Abstract  Previous studies investigating the exposure to metal(loid)s of populations living in the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal found a higher internal dose of elements such as arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese, molybdenum and zinc in exposed individuals. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the extent of genotoxic damage caused by environmental and occupational exposure in individuals previously tested for metal(loid) levels in different biological matrices, and the possible modulating role of genetic polymorphisms involved in metabolism and DNA repair. T-cell receptor mutation assay, comet assay, micronucleus (MN) test and chromosomal aberrations (CA) were performed in a group of 122 subjects working in the Panasqueira mine or living in the same region. The modifying effect of polymorphisms in GSTA2, GSTM1, GSTP1, GSTT1, XRCC1, APEX1, MPG, MUTYH, OGG1, PARP1, PARP4, ERCC1, ERCC4, and ERCC5 genes was investigated. Significant increases in the frequency of all biomarkers investigated were found in exposed groups, however those environmentally exposed were generally higher. Significant influences of polymorphisms were observed for GSTM1 deletion and OGG1 rs1052133 on CA frequencies, APEX1 rs1130409 on DNA damage, ERCC1 rs3212986 on DNA damage and CA frequency, and ERCC4 rs1800067 on MN and CA frequencies. Our results show that the metal(loid) contamination in the Panasqueira mine area induced genotoxic damage both in individuals working in the mine or living in the area. The observed effects are closely associated to the internal exposure dose, and are more evident in susceptible genotypes. The urgent intervention of authorities is required to protect exposed populations.

Abstract  Areal or pointed extension of soil contamination by risk elements was determined in samples from 47 locatoins of agricultural soils in ""pollution-loaded"" regions of eastern Slovakia during 2006 and 2008. These regions were primarily the areas of middle Spis and northern Gemer, where soils were under long-term contamination by solid polluting elements containing risk elements. A source of contamination was metallurgical plants located in the broken terrain with unfavorable dispersion conditions. Risk elements Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, and As were determined in the lixivium of Aqua regia and their accessible (mobile) forms in the lixivium of 1 mol.dm(-3) NH4HNO3. To consider the solubility of the risk elements the lixivium of 0.05 mol.dm(-3) EDTA (mobile and mobilizable forms) and the lixivium of 2 mol.dm(-3) HNO3 (potentially releasable contents) was used. Ascertained contents of the risk elements in the lixivium of Aqua regia correspond with the results regarding risk elements that were obtained by reduction in the mixture of inorganic acids before 1990. Then values of the solid polluting elements containing risk elements were the highest. The results confirm the large areal character of soil contamination by Hg and As in the emission areals of metallurgical plants where the natural endegeneous geochemical abnormalities now exist. Extremely high values of Pb, Zn, and Cd in close proximity to the former shaft-furnace (without any possibility of dispersion) are the result of solid polluting elements from Pb, Sn, alloys and ZnSO4 production facilities. A considerably larger area of contaminated soils by Cu is connected to refined flame furnace copper production and convertors and its dispersion into the wider areas. Some isolated locations with Cd, Cu, Ni, Hg, and As excesses are connected to geological-petrographical conditions where polymetallic mineralizing of old environmental loads is characteristic. In the samples with high contents of risk elements in Aqua regia, there were also over limit values for accessible plant risk elements. In the sum of mobile and mobilizable forms with relatively the highest content of Cd (36.57%) and the lowest Cr (0.36%) were determined in the following decreasing order Cd > Pb > Cu > Ni > Zn > Cr. The relevant prevalence of risk elements in residual fractions is apparently connected to their emission origin from thermic processes as predominantly insoluble risk element oxids.

