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Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jun 29;17(13). Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Geography, School of Art and Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 210646, Mongolia.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate human health and potential ecological risk assessment in the ger district of Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. To perform these risk assessments, soil samples were collected based on reference studies that investigated heavy element distribution in soil samples near the ger area in Ulaanbaatar city. In total, 42 soil samples were collected and 26 heavy metals were identified by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Jun 17;741:140267. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM) can harm human health, but the chemical composition and toxicity of PM pollution might vary with weather conditions. In order to investigate the impacts of snowfall weather on aerosol characteristics and toxicity by changing particle sources and components, the daily PM samples were collected before, during, and after a snowfall event in urban, industrial, suburban, and rural areas of Nanjing city in eastern China, for both chemical composition analysis and cytotoxicity tests. After 24 h exposure to these PM, the cell activity, oxidative stress indicators and inflammatory factor expression levels of human lung epithelial cells A549 were measured by ELISA, and DNA damage was determined by comet assay. Read More

Huan Jing Ke Xue 2020 Jun;41(6):2878-2888

School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China.

Aiming at the problem of heavy metal Cd pollution in mining wasteland under the high background value and superposition area of the historical mining source, a total of 30 samples were collected from the reclaimed soil of a historical sulfur mine in Southwest China. The total contents of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), and Mercury (Hg) in soil samples were analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy-electron diffraction spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and BCR method for continuous extraction of heavy metals were used to analyze the occurrence of Cd under different soil thicknesses. Read More

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

The Key of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, People's Republic of China.

In this work, rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) was applied as a sentinel organism and set in cages at control and test sampling sites in Donghu Lake for 4 weeks in March, June, September, and December 2016 to assess the biological toxicity of in situ water. Sampling for active biomonitoring and physicochemical variables was performed weekly. The control was obtained from the outdoor pool of the Institute of Hydrobiology, China. Read More

J Adv Vet Anim Res 2020 Jun 10;7(2):345-359. Epub 2020 May 10.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the mean concentrations of heavy metals including aluminum (Al), arsenic, nickel (Ni), mercury, lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) and to assess the health hazards due to the exposure of cattle/human population to a distinct or the mixture of heavy metals through various sources.

Materials And Methods: A total of 180 samples including water sources, animal feed, and raw cows' milk from rural regions in Qena, Egypt, were examined using the inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP; iCAP 6200).

Results: The data highlighted heavy metal pollution with variable concentrations among most of the investigated regions. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jun 26;17(12). Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.

In order to study the toxicity of fine particulate matter (PM) sourced from different seasons on human health, we collected PM samples quarterly from March 2016 to February 2017 in Nanjing, China. The component analysis results showed that high proportions of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), SO, Ca and Mg were found in the summer samples, while high proportions of NO, NH and heavy metals were observed in the spring and winter samples. Then human lung epithelial cells (A549) were exposed to the PM samples. Read More

Microbiol Res 2020 Jun 18;238:126526. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology, University School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad 380009, India. Electronic address:

The current study depicts the isolation of luminescent bacteria from fish and squid samples that were collected from Veraval fish harbour. From Indian mackerel, total 14 and from squid, total 23 bioluminescent bacteria were isolated using luminescence agar medium. Two bioluminescent bacteria with highest relative luminescence intensity PBR1 and PBL1 were selected. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 Jun 29;192(7):466. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Consortium on Health, Environment, Education and Research (CHEER), and Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.

