Research Publications (Food Safety)

Abstract

Stormwater harvesting and reuse is an attractive option to lower the demand placed on other sources of water supply. However, it contains a wide range of pollutants that need to be removed before it can be reused or even discharged to the waterways and receiving waters.

Abstract

Cr(VI) is a ubiquitous pollutant that poses a serious threat to human health. Recently, the use of microorganisms to adsorb heavy metals has attracted research attention. However, there are few studies on the biosorption of Cr(VI) by Shewanella putrefaciens, which is a metal-reducing bacterium.

Cadmium (Cd) is considered one of the heavy metals disturbing plant biophysiological functions. The potential role of phosphorus (P) nutrition in the attenuation of Cd effects on photosynthetic efficiency, plant growth, and cadmium uptake has been investigated in hydroponically grown tomato. Two P nutrition regimes (P15: 15 mg l-1; P30: 30 mg l-1) were assessed in the presence or absence of Cd (Cd0: 0 μM; Cd25: 25 μM of CdCl2).

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from wastewater treatment sludge with appropriate technologies is of great importance for nature and public health. UV technology is one of the most frequently used methods for the removal of PAHs.

The accumulation of heavy metals in stream sediment depends on various influencing factors. Sediments are aggregation of number of species along with organic debris. Accretion of heavy metals on sediment is the outcome of absorption by fine-grain inorganic particles of clays, adsorption of hydrous ferric and clays, and complexation with natural organic matters. These processes are regulated by different influencing factors including TOC and pH.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the most hazardous organic pollutants due to their toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic properties, wide distribution, recalcitrance and stability in the environment. The study objective is to determine the impact of the species composition of tree stands on PAH accumulation in urban forest soils of Krakow. The study compared the impact of deciduous and coniferous species on similar soils on PAH biodegradation.

Choosing the appropriate sampling strategy is significant while estimating the pollutant loads in a snow pile and assessing environmental impacts of dumping snow into water bodies. This paper compares different snow pile sampling strategies, looking for the most efficient way to estimate the pollutant loads in a snow pile.

Some evidences about the toxicity of heavy metals on phytoplankton communities have been documented; notwithstanding, a little of information about the toxic effects elicited by these toxicants prevails. The study aim was to evaluate the relationships between heavy metals on freshwater phytoplankton communities (FWPC) with biomarkers of the oxidative stress response.

Abstract

This study aims to expand the knowledge about fecal contamination by humans and animals using Adenovirus (AdV) as bioindicators in different water sources from rural areas, to evaluate the viral infectivity, and to compare the different techniques used to detect the Human mastadenovirus (HAdV). For that, 124 samples were collected (86 from groundwater and 38 from surface water) along the Rio dos Sinos Basin.

Fresh snow and lichens (Cladonia rangiferina) were collected along two ~300-km transects in a regional survey around two smelter areas in Northern Ontario, i.e., the Sudbury and Timmins areas, in 2009–2010, as a part of a monitoring program. The samples were analyzed for Pb isotope ratios in snow from 47 sites, and in lichens from 28 sites, for background airborne lead and to determine the influence of distance versus local sources of Pb on a regional scale.

Acetochlor, a commonly used herbicide, and Pb are two important soil contaminants often found to co-occur. The cytotoxic effects of heavy metals like Pb considerably reduce the efficacy of microbial bioremediation steps undertaken to remove chemical contaminants from soil. This necessitates the identification of heavy metal-tolerant microbial strains that can degrade chemical pollutants.

The Duyen Hai Seaport covering more than 427 hectares of water surface is part of a Duyen Hai thermal power plant complex. In the last years, port operations can lead to impact on air, water, land, and the ecosystem. To evaluate the ecological risk caused by heavy metals at the Duyen Hai Seaport, 17 surficial sediment samples were collected along the ship flow from shoreline to the material submerged zone in April 2019.

The adsorption of Cd by sand-attapulgite cutoff wall backfill media was investigated with batch experiments for different quantities of attapulgite in the mixture (30%, 40%, 60%, and 100%; dry weight). The adsorption capacity of the media for Cd increased with the increase of attapulgite content (Ap).

The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of heavy metal (Fe, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, and As) concentrations in benthic and pelagic fish organs (muscles, gills, liver, and hearts), and concentrations of heavy metals in water and sediments of Ogbese River, Ondo State, Nigeria were investigated. From the results, the concentrations of heavy metals in the water were within the permissible limits stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The article highlights sorptive properties of poultry litter. Preliminary studies on sorption of Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ ions at the concentration range of 1–1000 mg L-1 were carried out. Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to determine the potential capacities of the poultry litter. Sorption parameter outcome from isotherms exhibited the following order: Pb > Cd > Cu > Zn > Ni.

Microfibers are now ubiquitous in the environment largely due to the widespread use of natural and synthetic textiles. Many enter aquatic systems through wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, surface water runoff, and atmospheric deposition, where they persist and may be ingested by filter-feeding organisms. In addition to causing physical damage (e.g., digestive and respiratory obstructions), microfibers are often carriers of chemical pollutants that may also harm biota.

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.