Research Publications (Food Safety)

Parabens, triclosan, and lipid regulators are frequently used in pharmaceuticals, personal care, hygiene, food, and other products. The final destination of these compounds frequently is domestic sewage. In many cases, collection and treatment systems are not completely efficient, and these compounds reach the environment. However, many of these substances are toxic, and their presence poses risks to several organisms.

Revegetation is an alternative of recovery for contaminated areas by mining tailings. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses of Cassia grandis growing in iron mining tailings and the implications for revegetation purposes. Plants of C. grandis were grown for 4 months in substrate collected in affected areas by residues from Fundão dam, and commercial substrate was used as control.

The effect of plantain peel biochar on the uptake of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) irrigated with untreated wastewater was investigated in nine outdoor lysimeters (0.45 m diameter × 1.0 m height) arranged in a completely randomised design with three replicates. The lysimeters were packed with sandy soil (bulk density 1.35 Mg m−3) and brought to field capacity 1 day before starting the experiment.

Microbiological, physical, chemical, cytotoxic, and genotoxic analyses of waters from ten tubular wells intended for irrigation of a community garden complex in the state of Piaui, northeastern Brazil, were carried out in two periods of 2018 (rainy and drought). All wells in both periods were contaminated with total coliforms, and wells P1, P3, P5, and P10 also had fecal coliforms.

The levels of persistent organic pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were investigated in influent, effluent, and sludge of five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Jordan. Concentrations of 12 dioxin-like PCBs were determined. The extraction of PCBs from wastewater samples was done by solvent extraction using dichloromethane/hexane 1:1 mixture.

Zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) concentrations were measured in 173 samples collected in soils under forest, wetland, and arable land around a Zn smelter plant that stopped activity in the 1960s. The adopted sampling strategy consisted in collecting 0–30-cm-depth samples from all soils, tilled or not, in order to harmonize the analyzed soil volume to that of plowed soils. Airborne deposition was modeled as a function of the distance from the pollution source and of land use.

Salmonella is a common zoonotic pathogen. Few studies have explored the effects of biochar on the survival of Salmonella in soil. Biochar made by pig manure at different temperatures were applied to four typical vegetable soils to investigate the survival dynamics of Salmonella. The results showed that the survival of Salmonella in latosol, red soil, and black soil was significantly promoted after biochar addition, but not in brown soil.

Surface waters are exposed during their journey to various types of pollutants plus the contribution they receive from different effluents. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the concentration of Pb, Cd, and Cu in surface waters of the Cotaxtla-Jamapa basin in Veracruz, Mexico. Analyzes were carried out in triplicate in six sampling sites, during three seasons, in morning, and night hours.

Algae are widely distributed in the aquatic environment. In the analyzed algae from the Black Sea, metals like cadmium, iron, zinc, copper, lead, and thallium were present. From all of the analyzed elements in the algae, iron was present at the highest concentrations. The presented study confirmed that thallium is accumulated in relatively large quantities (1.60–2.12 μg g−1) by all the studied algae.

Karst aquifers are significant sources of water of the highest quality. Inaccessible and uninhabited karst areas are mostly away from urban centers and human activities. That is of crucial significance for karst groundwater quality. The discharge regime and karst water quality show the considerable rapid changeability of and dependence on the rainfall distribution and quantity in the catchment area.

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) present in water environments pose threats to aquatic organisms. The concentration of FQs adsorbed onto sediments is generally higher than that in water. Here, we studied the toxicities of two FQ antibiotics, norfloxacin (NOR) and ofloxacin (OFL), on the snail Bellamya aeruginosa, an adaptable benthic animal.

Soils have the potential to accumulate heavy metals and the capacity to do so is strongly related the properties of each soil. Soil organic matter is a key factor in the retention, release, and bioavailability of heavy metals, and here we have determined the accumulation of heavy metals in various types of humus in the Rybnik Forest District in southern Poland.

