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This commentary discusses the decline in sexual abuse, citing research that indicates differences in self-reported sexual abuse across age-cohorts in a population-based sample of Australian adults. Similar declines in Ireland and the United States are also noted. The usefulness of self-report surveys for examining trends in child victimization is explored. (Contains 5 references.) (CR)

Passive sampling (PS) is a very useful approach for the monitoring of emerging contaminants in environmental matrices, showing greater sensitivity than can be achieved by current best practice -- grab sampling -- and is applicable to a wide variety of compounds. An EU Directive (2013/39/EC) has added substances to the existing Water Framework Directive (WFD) Priority Substance list. Investigation into PS in the monitoring of these compounds is necessary to show the potential of this technique in supporting monitoring requirements under the WFD. A catchment-based approach evaluated the occurrence of these compounds in Irish surface waters. This work deals with the challenges associated with the use of PS in a legislative context, and for routine monitoring of emerging contaminants. Looking at a number of sites across Ireland, upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants, the focus was on polar analytes and polar PS (POCIS). With method limits of detection (LODs) of 0.001 mg L-1 pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were found in water and passive samples alike, whereas the polar pesticides were not often detected or were below the annual average environmental quality standard levels. The results of this study show the potential for PS as a monitoring technique for emerging and watch-list chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals occur naturally in the environment and as constituents of the Earth’s crust. They have many uses, and metals such as iron, copper, and zinc are widely used in industries. Elevated levels of metals in the environment also occur as a result of human activities (municipal, residential, and traffic–related activities). A list of 15 metals chosen for this study included priority substances and those listed in the European Union Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC. The concentrations of heavy metals in the environment are affected by several factors that must be taken into account when monitoring heavy metals released into the environment through wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs). This work examines the concentrations of metals found in WWPTs and the effects of treatment type on dissolved metal concentrations. Effluent samples were collected from the outflow of nine WWPTs in Dublin and Cork, Ireland from July 2009 to June 2011. All samples were found to contain priority metals that exceeded environmental quality standards in several cases. We present the frequency of occurrence and concentrations of metals in effluents of studied WWPTs and discuss relationships between the occurrence of heavy metals, the influence of factors such as industrial inputs, levels of treatment at WWPTs, and percentage urban area in an agglomeration. The results of this study are an indication that WWPTs may be contributing to the high levels of heavy metals found at discharge points back into river systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]