| 1. |
- Dahlberg, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Dispersal of persistent organic pollutants from fiber-contaminated sediments : biotic and abiotic pathways
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Soils and Sediments. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-0108 .- 1614-7480. ; 21:4, s. 1852-1865
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeNumerous sites contaminated with fiber emissions from pulp and paper industries are found in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, but there is limited knowledge about the magnitude of dispersal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from these anthropogenic, organic-rich sediments called fiberbanks. The aim of this study was to quantify and compare different POP dispersal pathways from such fiberbanks. Dispersal mechanisms studied included abiotic and biotic routes (dissolved in water, particle-bound, and bioaccumulation).Materials and methodsContaminated fibrous sediments located in Ångermanälven River estuary in north-eastern Sweden were studied in sediment types representing different fiber content (i.e., fiberbanks, fiber-rich sediments, and less fiber impacted sediments). Sediment-to-water fluxes of dissolved contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)) were measured in situ using benthic flux chambers. Particle resuspension was measured by sampling bottom water, before and after disturbing the sediment surface. Benthic biota was collected to determine the body burden of contaminants and to determine biota-pore water accumulation factors (BAFPW) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). In addition, concentrations of dissolved POPs in the water column were measured in field using passive samplers. Instrumental analysis was performed using gas chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS).Results and discussionThe flux of dissolved Σ20PCBs was approximately two times higher from one of the investigated fiberbanks (3.4 ng m− 2 day− 1) compared to the other. The average particle burden of PCBs was also higher at this fiberbank after artificial disturbance (15 ng g−1 particle), which indicates that larger amounts of contaminants are likely to disperse via particle resuspension from this site compared to the other fiberbank (4.8 ng g− 1 particle). The difference might be associated with a layer of recently settled minerogenic material that covers one of the fiberbanks, which probably functions as a protective barrier. The lack of benthic biota implies that contaminant release by bioturbation is negligible in the studied fiberbanks. However, benthic biota from fiber-rich sediment showed bioaccumulation and biomagnification of contaminants.ConclusionsThe importance of diffusive flux from fiberbanks under undisturbed conditions became apparent when the different dispersal pathways were quantified. However, no dispersal pathway could be judged as irrelevant, since even under undisturbed conditions, advective particle transport was significant. Additionally, the uptake by biota and trophic transfer can be considerable. Quantification of dispersal routes and understanding of the relative importance of various pathways is critical for proper risk assessment and management of contaminated sediments.
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| 2. |
- Goransson, Gunnel, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the Risk of Contaminant Dispersion From Fibrous Sediments of Industrial Origin
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-7745. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Unregulated discharges of wastewater from pulp and paper factories resulted in the formation of relatively thick organic (cellulose) rich sediments in shallow waters along the Swedish coast. These deposits are known as fiberbanks and are contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), metals and methylmercury, which can be dispersed by diffusion and advective processes coupled to propeller wash, high river discharges, strong wind waves and submarine landslides. Based on a case study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), one group of prevalent POPs in the fiberbanks, we present a probabilistic approach to estimate the potential risk of dispersion of fiberbank contaminants. The approach allows for estimation of the dispersal pathways that dominates the risk within a given time and provides more insight about the significance of various dispersion processes. We show that it is highly likely that chemical diffusion and advection triggered by ship-induced resuspension will disperse PCBs (sum of seven congeners; sigma 7PCB) above a threshold level for environmental impact, while the likelihood of river and wind-wave generated resuspension dispersion pathways are lower (similar to 20%, respectively). We further show that there is approximately 5% likelihood that a submarine landslide will disperse sigma 7PCB above the threshold level. The study implies that the governing parameters for risk assessment specifically should include reliable data on contaminant concentration, water depth above the fiberbank, estimation of concerned fiberbank areas, time duration of erosive fluid flows and measured diffusion. The approach provides insight into the importance of various dispersion processes. We suggest that it can be applied to support risk assessment, especially when there are limited available data and/or knowledge about the system under study.
