In 1937, the Swedish palynologist Gunnar Erdtman (1897–1973) mounted two adapted vacuum cleaners atop an ocean-going liner and set out to obtain air samples as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The devices were able to capture samples of airborne pollen which were related to air volume and distance from land. The results of this investigation are still cited in the scientific literature, but a study of publications demonstrates that the ocean study had land-based antecedents. Furthermore, archival investigation reveals the background to such studies, including the technical plans for Erdtman’s ‘aerosol collector’, records of raw data from the voyage, draft portions of the key publication, photographs and the precise location of the land-based equipment. A storage loft in the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm has been found to house a surviving aerosol collector.
North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) aretop predators in riverine ecosystems and are vulnerable to per- andpolyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure. Little is known aboutthe magnitude of exposure and tissue distribution of PFAS in riverotters. We measured 45 PFAS in various tissues of 42 river otterscollected from several watersheds in the state of West Virginia,USA. The median concentrations of ΣAll (sum concentration of45 PFAS) varied among tissues in the following decreasing order:liver (931 ng/g wet weight) > bile > pancreas > lung > kidney >blood > brain > muscle. Perfluoroalkylsulfonates (PFSAs) were thepredominant compounds accounting for 58−75% of the totalconcentrations, followed by perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs;21−35%). 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (8:2 FTS), 10:2 FTS, and 6:2 chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate were frequentlyfound in the liver (50−90%) and bile (96−100%), whereas hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) was rarely found.The hepatic concentrations of ΣAll in river otters collected downstream of a fluoropolymer production facility located along theOhio River were 2-fold higher than those in other watersheds. The median whole body burden of ΣAll was calculated to be 1580μg. PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations in whole blood of some river otters exceeded the human toxicityreference values, which warrant further studies.
BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. There are limited prospective long-term data regarding persistency and remission of AR. The objective of this study was to investigate the natural course of pollen-induced AR (pollen-AR) over 20 years, from childhood into early adulthood.
METHODS: Data from 1137 subjects in the Barn/Children Allergi/Allergy Milieu Stockholm Epidemiologic birth cohort (BAMSE) with a completed questionnaire regarding symptoms, asthma, treatment with allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and results of allergen-specific IgE for inhalant allergens at 4, 8, 16 and 24 years were analyzed. Pollen-AR was defined as sneezing, runny, itchy or blocked nose; and itchy or watery eyes when exposed to birch and/or grass pollen in combination with allergen-specific IgE ≥0.35kUA /L to birch and/or grass.
RESULTS: Approximately 75% of children with pollen-AR at 4 or 8 years had persistent disease up to 24 years, and 30% developed asthma. The probability of persistency was high already at low levels of pollen-specific IgE. The highest rate of remission from pollen-AR was seen between 16 and 24 years (21.5%); however, the majority remained sensitized. This period was also when pollen-specific IgE-levels stopped increasing and the average estimated annual incidence of pollen-AR decreased from 1.5% to 0.8% per year.
CONCLUSION: Children with pollen-AR are at high risk of persistent disease for at least 20 years. Childhood up to adolescence seems to be the most dynamic period of AR progression. Our findings underline the close cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between sensitization, AR and asthma.
In this study, an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Stockholm is introduced as a tool to capture the combined effects associated with multi-pollutant exposure. Public information regarding the expected health risks associated with current or forecasted concentrations of pollutants and pollen can be very useful for sensitive persons when planning their outdoor activities. For interventions, it can also be important to know the contribution from pollen and the specific air pollutants, judged to cause the risk. The AQHI is based on an epidemiological analysis of asthma emergency department visits (AEDV) and urban background concentrations of NOx, O₃, PM10 and birch pollen in Stockholm during 2001⁻2005. This analysis showed per 10 µg·m⁻3 increase in the mean of same day and yesterday an increase in AEDV of 0.5% (95% CI: -1.2⁻2.2), 0.3% (95% CI: -1.4⁻2.0) and 2.5% (95% CI: 0.3⁻4.8) for NOx, O₃ and PM10, respectively. For birch pollen, the AEDV increased with 0.26% (95% CI: 0.18⁻0.34) for 10 pollen grains·m⁻3. In comparison with the coefficients in a meta-analysis, the mean values of the coefficients obtained in Stockholm are smaller. The mean value of the risk increase associated with PM10 is somewhat smaller than the mean value of the meta-coefficient, while for O₃, it is less than one fifth of the meta-coefficient. We have not found any meta-coefficient using NOx as an indicator of AEDV, but compared to the mean value associated with NO₂, our value of NOx is less than half as large. The AQHI is expressed as the predicted percentage increase in AEDV without any threshold level. When comparing the relative contribution of each pollutant to the total AQHI, based on monthly averages concentrations during the period 2015⁻2017, there is a tangible pattern. The AQHI increase associated with NOx exhibits a relatively even distribution throughout the year, but with a clear decrease during the summer months due to less traffic. O₃ contributes to an increase in AQHI during the spring. For PM10, there is a significant increase during early spring associated with increased suspension of road dust. For birch pollen, there is a remarkable peak during the late spring and early summer during the flowering period. Based on monthly averages, the total AQHI during 2015⁻2017 varies between 4 and 9%, but with a peak value of almost 16% during the birch pollen season in the spring 2016. Based on daily mean values, the most important risk contribution during the study period is from PM10 with 3.1%, followed by O₃ with 2.0%.