A novel polymer/activated carbon composite was prepared in this study by one-step chemical activation of Sargassum horneri, followed by surface modification with chitosan, a widely abundant biopolymer. The prepared composite was used as adsorbent to remove one of the most toxic metal ions, Cr(VI), from aqueous solution.

Synthetic dyes, generally resistant, toxic and carcinogenic presents a substantial risk to the environment and health of human. The present study was aimed to decolourize a dye mixture (Evans blue and brilliant green) by selected bacterial strains cultivated at different growth conditions (e.g. unmodified, correction of pH value and supplementation with nutrients).

The identification of heavy metals in the atmosphere has increased a strong and growing interest. Thereby, monitoring of elements in aerobiological samples could be a powerful tool for detection of environmental pollution. In this work, a simple and fast method for the determination of trace metals bound to aeroparticles such as pollen was optimized.

This work investigated the impact of a clay mineral on toxic waste. The Ivorian Anti-pollution Center discovered the toxic waste from Probo Koala boat on 21 August 2006. This boat had been used to refine oil named naphtha of cokéfaction by Trafigura firm in the sea. The process of refining consists of caustic sodium carbonate washing and produced toxic waste.

High levels of heavy metals in soil pose considerable threats to the ecosystem. The in situ remediation technology is obtaining increasing global concerns as a sustainable remediation strategy. In this study, the hydroxyapatite/calcium silicate hydrate (HAP/CSH) was recovered from waste water to evaluate the effects on heavy metal immobilization by coupling with biochar.

Antibiotics are among the most extensively used pharmaceuticals worldwide. They are natural or synthetic drugs with the capacity to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Several antibiotics have been detected in aquatic environments, but little is known about their effects on non-target organisms, especially fish. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the antibiotic nitrofurantoin (NTF) using zebrafish embryos as model organisms.

Both polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and cadmium (Cd) can be frequently found in marine ecosystems and have detrimental effects on marine organisms, especially on filter-feeding marine mussels. Although biological responses to single metal or PCB exposure in mussels have been well-studied, information about oxidative stress is still limited, especially in different tissues in mussels.

This study investigates the effects of lead (Pb) on earthworm Eisenia fetida and its potential to recover from Pb exposure. Adult earthworms E. fetida were exposed for 4 weeks to lead (40–2500 mg Pb kg−1) in soil, and after the period of exposure, earthworms were transferred to clean unpolluted soil for 4 weeks to recover. Pb had no effect on the earthworm’s survival but inhibited earthworm growth; growth rate decreased with Pb concentration in the soil.

The rapid development of industrial sector has increased the heavy metal pollution issue recently, as the need of various metals is increasing for manufacturing purpose. These metals are the natural components that can be found in soil, but contamination happens when the concentration of these metals are high in soil due to anthropogenic activities.

Disposal of industrial effluents (especially the textile industry) into the drains without prior treatment is a common practice that affects aquatic life and pollutes the soil and groundwater quality. Textile effluents contain organic and inorganic pollutants in terms of high pH, suspended and dissolved solids, chemical oxygen demand, heavy metals, and many other contaminants. Therefore, it is obligatory to dispose off wastewater according to environmental standards.

Coastal sediment redeposition after resuspension events may change the sediment capacity to sequester pollutants after the formation of new sediment-water interfaces. To test this hypothesis, radiotracer experiments were performed to evaluate zinc (65Zn) and cadmium (109Cd) removal kinetics by redeposited mangrove sediments.

In Brazil, safe drinking water is not widely available, and consequently waterborne diseases are still associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Among waterborne bacteria, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) should be highlighted. This study targeted the evaluation of enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), and shiga toxin-producing (STEC)/enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in drinking water in Southeast Brazil and the georeferencing of generated data.

Chelates, used to increase the uptake of heavy metals in phytoremediation, can also increase the mobility of metals. If plants fail to uptake or stabilize all the mobilized metals, then subsurface soil or groundwater can be contaminated. Therefore, the type and concentration of chelate used and proper site management are important for chelate-aided phytoremediation. In this study, we evaluated potential metal leaching from the soil after applying three different chelates.