Africa's economy is growing faster than any other continent and it has been estimated that the middle class in Africa now exceeds 350 million people. This has meant a parallel increase in the importation of consumer goods and in the implementation of communication and information technologies (ICT), but also in the generation of large quantities of e-waste. However, inadequate infrastructure development remains a major constraint to the continent's economic growth and these highly toxic residues are not always adequately managed. Few studies have been conducted to date assessing the possible association between socioeconomic development factors, including e-waste generation, and blood levels of inorganic elements in African population. To disclose the role of geographical, anthropogenic, and socioeconomic development determinants on the blood levels of Ag, Al, As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and V —all of them frequently found in e-waste—, an immigrant population-based study was made including a total of 245 subjects from 16 countries recently arrived to the Canary Islands (Spain). Women presented higher levels of blood elements than men, and Northern Africans (Moroccans) were the most contaminated. People from low-income countries exhibited significantly lower blood levels of inorganic elements than those from middle-income countries. We found a significant association between the use of motor vehicles and the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the level of contamination. Immigrants from the countries with a high volume of imports of second-hand electronic equipment, telephone and internet use had higher levels of inorganic elements. In general terms, the higher level of economic development the higher the blood levels of inorganic pollutants, suggesting that the economic development of Africa, in parallel to e-waste generation and the existence of informal recycling sites, have directly affected the level of contamination of the population of the continent.

Both occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos-mineral fibres can be associated with lung diseases. The pathogenic effects are related to the dimension, biopersistence and chemical composition of the fibres. In addition to the major mineral elements, mineral fibres contain trace elements and their content may play a role in fibre toxicity. To shed light on the role of trace elements in asbestos carcinogenesis, knowledge on their concentration in asbestos-mineral fibres is mandatory. It is possible that trace elements play a synergetic factor in the pathogenesis of diseases caused by the inhalation of mineral fibres. In this paper, the concentration levels of trace elements from three chrysotile samples, four amphibole asbestos samples (UICC amosite, UICC anthophyllite, UICC crocidolite and tremolite) and fibrous erionite from Jersey, Nevada (USA) were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). For all samples, the following trace elements were measured: Li, Be, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Pb, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, U. Their distribution in the various mineral species is thoroughly discussed.The obtained results indicate that the amount of trace metals such as Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn is higher in anthophyllite and chrysotile samples, whereas the amount of rare earth elements (REE) is higher in erionite and tremolite samples. The results of this work can be useful to the pathologists and biochemists who use asbestos minerals and fibrous erionite in-vitro studies as positive cyto- and geno-toxic standard references.

Most studies of metals exposure focus on the heavy metals. There are many other metals (the transition, alkali and alkaline earth metals in particular) in common use in electronics, defense industries, emitted via combustion and which are naturally present in the environment, that have received limited attention in terms of human exposure. We analysed samples of whole blood (172), urine (173) and drinking water (172) for antimony, beryllium, bismuth, cesium, gallium, rubidium, silver, strontium, thallium, thorium and vanadium using ICPMS. In general most metals concentrations were low and below the analytical limit of detection with some high concentrations observed. Few factors examined in regression models were shown to influence biological metals concentrations and explained little of the variation. Further study is required to establish the source of metals exposures at the high end of the ranges of concentrations measured and the potential for any adverse health impacts in children.

This study examines size-resolved heavy metal data for particles sampled near an urban site affected by non-ferrous metal smelting in China with a focus on how particle sizes impact regional respiratory deposition behavior. Particles with aerodynamic diameters between 0.43 and 9 μm were collected during winter haze episodes from December 2011 to January 2012. The results showed that concentrations of individual trace elements ranged from ∼10⁻²–∼10⁴ ng/m³. Mass size distributions exhibit that Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd, TI, and Pb have unimodal peak in fine particles range (<2.1 μm); Al, Ti, Fe, Sr, Cr, Co, Ni, Mo, and U have unimodal peak in coarse range (>2.1 μm), and Be, Na, Mg, Ca, Ba, Th, V, Mn, Sn, Sb, and K have bimodal profiles with a dominant peak in the fine range and a smaller peak in the coarse range. The total deposition fluxes of trace elements were estimated at 2.1 × 10⁻² – 4.1 × 10³ ng/h by the MPPD model, and the region with the highest contribution was the head region (42% ± 13%), followed by the tracheobronchial region (11% ± 3%) and pulmonary region (6% ± 1%). The daily intake of individual element for humans occurs via three main exposure pathways: ingestion (2.3 × 10⁻⁴ mg/kg/day), dermal contact (2.3 × 10⁻⁵ mg/kg/day), and inhalation (9.0 × 10⁻⁶ mg/kg/day). A further health risk assessment revealed that the risk values for humans were all above the guidelines of the hazard quotient (1) and cancer risk (10⁻⁶), indicating that there are potential non-cancer effects and cancer risks in this area.

Northwest Atlantic leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are endangered and low hatch success limits potential for population recovery. We examined essential and nonessential metal concentrations in 43 eggs from nests on St. Kitts to determine if there was a relationship with hatch success. Whole homogenized embryos and undeveloped eggs contained detectable concentrations of arsenic, barium, copper, iron, selenium, vanadium, and zinc, but not beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, molybdenum, and thallium. Of detected metals, only vanadium concentrations negatively correlated with hatch success (P = 0.01). Manganese and vanadium were associated with pneumonia occurring in the nest, and arsenic with renal mineralization. This study adds to the knowledge regarding baseline values for environmental contaminants in sea turtles, supporting the trend that leatherback eggs have relatively low concentrations of toxic metals, lacking a strong relationship with hatch success, and normally contain the essential elements copper, iron, selenium, and zinc.