Abstract  High time resolution measurements of fine particulate matter composition were a component of the St. Louis - Midwest Supersite in East St. Louis, IL. Measurements of fifteen particulate matter species (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn, OC, EC, SO4=, and NO3-) were made using semi-continuous sampling and monitoring techniques. In this study, three weeks of the hourly species data have been combined with on-site surface winds data using conditional probability function (CPF) analysis and 1-D non-parametric regression (NPR) to identify the bearing of putative local emission sources. Typically there was good agreement between the CPF and NPR results and most (but not all) of the identified emission source bearings were consistent with the location of known emission sources. Differences between the CPF and NPR methods occurred when there were infrequent high concentration events, typically a single hour, which yielded a high expected concentration with NPR but a low conditional probability with CPF. Challenges to fully identifying the suite of local point sources impacting the monitoring site include the relatively poor representation of some wind directions in such a small data set, confounding by multiple emission sources at similar bearings, and for some elements high impacts from regional scale contributions. (C) Author(s) 2011. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Abstract  The objective of the study reported in this paper was to assess the quality of harvested rainwater on the basis of the roofing materials used and the presence of lichens/mosses on the roofing surface. Four pilot structures with different roofing materials (i.e., wooden shingle tiles, concrete tiles, clay tiles [Gi-Wa] and galvanized steel) were installed in a field. The galvanized steel was found to be the most suitable for rainwater harvesting applications, with their resulting physical and chemical water quality parameters meeting the Korean guidelines for drinking water quality (e.g., pH (5.8-8.5), TSS <500 mg/L, NO(3)(-) < 10 mg/L, SO(4)(2-) < 200 mg/L, Al < 0.2 mg/L, Cu < 1 mg/L, Fe < 0.3 mg/L, Pb < 0.05 mg/L, Zn < 1 mg/L, and E. coli (No detection)). In the galvanized steel case, the relatively high water quality was probably due to ultraviolet light and the high temperature effectively disinfecting the harvested rainwater. It was also found that the presence of lichens and mosses may adversely affect the physical, chemical and microbiological quality of rainwater.

Abstract  Benthic sediments in coastal acid sulfate soil (CASS) drains can contain high concentrations (similar to 1-5%) of acid volatile sulfide (AVS) as nano-particulate mackinawite. These sediments can sequester substantial quantities of trace metals. Because of their low elevation and the connectivity of drains to estuarine channels, these benthic sediments are vulnerable to rapid increases in ionic strength from seawater incursion by floodgate opening, floodgate failure, storm surge and seasonal migration of the estuarine salt wedge. This study examines the effect of increasing seawater concentration on trace metal mobilization from mackinawite-rich drain sediments (210-550 mu mol g(-1) AVS) collected along an estuarine salinity gradient. Linear combination fitting of S K-edge XANES indicated mackinawite comprised 88-96% of sediment-bound S. Anoxic sediment suspensions were conducted with seawater concentrations ranging from 0% to 100%. We found that mobilization of some metals increased markedly with increasing ionic strength (Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni) whereas Al mobilization decreased. The largest proportion of metals mobilized from the labile metal pool, operationally defined as Sigma exchangeable + acid-extractable + organically-bound metals, occurred in sediments from relatively fresh upstream sites (up to 39% mobilized) compared to sediments sourced from brackish downstream sites (0-11% mobilized). The extent of relative trace metal desorption generally followed the sequence Mn > Ni approximate to Cu > Zn > Fe > Al. Trace metal mobilization from these mackinawite-rich sediments was attributed primarily to desorption of weakly-bound metals via competitive exchange with marine-derived cations and enhanced complexation with Cl- and dissolved organic ligands. These results have important implications for trace metal mobilization from these sediments at near-neutral pH under current predicted sea-level rise and climate change scenarios. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract  Poor air quality is a common fact for all areas with base industry. The city of Zenica was once the metallurgical centre of Ex-Yugoslavia and is therefore highly polluted at present. Air pollution peaked in 1987 when average concentration of pollutants was extremely high (daily average concentration of SO(2) was 1800 μg m(-3)). With the beginning of the war in 1992, integral production in the steel work plant was shut down, to be re-launched in 2008. Limit values for iron do not exist, but iron has been monitored in Zenica for the past 28 years because of the presence of steel works. Concentrations of cadmium and lead have also been measured because they are very much present in polluted areas with steel works. The concentration of mentioned elements in air deposit and total suspended particles before and after integral production in the steel work plant was re-launched is the subject of this paper. Total suspended particles were measured in two locations using German standard VDI 2463 Blatt 4. Sediment dust was measured in nine locations using Bergerhoff method. The concentration of iron, lead, and cadmium was performed in the chemical laboratory of the Metallurgical Institute "Kemal Kapetanović" Zenica using standard methods. Higher concentrations of these parameters during the period of integral production clearly point to the impact of steel works on Zenica valley.

