The effects of Pb pollution on cattle and sheep raised in an ancient mining area were studied through the use of blood Pb (PbB) levels and δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD) activity. Lead levels in livestock blood from the mining area (n=110) were significantly elevated when compared to the controls (n=79). In 91.4% of cattle (n=58) and 13.5% of sheep (n=52) sampled in the mining area, PbB levels corresponded to subclinical exposure (6–35μg/dl). Two young cattle (<2 years) from the mining area (n=5) had PbB levels indicative of clinical poisoning (>35μg/dl). Elevated PbB was also accompanied by δ-ALAD activity inhibition in blood, which confirms that measurable effects of Pb poisoning were taking place. Observed PbB levels suggest that a potential risk to human consumers of beef from the Pb polluted areas may also exist, as has been shown previously for game meat from the same mining area.

Available data were reviewed to assess the status of contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), in drinking water sources and coastal waters of China. The levels of POPs in China's waters were generally at the high end of the global range. A comparison of China's regulatory limits indicated that PCBs in rivers and coastal water may pose potential human health risk. Occurrence of DDTs in some rivers of China may also pose health risk to humans using the regulatory limits of DDTs recommended by the European Union. Future monitoring of POPs in China's waters should be directed towards analytes of concern (e.g. PCBs and PCDD/Fs) and to fill data gaps for analytes (e.g. PBDEs, PCDD/Fs, and chlordane) and in watersheds/regions (e.g. West China) where data are scarce.

China's economy has grown significantly and concomitantly so has the demand for home and personal care (HPC) products. The detection of chemicals used in HPC products is increasing in profile as China strives to improve its environmental management. China is developing robust exposure models for use in regulatory risk-based assessments of chemicals, including those chemicals used in HPC products. Accurate estimates of chemical emissions play an important role within this. A methodology is presented to derive spatially refined emissions from demographic and economic indicators with large variations in emissions calculated, showing product usage being higher in East and South China. The less affordable a product, the greater the influence per capita Gross Domestic Product has on the product distribution. Lastly, more spatially resolved input data highlights greater variation of product use. Linking product sales data with population density increased the observed variability in absolute usage distribution of HPC products at the county > province > regional > country scale.

Mercury loads in tropical estuaries are largely controlled by the rainfall regime that may cause biodilution due to increased amounts of organic matter (both live and non-living) in the system. Top predators, as Trichiurus lepturus, reflect the changing mercury bioavailability situations in their muscle tissues. In this work two variables [fish weight (g) and monthly total rainfall (mm)] are presented as being important predictors of total mercury concentration (T-Hg) in fish muscle. These important explanatory variables were identified by a Weibull Regression model, which best fit the dataset. A predictive model using readily available variables as rainfall is important, and can be applied for human and ecological health assessments and decisions. The main contribution will be to further protect vulnerable groups as pregnant women and children. Nature conservation directives could also improve by considering monitoring sample designs that include this hypothesis, helping to establish complete and detailed mercury contamination scenarios.

Environmental contamination by arsenic constitutes a problem in many countries, and its accumulation in food crops may pose health complications for humans. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are involved at various levels in the mechanism of responding to environmental stress in higher plants. Using Arabidopsis seedlings exposed to different arsenate concentrations, physiological and biochemical parameters were analyzed to determine the status of ROS and RNS metabolisms. Arsenate provoked a significant reduction in growth parameters and an increase in lipid oxidation. These changes were accompanied by an alteration in antioxidative enzymes and the nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, with a significant increase in NO content, S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity and protein tyrosine nitration as well as a concomitant reduction in glutathione and S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) content. Our results indicate that 500 μM arsenate (AsV) causes nitro-oxidative stress in Arabidopsis, being the glutathione reductase and the GSNOR activities clearly affected.