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| 3. |
- Tunón, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Forskare: Skapa inte mer polarisering mellan människa och natur, Moderaterna
- 2024
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Ingår i: Alltinget.
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Viljan att skydda växter och djur får ibland orimliga effekter. Det skriver flera företrädare för Moderaternas arbetsgrupp för en kommande miljöpolitik på DN debatt.Farlig polariseringDe tar bland annat upp viktiga frågor om ”människans plats i naturen”. Men konflikten mellan utveckling och miljö är en återkommande missuppfattning. Frågan om naturvården främst bör utgå från människans eller naturens behov bidrar till en farlig polarisering. I själva verket är vi beroende av biologisk mångfald för mat, energi, kläder, byggnadsmaterial, rent vatten, fungerande jordbruksmark, ren luft, skydd mot epidemier, pandemier, andra katastrofer och framtida läkemedel.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges in diagnosing normal pressure hydrocephalus : evaluation of the diagnostic guidelines
- 2017
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Ingår i: eNeurologicalSci. - : Elsevier BV. - 2405-6502. ; 7, s. 27-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To evaluate the present diagnostic guidelines of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) in a sample from the general population.Methods: A total of 168 individuals (93 females, 75 males), mean age 75 years (range 66-92) with and without symptoms of iNPH underwent a CT-scan of the brain, a neurological examination with assessment of the triad symptoms, i.e. gait disturbances, memory impairment and urgency incontinence. The participants were then diagnosed as "unlikely", "possible" and "probable" iNPH according to the American-European and the Japanese guidelines, respectively. Separately, a senior consultant in neurology diagnosed each patient based on the overall clinical picture.Results: Obtaining a diagnosis of "probable iNPH" was three times more likely according to the American-European guidelines (n = 35) compared to the Japanese guidelines (n = 11) or the neurologist (n = 11). The concordance was highest (Kappa = 0.69) between the Japanese guidelines and the neurologist.Conclusions: Considerable discrepancies were found when diagnosing iNPH according to two international guidelines and a neurologist, respectively. The Japanese guidelines, which include a minimum of two triad symptoms, were most concordant with the neurologist. As a step towards widely accepted, standardized diagnostic criteria, we suggest a revision of the current guidelines, preferably into one common diagnostic system.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus : A prospective, population-based study
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library Science. - 1932-6203. ; 14:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) causing gait impairment, dementia and urinary incontinence among the elderly, is probably under-diagnosed and under-treated. Despite being known since the 1960s, there is still a lack of prospective, population-based studies on the prevalence of iNPH. Such studies are warranted to minimize selection bias and estimate the true prevalence of the disease.Methods: The prevalence of iNPH was determined in a randomly selected sample of residents, aged 65 years and older, in the Swedish county of Jämtland. Out of 1,000 individuals invited to participate, 673 (67.3%) completed a questionnaire with seven questions on iNPH symptoms. A subgroup, with and without self-reported symptoms, participated in clinical and radiological evaluations and were diagnosed according to international guidelines. Measurement of cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was not performed as it was considered too invasive.Results: Those who reported at least two symptoms in the questionnaire (n = 117) and 51 randomly selected individuals with 0–1 symptom participated in further examinations. Out of them, 25 individuals received the diagnosis probable iNPH according to American-European guidelines (except for the criterion of CSF opening pressure) corresponding to a prevalence of 3.7%. The prevalence of iNPH was four times higher among those aged 80 years and older (8.9%) than among those aged 65–79 years (2.1%) (p <0.001). The difference in prevalence between men (4.6%) and women (2.9%) was not significant (p = 0.24). When iNPH was diagnosed according to the Japanese guidelines the prevalence was 1.5%Conclusions: In this prospective, population-based study the prevalence of iNPH was 3.7% among individuals 65 years and older, and more common in the higher age group, 80 years and above. INPH should be increasingly recognized since it is a fairly common condition and an important cause of gait impairment and dementia among the elderly that can be effectively treated by shunt surgery.
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| 6. |
- Andersson-Sköld, Yvonne, et al.