Abstract  This paper shows the changes in PM(10) levels and chemical composition in a region in southeast Spain between two periods: September 2005-August 2006 and June 2008-May 2009. PM(10) levels in this arid region, with a great number of cement, ceramic and related industries, have decreased in the second period in concordance with the reduction of industrial production due to the economic crisis and the closure of a cement plant. Annual average levels of PM(10) decreased from 41 μg m(-3) in 2005 to 30 μg m(-3) in 2008 (27%) and to 23 μg m(-3) in 2009 (23%). The relative contribution of the different sources has not changed in the area in the latter period and the elements with mineral origin are the main components of the PM(10) composition. There is a reduction in the concentration of the components that have soil-related industries and crustal material resuspension as their main sources, mainly in the case of CO(3) (2-), Ca, Sr, Tl and Pb, but the seasonal patterns were the same in both periods. As a particular case, there is an uncoupling between the seasonal evolution of SO(2) and sulphates in the two study periods, which remarks the existence of a sulphate regional background that does not depend on SO(2) local emissions. The decrease of V, Ni and Tl levels reflects the reduction of the industrial activity during the crisis period, affecting mainly the ceramic sector characterised by a great decrease of Tl levels.

Abstract  In the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal, some environmental media show higher metal(loid) concentrations when compared with the local geochemical background and the values proposed in the literature for these environmental media. In order to evaluate the effect of the external contamination on selected indexes of internal dose, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, Si, and Zn were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry in blood, urine, hair and nail samples from individuals environmentally (N = 41) and occupationally exposed (N = 41). A matched control group (N = 40) was also studied, and data from the three groups were compared. Results obtained agreed with those reported by environmental studies performed in this area, pointing to populations living nearby and working in the mine being exposed to metal(loid)s originated from mining activities. Arsenic was the element with the highest increase in exposed populations. The concentration of other elements such as Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, and Zn was also increased, although at a lesser extent, specifically in the individuals environmentally exposed and in females. These findings confirm the need for competent authorities to act as soon as possible in this area and implement strategies aimed to protect exposed populations and the entire ecosystem.

Abstract  An investigation was undertaken to evaluate the empirical model developed by Pelfrêne et al. (2012), predicting the human bioaccessibility of Cd and Pb in smelter-contaminated agricultural topsoils, by including other soil uses: 50 urban and 65 woody habitat topsoils collected in the same area. The results showed that land use significantly affected the pseudototal metal concentrations and their oral bioaccessibility. However, whatever the soil's physicochemical parameters and degree of contamination, the ‘agricultural’ model can be used to simulate metal gastric bioaccessibility in urban and woody habitat soils. To simulate gastrointestinal bioaccessibility, this model can be used directly if the pseudototal metal concentrations are on the same order of magnitude as those usually recorded in the agricultural soils studied or after the use of a correction factor if these concentrations are greater. These results showed that the oral bioaccessibility predictions could be applicable for further environmental risk evaluation.

Abstract  The composition of the essential oil obtained from the dried flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. growing in Iran was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS). 29 compounds were identified in the oil. The major compounds of the oil were 1-hydroxy-3-propyl-5-(4-methyl-penten)-2-methylbenzene (25.2%), 2,5,5 trimethyl-3-propyl, tetra hydro 1- naphtol (19.8%) and benzaldehyde (8.0%).

Abstract  Zlatna, Romania is the site of longtime mining/smelting operations which have resulted in widespread metal pollution of the entire area. Previous studies have documented the contamination using traditional methods involving soil sample collection, digestion, and quantification via inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy or atomic absorption. However, field portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (PXRF) can accurately quantify contamination in-situ, in seconds. A PXRF spectrometer was used to scan 69 soil samples in Zlatna across multiple land use types. Each site was georeferenced with data inputted into a geographic information system for high resolution spatial interpolations. These models were laid over contemporary aerial imagery to evaluate the extent of pollution on an individual elemental basis. Pb, As, Co, Cu, and Cd exceeded governmental action limits in >50% of the sites scanned. The use of georeferenced PXRF data offers a powerful new tool for in-situ assessment of contaminated soils.

