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Surface and Airborne Arsenic Concentrations in a Recreational Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

ABSTRACT: Elevated concentrations of arsenic, up to 7058 ?g g(-1) in topsoil and bedrock, and more than 0.03 ?g m(-3) in air on a 2-week basis, were measured in the Nellis Dunes Recreation Area (NDRA), a very popular off-road area near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The elevated arsenic concentrations in the topsoil and bedrock are correlated to outcrops of yellow sandstone belonging to the Muddy Creek Formation (? 10 to 4 Ma) and to faults crossing the area. Mineralized fluids moved to the surface through the faults and deposited the arsenic. A technique was developed to calculate airborne arsenic concentrations from the arsenic content in the topsoil. The technique was tested by comparing calculated with measured concentrations at 34 locations in the NDRA, for 3 periods of 2 weeks each. We then applied it to calculate airborne arsenic concentrations for more than 500 locations all over the NDRA. The highest airborne arsenic concentrations occur over sand dunes and other zones with a surficial layer of aeolian sand. Ironically these areas show the lowest levels of arsenic in the topsoil. However, they are highly susceptible to wind erosion and emit very large amounts of sand and dust during episodes of strong winds, thereby also emitting much arsenic. Elsewhere in the NDRA, in areas not or only very slightly affected by wind erosion, airborne arsenic levels equal the background level for airborne arsenic in the USA, approximately 0.0004 ?g m(-3). The results of this study are important because the NDRA is visited by more than 300,000 people annually.

SUBMITTER: Goossens D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4405587 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Surface and Airborne Arsenic Concentrations in a Recreational Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Goossens Dirk D Buck Brenda J BJ Teng Yuanxin Y McLaurin Brett T BT

PloS one 20150421 4

Elevated concentrations of arsenic, up to 7058 μg g(-1) in topsoil and bedrock, and more than 0.03 μg m(-3) in air on a 2-week basis, were measured in the Nellis Dunes Recreation Area (NDRA), a very popular off-road area near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The elevated arsenic concentrations in the topsoil and bedrock are correlated to outcrops of yellow sandstone belonging to the Muddy Creek Formation (≈ 10 to 4 Ma) and to faults crossing the area. Mineralized fluids moved to the surface through the f ...[more]

PMID: 25897667

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Project description:BackgroundCurrently used pre-operative prediction scores for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) use patient data and expected surgery characteristics exclusively. However, intra-operative events are also associated with the development of PPCs.ObjectiveWe aimed to develop a new prediction score for PPCs that uses both pre-operative and intra-operative data.DesignThis is a secondary analysis of the LAS VEGAS study, a large international, multicentre, prospective study.SettingsA total of 146 hospitals across 29 countries.PatientsAdult patients requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery.InterventionsThe cohort was randomly divided into a development subsample to construct a predictive model, and a subsample for validation.Main outcome measuresPrediction performance of developed models for PPCs.ResultsOf the 6063 patients analysed, 10.9% developed at least one PPC. Regression modelling identified 13 independent risk factors for PPCs: six patient characteristics [higher age, higher American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical score, pre-operative anaemia, pre-operative lower SpO2 and a history of active cancer or obstructive sleep apnoea], two procedure-related features (urgent or emergency surgery and surgery lasting ≥ 1 h), and five intra-operative events [use of an airway other than a supraglottic device, the use of intravenous anaesthetic agents along with volatile agents (balanced anaesthesia), intra-operative desaturation, higher levels of positive end-expiratory pressures > 3 cmH2O and use of vasopressors]. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the LAS VEGAS risk score for prediction of PPCs was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.76 to 0.80] for the development subsample and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.69 to 0.76) for the validation subsample.ConclusionThe LAS VEGAS risk score including 13 peri-operative characteristics has a moderate discriminative ability for prediction of PPCs. External validation is needed before use in clinical practice.Trial registrationThe study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, number NCT01601223.

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Surface and Airborne Arsenic Concentrations in a Recreational Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Publications

Surface and Airborne Arsenic Concentrations in a Recreational Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

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