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Lanthanide ecotoxicity: First attempt to measure environmental risk for aquatic organisms Full text
2015
González, Verónica | Vignati, Davide A.L. | Pons, Marie-Noëlle | Montarges-Pelletier, Emmanuelle | Bojic, Clément | Giamberini, Laure
The geochemical cycles of lanthanides are being disrupted by increasing global production and human use, but their ecotoxicity is not fully characterized. In this study, the sensitivity of Aliivibrio fischeri and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata to lanthanides increased with atomic number, while Daphnia magna, Heterocypris incongruens, Brachionus calyciflorus and Hydra attenuata were equally sensitive to the tested elements. In some cases, a marked decrease in exposure concentrations was observed over test duration and duly considered in calculating effect concentrations and predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC) for hazard and risk assessment. Comparison of PNEC with measured environmental concentrations indicate that, for the present, environmental risks deriving from lanthanides should be limited to some hotspots (e.g., downstream of wastewater treatment plants). However, considering the increasing environmental concentrations of lanthanides, the associated risks could become higher in the future. Ecotoxicological and risk assessment studies, along with monitoring, are required for properly managing these emerging contaminants.
Show more [+] Less [-]Effects of silver nanoparticles to soil invertebrates: Oxidative stress biomarkers in Eisenia fetida Full text
2015
Gomes, Susana I.L. | Hansen, Ditte | Scott-Fordsmand, Janeck J. | Amorim, Mónica J.B.
Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are among the most produced NPs worldwide having several applications in consumer products. Ag-NPs are known to cause oxidative stress in several organisms and cell lines, however comparatively less information is available regarding their effects on soil living invertebrates. The purpose of this study was to investigate if Ag-NPs cause oxidative stress on soil invertebrates. The model soil species Eisenia fetida was used. Our results showed that total glutathione (TG) is the first mechanism triggered by Ag-NPs, followed by glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR), however oxidative damage was observed for higher doses and exposure time (increased lipid peroxidation, LPO). AgNO3 exposure caused impairment in GPx and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), probably as result of the higher bioavailability of Ag in the salt-form. The current results indicate that effects are partly caused by Ag ions released from Ag-NPs, but specific particle effects cannot be excluded.
Show more [+] Less [-]Oil sands development and its impact on atmospheric wet deposition of air pollutants to the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada Full text
2015
Lynam, Mary M. | Dvonch, J Timothy | Barres, James A. | Morishita, Masako | Legge, Allan | Percy, Kevin
Characterization of air pollutant deposition resulting from Athabasca oil sands development is necessary to assess risk to humans and the environment. To investigate this we collected event-based wet deposition during a pilot study in 2010–2012 at the AMS 6 site 30 km from the nearest upgrading facility in Fort McMurray, AB, Canada. Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium deposition was (kg/ha) 1.96, 1.60 and 1.03, respectively. Trace element pollutant deposition ranged from 2 × 10−5 - 0.79 and exhibited the trend Hg < Se < As < Cd < Pb < Cu < Zn < S. Crustal element deposition ranged from 1.4 × 10−4 – 0.46 and had the trend: La < Ce < Sr < Mn < Al < Fe < Mg. S, Se and Hg demonstrated highest median enrichment factors (130–2020) suggesting emissions from oil sands development, urban activities and forest fires were deposited. High deposition of the elements Sr, Mn, Fe and Mg which are tracers for soil and crustal dust implies land-clearing, mining and hauling emissions greatly impacted surrounding human settlements and ecosystems.
Show more [+] Less [-]Source contributions and regional transport of primary particulate matter in China Full text
2015
Hu, Jianlin | Wu, Li | Zheng, Bo | Zhang, Qiang | He, Kebin | Chang, Qing | Li, Xinghua | Yang, Fumo | Ying, Qi | Zhang, Hongliang
A source-oriented CMAQ was applied to determine source sector/region contributions to primary particulate matter (PPM) in China. Four months were simulated with emissions grouped to eight regions and six sectors. Predicted elemental carbon (EC), primary organic carbon (POC), and PPM concentrations and source contributions agree with measurements and have significant spatiotemporal variations. Residential is a major contributor to spring/winter EC (50–80%), POC (60%–90%), and PPM (30–70%). For summer/fall, industrial contributes 30–50% for EC/POC and 40–60% for PPM. Transportation is more important for EC (20–30%) than POC/PPM (<5%). Open burning is important in summer/fall of Guangzhou and Chongqing. Dust contributes to 1/3–1/2 in spring/fall of Beijing, Xi'an and Chongqing. Based on sector–region combination, local residential/transportation and residential/industrial from Heibei are major contributors to spring PPM in Beijing. In summer/fall, local industrial is the largest. In winter, residential/industrial from local and Hebei account for >90% in Beijing.