Abstract  A total of 94 (54 males, 40 females) healthy adult residents living in an industrial city in northern Taiwan were recruited to study their exposure to industrial metals by measuring their blood levels of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Pb, and W. All participants were non-smokers without obvious direct occupational exposure to these elements, although by working in administrative sectors in industrial facilities their indirect or potential exposure was increased. The average concentrations of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Pb, and W in blood were 0.30, 1.49, 15.1, 3.84, 2.73, 21.1, 204, 3.2, 0.76, 51.1, and 0.40 ng/mL, respectively. These values were significantly higher than reference values reported for the general population, in some cases exceeding those of occupationally exposed workers. The principal component and correlation analyses among blood element levels suggested that the predominant sources of exposure were glass manufacturing and traffic-related sources. Despite of some limitations, the study demonstrates that the residents in this industrial area may suffer adverse chronic health effects attributable to exposures to these elements.

Abstract  The aim of this study is to obtain the characteristic inorganic chemical profile of important particle sources identified in the integrated iron and steel process: sintering, blast furnace, steelmaking and desulfurization slag processing. A complete chemical and physical characterization program was developed: particle size distribution, chemical analysis, XRD, SEM-EDX and TGA/DTA. The sample collected from the sinter stack showed high levels of K and Cl-, followed by Fe, NH4+, Ca, Na and Pb. The profile of the dust samples taken from the sinter cake discharge zone was quite different, showing higher amounts of Fe, Ca and Al, and lower amounts of K, Cl-, Na and Pb. Dust samples collected from the blast furnace (BF) and steelmaking cast house may be distinguished from each other based on the higher levels of Fe (hematite and magnetite) and lower levels of Ca, Zn and C (graphite) found in BF dust. High levels of Ca and Fe were found in samples taken from the desulfurization slag processing area. Such information can be useful for source apportionment studies at receptor sites that could be influenced by iron and steelmaking plant emissions. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract  This study evaluates atmospheric concentrations of soil and Pb aerosols, and blood lead levels (BLLs) in 367839 children (ages 0-10) in Detroit, Michigan from 2001 to 2009 to test a hypothesized soil → air dust → child pathway of contemporary Pb risk. Atmospheric soil and Pb show near-identical seasonal properties that match seasonal variation in children's BLLs. Resuspended soil appears to be a significant underlying source of atmospheric Pb. A 1% increase in the amount of resuspended soil results in a 0.39% increase in the concentration of Pb in the atmosphere (95% CI, 0.28 to 0.50%). In turn, atmospheric Pb significantly explains age-dependent variation in child BLLs. Other things held equal, a change of 0.0069 μg/m(3) in atmospheric Pb increases BLL of a child 1 year of age by 10%, while approximately 3 times the concentration of Pb in air (0.023 μg/m(3)) is required to induce the same increase in BLL of a child 7 years of age. Similarly, a 0.0069 μg/m(3) change in air Pb increases the odds of a child <1 year of age having a BLL ≥ 5 μg/dL by a multiplicative factor of 1.32 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.37). Overall, the resuspension of Pb contaminated soil explains observed seasonal variation in child BLLs.

Abstract  The total and extractable forms of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, and Fe in vineyard soils from the valley of Valandovo were analyzed in order to understand the existence of metals in soils and their potential availability to the flora and fauna. The content of metals was determined by ICP-EAS analysis, while metal binding was defined with a sequential extraction procedure. The total content of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe and Cr, in almost all soil samples, did not exceed the maximum permissible content (M:PC) of trace elements in soils proposed by the New Dutchlist. The only exception was the soil sample R(3), where a higher content was measured especially for Fe, Ni and Cr and to a lesser extent Cu and Zn. Sequential extraction showed that the distribution of metals increased in the order: oxidizable > residual fraction > reducible fraction > exchangeable, water and acid soluble in soil. From this study, it can be concluded that the increased content of heavy metals in the area around the village of Rabrovo can be explained by past mining activities and the partial transfer of heavy metals in the soil. However, the low value in the mobile exchangeable fraction and the physico-chemical characteristics of the studied area indicate a low potential risk to the surrounding environment.