(författare)
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Riskvärdering – metodik och erfarenheter
- 2006
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Förord Ett av riksdagens miljömål är Giftfri miljö, och i detta mål ingår att efterbehandla och sanera förorenade områden. Brist på kunskap om risker med förorenade områden och hur de bör hanteras har identifierats som hinder för effektivt saneringsarbete. Naturvårdsverket har därför initierat kunskapsprogrammet Hållbar Sanering. Den här rapporten redovisar projektet ”Riskvärdering – metodik och erfarenheter” som har genomförts inom Hållbar Sanering. Syftet med projektet har varit att kartlägga tillämpade metoder, internationella rekommendationer och erfarenheter av olika sätt att värdera risk vid efterbehandling av förorenad mark. Projektledare har varit Yvonne Andersson-Sköld som även deltagit i arbetet tillsammans med Jenny Norrman och Karin Kockum, alla vid Statens geotekniska institut. Författarna vill rikta ett stort tack till alla som konkret och med sin stora kunskap bidragit till detta projekt i diskussioner samt för den tid de lagt på att svara på enkäten eller delta i intervjuer. Utan alla bidrag som getts projektet i form av delaktighet i diskussioner, svar på enkätfrågor samt intervjuer hade de resultat som beskrivs i denna rapport inte kunnat presenteras. Intervjuerna utgör en stor del av arbetet och flera personer har genom dessa ägnat projektet betydelsefull tid. Kontaktperson för Hållbar Sanering har varit Britt Marie Drottz-Sjöberg vid Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. Avsikten med projektet har varit att återge svar från intervjuer, diskussioner och enkäter så att de speglar de erfarenheter vi fångat under arbetet. Texten innefattar endast tolkningar som gjorts av författarna till denna rapport. Naturvårdsverket har inte tagit ställning till innehållet i rapporten. Författarna svarar ensamma för innehåll, slutsatser och eventuella rekommendationer. Naturvårdsverket november 2006
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| 7. |
- Eliaeson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Relationships of geochemistry and multiple sclerosis
- 2009
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main aim of this study has been to investigate how registers and databases of geochemistry can be combined with registers of patient data in epidemiological studies. By testing the hypothesis that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) varies with geography and investigating if the variation can be explained by natural variability of zinc in different media, difficulties have been identified and recommendations for future epidemiological studies with similar scope are given. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological illness that affects nerve cells in the central nervous system (CNS). It belongs to a group of illnesses called autoimmune diseases where the immune system attacks the body's own tissue. The onset of autoimmune reactions is not fully understood. Autoimmune diseases are believed to be multifactorial where both intrinsic factors (e.g. genetics, age, hormones) and environmental factors (e.g. infections, diet, drugs, chemicals etc.) may contribute to the induction, development and progression of the disease. There is a general believe that the epidemiological pattern of MS vary with geography, but even though the systematic study of MS started in 1929 the comparison of prevalence studies over the world still is very difficult and the results are not reliable. Iron, zinc, manganese, copper and molybdenum are examples of important building blocks for almost all living organisms and are thus termed essential elements. They originally derive from the Earth's crust and are taken up in organisms from soil, air and water. For some metals, no biological, nutritional or biochemical function has been established (yet) and they are thus termed non-essentials. The level of exposure to essential and non-essential elements is of crucial importance for the effect on living organisms. A too high dose can be toxic while a too low dose of essential elements will cause deficiency and consequent higher vulnerability for the exposure to toxic compounds or non-essential elements. In this study we have initially focused to check if the occurrence of MS could be correlated to background levels of zinc (Zn) since zinc is an element that participates in several important reactions in the body. We used the Swedish MS-register, which includes almost all MS-patients in Sweden. The best resolution on where the patients live is given