Heavy metals contamination of rainwater is a function of the adsorbed metals present in the particulates of the atmosphere in which the rain was formed from and rainwater chemistry is an alternative way of monitoring urban air pollution for predominant metal species. Three distinct sampling sites (residential, industrial and commercial) were investigated in the south western part of Nigeria for one year. After acid digestion, quantification was done using a double-beam Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The obtained results showed that heavy metals were predominantly present as free metal ion in the commercial and industrial areas but Mn and As mainly occurred in the suspended fraction. Residential area presented major fractions as bound to organic complexes except Cu and Cd which were principally available as suspended fraction. The health risks associated with the intake of the studied rainwaters indicated susceptibility to possible carcinogens upon consumption due to total RI > 10-4. Ecological risk assessment equally shown a very high level of ecological risks related with the metals due to RI ˃ 600. Sequel upon this, there is need for better sensitization of the citizenry to the sources and control of these pollutants.

In order to assess the environmental impact of soil polluted with trace metals, representative soils were collected surrounding the abandoned Pb–Zn mine mill (SM soils), and the new temporary ore storage site (SS soils), which are located in the vicinity of Medina (Aures), North-east of Algeria. Total digestion has been used to determine the total content of Zinc, Copper, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic, then it was analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The sequential extraction Tessier scheme was also used to extract the chemical forms of Zn, Cu, and Pb, and their concentrations in each fraction were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Lead was the most abundant trace metals, its concentration in mg.kg-1 ranged between (67.20 – 46000), followed by Zinc (26 - 1853), Copper (32 – 495), Arsenic (8 – 116), and Cadmium (0.3 - 7.30). Sequential extraction shows that Zinc was mainly associated with reducible and residual fractions. Copper was bound predominantly with the minerals in the residual fraction, followed by the organic matter. Lead was bound mainly with carbonate fraction in SM soils, while Pb in the SM soils was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. The Pb, Zn, Cu mobility factor was significantly higher in SM soils than in SS soils. These results indicate that anthropic activities related to ore concentration and mining process lead to increased concentration of trace metals in surrounding soils, hence their mobility and bioavailability, this consists a potential risk to the environment and biota.

Sampling was conducted on Agra-Delhi national highway NH-2. Samples were collected with the help of Sioutas cascade impactor. During the sampling, PM1.0-0.5 (255.85µg/m3) was higher than PM2.5-1.0 (218.96µg/m3). The AQI value for the average PM2.5 concentration also exceeded the severe AQ limit (401-500). These results showed that PM2.5 pollution has a significant influence on the site as a result of a variety of anthropogenic activities. During the summer season, for PM1.0-0.5 and PM2.5-1.0 highest values (µg/m3) of metals followed the same trend and it was observed as Mg(6.52)> Ca(5.89)> Al(3.64)> while for PM2.5-1.0 it was as Mg(10.12)> Ca(9.5)> Al(5.95) respectively. At roadside, most of these metals are emitted from the resuspension of dust and vehicle activities which causes serious diseases to the human being. Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were highly enriched at national highway sampling sites, highlighting the crustal source, which has a major impact on metals concentration, followed by anthropogenic sources. The present research was conducted to find out the concentration level of metals in PM2.5-1.0 and PM1.0-0.5 particles in Agra, India to find out the health risk assessment at highway site.From the results, it was observed that all metals bound to larger size PM has high bioavailability. From the health risk assessment, it was found that all the metals bound smaller size particles showed higher HQ except in the case of Ni and Al. Cr, Pb showed carcinogenic risk to children and adults in both size fraction of PM except in the case of Ni.

Urban horticulture is of growing importance in developing and developed countries around the world; however, contamination of urban horticultural products can exceed the precautionary values, posing significant human health risks due to dietary exposure to high levels of the pollutants. In this study, samples of rhizosphere soil and corresponding vegetables have been collected from an urban garden in Ilorin, Nigeria, to assess the contamination level of trace metals as well as the health risk, associated with dietary intake of contaminated vegetables, in adult sub-population. The range of Cu, Pb, and Cd in garden topsoil was 14.0-52.50, 33.00-121.40, and 1.00-4.50 mg/kg, respectively. The metals sources were both anthropogenic and lithogenous, though the long-term accumulation of trace metals in the soil led to significant soil-plant transfer as evident in the levels of metals in some of the vegetables. The estimated daily intakes (EDI) of Cu and Pb through vegetable consumption were far below the recommended tolerable daily intakes (TDI) and the hazard quotient (HQ) values were within the safe zone for the adult population. In contrast, the EDI of Cd for the vegetables was several folds greater than the TDI, thus greatly contributing to a high hazard index (HI>1.0), observed in all vegetables. Therefore, risk assessment of trace metal ingestion through consumption of the vegetables in the adult sub-population depicts serious health hazards with Cd, mainly contributing to vegetable contamination in the studied area.

