Research Publications (Food Safety)

Vieira River is the main recipient of domestic and industrial wastewater in the city of Montes Claros, MG, Brazil. Until 2010, domestic sewage was dumped in it without any kind of treatment. Concentrations of arsenic (As), chrome (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were determined in water and sediment samples in eight locations along the Vieira River during the dry season of 2015.

Railway transport of coal poses an environmental risk, because coal dust contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury, and other trace metals. In the Pacific Northwest of the United States, proposed infrastructure projects could result in an increase in coal transport by train through the Columbia River corridor.

The occurrence and distribution of 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their degradation products as well as of 17 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs) were investigated for the first time in sediments of three (Lake Prošće, Lake Kozjak, Lake Kaluđerovac) out of 16 cascading karst lakes within the protected area of the Plitvice Lakes National Park in central Croatia. The 15-cm-long sediment cores were divided for analysis into three 5-cm-long segments.

Patterns of lead and other trace metals were examined in 122 Eurasian eagle owls Bubo bubo found dead in Sweden in the period 1978–2013. Environmental lead (Pb) has decreased over recent decades from reduced anthropogenic emissions but mortality by Pb poisoning is still frequently reported for avian raptors and scavengers exposed to Pb ammunition.

Lead is a widely used and toxic heavy metal that poses a serious hazard to wildlife species and their ecosystems. Lead is used for production of hunting ammunition. Via gunshot or rifle projectiles, it spreads in ecosystems and may end up in predators and scavengers feeding on wounded or dead animals shot with lead-based ammunition.

Systemic pesticides, such as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, can be introduced into aquatic ecosystems through contaminated plant material, which is the basis for detrital (brown) aquatic food-webs. With the aim of exemplarily assessing for indirect effects on the level of predators, we first offered imidacloprid contaminated and uncontaminated alder leaves to the stonefly shredder Protonemura sp. for 72 h.

A novel multiresidue analytical method based on disposable pipette extraction (DPX) to determine the trace level of 28 pesticides in wine samples using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has been developed. The DPX method is used for both extraction and purification. After the optimization, targets were eluted with 1% HCl in acetonitrile and the eluent was placed into LC analysis.

Author(s): Wilma Taverne-Veldhuizen, Ron Hoogenboom, Guillaume ten Dam, Rik Herbes, Pieternel Luning The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (period 1999–2014) reported exceeding levels of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxinsand dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs)) in palm oil by-products, such as palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) and hydrogenated palm fatty acid distillate (HPFAD), but not in crude and refined palm oil.

Increasing interest in characterizing risk assessment uncertainty is highlighted by recent recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences. In this paper we demonstrate the utility of applying qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing uncertainty to enhance risk‐based decision‐making for 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin.

2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) is a well‐known environmental contaminant that produces a wide variety of adverse effects in humans. Catalpol, a major bioactive compound enriched in the dried root of Rehmannia glutinosa, is a major iridoid glycoside that alleviates bone loss. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the effects of catalpol remain unclear. The present study evaluated the effects of catalpol on TCDD‐induced cytotoxicity in osteoblastic MC3T3‐E1 cells.

One of the direct causes of biodiversity loss is environmental pollution resulting from the use of chemicals. Different kinds of chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants and some heavy metals, can be endocrine disruptors, which act at low doses over a long period of time and have a negative effect on the reproductive and thyroid system in vertebrates worldwide.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation is associated with carcinogenicity of non-genotoxic AhR-activating carcinogens such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), and is often observed with drug candidate molecules in development and raises safety concerns. As downstream effectors of AhR signaling, the expression and activity of Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 genes are commonly monitored as evidence of AhR activation to inform carcinogenic risk of compounds in question.

Publication date: Available online 16 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Engelsman Michelle, Milena F. Snoek, P.W. Banks Andrew, Cantrell Phillip, Wang Xianyu, Toms Leisa-Maree, Darren J. Koppel

Publication date: Available online 16 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Naixin Li, Rainer Friedrich, Cara N. Maesano, Emanuela Medda, Sonia Brescianini, Maria Antonietta Stazi, Clive E. Sabel, Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Isabella Annesi-Maesano

In this work, a highly efficient pesticide residue screening and quantification method was established using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography–tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry based on in-source fragmentation. Over 400 pesticides were tested, among which 96 pesticides displayed in-source fragmentation.

Sulfur (S) metabolism plays a vital role in Cd detoxification, but the collaboration between melatonin biosynthesis and S metabolism under Cd stress remains unaddressed.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Author(s): Jin-Lei Wang, Hany M. Elsheikha, Ting-Ting Li, Jun-Jun He, Meng-Jie Bai, Qin-Li Liang, Xing-Quan Zhu, Wei Cong

Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Jillian Ashley-Martin, Linda Dodds, Tye E. Arbuckle, Bruce Lanphear, Gina Muckle, Maryse F. Bouchard, Mandy Fisher, Elizabeth Asztalos, Warren Foster, Stefan Kuhle

Publication date: Available online 13 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Ana Kovačič, Marjeta Česen, Maria Laimou-Geraniou, Dimitra Lambropoulou, Tina Kosjek, David Heath, Ester Heath

Available online 9 September 2019

Author(s): D. Martín-Vertedor, A. Fernández, A. Hernández, R. Arias-Calderón, J. Delgado-Adámez, F. Pérez-Nevado

In this study, we developed a microbiological inhibition method for the rapid screening of antibiotics in milk with Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC12980 as an indicator bacterium and an easy sample pretreatment.

Abstract

Publication date: Available online 7 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Megan E. Romano, Lisa G. Gallagher, Brian P. Jackson, Emily Baker, Margaret R. Karagas

Abstract

Background

Exposure to cadmium may contribute to the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and glucose intolerance during pregnancy.

Publication date: Available online 7 September 2019

Environmental Research

Author(s): Yu Hu, Qingqing Zhu, Xueting Yan, Chunyang Liao, Guibin Jiang