Denna rapport är den första delen av två i en pilotstudie om läkemedelsrester i utter. I den första delen ville vi undersöka om det gick att analysera rester av läkemedel i urin och blod från utter, samt att utvärdera vilken matris som är mest lämplig för ändamålet. Vi har analyserat 30 olika läkemedelsrester i blod och urin från 20 poolade prover som innehöll blod respektive urin från 33 uttrar. Samtliga läkemedel fanns i blod och/eller urinprover, dock inte i alla prov. Ett flertal ämnen låg under kvantificerbar nivå (<LOQ). Det innebär att man kan se att de finns i provet men pga ”brus” inte kan kvantificera det. Det antidepressiva medlet Venlafaxin fanns i samtliga tio blodprover (0,24-2,0 ng/g färskvikt) men inte alls i urinproverna. Risperidone som används vid behandling av bl.a. schitzofreni fanns i mätbara halter i 7 av de 10 blodproven (4,3-250 ng/g färskvikt) och 7 av 10 urinprov (0,12-46 ng/g färskvikt). Högst antal läkemedelsrester i urinet hade en utter från Västervik (11 st + 4 st <LOQ). Den hade också mätbara halter från 7 olika läkemedelsrester i blodet (+ 4 st <LOQ). Det fanns fler mätbara läkemedel i urinproverna jämfört med blodproverna, med ett undantag (Venlafaxin). Dessvärre är urin begränsande, de flesta uttrar som inkommer till museet har tom eller nästan tom urinblåsa. Att blodprov ändå fungerar bra är positivt. Det är oftast möjligt att ta blod från uttrarna som skickas in och därför föreslår vi att man i fortsättningen analyserar blod, och urin bara i de fall där det är möjligt.
The aim of this study is to elucidate if DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene) or PCB(polybrominated biphenyls), are responsible for the pathological alterations observed in Swedish otter bone tissues. Femurs from 86 male otters collected between 1832 and 2004 were measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography(pQCT). Some otters had very high and others fairly low concentrations of OCs (ranging between 1.4–970 mg sPCB/kg l.w. and 0.0–24 mg DDE/kg l.w.in muscle tissue). Positive relationships were found between three of the four cortical bone variables analysed (area, content and thickness) and sPCB concentration, while no significant relationships with DDE concentration were found. None of the trabecular variables were significantly related to PCB or DDE concentration. Three of the four trabecular bone variables showed decreasing values in the beginning and increasing values at the end of period 1974–2004. No temporal trends were found for cortical bone variables. OC concentrations decreased between 1974 and 2004.
The spermatic ducts (vasa deferentia) of 235 otters (Lutra lutra) found dead between 1999 and 2012 in Sweden were examined for presence of paraductular cysts. Single or multiple elongated uni- or bilateral cysts parallel to the spermatic duct were noted in 72% of the examined males. The cysts were adjacent to, but did not communicate with the lumen of the spermatic duct, and were usually located within a few centimeters of the testis and epididymis. The cysts are proposed to be congenital Müllerian duct remnants. Other morphologic abnormalities in the reproductive organs were not noted within this study. Possible causes of the incomplete regression of the embryonic female gonadal duct are exposure to environmental contaminants such as elevated concentrations of estrogen-like compounds (endocrine disrupting chemicals), inbreeding, or a naturally occurring anatomic defect. No obvious geographical pattern was observed for otters with or without cysts. This is the first study and description of cysts on the spermatic duct in otters.
It is generally accepted that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) occur primarily in protein-rich tissues such as blood and liver, but few studies have examined the occurrence of legacy and novel PFASs in lipid-rich tissues such as blubber. Here we report the distribution of 24 PFASs, total fluorine, and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in eight different tissues of a killer whale (Orcinus orca) from East Greenland. The sum of target PFAS concentrations was highest in liver (352 ng/g of wet weight) and decreased in the following order: blood > kidney ≈ lung ≈ ovary > skin ≈ muscle ≈ blubber. Most of the EOF consisted of known PFASs in all tissues except blubber, which displayed the highest concentration of EOF, almost none of which was attributed to targeted PFASs. Suspect screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed the presence of additional PFASs but is unlikely to explain the high concentrations of EOF in blubber. While the identity of this unknown organofluorine and its pervasiveness in marine mammals require further investigation, this work suggests that exposure of killer whales to organofluorine substances may be underestimated by determination of legacy PFASs exclusively in liver or blood.
We provide the first scientific report of influenza A virus involvement in a mass mortality event among harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) off the west coast of Sweden. Avian influenza A (H10N7) virus was detected in the lungs of two affected animals. This subtype has not been reported in seals to date, nor has influenza A-associated mortality been reported in seals in Europe. Circulation of avian influenza viruses in mammals may have implications for public health.