We studied the effect of estimated PM₁₀ on respiratory infections in children from Cordoba, Argentine as well as the influence of weather factors, socio-economic conditions and education. We analyzed upper and lower respiratory infections and applied a time-series analysis with a quasi-Poisson distribution link function. To control for seasonally varying factors we fitted cubic smoothing splines of date. We also examined community-specific parameters and differences in susceptibility by sex. We found a significant association between particles and respiratory infections. This relationship was affected by mean temperature, atmospheric pressure and wind speed. These effects were stronger in fall, winter and spring for upper respiratory infections while for lower respiratory infections the association was significant only during spring. Low socio-economic conditions and low education levels increased the risk of respiratory infections. These findings add useful information to understand the influence of airborne particles on children health in developing countries.

In 2009 and 2010, 720 serum samples were collected from non-occupationally exposed study participants at four Korean locations and monitored for the presence of 27 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners. The median concentrations of Σ₂₇PBDEs (the sum of 27 congeners) and Σ₃–₇PBDEs (the sum of tri- to hepta-BDE congeners) were 6.04 and 4.97 ng/g lipid, respectively. The most abundant congener detected in serum samples was BDE-153, followed by BDE-47 and BDE-99. The median value of Σ₃–₇PBDEs was similar to the median values observed in Asia and Europe, but much lower than that observed in North America. Some significant differences, based on geographic region and sex, were observed. We also observed a positive increase of BDE-153 with regard to age. In addition, we estimated the daily exposure to PBDEs from previously published reports of PBDE concentrations in food and dust, and determined the individual contributions of a variety of sources.

Fifteen polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and eighteen non-PBDEs were measured in 116 dust samples collected from homes in Vancouver, Canada during 2007–2008 as part of the Chemicals Health and Pregnancy (CHirP) study. The highest concentrations of PBDEs in house dust were observed for BDE 209, with a median concentration of 1350 ng/g. This is about two times greater than the median concentration of the PentaBDE (represented by the most abundant compounds in this formulation, ΣBDE 47, 99 and 100). In the case of non-PBDE FRs, a detection frequency between 81% and 100% was observed for nine analytes including: HBCD, BTBPE, BEHTBP, EHTBB, HBB, PBTO, PBBe, ATE and DP. The high detection of new FRs in indoor environments reflects their ubiquitous presence in indoor environment due to regulation of the PBDEs. Exposure to FRs are estimated based on these data for adults and toddlers.

We assessed the risks of mercury in yellow perch, a species important in the trophic transfer of methylmercury, in the Great Lakes region. Mean concentrations in whole perch from 45 (6.5%) of 691 waters equaled or exceeded 0.20 μg/g w.w., a threshold for adverse effects in fish. In whole perch within the size range eaten by common loons (<100 g), mean concentrations exceeded a dietary threshold (0.16 μg/g w.w.) for significant reproductive effects on loons in 19 (7.3%) of 260 waters. Mean concentrations in fillets of perch with length ≥ 15.0 cm, the minimum size retained by anglers, exceeded the USEPA criterion (0.3 μg/g w.w.) in 26 (6.4%) of 404 U.S. waters and exceeded the Ontario guideline (0.26 μg/g w.w.) in 35 (20%) of 179 Ontario waters. Mercury levels in yellow perch in some waters within this region pose risks to perch, to common loons, and to mercury-sensitive human populations.

Asthma is currently defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway. Several evidence indicate that vehicle emissions in cities is correlated with the allergic respiratory diseases. In the present study, we evaluated in the A549 cells the production and release of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 after treatment with sub-micron PM₁.₀ particles (PM₁.₀), Parietaria officinalis (ALL), and PM₁.₀ + ALL together. Our data demonstrated that PM₁.₀ + ALL together exhibited the greatest capacity to induce A549 cells to enhance the expression of IL-4 and IL-5 compared with the only PM₁.₀ or ALL treatment. Interestingly, IL-13 that is necessary for allergen-induced airway hyper responsiveness, is increased in cells treated with PM₁.₀ + ALL together, but is higher expressed when the cells are treated only with the allergen. Our data support the hypothesis that the urban environment damage the acinar lung units and activates cells of the immune system.