Concentrations of 22 essential and non-essential trace elements (Be, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Ba, Tl, Pb, Th, U, and Hg) were measured in the organs of a mother–fetus pair (at the last trimester of pregnancy) of spotted seals from the Sea of ​Japan. The concentrations of eleven elements are reported for the first time. Eight organs of the pair were examined: lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, spleen, muscles, and bones. All trace elements detected in the organs of the mother were found also in the organs of the fetus at various concentrations. Placenta is not an effective barrier to prevent non-essential elements from getting into the fetus, but can control entry of some of them, e.g., aluminum, cadmium, and mercury. In most organs of the fetus, the concentrations of toxic trace elements (beryllium, antimony, thorium, and uranium) were noticeably higher than in the same organs of the mother, which indicates that during pregnancy female removes excess of non-essential trace elements by transferring them to the fetal body through the placental barrier.

The present paper focuses on the determination of radiological characteristics of cultivated chernozem soil and crops from long-term field experiments, taking into account the importance of distribution and transfer of radionuclides in the soil-plant system, especially in agricultural cropland. The investigation was performed on the experimental fields where maize, winter wheat, and rapeseed were cultivated. Analysis of radioactivity included determination of the gross alpha and beta activity as a screening method, as well as the activities of the following radionuclides: natural (²¹⁰Pb, ²³⁵U, ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, ⁷Be) and artificial (⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs). The activities of natural and artificial (¹³⁷Cs) radionuclides were determined by gamma spectrometry, while the artificial radionuclide ⁹⁰Sr was determined by a radiochemical analytical method. Based on the obtained results for the specific activity of ⁴⁰K, ¹³⁷Cs, and ⁹⁰Sr, accumulation factors for these radionuclides were calculated in order to estimate transfer of radionuclides from soil to crops. The results of performed analyses showed that there is no increase of radioactivity that could endanger the food production through the grown crops.

Microplastics are contaminants of great concern all over the world. Microplastics constitute pollutants themselves; moreover, other contaminants such as metals are easily absorbed on their plastic surface, becoming bioavailable to marine biota such as zooplankton.We collected marine zooplankton from Mediterranean Sea to investigate trace elements associated with microplastics. Samples were subjected to visual sorting by a stereomicroscope, collected with sterile tweezers, pooled and subjected to sonication, filtration, and drying before being subjected to acid extraction. An ICP-MS was utilized for multi-elemental determination.Aluminum, iron, chromium, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, manganese, lead cobalt, and copper were found at concentrations of mg/kg while arsenic, vanadium, rubidium, and cadmium at level of μg kg⁻¹. Other elements such as silver, beryllium, bismuth, selenium, tin, and thallium were under the limit of quantitation. Lower levels of iron and manganese in samples from Italy were found in comparison to England and Brazil, while aluminum, copper, and zinc registered comparable values. The presence of metals in marine waters is strictly related to sediment lithology and anthropogenic inputs, but plastic plays a key role as vectors for metal ions in the marine system, being able to concentrate metals several order of magnitude higher than in surrounding waters and exerting potential toxicity for living beings after chronic exposure.

We utilized a multi-biomarker approach (Integrated Biomarker Response version 2, IBRv2) to investigate the scope and dispersion of groundwater contamination surrounding a rare earth mine tailings impoundment. Parameters of SD rat included in our IBRv2 analyses were glutathione levels, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, total anti-oxidative capacity, chromosome aberration, and micronucleus formation. The concentration of 20 pollutants including Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, TH, CODMₙ, As, Se, TDS, Be, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Cd, and Pb in the groundwater were also analyzed. The results of this study indicated that groundwater polluted by tailings impoundment leakage exhibited significant ecotoxicological effects. The selected biomarkers responded sensitively to groundwater pollution. Analyses showed a significant relationship between IBRv2 values and the Nemerow composite index. IBRv2 could serve as a sensitive ecotoxicological diagnosis method for assessing groundwater contamination in the vicinity of rare earth mine tailings. According to the trend of IBRv2 value and Nemerow composite index, the maximum diffusion distance of groundwater pollutants from rare earth mine tailings was approximately 5.7 km.

A hazard assessment was conducted of contaminants found at inflow and outflow monitoring stations of the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) in South Florida. WCAs (1, 2A, 2B 3A, 3B) lie north of Everglades National Park (ENP) and southeast of Lake Okeechobee, span almost 1400 mi², and serve a number of water resource functions which include food control for three major counties, delivering water to ENP, and water storage during dry downs and for recharging groundwater. Measured concentrations of contaminants in sediment and water were evaluated at 13 monitoring stations in the WCAs using a screening benchmark approach. Chemicals of potential ecological concern (COPECs) included herbicides, organochlorine pesticides, organochlorine industrial chemicals, and heavy metals. Of the stations, total cadmium was a COPEC at nine of them. Most sites had maximum detected concentrations of cadmium that exceeded state of Florida (USA) water quality criteria standards. Beryllium, copper, mercury, methylmercury, and zinc (measured as total metal concentration) also exceeded surface water criteria at several sites. Several organochlorine chemicals in sediment were COPECs; chlordane, polychlorinated biphenyls, and p,p′-DDT with its metabolites (p,p′-DDD and p,p′-DDE) had more than 200 sediment benchmark exceedences. Mercury in fish tissue was a COPEC at S5A when compared to a no-effect residue value for survival. Greater potential hazards were observed at northern monitoring sites than southern sites around the WCAs. The hazard assessment approach for screening water quality data described in this article can help focus higher tier risk assessment work, including laboratory, field, and data analysis studies, on contaminants with greater potential for adverse biological effects.