Abstract  To discriminate possible anthropogenic and lithogenic sources of Pb in Lower Silesia (SW Poland), the Pb isotope composition was investigated in a spectrum of rocks and anthropogenic materials as well as within 10 soil profiles. Silicate rocks in Lower Silesia have Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios that vary from 1.17 for serpentinites to 1.38 for gneisses, and this variability is reflected in the isotope composition of the mineral soil horizons. The Pb isotope composition of coals, ores and anthropogenic materials (slags and fly ashes) is rather uniform, with Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios ranging from 1.17 to 1.18. Similar ratios were observed in ore and coal samples from Upper Silesia. The O soil horizons also have uniform Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios of 1.17-1.18 and the heterogeneity of the Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios increases with depth in the soil profiles. Five soils, with varying Pb concentrations, analysed far from contamination centres, show consistent, approximately 2-fold enrichment in Pb concentration from the C to A horizons, which is consistent with natural re-distribution of Pb within the profiles. The increase in the Pb concentration is accompanied by a decrease in Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios, also attributed to natural Pb isotope fractionation. Four soil profiles from industrial areas show variable enrichments in Pb concentrations and these are attributed to anthropogenic input from airborne pollutants or even slag particles at smelting sites. The implication is that a lithogenic Pb source can deviate from the basement rock composition, and detailed isotope characteristics of the geological background and natural enrichments in soils are often needed to determine the lithogenic/anthropogenic proportions of Pb in soils. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract  Health risk, defined as possibility or probability of health damage, illness or death of humans due to exposure to risk factors in the environment, was derived for geological environment (soils) and estimated at national scale for the whole Europe and at more detailed regional scale for Slovak Republic. The assessment was based on data obtained from international geochemical mapping of Europe (Geochemical Atlas of the Europe-827 soil samples) and national geochemical mapping programme of the Slovak Republic (9,860 soil samples). The following chemical elements were evaluated: As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Cu, F, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn. The health risk assessment method was based on calculations of average daily doses of individual elements analysed in every collected soil sample. Exposure levels were set by using exposure parameters and reference doses from integrated databases of US EPA. The results of calculations were transformed into various sorts of maps (dot, pixel) to delineate areas where increased contents of risk elements can pose risk to human health. The average levels of chronic and carcinogenic risk are presented in the form of tables for single European countries and administrative units of Slovak republic. The results of European mapping (Geochemical Atlas of Europe) indicate that increased levels of potentially toxic elements in soil (mainly As, Pb and Ni) occur primarily in the countries of southern and western Europe. Such elements are associated with increased health risk for resident population. For the countries of northern Europe health risk was estimated at significantly lower level. Relatively high sampling density in Slovak Republic made it possible to calculate health risk at more detailed scale for individual administrative units (municipalities, provinces). The increased health risk level was found in areas well known for high soil contamination (e.g. mining areas).

Abstract  The most common cause of blindness in developing countries is vitamin A deficiency. The World Health Organization estimates 13.8 million children to have some degree of visual loss related to vitamin A deficiency. The causes of night blindness in children are multifactorial, and particular consideration has been given to childhood nutritional deficiency, which is the most common problem found in underdeveloped countries. Such deficiency can result in physiological and pathological processes that in turn influence biological samples composition. Vitamin and mineral deficiency prevents more than two billion people from achieving their full intellectual and physical potential. This study was designed to compare the levels of Zn, Mg, Ca, K, Na, As, Cd, and Pb in scalp hair, blood, and urine of night blindness children age ranged 3-7 and 8-12 years of both genders, comparing them to sex- and age-matched controls. A microwave-assisted wet acid digestion procedure was developed as a sample pretreatment, for the determination of As, Ca, Cd, K, Pb, Mg, Na, and Zn in biological samples of night blindness children. The proposed method was validated by using conventional wet digestion and certified reference samples of hair, blood, and urine. The concentrations of trace and toxic elements were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer prior to microwave-assisted acid digestion. The results of this study showed that the mean values of As, Cd, Na, and Pb were significantly higher in scalp hair, blood, and urine samples of male and female night blindness children than in referents (p < 0.001), whereas the concentrations of Zn, Ca, K, and Mg were lower in the scalp hair and blood but higher in the urine samples of night blindness children. These data present guidance to clinicians and other professional investigating deficiency of essential mineral elements in biological samples (scalp hair and blood) of night blindness children.