on post code areas. Spatially distributed census data over postcode areas, valid for December 2005 and compiled by Official Statistics of Sweden, Statistics Sweden (SCB), were used in this study. Geochemical data from soil (till), stream-water and groundwater from the Swedish Geological Survey have been compiled into postcode areas. The analyzed data on the distribution of MS-patients indicate that a geographical pattern could be found with higher prevalence of MS in the county of Västerbotten and clusters around larges cities. No north -south or east-west gradient of the prevalence was found. However, visual interpretation of prevalence measures is strongly biased towards large post code areas, masking the variation of prevalence measures of small areas. This effect is striking in larger cities always having a large number of small post code areas. Combination of the patient registers and the geochemical registers was evaluated with multivariate analysis (MVA) and as a univariate study for zinc solely, but no correlation between the prevalence of MS and the occurrence of natural background levels of elements were found. Registers were analyzed both separately and together, but none of these models increased the degree to which variance was explained. This does not mean that no relationship between MS and geochemistry is possible but that correlations could not be found with the data, methods and models used in this project. The most important conclusion from this study is that to combine patient data with any kind of exposure data with a geographical variation, the administrative division (i.e. parishes, post code areas etc) are less appropriate. Divisions with respect to natural (geographical) borders such as catchment areas would be more useful for epidemiological purposes where a geographic component is of interest. To fulfil this, population data for catchment areas is needed. The density of the patient data and the exposure data is also of crucial importance. Moreover, there must be a variation in the exposure data large enough to result in a difference between areas. It is recommended that also the areas where no disease is found to be included in epidemiological studies. In these regions high or low levels of elements can also be present. The use of average values over districts is problematic. A high density of sampling in an area does not necessarily mean that the calculated mean value is representative for the whole area. How well an average value for a district describes the actual value depends both on the natural variability of substances in the media as well as the sampling density (i.e. high variance but many samples could give the same average value as low variance and few samples).
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| 8. |
- Engdahl, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Increased Serological Response Against Human Herpesvirus 6A Is Associated With Risk for Multiple Sclerosis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-3224. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human herpesvirus (HHV)-6A or HHV-6B involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology has remained controversial mainly due to the lack of serological methods that can distinguish the two viruses. A novel multiplex serological assay measuring IgG reactivity against the immediate-early protein 1 from HHV-6A (IE1A) and HHV-6B (IE1B) was used in a MS cohort (8,742 persons with MS and 7,215 matched controls), and a pre-MS cohort (478 individuals and 476 matched controls) to investigate this further. The IgG response against IE1A was positively associated with MS (OR = 1.55, p = 9 × 10-22), and increased risk of future MS (OR = 2.22, p = 2 × 10-5). An interaction was observed between IE1A and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody responses for MS risk (attributable proportion = 0.24, p = 6 × 10-6). In contrast, the IgG response against IE1B was negatively associated with MS (OR = 0.74, p = 6 × 10-11). The association did not differ between MS subtypes or vary with severity of disease. The genetic control of HHV-6A/B antibody responses were located to the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) region and the strongest association for IE1A was the DRB1*13:01-DQA1*01:03-DQB1*06:03 haplotype while the main association for IE1B was DRB1*13:02-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*06:04. In conclusion a role for HHV-6A in MS etiology is supported by an increased serological response against HHV-6A IE1 protein, an interaction with EBV, and an association to HLA genes.