The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify 137Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured 137Cs levels were found to be very low (usually <1 Bq kg-1 wet wt) 137Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We tested a trait-based approach to link a soil disturbance to changes in invertebrate communities. Soils and macro-invertebrates were sampled in sandy soils contaminated by long-term wastewater irrigation, adding notably organic matter and trace metals (TM). We hypothesized that functional traits of invertebrates depict ways of exposure and that exposure routes relate to specific TM pools. Geophages and soft-body invertebrates were chosen to inform on exposure by ingestion or contact, respectively. Trait-based indices depicted more accurately effects of pollution than community density and diversity did. Exposure by ingestion had more deleterious effects than by contact. Both types of exposed invertebrates were influenced by TM, but geophages mainly responded to changes in soil organic matter contents. The trait-based approach requires to be applied in various conditions to uncorrelate specific TM impacts from those of other environmental factors.

International audience | The bioavailability of trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) in lowly to moderately contaminated coastal sediments from the Berre lagoon, France, was assessed by comparing their potentially bioavailable concentrations and bioaccumulated concentrations in the polychaete Alitta succinea. No linear correlations were observed contrarily to what is generally observed in similar works in areas with highly contaminated sediment. Correlations between trace and major elements (Fe, Ca, S, Mg, P, Al) in Alitta succinea tissues and their distribution in organism tissues show that, in such lowly to moderately contaminated sediments, biological variabilities should be considered. Normalization procedures allow to take into account these variabilities and to identify that sediment contamination is partly involved in the benthic ecosystem degradation of the Berre lagoon. Alitta succinea cannot be used as relevant bioindicator for Zn and Co bioavailability in sediment, since these elements are regulated by this organism.

International audience | The common mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected as unique biomonitor species to implement a regional monitoring programme, the CIESM Mediterranean Mussel Watch (MMW), in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As of today, and upon standardization of the methodological approach, the MMW Network has been able to quantify 137Cs levels in mussels from 60 coastal stations and to produce the first distribution map of this artificial radionuclide at the scale of the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas. While measured 137Cs levels were found to be very low (usually &lt;1 Bq kg-1 wet wt) 137Cs activity concentrations in the Black Sea and North Aegean Sea were up to two orders of magnitude higher than those in the western Mediterranean Basin. Such effects, far from representing a threat to human populations or the environment, reflect a persistent signature of the Chernobyl fallout in this area. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International audience | Although high PAH content and detection of PAH-degraders, the PAH biodegradation is limited in aged-contaminated soils due to low PAR availability (i.e., 1%). Here, we tried to experimentally increase the soil PAH availability by keeping both soil properties and contamination composition. Organic extract was first removed and then re-incorporated in the raw soil as fresh contaminants. Though drastic, this procedure only allowed a 6-time increase in the PAH availability suggesting that the organic constituents more than ageing were responsible for low availability. In the re-contaminated soil, the mineralization rate was twice more important, the proportion of 5-6 cycles PAH was higher indicating a preferential degradation of lower molecular weight PAH. The extraction treatment induced bacterial and fungal community structures modifications, Pseudomonas and Fusarium solani species were favoured, and the relative quantity of fungi increased. In re-contaminated soil the percentage of PAH-dioxygenase gene increased, with 10 times more Gram negative representatives.

International audience | This study aimed at determining the fate of trace elements (TE) following soil organic waste (OW) application. We used a unique combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses, to determine TE speciation, with incubation experiments for in situ monitoring of TE availability patterns over a time course with the technique of the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). We showed that copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) availability were both increased in OW-amended soil, but their release was controlled by distinct mechanisms. Zn speciation in OW was found to be dominated by an inorganic species, i.e. Zn sorbed on Fe oxides. Zn desorption from Fe oxides could explain the increase in Zn availability in OW amended soil. Cu speciation in OW was dominated by organic species. Cu release through the mineralization of organic carbon from OW was responsible for the increase in Cu availability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.