Abstract  PIXE and ICP-AES techniques are largely used in atmospheric aerosol studies. Since PIXE is able to provide the total elemental concentrations, while ICP-AES results depend on the extraction conditions, parallel PIXE and ICP-AES measurements of Fe, Al, Cu, Pb, Mn, Cr, Ni, V, As on PM10 and PM2.5 samples were compared. Two extraction procedures were applied to samples from 5 sites at different anthropization level in Italy: a "weak" extraction (HNO3 at pH = 1.5) and a "strong" extraction (micro-wave oven in HNO3 and H2O2 - following EU rules). The amount of the metal extracted in the different conditions resulted to be strongly dependent on the sampling site, on the main sources of the particle (crustal or anthropic) containing the metal and on the sampled size class. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract  Biometal accumulation may contribute to organ toxicity in individuals using the Nigerian bonny light crude oil (BLCO) for ailment management. We assessed the levels of biometals, antioxidant status, along with histomorphometric analysis to investigate the effect of BLCO, commonly use in folklore medicine, on the brain. Adult male Wistar rats were dosed by gavage with BLCO at 0, 200, and 800 mg/kg(-1) of BLCO for 7 days. Results showed the accumulation of iron, zinc, nickel and lead, in contrast to copper, in BLCO-treated rats. Administration of BLCO disrupted the brain's antioxidant system and significantly increased levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation. Although the Purkinje layer and maximum width of Purkinje cells were not affected, BLCO treatment significantly decreased molecular layer, granular layer, and density of Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. The neurotoxicity of BLCO may be the result of oxidative stress resulting from loss of biometal homeostasis as well as toxicant injury from other constituents of BLCO.

Abstract  With the development of economy and society, the problem of municipal solid waste is becoming more and more serious. In our country, municipal solid waste after being incinerated still contained much heavy metal as it was not treated by classification. The fly ash is the mainly carrier of the heavy metals. The heavy metal mass fraction in fly ash could migrate and infiltrate into air, water, soil and ecological environment. It's imperative to remove the heavy metal from the fly ash. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of use with nitric acid in enhanced electrokinetic removal experiment by analyzing the total content of several kinds of heavy metal (Zn, Pb, Cd) in the MSWI fly ash. From the test's results, the total content of Zn, Pd and Cd in the fly ash were 12280.0 mg/kg, 526.3 mg/kg and 124.8mg/kg respectively. After the fly ash was treated by enhanced electrokinetic removal experiment, for Zn and Pd, the content of heavy metal in A2 was the least among A1, A2, N1 and N2, especially for the content of Zn. It is shown from the test's results that acid and time can be helpful for the heavy metal removal in electrokinetic removal technology. In other words, it is possible to conclude that the way of adding acid in the sample zone in electrokinetic removal experiment showed positive effect.

Abstract  The aim of the present study was to analyze and compare the effects of several metals on the embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, a key species within the Mediterranean Sea ecosystem. Embryos were continuously exposed from fertilization to the following metals: 0.6 mg/l copper, 3 mg/l lead, and 6 mg/l nickel. The embryos were then monitored for metal responses at the gastrula stage, which occurred 24 h after exposure. A biochemical multi-experimental approach was taken and involved the investigation of the levels of HSC70 expression and the involvement of heat shock factor (HSF) and/or metal transcription factor (MTF) in the response. Immunoblotting assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) were used to detect stress protein levels and to study the interaction between DNA and specific transcription factors, respectively. In the 1 h during exposure to heavy metals, changes in HSC70 levels and HSC70 a phosphorylation state were observed. Rapid changes in HSF and MTF DNA-binding activity also occurred during the early stages of heavy metal exposure. In contrast, few developmental abnormalities were observed at the gastrula stage but more abnormalities were observed 48 h after metal exposure. These data demonstrate that changes in HSC70 levels and phosphorylation state as well as in HSF and MTF binding activities may be used to rapidly detect responses to heavy metal exposure. Detection of biochemical and molecular changes in response to metal exposure before manifestation of morpho-pathological effects are important for the prediction of morbidity, and these markers will be useful for determining the response to exposure as part of a toxicological exposure-response experiment and for determining responses for an impact assessment.

