Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed upon drinkingwater treatment are often cytotoxic and genotoxic, and have beenrelated to health risks, such as bladder cancer. Large DBPs, with morethan two carbon atoms, are produced in large quantities and greatdiversity, and contribute substantially to observed toxicity, but theircomposition and structure remain largely unknown. While a few studieshave explored high-resolution detection methods, we here focus on theextraction and elution procedures of these >2 carbon DBPs, beforeusing negative electrospray ionization (ESI[−]) and detection byFourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICRMS). Samples were collected from three drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Sweden, of which two use hypochlorite and one usesmonochloramine for disinfection. A reversed-phase SPE sorbent (Hyper Sep) showed high complementarity with a hybrid carbonsorbent (Carbon S), which captured a subset of polar saturated DBPs not retained by the commonly used reversed-phase materials.Stepwise elution using solvents of varying polarity reduced sample complexity and ionization suppression and further extended theDBP diversity detected. Extraction at pH 8, investigated for one DWTP, also extended DBP diversity but that impact was smaller.The classic methanol elution on reversed phase may miss proportionally more DBPs in chloraminated drinking water.

Vårt sommarhus var det sista som fick bygglov på strandtomt i dåvarande Näsums kommun innan strandskyddet infördes. Således är huset det enda vid ”vår egen” lilla sjö, Havagyl, en lite näringsfattig skogssjö i västra änden av Blistorpsdalen med lite åker och betesmark men mest skog vid stränderna.

Där satt jag på allhelgonadagen 2025 och skrev. I gylet låg 36 storskrakar, mest ungfåglar, fiskande på linje, medan två ägretthägrar stod på stranden. När det fladdrade till i ögonvrån tittade jag upp och såg en vacker gammal havsörn skapa oro bland skrakar och ägretter. Örnarna brukar från hög höjd spana in vad som finns i sjön för att sedan attackera över åkern på stranden mitt emot vårt hus bakom en ridå av sälg och björk. Efter en snabb stigning över buskarna slår den sedan ned och försöker ta en gås eller and i vattnet. Trots flera observerade jaktförsök har jag hittills inte sett den lyckas.

Den här gången skapade örnen visserligen oreda. En del av de unga skrakarna dök, men till min förvåning brydde sig inte de adulta fåglarna speciellt mer än att de gjorde utfall mot örnen när den kom för nära. Örnen gjorde flera nedslag i vattnet. Jag trodde att den försökte fånga en ungfågel under ytan, men det visade sig att den försökte fånga någon av de fiskar som skrakarna föst ihop. När örnen efter ett tiotal försök äntligen fick tag på en fisk flög den iväg till ett näraliggande tall.

Dagen efter, när jag åter satt och skrev, såg jag något som förvånade mig mycket mer än örnen. Det blev rejäl oro bland både skrakar och ägretthägrar när en stor duvhökshona svepte in. Alla de unga skrakarna dök medan de adulta gemensamt gick till attack mot angriparen. Men höken var inte ute efter skrakarna utan slog till mot den ägrett som tagit till vingarna. Med duvhöken på ryggen damp ägretthägern med ett stort plask ned vattnet mitt bland skrakarna som omedelbart gick till angrepp mot rovfågeln. Höken tvingades släppa taget och försvann bakom en björkridå.

Skrakarna fortsatte lugnt sitt fiskafänge medan ägretthägrarna stod med sträckta halsar och stirrade stint mot den plats bland björkarna där duvhöken försvunnit. Den ena hade röda fläckar i den vita fjäderskruden.

