Research Publications (Food Safety)

The 16 United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered carcinogenic and mutagenic for humans and are emitted by anthropogenic sources mainly in urban areas. For this purpose, the carcinogenic risk in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre/RS (RMPA), Brazil, was investigated due to its demographic density (421.8 inhabitants/km2), industrialization, and high flow of vehicles.

In nature, the bioaccumulative potent neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) is produced from inorganic mercury (Hg) predominantly by anaerobic microorganisms. Hg-contaminated soils are a potential source of MeHg due to microbial activity. We examine streambank soils collected from the contaminated East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) in Tennessee, USA, where seasonal variations in MeHg levels have been observed throughout the year, suggesting active microbial Hg methylation.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are the most widely released nanomaterials in the environment and are considered an emerging contaminant. Although the phytotoxicity mechanism of TiO2 NPs on plants involves the elevated generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is still not well established in soybean.

Exogenous regulation of plant physiology is a kind of effective approach to help plant grow under Cd (cadmium)-contaminated environment. CA (cinnamaldehyde) is an environmental friendly natural compound with medicinal properties and antimicrobial activities. In this work, we found that CA was able to confer plant Cd tolerance by priming defense in the root of B. rapa.

Heavy metals release from contaminated sediments is one of the most important chemical processes affecting overlying water quality in river, lake, and ocean. The objective of this study was to determine the leaching properties, kinetic rate, and leaching amount of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) from the river sediment contaminated by gold mining. Speciation of Zn and Cd in the sediments was extracted by a modified BCR extraction procedure.

The ability of plants to resist heavy metals is associated with the development of different ecotypes and intracellular strategies capable of dealing with the prevention, tolerance, and detoxification of heavy metal stress.

This study investigated the passivation of multiple heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb) in river sediments by composting with rice straw. The correlation between the selected environmental factors and the distribution of heavy metal fractions was assessed by multivariate analysis. The results suggested that the composting could reduce the bioavailability of Cu, Cd, Cr, and Pb. The influences of composting on the passivation of these five heavy metals are different.

The research was aimed at checking the possibility of using the Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum indicum) as a sorbent for the removal of heavy metals. The chrysanthemum was divided into flower petals, stems, and leaves to check the affinity for the metals tested. In the work, equilibrium and kinetic modeling of the process was carried out by selecting nonlinear models with the best fit.

Phlogopite was activated by ball milling at a mild milling speed of 300 rpm to be directly used as heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Ni2+) adsorbent.

A comprehensive and detailed monitoring scheme was applied to examine more than 1000 organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) in drainage water samples collected from a rural village with informal end-of-life vehicle processing activities in northern Vietnam. Concentrations of total OMPs ranged from 8900 to 34,100 (median 11,400) ng L−1.

Harran Plain is the largest plain within the area administered under the Southeastern Anatolia Project (known as the GAP project in Turkey), covering an area of 1500 km2. This article presents results of groundwater quality assessment based on some pollution indicators such as electrical conductivity (EC) and nitrate (NO3−) values in Harran Plain between 2005 and 2015.

Amendment with treated biosolids can increase soil fertility and plant nutrition to the soil, but the fertilization value compared with other commercial soil amendments on the soil ecosystem is poorly understood. The effects of different proportions (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of thermal and pH-treated biosolid applications on the growth performance, nutrient contents, and toxicity performance of carrots (Daucus carota L.) and choy sum (Brassica chinensis var.

On a daily basis, aquatic ecosystem is exposed to heavy metals, drugs, and chemicals; the continuous exposure results in a toxic effect, depending on the dose and duration of exposure. Studies have confirmed tardigrade to be highly tolerant to very high temperature, pressure, gravity, etc. This study aimed at confirming various toxic damages caused by exposure to cadmium solution and the antioxidative effect of selenium in the amelioration of the effects.

We propose to identify the influence of organic acids as well as total proteins in the accumulation and translocation of heavy metals from the rhizosphere to the plant organs of cultivated yellow melon var. Natal throughout the vegetative cycle. Physical and chemical attributes and the concentration of Cu, Zn, and Pb were determined in soil samples.

Vegetation along roadsides reduces soil erosion, increases filtering of water runoff, and acts as a biodiversity corridor. The purpose of this study was to assess soil properties and evaluate their effect on vegetation establishment in roadsides. Furthermore, the effects of shoulder type (paved and unpaved) and time since seeding (0–1 year, 2–4 years, and ≥ 5 years) on soil properties were also evaluated.

The rapid growth of human population and global industrialization has resulted in the generation of larger amounts of wastewater containing various pollutants, among which toxic heavy metals. Adsorption is efficient for this purpose, but its application is limited by the high cost of adsorbent materials. Chitosan (CS) and phosphorylated microcellulose (PMC) have a high potential as low-cost and effective adsorbents for water remediation.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the differences in heavy metal accumulation in yew (Taxus baccata L.) needles depending on gender and age. Trees growing in the same soil and forest conditions were selected for the study. The study was conducted in the botanical garden in the center of Krakow, and study plots were characterized by the same deposition of pollutants. Needles of yew and soil samples were collected for laboratory analysis.

In this study, a practical and excellent method was used to determine the famoxadone and cymoxanil via high-performance liquid chromatography equipped utilizing ultraviolet detector lamp (HPLC-UV) for investigating the dissipation behavior and residue distribution of famoxadone and cymoxanil in cucumber and soil ecosystem. The limit of quantification (LOQS) of famoxadone and cymoxanil in cucumber were 0.50, 1.00, 2.00 and 0.05, 0.50, 1.00 mg kg−1 in soil, respectively.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is one of the most commonly heard sources of foodborne outbreaks but presently lacks studies of in the Kathmandu Valley. This study explored the presence of STEC in river water (n = 17), groundwater (n = 83), feces (n = 50), and manure (n = 20) in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Samples that were confirmed to be E.

The uptake of organic pollutants by agricultural plants and their accumulation in edible parts cause serious health problems to animals and humans.

Immobilization using biochar is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly remediation method to inhibit the transfer of soil contaminants to the food chain. This study evaluated the effects of coconut shell–derived biochar (CSB) and sewage sludge–derived biochar (SSB) on reducing the accumulation of cesium (Cs) by plant from contaminated soil.

The effects of pyrolysis temperature (350, 450, and 550 °C) on the properties of biochar prepared from chicken manure (CM), dairy manure (DM), and their digestates (CMD and DMD) were investigated in this study. The physicochemical properties and the transformation of phosphorous and heavy metal forms in various types of biochar were analyzed, and the bioavailability was assessed to optimize the pyrolysis condition towards biochar land application.

Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) is one of the main sources of global Hg emissions and is present over a wide territorial in the southern Amazonia. In this region, there is a rapid approximation between agricultural and livestock activities and the impact of this close proximity having little or no evaluation. Thus, we have determined the Hg concentration in soybean plants in an area with ASGMs activities.

In this study, light intensities of Aliivibrio fischeri obtained from soil suspension and its filtrate were compared using field soils contaminated with heavy metals. The soils collected from rice paddy and forest had different soil textures with either high or low silt/clay content. The correlation between soil toxicity and soil solution toxicity for A. fischeri showed a high linearity in sandy soils with the slope of 0.586 (determination coefficient; R2 = 0.709).

Assisted phytoremediation using amendments is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to control soil pollution. However, amendment type, combination and application rate can influence process effectiveness. In the present study, the effect of the association of red mud and carbon-based amendments on the physicochemical properties of a former mine soil as well as the growth and metal(loid) uptake of Trifolium repens was investigated.