Show more [+] Less [-]Exposure to household endotoxin and total and allergen-specific IgE in the US population Full text
2015
Min, Kyoung-Bok | Min, Chin-yŏng
Background: Although endotoxin has strong pro-inflammatory properties, endotoxin-allergy relationship in adults and children have been inconsistent. Objectives: We investigated the association between household endotoxin levels and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) or specific IgE in the US general population, classified into three age ranges: children/adolescent, adults, and older adults. Methods: We analyzed the 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. A total of 5220 participants for whom serum IgE and household endotoxin data were available was included in the analyses. Results: Exposure to endotoxin reduced the risk for allergic sensitization, especially in specific IgE to plants (OR in Quartile 3 = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.44–0.76) and pets (OR in Quartile 3 = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.41–0.92), for children/adolescents. In contrast, the risk among adults and older adults increased with increasing endotoxin levels. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the effect of endotoxin on allergic reaction is likely to depend on age.
Show more [+] Less [-]Retrospective study of methylmercury and other metal(loid)s in Madagascar unpolished rice (Oryza sativa L.) Full text
2015
Rothenberg, Sarah E. | Mgutshini, Nomathamsanqa L. | Bizimis, Michael | Johnson-Beebout, Sarah E. | Ramanantsoanirina, Alain
Retrospective study of methylmercury and other metal(loid)s in Madagascar unpolished rice (Oryza sativa L.) Full text
2015
Rothenberg, Sarah E. | Mgutshini, Nomathamsanqa L. | Bizimis, Michael | Johnson-Beebout, Sarah E. | Ramanantsoanirina, Alain
The rice ingestion rate in Madagascar is among the highest globally; however studies concerning metal(loid) concentrations in Madagascar rice are lacking. For Madagascar unpolished rice (n = 51 landraces), levels of toxic elements (e.g., total mercury, methylmercury, arsenic and cadmium) as well as essential micronutrients (e.g., zinc and selenium) were uniformly low, indicating potentially both positive and negative health effects. Aside from manganese (Wilcoxon rank sum, p < 0.01), no significant differences in concentrations for all trace elements were observed between rice with red bran (n = 20) and brown bran (n = 31) (Wilcoxon rank sum, p = 0.06–0.91). Compared to all elements in rice, rubidium (i.e., tracer for phloem transport) was most positively correlated with methylmercury (Pearson's r = 0.33, p < 0.05) and total mercury (r = 0.44, p < 0.05), while strontium (i.e., tracer for xylem transport) was least correlated with total mercury and methylmercury (r < 0.01 for both), suggesting inorganic mercury and methylmercury were possibly more mobile in phloem compared to xylem.
Show more [+] Less [-]Retrospective study of methylmercury and other metal(loid)s in Madagascar unpolished rice (Oryza sativa L.) Full text
2015
Rothenberg, Sarah E. | Mgutshini, Nomathamsanqa L. | Bizimis, Michael | Johnson-Beebout, Sarah E. | Ramanantsoanirina, Alain
Application of chemometric analysis and self Organizing Map-Artificial Neural Network as source receptor modeling for metal speciation in river sediment Full text
2015
Pandey, Mayank | Pandey, Ashutosh Kumar | Mishra, Ashutosh | Tripathi, B.D.
Present study deals with the river Ganga water quality and its impact on metal speciation in its sediments. Concentration of physico-chemical parameters was highest in summer season followed by winter and lowest in rainy season. Metal speciation study in river sediments revealed that exchangeable, reducible and oxidizable fractions were dominant in all the studied metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) except Mn and Fe. High pollution load index (1.64–3.89) recommends urgent need of mitigation measures. Self-organizing Map-Artificial Neural Network (SOM-ANN) was applied to the data set for the prediction of major point sources of pollution in the river Ganga.