Abstract  To broaden our knowledge about the toxicity of metals in marine elasmobranchs, cannulated spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) were exposed to 20 mu M and 100 mu M lead (Pb). Since we wanted to focus on sub lethal ion-osmoregulatory and respiratory disturbances, arterial blood samples were analysed for pH(a), PaO2, haematocrit and total CO2 values at several time points. Plasma was used to determine urea, TMAO, lactate and ion concentrations. After 96 h, Pb concentrations were determined in a number of tissues, such as gill, rectal gland, skin and liver. To further investigate ion and osmoregulation, Na+/K+-ATPase activities in gill and rectal gland were analysed as well as rates of ammonia and urea excretion. Additionally, we studied the energy reserves in muscle and liver. Pb strongly accumulated in gills and especially in skin. Lower accumulation rates occurred in gut, kidney and rectal gland. A clear disturbance in acid-base status was observed after one day of exposure indicating a transient period of hyperventilation. The increase in pH(a) was temporary at 20 mu M, but persisted at 100 mu M. After 2 days, plasma Na and Cl concentrations were reduced compared to controls at 100 mu M Pb and urea excretion rates were elevated. Pb caused impaired N+/K+-ATPase activity in gills, but not in rectal gland. We conclude that spiny dogfish experienced relatively low ion-osmoregulatory and respiratory distress when exposed to lead, particularly when compared to effects of other metals such as silver. These elasmobranchs appear to be able to minimize the disturbance and maintain physiological homeostasis during an acute Pb exposure.

Abstract  Puerarin (PU), a natural flavonoid, has been reported to have many benefits and medicinal properties. In this study, we valuated the protective effect of puerarin against lead-induced oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis in rat liver. A total of forty male Wistar rats (8-week-old) was divided into 4 groups: control group; lead-treated group (500 mg Pb/l as the only drinking fluid); lead + puerarin treated group (500 mg Pb/l as the only drinking fluid plus 400 mg PU/kg bwt intra-gastrically once daily); and puerarin-treated group (400 mg PU/kg bwt intra-gastrically once daily). The experimental period was lasted for 75 successive days. Our data showed that puerarin significantly effectively improved the lead-induced histology changes in rat liver and decreased the serum ALT and AST activities in lead-treated rats. Puerarin markedly restored Cu/Zn-SOD, CAT and GPx activities and the GSH/GSSG ratio in the liver of lead-treated rat. Furthermore, the increase of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine induced by lead was effectively suppressed by puerarin. The enhanced caspase-3 activity in the rat liver induced by lead was also inhibited by puerarin. TUNEL assay showed that lead-induced apoptosis in rat liver was significantly inhibited by puerarin, which might be attributed to its antioxidant property. In conclusion, these results suggested that puerarin could protect the rat liver against lead-induced injury by reducing ROS production, renewing the activities of antioxidant enzymes and decreasing DNA oxidative damage. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Abstract  This paper investigated the concentrations of the water-soluble ions (e.g. SO42-, NO3-) and the inorganic elements in the atmospheric particulate, Chancheng, Foshan, China. The samples were collected on the roof of Liangtang Urban Air Automatic Monitoring Station, Chancheng, Foshan, in September and December, 2009. The NO3-/SO42- ratios of the PM10 in September and December are 0.20 and 0.62 respectively, but these of the PM2.5 in September and December are 0.14 and 0.36, respectively. It is clearly that the air pollution in Chancheng, Foshan is mainly from stationary source. The concentrations of the PM2.5 and PM10 in September are great lower than these in December. The concentrations of SO42- in atmospheric particulate, Chancheng, Foshan were nearly same for September and December, but the concentration of NO3- in September is considerable lower than that of December. It probably related to the weather conditions in September e.g. high temperature, high humidity and strong solar radiation, those are conducive to the photochemical reaction of SO2 to form SO42-, also conducive to the volatilization of the NO3-. The percentages of Ca, Al, Fe, K in the inorganic elements of atmospheric particulate ranged from 10 wt% to 20 wt%, so these elements were the major components of the atmospheric particulate. The results showed that the enrichment factors of Cu, Pb, Zn in atmospheric particulates, Chancheng, Foshan were >50, indicating highly enrichment and pollution level V.