Jag blev förvånad att en duvhök kunde se en så pass stor fågel som en ägretthäger som möjligt byte. Visserligen är duvhöken en mycket kraftfull rovfågel, men ändå. Men efter lite sökande i litteraturen visar det sig att en duvhök faktiskt kan väga mer än en ägretthäger. På ”nätet” finns det flera exempel på duvhökar som slår ägretthägrar. Det som särskilt slog mig var en duvhök som dränkte en ägretthäger och sedan simmande drog bytet till ett fast underlag där det kunde förtäras (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N68AgaOpEMc). Kanske var det något sådant som vår duvhök tänkt sig.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are omnipresent in the environment. Due to their physical and chemical properties, POPs bioaccumulate in higher trophic-level species. Birds inhabit many niches and trophic levels and share physiological characteristics with humans. Wild bird eggs reflect the pollution of the environment and exposure experienced by the female prior to egg formation. Bird eggs are relatively easy to collect, easy to handle and store, and decompose slowly. In addition, bird eggs can also be used as biomarkers by examining the eggshell pigmentation and thickness. Aquatic bird eggs have been used most often with less published on terrestrial birds that also suffer consequences of pollution. Here, we review candidate species whose eggs can be used as nearglobal indicators. We found the Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) as a suitable near-global indicator of terrestrial pollution. It is the most widespread Ardeid with extensive natural expansion, not threatened, occurs in high numbers, breeds in colonies with other Ardeids, has a high trophic status, and eggs are relatively large and easy to collect. Eggs of Cattle Egrets from eight countries and four continents have been analysed for pollutants such as PCBs, DDTs, HCH, HCB, dicofol, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, and endosulfan. Multi-country and trans-continental studies using Cattle Egret eggs would therefore be possible, tracking the effectiveness of interventions such as the Stockholm Convention.

Det sprids delvis felaktig information och emellanot rent stolliga påstpenden om slemsvampar, menar Henrik Kylin, som rest jorden rujnt för att studera dessa ... amöbor!

DDT: Avfärda eller avstå? Ett extremt svårt etiskt dilemma. 

Chlorine (Cl) in the terrestrial environment is of interest from multiple perspectives, including the use of chloride as a tracer forwater flow and contaminant transport, organochlorine pollutants, Cl cycling, radioactive waste (radioecology; 36Cl is of largeconcern) and plant science (Cl as essential element for living plants).During the past decades, there has been a rapid developmenttowards improved understanding of the terrestrial Cl cycle. There is a ubiquitous and extensive natural chlorination of organicmatter in terrestrial ecosystems where naturally formed chlorinated organic compounds (Clorg) in soil frequently exceed theabundance of chloride. Chloride dominates import and export from terrestrial ecosystems while soil Clorg and biomass Cl candominate the standing stock Cl. This has important implications for Cl transport, as chloride will enter the Cl pools resulting inprolonged residence times. Clearly, these pools must be considered separately in future monitoring programs addressing Clcycling. Moreover, there are indications that (1) large amounts of Cl can accumulate in biomass, in some cases representing themain Cl pool; (2) emissions of volatile organic chlorines could be a significant export pathway of Cl and (3) that there is aproduction of Clorg in tissues of, e.g. plants and animals and that Cl can accumulate as, e.g. chlorinated fatty acids in organisms.Yet, data focusing on ecosystem perspectives and combined spatiotemporal variability regarding various Cl pools are still scarce,and the processes and ecological roles of the extensive biological Cl cycling are still poorly understood.

Batch adsorption-desorption equilibrium techniques were used to investigate the adsorption capacity and influenceof salinity on partitioning of the insecticide chlorpyrifos between water and soil or water and sediments from theRufiji Delta. The data were fitted to different adsorption-desorption models and the hysteresis index was calculatedusing the ratio between the Freundlich exponents for desorption and adsorption, and secondly, the differencein area under the normalized adsorption and desorption isotherms using the maximum adsorbed and solutionconcentrations. The data showed non-linear adsorption and that chlorpyrifos was strongly adsorbed to soil andsediments from the Rufiji Delta. The linearized adsorption coefficient (K_D) and Freundlich adsorption coefficient(K_f) correlated significantly with organic carbon content. Chlorpyrifos adsorption as well as hysteresis calculated byboth methods decreased with salinity (i.e. the sediment adsorbs increasing amounts of chlorpyrifos with decreasingsalinity). This indicates that settling of freshwater sediments is among the major removal pathways of the chemicalfrom the water column, but increased turbulence during high tides may resuspend settled sediment simultaneouslyincreasing salinity and re-dissolve chlorpyrifos. However, discharge of fresh water, particularly during heavy rains,increases the trapping efficiency of the sediments. The theoretical approach developed showed that the Langmuirmodel describes the desorption data better than the Freundlich model, and that a better index of hysteresis is onethat considers areas under the adsorption and desorption isotherms, provided the desorption isotherm is describedby the normalized Langmuir isotherm and the adsorption isotherm by the normalized Freundlich isotherm.