust from products within which they are incorporated is scarce. This study utilises an in-house designed and built test chamber to investigate the relative significance of different mechanisms via which PBDEs transfer from source materials to dust, using a plastic TV casing treated with the Deca-BDE formulation as a model source. Experiments at both room temperature and 60°C revealed no detectable transfer of PBDEs from the TV casing to dust via volatilisation and subsequent partitioning. In contrast, substantial transfer of PBDEs to dust was detected when the TV casing was abraded using a magnetic stirrer bar. Rapid and substantial PBDE transfer to dust was also observed in experiments in which dust was placed in direct contact with the source. Based on these experiments, we suggest that for higher molecular weight PBDEs like BDE-209 direct dust:source contact is the principal pathway via which source-to-dust transfer occurs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 30-05-2018
Abstract: A special initiative was run by the Global Atmospheric Passive S ling (GAPS) Network to provide atmospheric data on a range of emerging chemicals of concern and candidate and new persistent organic pollutants in the Group of Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) region. Regional-scale data for a range of flame retardants (FRs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), and a range of alternative FRs (novel FRs) are reported over 2 years of s ling with low detection frequencies of the novel FRs. Atmospheric concentrations of the OPEs were an order of magnitude higher than all other FRs, with similar profiles at all sites. Regional-scale background concentrations of the poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including the neutral PFAS (n-PFAS) and perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), and the volatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) are also reported. Ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide (EtFOSA) was detected at highly elevated concentrations in Brazil and Colombia, in line with the use of the pesticide sulfluramid in this region. Similar concentrations of the perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFAS) were detected throughout the GRULAC region regardless of location type, and the VMS concentrations in air increased with the population density of s ling locations. This is the first report of atmospheric concentrations of the PFAAs and VMS from this region.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 17-09-2014
DOI: 10.1111/INA.12151
Abstract: Numerous studies have reported elevated concentrations of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in dust from indoor micro-environments. Limited information is available, however, on the pathways via which BFRs in source materials transfer to indoor dust. The most likely hypothesized pathways are (a) volatilization from the source with subsequent partitioning to dust, (b) abrasion of the treated product, transferring microscopic fibers or particles to the dust (c) direct uptake to dust via contact between source and dust. This study reports the development and application of an in-house test chamber for investigating BFR volatilization from source materials and subsequent partitioning to dust. The performance of the chamber was evaluated against that of a commercially available chamber, and inherent issues with such chambers were investigated, such as loss due to sorption of BFRs to chamber surfaces (so-called sink effects). The partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers to dust, post-volatilization from an artificial source was demonstrated, while analysis in the test chamber of a fabric curtain treated with the hexabromocyclododecane formulation, resulted in dust concentrations exceeding substantially those detected in the dust pre-experiment. These results provide the first experimental evidence of BFR volatilization followed by deposition to dust. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are ubiquitous in indoor air and dust, leading to human exposure and resultant concerns about their adverse impact on health. Indoor dust has been demonstrated to constitute an important vector of human exposure to BFRs, especially for toddlers. Despite the greater importance of dust contamination in the context of human exposure to BFRs, the mechanisms via which BFRs transfer from source materials to dust have hitherto been subject to only limited research. In this study, a test chamber is utilized to simulate the migration of BFRs to dust via volatilization from source materials and subsequent deposition to dust.
Publisher: OAE Publishing Inc.