Show more [+] Less [-]Induction of c-Jun by air particulate matter (PM10) of Mexico city: Participation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Full text
2015
Salcido-Neyoy, Martha Estela | Sánchez-Pérez, Yesennia | Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro Román | Gonsebatt, Maria Eugenia | Meléndez-Zajgla, Jorge | Morales-Bárcenas, Rocío | Petrosyan, Pavel | Molina-Servin, Edith Danny | Vega, Elizabeth | Manzano-León, Natalia | García-Cuellar, Claudia M.
The carcinogenic potential of urban particulate matter (PM) has been partly attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content, which activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here we report the effect of PM with an aerodynamic size of 10 μm (PM10) on the induction of AhR pathway in A549 cells, evaluating its downstream targets CYP1B1, IL-6, IL-8 and c-Jun. Significant increases in CYP1B1 protein and enzyme activity; IL-6 and IL-8 secretion and c-Jun protein were found in response to PM10. The formation of PAH-DNA adducts was also detected. The involvement of AhR pathway was confirmed with Resveratrol as AhR antagonist, which reversed CYP1B1 and c-Jun induction. Nevertheless, in IL-6 and IL-8 secretion, the Resveratrol was ineffective, suggesting an effect independent of this pathway. Considering the role of c-Jun in oncogenesis, its induction by PM may be contributing to its carcinogenic potential through induction of AhR pathway by PAHs present in PM10.
Show more [+] Less [-]Simulating the dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in contaminated soil through composting by COP-Compost model Full text
2015
Zhang, Yuan | Guan, Yidong | Shi, Qi | Environnement et Grandes Cultures (EGC) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AgroParisTech | University of Science & Technology of China [Suzhou] | Institute of Urban Environment, ; Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS) | Jiangsu ; Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST) | Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars of Ministry of Education of China ; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China 13KJB610014 ; Foundation of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology Zd131201
Organic pollutants (OPs) are potentially present in composts, and the assessment of their content and bioaccessibility in these composts is of paramount importance to minimize the risk of soil contamination and improve soil fertility. In this work, integration of the dynamics of organic carbon (OC) and OPs in an overall experimental framework is first proposed and adopted to validate the applicability of the COP-Compost model and to calibrate the model parameters on the basis of what has been achieved with the COP-Compost model. The COP-Compost model was evaluated via composting experiments containing 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the sorption coefficient (Kd) values of two types of OP: fluorenthene (FLT) and pyrene (PHE). In our study, these compounds are used to characterize the sequential extraction and are quantified as soluble, sorbed, and non-extractable fractions. The model was calibrated, and coupling the OC and OP modules improved the simulation of the OP behavior and bioaccessibility during composting. The results show good agreement between the simulated and experimental results describing the evolution of different organic pollutants using the OP module, as well as the coupling module. However, no clear relationship is found between the Kd and the property of organic fractions. Further estimation of parameters is still necessary to modify the insufficiency of this present research.
Show more [+] Less [-]Simulating the dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in contaminated soil through composting by COP-Compost model Full text
2015
Zhang, Yuan | Guan, Yidong | Shi, Qi | Environnement et Grandes Cultures (EGC) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AgroParisTech | University of Science & Technology of China [Suzhou] | Institute of Urban Environment, ; Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS) | Jiangsu ; Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST) | Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars of Ministry of Education of China ; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China 13KJB610014 ; Foundation of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmental Science and Technology Zd131201
Organic pollutants (OPs) are potentially present in composts, and the assessment of their content and bioaccessibility in these composts is of paramount importance to minimize the risk of soil contamination and improve soil fertility. In this work, integration of the dynamics of organic carbon (OC) and OPs in an overall experimental framework is first proposed and adopted to validate the applicability of the COP-Compost model and to calibrate the model parameters on the basis of what has been achieved with the COP-Compost model. The COP-Compost model was evaluated via composting experiments containing 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the sorption coefficient (Kd) values of two types of OP: fluorenthene (FLT) and pyrene (PHE). In our study, these compounds are used to characterize the sequential extraction and are quantified as soluble, sorbed, and non-extractable fractions. The model was calibrated, and coupling the OC and OP modules improved the simulation of the OP behavior and bioaccessibility during composting. The results show good agreement between the simulated and experimental results describing the evolution of different organic pollutants using the OP module, as well as the coupling module. However, no clear relationship is found between the Kd and the property of organic fractions. Further estimation of parameters is still necessary to modify the insufficiency of this present research.
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