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October 9-22, 2000 |
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If you choose to follow any links to the abstracts and/or complete text of articles, books, and documents listed below, you will be leaving the Strategian Web site. If you wish to return to this page from the Web page you are sent to, please use the Back option of your browser. Feature Items: Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara J. Mahler, and Edward T. Furlong Urban Sprawl Leaves Its PAH Signature. (... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs] represent the largest class of suspected carcinogens and can present a threat to aquatic life. The presence and distribution of PAHs in the environment are largely a product of the incomplete combustion of petroleum, oil, coal, and wood. Anthropogenic [human-produced] sources such as vehicles, heating and power plants, industrial processes, and refuse and open burning are considered to be the principal sources to the environment. Studies done in the 1970's and 1980's, in both the United States and Europe, concluded that levels of PAHs in the environment on a regional scale were decreasing due to a variety of factors such as government-imposed controls on emissions by industrial plants and the increased efficiency of power plants. While loads of PAHs from some sources may have decreased, the changing face of the urban landscape has resulted in an increase in another source of PAHs: vehicle use. Growth in the use of land for residential and commercial purposes in the United States now far outstrips growth in population, a phenomenon termed urban sprawl. Increasing sprawl has resulted in decentralized employment and workplace facilities and greater dependence on vehicles, as reflected in number of miles traveled per capita and per vehicle. Analyzing sediment [sediment cores] taken from the bottoms of ten lakes and reservoirs in six metropolitan areas geographically dispersed throughout the United States over a period of time ranging from the 1800's in one case until 1996/1998, the researchers found that the load of PAHs in the environment increased rapidly at all locations from the 1970's through the 1990's. And, that similar increases were found, during that time period, for the amount of vehicle miles traveled [VMTs] in those metropolitan areas and the amounts of PAHs in the sediments of bodies of water in those same areas. The authors write that one intriguing possibility suggested by the results of this study is that urban growth or sprawl outside the watershed may adversely affect water quality within the watershed, and that urban sprawl in outlying areas may affect traffic patterns and water quality in the inner city. The authors conclude that PAHs in the environment, as shown here, are continuing to increase coincident with increasing VMT. This ... may result from the fact that there are several sources of vehicle-related PAHs in addition to exhaust, including asphalt wear, tire wear, and leaks and spills of engine oil all of which contribute to the contamination of urban waterways by PAHs via precipitation, sewage, and/or surface runoff -- from the text of the article) Environmental Science & Technology Volume 34, Number 19 (October 1, 2000): 4064-4070. Celia Henry Special Delivery: Alternative Methods for Delivering Drugs Improve Performance, Convenience, and Patient Compliance. (... a series of 4 articles that provide a review and overview of current and coming work by drug delivery companies to develop new dosage forms for medications. Devising improved ways [for instance, alternatives to the traditional injection/needle method for delivering drugs based on macromolecules] for people to take medications can result in improved safety, efficacy, convenience, and patient compliance. Other keywords and phrases -- blood-brain barrier, generic, helium, inhalant, inhalation, inhaler, lung, molecule, noninvasive, oral, parenteral, patent life, peptide, plasmid, polymer, poorly soluble, protein, pulmonary, transdermal, vaccine -- from the text of the article) Chemical & Engineering News Volume 78, Number 38 (September 18, 2000): 49-65. **The complete text of the articles is currently available through the Web site of Chemical & Engineering News** How to find the above journals, magazines, and other publications? See Step 3: Locate of the Information Strategy for details. Questions about any or all of the above? Please let me know. |
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