Date: 2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.04.178
Abstract: A study was conducted to assess the human bioaccessibility of dust contaminated with hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) via two migration pathways a) volatilisation with subsequent partitioning to dust particles, and b) abrasion of treated textile fibres directly to the dust. This was achieved using previously developed experimental chamber designs to generate dust s les contaminated with HBCDs emitted from a HBCD treated textile curtain. The generated dust s les were exposed to an in vitro colon extended physiologically based extraction test (CE-PBET). The bioaccessibility of the HBCDs which were incorporated within dust as a result of volatilisation from the curtain material with subsequent partitioning to dust was higher than in dusts contaminated with HBCDs via abrasion of the curtain (35% and 15% respectively). We propose this occurs due to a stronger binding of HBCDs to treated fabric fibres than that experienced following volatilisation and sorption of HBCDs to dust particles.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.04.099
Abstract: Cotton and polyester, physically and chemically different fabrics, were characterized for sorption of gas-phase polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images and BET specific surface area (BET-SSA) analysis showed cotton's high microsurface area NMR analysis showed richness of hexose- and aromatic-carbon in cotton and polyester, respectively. Cotton and polyester sorbed similar concentrations of gas-phase PBDEs in chamber studies, when normalized to planar surface area. However, polyester concentrations were 20-50 times greater than cotton when normalized to BET-SSA, greater than the 10 times difference in BET-SSA. The difference in sorption between cotton and polyester is hypothesized to be due to 'dilution' due to cotton's large BET-SSA and/or greater affinity of PBDEs for aromatic-rich polyester. Similar fabric-air area normalized distribution coefficients (K'D, 10(3) to 10(4)m) for cotton and polyester support air-side controlled uptake under non-equilibrium conditions. K'D values imply that 1m(2) of cotton or polyester fabrics would sorb gas-phase PBDEs present in 10(3) to 10(4)m(3) of equivalent air volume at room temperature over one week, assuming similar air flow conditions. Sorption of PBDEs to fabrics has implications for their fate indoors and human exposure.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 22-06-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2014.06.029
Abstract: Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been detected in indoor dust in many studies, at concentrations spanning several orders of magnitude. Limited information is available on the pathways via which BFRs migrate from treated products into dust, yet the different mechanisms hypothesized to date may provide an explanation for the range of reported concentrations. In particular, transfer of BFRs to dust via abrasion of particles or fibers from treated products may explain elevated concentrations (up to 210 mg g(-1)) of low volatility BFRs like decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209). In this study, an indoor dust s le containing a low concentration of hexabromocyclododecane, or HBCD, (110 ng g(-1) ΣHBCDs) was placed on the floor of an in-house test chamber. A fabric curtain treated with HBCDs was placed on a mesh shelf 3 cm above the chamber floor and abrasion induced using a stirrer bar. This induced abrasion generated fibers of the curtain, which contaminated the dust, and ΣHBCD concentrations in the dust increased to between 4020 and 52 500 ng g(-1) for four different abrasion experiment times. The highly contaminated dust (ΣHBCD at 52 500 ng g(-1)) together with three archived dust s les from various UK microenvironments, were investigated with forensic microscopy techniques. These techniques included Micro X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy, scanning emission microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with further BFR analysis on LC-MS/MS. Using these techniques, fibers or particles abraded from a product treated with BFRs were identified in all dust s les, thereby accounting for the elevated concentrations detected in the original dust (3500 to 88 800 ng g(-1) ΣHBCD and 24 000 to 1,438 000 ng g(-1) for BDE-209). This study shows how test chamber experiments alongside forensic microscopy techniques, can provide valuable insights into the pathways via which BFRs contaminate indoor dust.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1039/D0EM00312C
Abstract: Increased production and use of plastics has resulted in growth in the amount of plastic debris accumulating in the environment, potentially fragmenting into smaller pieces.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.158468