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| 9. |
- Frogner-Kockum, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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CoGas-projektet : Utveckling av en provtagningsmetod för att mätaföroreningstransport med gasflöden från fiberbankar
- 2024
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I CoGas projektet utvecklades en fältutrustning och en metod som möjliggör in-situ provtagning av gas från fiberbankar. Detta för att kunna kvantifiera utsläpp av växthusgaser och medföljande halvflyktiga föroreningar (kvicksilver (Hg) och persistenta organiska miljögifter (POP)) samt gasmedierad partikelresuspension. En övergripande målsättning är att kunna bidra med kunskap om hur olika typer av föroreningar transporteras och sprids från fiberbankar. Den nya provtagningsutrustningen användes vid tre fiberbankar i Västernorrland (Väja, Sandviken och Köpmanholmen) där både passiv och forcerad gasprovtagning testades. Vid passiv provtagning mättes det naturliga gasflödet under en längre tid för att mäta mängden växthusgaser och partiklar som sprids under naturliga förhållanden. Det gick dock inte att detektera POPs i gasen som samlades in med den passiva provtagningen. För att kunna extrahera större volymer gas per tidsenhet och för att kunna analysera halten Hg i gasen utvecklades en forcerad provtagningsmetod. Järnstänger monterades därför under provtagaren vilka penetrerade sedimentytan och skapade artificiella transportgångar. Studien visade att andelen metangas vid in-situ provtagning (52–76 %) överensstämde relativt väl med de halter som tidigare uppmätts i laboratoriestudier (56 %; Lehoux et al, 2021). Våra resultat indikerar dock att de sammanlagda utsläppen av växthusgaser (CO2-ekvivalenter) från fiberbankar är i storleksordningen 52 000 – 170 000 ton/år, en uppskattning som är 25–70 gånger lägre än tidigare uppskattat av Lehoux et al. (2021). Att det blir så pass stor skillnad bedöms bero på att man i den tidigare beräkningen baserad på en laboratoriestudie (Lehoux et al., 2021) inte tog hänsyn till att den biologiskt aktiva zonen för metanogener i fiberbankarna bara utgör de översta decimetrarna av fiberbankarna (Regnell et al, 2014). Genom att ta med hela fiberbanksmassan i sina beräkningar (Lehoux et al., 2021) fick de en kraftig överskattad uppskattning av växthusgasutsläppet från Sveriges fiberbankar. Fiberbankarna i Sverige bedöms dock ändå stå för betydande utsläpp av växthusgaser, motsvarande ca 10–30 % av utsläppen från Sveriges avfallsdeponier. Kvicksilverhalterna (Hg) var i genomsnitt 1,6 ng/m3 i Väja, 6,0 ng/m3 i Sandviken och 19 ng/m3 i Köpmanholmen. Hg(0)-halten i gasfasen vid Köpmanholmen är ca 15 gånger högre än bakgrundshalterna i luft (1,3 ng/m3, IVL 2023). Av analyserade POPs kunde endast hexaklorbensen (HCB) detekteras, vilket antas bero på att HCB är mer volatilt än de övriga. HCB- halterna i den insamlade gasen var i genomsnitt 2,7 ng/m3, (n = 5) vid Väja och 8,5 ng/m3, (n = 6) vid Köpmanholmen, vilket är ca 100–200 gånger högre än de HCB-halter som påträffas i bakgrundsluft (Bidleman et al., 2017). För både HCB och Hg följer halten i gasen halten i sedimentet. Fluxet av HCB och Hg i gasfas från fiberbankarna kan uppskattas utifrån föroreningskoncentrationen i gasen (provtagen med den forcerade metoden) och gasflödet (provtaget med den passiva metoden). Givet att det genomsnittliga gasflödet i de lyckade provtagningarna är representativt uppskattas HCB-flux för de båda fiberbankarna vid ostörda förhållanden till i genomsnitt 3,2 ng/m2/år (1,5 ng/m2/år för Väja och 4,7 ng/m2/år för Köpmanholmen). Det genomsnittliga Hg-fluxet beräknades vid ostörda förhållanden till 0,4 ng/m2/år vid Väja, 1,5 ng/m2/år vid Sandviken och 4,6 ng/m2/år vid Köpmanholmen. Föroreningsfluxet i gasfas bedöms därmed vara relativt begränsat vid naturliga förhållanden. Den gasmedierade partikelspridningen varierade mellan 17–49 mg/m2/dag för Väja och Sandviken men var högre i Köpmanholmen (> 200 mg/m2/dag vid båda provtagningstillfällena). Partiklarnas föroreningsinnehåll har inte kunnat analyseras inom ramen för projektet men vid fysisk störning av fiberbankssediment bedöms betydligt större mängder HCB och Hg, i både gasfas och bundet till partiklar, kunna frigöras, åtminstone under en kort tid. Detta behöver beaktas vid riskbedömning och val av åtgärder av förorenade fiberbankar.
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| 10. |
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