The concentrations of six heavy metal/metalloids (HMs) cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) were determined in the influent, effluent, and dewatered sludge of two sewage treatment works (Yuen Long Sewage Treatment Work (YLSTW) and Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Work (SWHSTW)) and river waters and sediment (Shan Pui River and Ng Tung River) within the Mai Po Ramsar site in Hong Kong SAR, China. In both STWs, Pb had the highest removal efficiencies (YLSTW 86.5 ± 19. Read More

Environ Anal Health Toxicol 2020 Jun 30;35(2):e2020010-0. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Cell Biology and Genetics Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Mixture of xenobiotics in Olusosun landfill leachates (OSL) induced somatic and germ cell genotoxicity in eukaryotic cells. However, whether the DNA-damaged germ cells can increase reproductive failure, embryotoxicity and/or teratogenicity during fertilization remained unclear. The study herein investigated reproductive toxicity and embryotoxic effects of OSL in mice using abnormal sperm morphology and dominant lethal mutation assays. Read More

Water Sci Technol 2020 Mar;81(6):1148-1158

Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran.

This study aimed at exploring the extent of likely sources of heavy metal pollution in sediments of the Khajeh Kory riverbed in the north of Iran. In order to assess the heavy metal contamination, samples from surface sediments in 10 stations covering the river were collected and analysed to determine heavy metal contents including Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Mn, Co, Al, and Fe. Three guidelines were applied to assess the heavy metal contamination. Read More

Data Brief 2020 Aug 8;31:105843. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Coal combustion by-products (CCPs) (i.e. fly (FA) and bottom (BA) ashes) generated by power plants contain heavy metals. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2020 Jun 24;202:110900. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

Department of Occupational Health and Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, PR China; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, PR China. Electronic address:

Heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) are representative neurotoxicological contaminants that can evoke cognitive dysfunctions. Low levels of these contaminants can be detected simultaneously in the human blood. In our previous study, behavioral performances were markedly impaired by exposure to these heavy metal mixtures (MM) at low levels. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, 450046, People's Republic of China.

To understand the potential risks of heavy metals, including their bioavailability and toxicity, 15 surface sediment samples were collected from Luhun Reservoir in Luoyang city, China. Total concentrations and chemical fractions of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were analyzed. Various rating methods were used to evaluate the degree, risk, and toxicity of the heavy metal pollution. Read More

Fish Physiol Biochem 2020 Jun 25. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, 570228, Hainan, People's Republic of China.

The humpback grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) is a commercially important species of the family Epinephelidae. With the development in aquaculture industry, C. altivelis breeding has gradually increased in volumetric production, leading to the occurrence of various diseases. Read More

World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020 Jun 26;36(7):97. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.

The resistance of microorganisms to heavy metals in polluted environments is mediated by genetically determined mechanisms. One such mechanism includes the intracellular sequestration of heavy metals in polyphosphate (polyP) inclusions. In Cr(III) contaminated mediums, Ochrobactrum anthropi DE2010 is able to bind and sequester Cr(III) in polyP inclusions. Read More

Plant Physiol Biochem 2020 Jun 17;154:287-294. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shantou University, No 243 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong Province, 515063, China. Electronic address:

The application of graphene oxide (GO) in the environment can have a positive or negative effect on the toxicity of pollutants, but the effect of GO on cadmium (Cd)-stressed lettuce has not yet been thoroughly studied. Therefore, we assessed the potential effects of foliar GO sprays on photosynthesis and antioxidant systems in Cd-stressed lettuce. We found that the foliar application of 30 mg L of GO could significantly reduce signs of Cd toxicity in lettuce. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Jun 24. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.

Copper (Cu) is an abundant essential micronutrient element in various rocks and minerals and is required for a variety of metabolic processes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. However, excess Cu can disturb normal development by adversely affecting biochemical reactions and physiological processes in plants. The present study was conducted to explore the potential of gibberellic acid (GA) on fibrous jute (Corchorus capsularis L. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jun 23;10(1):10193. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Bialystok University of Technology, Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Environmental Management, Wiejska 45A, 15-351, Bialystok, Poland.

Phytohormones, such as auxins and cytokinins, take part in the integration of growth control and stress response, but their role in algal adaptation to heavy metal remains to be elucidated. The current research indicated that lead (Pb), one of the most toxic metals in nature, causes severe depletion of endogenous cytokinins, auxins, and gibberellin and an increase in abscisic acid content in the green alga Acutodesmus obliquus. Exogenous auxins and cytokinins alleviate Pb toxicity through the regulation of the endogenous phytohormones' levels. Read More

Molecules 2020 Jun 19;25(12). Epub 2020 Jun 19.