Abstract: Plastics pollution is a global issue impacting every part of our environment. Tyre road wear particle (TRWP) plastics pollution is thought to be one of the largest pollution sources in urban environments. These plastics are also of concern due to the presence of additive chemicals, incorporated during manufacture, that can be released into the surrounding environment. This study aimed to provide information on concentrations of a range of anthropogenic plastics related pollutants in the Australian environment through a scoping study of surface water in 5 key urban centres around Queensland, Australia. S les were analysed for a suite of 15 common tyre additive chemicals, TRWPs and 6 common high production polymers, and included the new transformation product of concern 6PPD-quinone which has recent reports of causing mass mortality events in certain aquatic species. The additives were ubiquitously detected (2.9-1440 ng/L) with 6PPD-quinone concentrations lower than in previous studies (<0.05-24 ng/L) and TRWPs detected at 18 of the 21 sites (<MDL to between 690 and 1990 μg/L). Of the high production polymers, polyethylene and polypropylene were detected at the highest concentrations (16-1750 and <0.7-37 μg/L respectively) with profiles highly variable between sites. A traffic related additive profile was determined at 7 sites, which all had nearby traffic related sources. Concentrations of additive chemicals were significantly correlated with average daily traffic volumes (p = 0.006), although concentrations of TRWPs were not correlated. Generally, concentrations were in line with or lower than concentrations in other geographical regions, although it is noted s les were collected during the dry season and further s ling during the tropical wet season would be of interest.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 06-02-2018
Abstract: Polyurethane foam (PUF) disk passive air s les, deployed during 2014 in the Global Atmospheric Passive S ling (GAPS) Network, were analyzed for a range of flame retardants (FRs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), brominated and chlorinated novel FRs, and organophosphate esters (OPEs). Mean concentrations of PBDEs and novel FRs at the 48 sites monitored ranged from 0.097 to 93 pg/m
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.06.229
Abstract: A discussion is presented on the limitations for air monitoring studies around the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC), highlighting key issues requiring further attention, and reports on how a special initiative is addressing these limitations. Preliminary results are presented for the first reported data on organophosphorus flame retardant (OPFR) concentrations in outdoor air from the GRULAC region. At the majority of sites the concentrations and the profile of the OPFRs detected were similar with tris (chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) dominating (<MDL to 1280pg/m
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 21-09-2022
Abstract: Bioplastics are materials that are biobased and/or biodegradable, but not necessarily both. Concerns about environmental plastic pollution are constantly growing with increasing demand for substituting fossil-based plastics with those made using renewable resource feedstocks. For many conventional bioplastics to completely decompose/degrade, they require specific environmental conditions that are rarely met in natural ecosystems, leading to rapid formation of micro-bioplastics. As global bioplastic production and consumption/use continue to increase, there is growing concern regarding the potential for environmental pollution from micro-bioplastics. However, the actual extent of their environmental occurrence and potential impacts remains unclear, and there is insufficient mass concentration-based quantitative data due to the lack of quantitative analytical methods. This study developed and validated an analytical method coupling pressurized liquid extraction and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with thermochemolysis to simultaneously identify and quantify five targeted micro-bioplastics (i.e., polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate, polybutylene succinate, polycaprolactone, and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)) in environmental s les on a polymer-specific mass-based concentration. The recovery of spiked micro-bioplastics in environmental s les (biosolids) ranged from 74 to 116%. The limits of quantification for the target micro-bioplastics were between 0.02 and 0.05 mg/g. PLA and PBAT were commonly detected in wastewater, biosolids, and sediment s les at concentrations between 0.07 and 0.18 mg/g. The presented analytical method enables the accurate identification, quantification, and monitoring of micro-bioplastics in environmental s les. This study quantified five micro-bioplastic types in complex environmental s les for the first time, filling in gaps in our knowledge about bioplastic pollution and providing a useful methodology and important reference data for future research.
Publisher: OAE Publishing Inc.
Date: 2023
Abstract: Humans are increasingly exposed to airborne plastic particles due to their widespread contamination of all parts of the environment, yet the extent of inhalation exposure is still widely unknown. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) are two methodologies that are routinely used to detect micron or sub-micron foreign particles lodged in the human respiratory system. However, disposable plastic s ling and collection equipment is commonly used in these procedures. In this study, the potential of s le contamination due to the migration of particles from a range of containers commonly used in BAL and TBNA s le collection was investigated. PE and PVC were detected at the highest concentrations (1.5-5.6 and 1.2-8.0 g/s le, respectively) and likely originated from the container (PE) or background contamination from the manufacture/shipping process (PVC). The results demonstrated that s les collected with BAL equipment could be confidently used for the quantification of PP, PMMA, PC and PVC. S les collected with the TBNA equipment could be confidently used for quantification of PMMA and PC, but with further assessment of trace levels from certain pieces of equipment, PP, PET, and PS could also be quantified. The results of this study demonstrate that there is potential to analyze s les collected in plastic hospital collection equipment for certain polymers. As a recommendation, background contamination from materials to be used in s le collection should be assessed before s le collection, and if consistent, then there is the potential for the analysis of a range of target plastics, with the addition of blank subtraction.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2021.127092
Abstract: Tire and road wear particles may constitute the largest source of microplastic particles into the environment. Quantification of these particles are associated with large uncertainties which are in part due to inadequate analytical methods. New methodology is presented in this work to improve the analysis of tire and road wear particles using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry of styrene butadiene styrene, a component of polymer-modified bitumen used on road asphalt, produces pyrolysis products identical to those of styrene butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber, which are used in tires. The proposed method uses multiple marker compounds to measure the combined mass of these rubbers in s les and includes an improved step of calculating the amount of tire and road based on the measured rubber content and site-specific traffic data. The method provides good recoveries of 83-92% for a simple matrix (tire) and 88-104% for a complex matrix (road sediment). The validated method was applied to urban snow, road-side soil and gully-pot sediment s les. Concentrations of tire particles in these s les ranged from 0.1 to 17.7 mg/mL (snow) to 0.6-68.3 mg/g (soil/sediment). The concentration of polymer-modified bitumen ranged from 0.03 to 0.42 mg/mL (snow) to 1.3-18.1 mg/g (soil/sediment).
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2020.141175
Abstract: An emission source of microplastics into the environment is laundering synthetic textiles and clothing. Mechanical drying as a pathway for emitting microplastics, however, is poorly understood. In this study, emissions of microplastic fibres were s led from a domestic vented dryer to assess whether mechanical drying of synthetic textiles releases microplastic fibres into the surrounding air or are captured by the inbuilt filtration system. A blue polyester fleece blanket was repeatedly washed and dried using the 'Normal Dry' program of a common domestic dryer operated at temperatures between 56 and 59 °C for 20 min. Microfibres in the ambient air and during operation of the dryer were s led and analysed using microscopy for particle quantification and characterisation followed by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS) for chemical characterisation. Blue fibres averaged 6.4 ± 9.2 fibres in the room blank (0.17 ± 0.27 fibres/m
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-09-2023
Publisher: Briefland
Date: 18-05-2022
DOI: 10.5812/IJPBS-120159
Abstract: Background: Misophonia is a disorder in which people show negative emotions such as anger, disgust, and anxiety about certain sounds, such as mouth and nose sounds, as well as some repetitive sounds. This disorder has a high prevalence and causes many problems for patients. Objectives: This study aimed to examine and compare the effectiveness of two therapies, including online group-mindfulness and acceptance‐based therapy (OG-MACT) and online group-cognitive-behavioral therapy (OG-CBT) in patients with misophonia. Methods: This study was a two-group random assignment pretest-posttest design. Thirty-eight participants were recruited using convenience s ling and randomly assigned to OG-CBT (n = 19) and OG-MACT (n = 19) groups. The statistical population included patients with misophonia (a score higher than seven on the Misophonia Questionnaire) referred to the Tehran Institute of Psychiatry from October to December 2019. They were asked to respond to online self-report questionnaires evaluating misophonia, distress tolerance, quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress scale in three stages, including before treatment sessions, one week after the end of sessions, and during a three-month follow-up. Results: The difference in the mean scores of the scales at different times did not differ according to the type of treatment group (OG-CBT versus OG-MACT). The results showed that the effect of time was significant on misophonia scores. Over time, this finding also applies to depression, anxiety, and stress subscales in the distress tolerance questionnaire. However, there was no significant difference in the quality of life over time. The changes in misophonia were clinically significant in 53% of OG-MACT members and 69% of OG-CBT members. Discussion: According to the findings, the two online group therapies of CBT and MACT effectively reduced the symptoms of misophonia.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2021.127001