Biological Sciences Department, Rabigh-Faculty of Science & Arts, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. box 344, Rabigh 21911, Saudi Arabia.

Effects of 12 heavy metals on growth of free and alginate-immobilized cells of the alga were investigated. The tested metals ions include Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Se, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn. Toxicity values (EC) were calculated by graphical interpolation from dose-response curves. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2020 Jun 18;13(12). Epub 2020 Jun 18.

State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China.

Steel slag has been used widely as an aggregate in road application, but it could pose a contamination risk for the environment due to considerable heavy metals (HMs). To explore the leaching behavior and contamination risk of HMs from steel slag and its asphalt mixture is of great significance. In this study, the physical-chemical features, batch leaching test and semi-dynamic test were conducted to determine the mobility capability and leaching characteristics of HMs. Read More

Chem Res Toxicol 2020 Jun 22. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

DNA copy number variants (CNVs) are associated with the development of complex neurological diseases and disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Exposure to multiple environmental chemicals including various heavy metals is suggested as a risk factor in these neurological diseases and disorders, but few studies have addressed if heavy metal exposure can result in de novo DNA copy number changes as a genetic mechanism contributing to these disease outcomes. In this study to further investigate the relationship between heavy metal exposure and de novo copy number alterations (CNAs), zebrafish fibroblast cells were exposed to the neurotoxicant lead (Pb). Read More

Macromol Biosci 2020 Jun 22:e2000128. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Shanghai Med-X Engineering Center for Medical Equipment and Technology, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, P. R. China.

Conjugated polymer dots have excellent fluorescence properties in terms of their structural diversity and functional design, showing broad application prospects in the fields of biological imaging and biosensing. Polymer dots contain no heavy metals and are thought to be of low toxicity and good biocompatibility. Therefore, systematic studies on their potential toxicity are needed. Read More

J Environ Public Health 2020 3;2020:8516105. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kabale University, Box 317, Kabale, Uganda.

Background: Community consumption of herbal plants in developing countries is a common practice, however, scarcity of information on their physiochemical composition is a major public health concern. In Uganda, is of interest in rural communities due to its therapeutical action on both bacterial and protozoal parasites, however no studies have been conducted to assess the heavy metal concentrations in traditional plants used in alternative medicine. The aim of the study was to establish concentrations of heavy metals in , model the estimated daily intake (EDI), and assess both the non-cancer-related health risk using the target hazard quotient (THQ), and the risk related to cancer through the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for the Ugandan population. Read More

J Environ Sci (China) 2020 Aug 5;94:137-146. Epub 2020 May 5.

State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.

It is widely acknowledged that a simplified and robust approach to evaluating thecombined effects of chemical mixtures is critical for ecological risk assessment (ERA) of contaminated soil. The earthworm (Eisenia fetida) was used as a model to study the combined effects of polymetallic contamination and the herbicide siduron in field soil using a microcosm experiment. The responses of multiple biomarkers, including the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR) and acetylcholine esterase (AChE), the concentrations of glycogen, soluble protein (SP), malonaldehyde (MDA), and metallothionein (MT), and the neutral red uptake test (NRU), were investigated. Read More

Molecules 2020 Jun 16;25(12). Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.

Extensive use of carbofuran insecticide harms the environment and human health. Carbofuran is an endocrine disruptor and has the highest acute toxicity to humans than all groups of carbamate pesticides used. Carbofuran is highly mobile in soil and soluble in water with a lengthy half-life (50 days). Read More

Chemosphere 2020 Jun 14;258:127386. Epub 2020 Jun 14.

Department of Botany, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Contamination of agricultural land with heavy metal is a serious biological and environmental issue. Such threat can be challenged by exploring the plant symbiotic microbes that can improve plant growth through phyto-hormones secretion and chromate chelation. In the current study, chromate resistant rhizospheric Staphylococcus arlettae strain MT4 was isolated from the rhizosphere of Malvestrum tricuspadatum L. Read More

Microb Biotechnol 2020 Jun 19. Epub 2020 Jun 19.

Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Heavy metal contamination is a serious environmental problem. Understanding the toxicity mechanisms may allow to lower concentration of metals in the metal-based antimicrobial treatments of crops, and reduce metal content in soil and groundwater. Here, we investigate the interplay between metal efflux systems and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the purple bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus and other bacteria through analysis of the impact of metal accumulation. Read More

Biol Trace Elem Res 2020 Jun 18. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Hakim Sabzevari University, 379 post box, Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi, 9617916487, Iran.

Due to the importance of Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) in the nutrition and health of consumers, a study was conducted to evaluate the concentration of mercury and its associated health risk for this species, its predators, and the people. Samples were collected from the fish at the four best-selling stations, Bandar Torkaman, Bander Anzali, Fereydunkenar, and Chalos, with mean mercury concentrations in the samples from the stations being 49.4, 132. Read More

Water Sci Technol 2020 Mar;81(5):936-948

Key Laboratory of Fruit Waste Treatment and Resource Recycling of the Sichuan Provincial Higher Learning Institutes, Neijiang, Sichuan Province 641100, China E-mail: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang, Sichuan Province 641100, China.

A composite biosorbent (AC-TFR) prepared by encapsulating tannin-formaldehyde resin (TFR) into calcium alginate (AC) beads was used to remove Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution. Various influencing factors, such as TFR dosage, pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration, contact time, temperature and presence of co-ions in the medium, were investigated. The structures and adsorption performances of the adsorbents were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Read More

Int J Phytoremediation 2020 Jun 13:1-16. Epub 2020 Jun 13.

Department of Academic, Western Sydney University, Ambarvale, Australia.

Heavy metals (HMs) in soil, air, and water environments effect human health. These HMs cannot be degraded in soil and they can only be transformed from one state to another. Food and energy resources such as coal, oil, petrol, etc. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Jun 2;738:139840. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Department of Bioenergy, Biorefinery and Green Chemistry (DTE-BBC-BIC), Territorial Office of Bari, Via Giulio Petroni 15/F, Bari 70124, Italy. Electronic address:

The vegetables supply chain of intensive farming systems has gained huge relevance due to environmental pollution, residual toxicity towards microorganisms and humans, development of plant pathogen resistance, biodiversity loss, and hazard to human health. Studies addressed to clean from misuse of plant fungicides, soil fumigants, and fertilizers have encouraged the search of eco-friendly alternatives. This paper aims to give deeper understand of new insights for on-farm composting and compost-based tea application for soil and plant through the virtuous reuse of agricultural waste. Read More

Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao 2020 May;31(5):1773-1782

Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in the Tropics/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Circular Agriculture/Guangdong Engineering Research Centre for Modern Eco-agriculture/Department of Ecology, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.

Heavy metal pollution is one of the thorniest issues in the world, which is a serious threat to ecosystems and food security. As an important link of food chain and food web in the ecosystem, herbivorous insects play important role in the transfer and accumulation of heavy metals. Consequently, more and more attentions have been paid on the potential effects of heavy metal pollution on herbivorous insects. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Jun 9;21(11). Epub 2020 Jun 9.

Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, I-73100 Lecce, Italy.

"Heavy metals" is a collective term widely applied for the group of metals and metalloids with an atomic density above 4 g/cm [... Read More

Chemosphere 2020 May 23;257:127140. Epub 2020 May 23.

Department of Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China.

The recent increase in municipal sludge worldwide has led to a great deal of interest in developing an efficient and environmentally friendly sludge treatment method. In the paper, the treatment of municipal sludge by hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) process with HO as the oxidant was proposed. The impacts of HTO temperature and HO mass fraction on the distribution of products, the moisture content, the migration behaviors of the heavy metals (HMs) of the resulted solid products, the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and NH-N contained in the resulted aqueous phase products and the pH value were investigated. Read More

J Oral Sci 2020 Jun 10;62(3):245-249. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith Health Centre, Gold Coast campus, Griffith University.

A systematic review was conducted to identify the biological responses, allergic reaction, hypersensitivity, toxicity, and ion release profile associated with pediatric stainless steel crowns (SSCs) in the existing literature. A systematic search was undertaken according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. The inclusion criteria consisted of patients younger than 20 years of age with SSC placement on primary or permanent teeth and in vivo and in vitro exposure to SSCs. Read More

Plant Cell Environ 2020 Jun 10. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

To succeed in life, living organisms have to adapt to the environmental issues to which they are subjected. Some plants, defined hyperaccumulators, have adapted to metalliferous environments acquiring the ability to tolerate and accommodate high amounts of toxic metal into their shoot, without showing symptoms of toxicity. The determinants for these traits and their mode of action have long been the subject of research, whose attention lately moved to the evolution of the hypertolerance and hyperaccumulation traits. Read More

Biol Res 2020 Jun 8;53(1):26. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Laboratorio Microbiología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Background: There is an emerging field to put into practice new strategies for developing molecules with antimicrobial properties. In this line, several metals and metalloids are currently being used for these purposes, although their cellular effect(s) or target(s) in a particular organism are still unknown. Here we aimed to investigate and analyze Au toxicity through a combination of biochemical and molecular approaches. Read More

Mar Pollut Bull 2020 Jul 8;156:111238. Epub 2020 May 8.

School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.

Spatial distribution of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) were studied in the surficial sediments from 20 sampling sites of Laucala Bay Suva, Fiji to assess the significance of wastewater effluent discharged from Kinoya Wastewater Treatment Plant (KWWTP) into Laucala Bay as a major source. The bioavailability of these metals was also assessed using the fractionation technique. The total concentrations of individual metals varied from 1. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Jun 6. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (LGE), Université Paris-Est, 5 Boulevard Descartes, Champs-sur-Marne, 77454, Marne la Vallée Cedex 2, France.

Water pollution by heavy metals has many human origins, such as the burning of fossil fuels, exhaust gases of vehicles, mining, agriculture, and incineration of solid and liquid wastes. Heavy metals also occur naturally, due to volcanoes, thermal springs activity, erosion, infiltration, etc. This water contamination is a threat for living beings because most heavy metals are toxic to humans and to aquatic life. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Sep 23;736:139637. Epub 2020 May 23.

Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, Departamento Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão, Câmpus Canoinhas. Av. Expedicionários, 2150, Bairro Campo da Água verde, Canoinhas, SC CEP: 89469-000, Brazil. Electronic address:

Elemental composition of food can be used to determine nutritional potential as well as guiding legislation for establishing maximum acceptable limits (MAL) of metals in consumption products. This study aimed to determine the elemental background levels of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St. Read More

FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020 Jul;96(7)

School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.

A bacterial consortium was enriched from gold particles that 'experienced' ca. 80 years of biotransformation within waste-rock piles (Australia). This bacterial consortium was exposed to 10 µM AuCl3 to obtain Au-tolerant bacteria. Read More

Toxicol Rep 2020 11;7:664-670. Epub 2020 May 11.

Laboratory of Fish Ecophysiology, Department of Fisheries Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh.

Chromium is considered the most detrimental pollutant to the aquatic organisms. The present experiment was conducted to determine the acute toxicity of chromium in view of its effects on hemato-biochemical parameters and the structure of erythrocytes in striped catfish, . Fish were exposed to seven different concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mg/L) of chromium, each with three replications for 96 h. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 May 29;17(11). Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.

Heavy metal contamination is currently a major environmental concern, as most agricultural land is being polluted from municipal discharge. Among various other pollutants, cadmium (Cd), one of the most harmful heavy metals, enters into the food chain through the irrigation of crops with an industrial effluent. In the present study, a pot experiment was designed to assess the effect of different nitrogen (N)-fertilizer forms in the phytoremediation of Cd through L. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2020 May 17;398:122959. Epub 2020 May 17.

Research Institute of Tianying in Shanghai, China Tianying Inc., Shanghai, 200233, China. Electronic address:

Fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration is considered as a hazardous waste, which would raise great threats on environmental safety due to the inherent toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants. In this study, we applied the life cycle assessment to evaluate the thermal plasma vitrification process for stabilization of fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration. We established four scenarios: (i) plasma vitrification, including centralized and off-site plasma treatment, (ii) fuel-based vitrification, (iii) water-washing treatment followed by a rotary kiln, and (iv) conventional solidification and landfill. Read More

Environ Pollut 2020 May 16;265(Pt A):114816. Epub 2020 May 16.

CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710075, China. Electronic address:

In this study, polymetal(iod)s-contaminated mining soil from the Huainan coalfield, Anhui, China, was used to investigate the synergistic effects of biochar (BC), raw coal (RC), and hydrothermally treated coal (HTC) on the immobilization, speciation, transformation, and accumulation of Cd, Cr, and Pb in a soil-plant system via geochemical speciation and advanced spectroscopic approaches. The results revealed that the BC-2% and BC-HTC amendments were more effective than the individual RC, and/or HTC amendments to reduce ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-extractable Cd, Cr, and Pb concentrations by elevating soil pH and soil organic carbon content. Soil pH increased by 1. Read More

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2020 May 27;79:103429. Epub 2020 May 27.

Education and Scientific Center of Nanotechnology, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, 690950, Russia. Electronic address:

Agricultural production is becoming increasingly dependent on the environmental factors that alter soil properties, plant productivity, and product quality. Environment pollution caused by heavy metals because of human activities are among the most dangerous pollutants on the biosphere. Here, we have studied the biochemical adaptation of wild and cultivated soybeans to the simulated effects of lead nitrate and lead acetate. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 Aug 28;732:139011. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver, CO 80225, United States of America. Electronic address:

Conceptual and quantitative models were developed to assess time-dependent processes in four sequential experimental stream studies that determined abundances of natural communities of mayfly and caddisfly larvae dosed with single metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn) or multiple metals (Cd + Zn, Co + Cu, Cu + Ni, Cu + Zn, Ni + Zn, Cd + Cu + Zn, Co + Cu + Ni, Cu + Ni + Zn). Metal mixtures contained environmentally relevant metal ratios found in mine drainage. Free metal ion concentrations, accumulation of metals by periphyton, and metal uptake by four families of aquatic insect larvae were either measured (Brachycentridae) or predicted (Ephemerellidae, Heptageniidae, Hydropsychidae) using equilibrium and biodynamic models. Read More

J Hazard Mater 2020 May 19;398:122858. Epub 2020 May 19.

Heilongjiang Province Environmental Science Research Institute, Harbin 150056, China.

Heavy metals (HM) pollution exerts an effect on microbial community composition and structure during composting, the way how microbial community responses to HM pressure is remain poorly understood though. The aim of this study was to explore functional roles of microorganisms based on selective pressures of HM (Cu, Zn and Cd). The results of microbial resistance showed that the toxicity of metals to microorganisms were Cu > Zn > Cd during composting. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 May 29;192(6):402. Epub 2020 May 29.

Department of Environmental Science, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines.

In unregulated mining and processing for Cu and Au, large amounts of heavy metals and metalloids are generated as tails. These wasted by-products could actually pose serious environmental problems. The objective of this study was to assess the potential ability of Alternanthera sessilis and Aster philippinensis thriving abundantly in a small-scale mine processing site at Kias, Benguet, for possible Cu, Pb, Zn, and As uptake. Read More