Abstract: This study assessed the composition of single-use face mask materials, quantified the concentration of phthalate esters in masks and evaluated associated inhalation exposure risk. All the mask s les, including 12 surgical and four N95/P1/P2 masks, were identified to be made of polypropylene, with polyethylene terephthalate present in the N95/P1/P2 masks. Di-methyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, di-ethyl phthalate, di-isobutyl phthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were frequently detected and their concentration summed up 55 ± 35 ~ 1700 ± 140 ng per surgical mask and 2300 ± 150 ~ 5200 ± 800 ng per N95/P1/P2 mask. Our simulation experiment suggested a mean loss of 13 - 71% of phthalate mass depending on compounds, during 5-hour wearing of these masks. This resulted in an estimated daily intake of in idual compounds no higher than 20 ng/kg/day for adults and 120 ng/kg/day for toddlers, which were at least 80 times lower compared to relevant tolerable daily intake values. Two interventional trials were conducted where a volunteer wore a mask for four hours and urine s les were collected before and after the mask wearing. No obvious increase was observed for the urinary concentration of any phthalate metabolite, indicating minimal contribution to overall exposure to phthalate esters.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 10-03-2023
DOI: 10.21203/RS.3.RS-2120496/V2
Abstract: Non-target analysis (NTA) employing high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) coupled with liquid chromatography is increasingly being used to identify chemicals of biological relevance. HRMS datasets are large and complex making the identification of potentially relevant chemicals extremely challenging. As they are recorded in vendor-specific formats, interpreting them is often reliant on vendor-specific software that may not accommodate the advancements in data processing. Here we present InSpectra, a vendor independent automated platform for the systematic detection of newly identified emerging chemical threats. InSpectra is web-based, open-source/access and modular providing highly flexible and extensible NTA and suspect screening workflows. As a cloud-based platform, InSpectra exploits parallel computing and big data archiving capabilities with a focus for sharing and community curation of HRMS data. InSpectra offers a reproducible and transparent approach for the identification, tracking and prioritisation of emerging chemical threats.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-01-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.153785
Abstract: According to estimates put forward in multiple studies, tire and road wear particles are one of the largest sources to microplastic contamination in the environment. There are large uncertainties associated with local emissions and transport of tire and road wear particles into environmental compartments, highlighting an urgent need to provide more data on inventories and fluxes of these particles. To our knowledge, the present paper is the first published data on mass concentrations and snow mass load of tire and polymer-modified road wear particles in snow. Roadside snow and meltwater from three different types of roads (peri-urban, urban highway and urban) were analysed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Tire particle mass concentrations in snow (76.0-14,500 mg/L meltwater), and snow mass loads (222-109,000 mg/m
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2018.03.017
Abstract: Poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and volatile methyl siloxanes (VMS) were monitored at 21 sites in the Global Atmospheric Passive S ling (GAPS) Network. Atmospheric concentrations previously reported from 2009 were compared to concentrations measured at these sites in 2013 and 2015, to assess trends over 7 years of monitoring. Concentrations of the fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and fluorinated sulfonamides and sulfonamidoethanols (FOSAs and FOSEs) were stable at these sites from 2009 to 2015 with no significant difference (p > 0.05) in concentrations. Elevated concentrations of all the neutral PFAS were detected at the urban sites as compared to the polar/background sites. The perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs), meanwhile, saw a significant increase (p 0.05). Concentrations of the PFSAs and the PFCAs were similar at all location types, showing the global reach of these persistent compounds. Concentrations of the cyclic VMS (cVMS) were at least an order of magnitude higher than the linear VMS (lVMS) and the PFAS. Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) saw a weak significant increase in concentrations from 2009 to 2013 (p < 0.05), however, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3) had a strong significant decrease in concentrations from 2009 to 2015 (p < 0.01).
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Start Date: 08-2023
End Date: 08-2028
Amount: $4,958,927.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity