施加磷元素后对小麦抗重金属铜毒性的影响

将小麦幼苗放在含有不同浓度磷元素(1 mmol/L和10 mmol/L)和铜元素(0.16μmol/L、100μmol/L和1 mmol/L)的培养液中处理12 h后,观察植物体内铜元素的含量、叶绿素含量、抗坏血酸循环的变化.结果表明,当培养液中施加的铜元素浓度相同时,施加较高浓度的磷(10 mmol/L)能促进植物根部吸收和积累铜,并能促进铜元素从根部向地上部的运输.此外,实验结果还表明,当培养液中都含有较少量的铜(0.16μmol/L)元素时,比较磷浓度对植物体内生理反应的影响时,发现在含有高浓度磷的培养液中培养的小麦体内的受到较少的膜质过氧化损伤,光合色素的含量保持稳定.但是,当培养液中有较高浓度的铜元素(100μmol/L和1 mmol/L)时,施加高浓度的磷反而加剧了植物体内的膜质过氧化损伤和引起光合色素的分解,从而不利于植物正常的生长发育.     

康定柳对铯胁迫的生理生化响应及富集能力

主要探讨康定柳(Salix paraplesia)在水培条件下对铯胁迫(133Cs+浓度0、50和200μmol/L)的生理生化响应和富集修复能力。研究结果表明:铯胁迫造成了植物的过氧化损伤,且与胁迫浓度呈正相关;植物通过提高渗透调节能力(Pro)和抗氧化能力(SOD、POD和CAT)应对铯胁迫,但高浓度铯胁迫却显著抑制了植株抗氧化系统的作用。从植物光合荧光指标和叶绿素含量来看,低浓度铯能促进植物叶绿素合成且对光合能力影响不大,而高浓度铯胁迫则抑制了植物叶绿素的合成及光合能力。此外,与对照相比,低浓度铯胁迫能够显著促进植株的茎长,而高浓度铯胁迫则显著抑制了植株的生物量、根长和茎长,对植株生长发育的抑制作用明显。康定柳对水体中铯的富集量和富集系数均表现为根茎叶,铯主要富集在植株根部,且在高处理浓度下,植株富集量最高达到2.235 8 mg/g DW。表明康定柳对水体中铯的污染具有较好的耐受性和修复潜力。     

磷浓度对海洋小球藻叶绿素荧光及生长的影响

海水富营养化影响微藻生长,引起海洋初级生产力变化.以海洋小球藻(Chlorella sp.)为研究对象,研究不同磷浓度对其叶绿素荧光、细胞密度和色素含量变化的影响,以期找到海洋小球藻最适生长的磷浓度,为富营养条件下微藻生长的研究提供基础资料.结果表明,在培养温度为(22±1) ℃、光照强度为4 000 lx、光暗比为12 h:12 h条件下,不同磷浓度对海洋小球藻叶绿素荧光、细胞密度及色素含量影响显著,最大光能转化效率(Fv/Fm)、潜在活性(Fv/Fo)、实际光能转化效率(ΦPSⅡ)和电子传递速率(ETR)均呈先升后降的趋势,3.62 μmol/L处理组显著低于其他各组,434.52 μmol/L处理组一直处在较高水平.说明海洋小球藻的光合作用对高磷的适应范围较广,但对低磷浓度培养反应敏感.非光化学淬灭(qN)的值,3.62 μmol/L处理组高于其他各组.从细胞密度和色素含量的变化可以看出,36.21 μmol/L处理组最高,434.52、3.62 μmol/L处理组均低于36.21 μmol/L处理组.海洋小球藻生长的最适磷摩尔浓度为36.21 μmol/L.     

钙对李氏禾富集和耐受铬的调控作用

通过水培实验，研究钙对铬胁迫下李氏禾幼苗生理生化、草酸分泌及铬吸收量的影响，考察钙对李氏禾体内草酸合成的调控，进而促进李氏禾的铬耐性富集能力的作用。结果显示，不同浓度Cr³⁺胁迫下缺钙处理，李氏禾生长受抑制及质膜过氧化作用加剧，体内总草酸含量为对照处理的113%~169%，且主要表现为水溶性草酸含量显著高于对照，水溶性草酸含量为对照处理的135%~197%；高钙处理，李氏禾细胞膜透性、丙二醛（MDA）含量低于对照，李氏禾叶部总草酸含量为对照处理的125%~155%，且主要表现为不溶性草酸含量显著高于对照，其含量为对照处理的181%~270%。低浓度（0.2、0.4 mmol/L）铬胁迫下，高钙处理总铬含量分别为对照处理的175%和215%，高浓度（0.8、1.0 mmol/L）铬胁迫下，总铬含量与对照处理无显著差异（P>0.05）。可见，添加Ca²⁺能在一定Cr³⁺浓度胁迫下，有效缓解铬对李氏禾的毒害，且能通过提高植物体内不溶性草酸含量达到促进植物富集和耐受铬的能力。     

不同浓度葡萄糖对铅胁迫下小球藻部分生理特性的影响

实验观测了适宜铅离子浓度(0.04 mmol/L)胁迫下不同浓度葡萄糖对小球藻生长及小球藻内光合色素、蛋白质和可溶性糖含量的影响。结果表明,在适量铅胁迫下,10 g/L的葡萄糖就能缓解胁迫并且促进小球藻的生长,葡萄糖浓度为20~40 g/L时小球藻的生物量最大。不同浓度的葡萄糖使小球藻细胞内光合色素含量呈先升后降的趋势。实验组小球藻可溶性蛋白质和可溶性糖的单位质量含量都低于对照组,并且随着葡萄糖浓度的升高而降低;但其单位体积含量却都高于对照组。说明适宜浓度的葡萄糖对铅胁迫下小球藻的生长有一定的影响。     

巯基化合物在万寿菊镉解毒中的作用

采用水培实验方法研究了万寿菊体内镉积累和解毒与巯基化合物含量的关系。万寿菊植株分别在镉浓度为0、0.1、0.5、2和8 mg/L的营养液中暴露7 d,测定了根、茎、叶中镉、非蛋白巯基(NPT)、半胱氨酸(Cys)、γ-谷氨酰半胱氨酸(γ-EC)、谷胱甘肽(GSH)和植物络合素(PCs)的含量。植物根、茎、叶中镉含量都随着镉暴露浓度的增加而增加。当溶液中镉浓度较低(0.1～2 mg/L)时,茎叶中NPT、PCs、Cys和γ-EC含量随着镉浓度增加而增大;当镉浓度较高(8 mg/L)时,茎叶中PCs含量迅速降低,GSH含量大幅度增高。在根部,这些巯基化合物的含量几乎不受镉处理影响,且含量较低。以上研究结果表明:PCs在万寿菊镉的解毒机制中发挥一定的作用,暴露于高浓度的镉,GSH比PCs起着更为重要的解毒作用。     

柠檬酸对褐土中DTPA提取态铜、镉含量及对紫花苜蓿吸收铜、镉的影响

为了阐述有机酸对土壤中重金属生物有效性的影响,通过盆栽实验,研究了Cu、Cd复合污染下柠檬酸对褐土中二乙基三胺五乙酸(DTPA)提取态铜和镉含量的影响,并探讨了柠檬酸对植物吸收铜、镉的影响。结果表明,土壤中DT-PA-Cu含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加而减小,添加高浓度铜(Cu 1 000)处理中,DTPA-Cu含量减小更明显。在添加低铜浓度(Cu600)处理下,柠檬酸添加量为2和12 mmol/kg时,土壤DTPA-Cu含量随土壤镉含量的增加而增加,而柠檬酸含量为5mmol/kg时,DTPA-Cu含量在低镉处理(Cd 1)时含量最低。紫花苜蓿中铜含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加明显降低。土壤中DTPA-Cd含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加而减小,且随铜添加量的增加而降低。紫花苜蓿中的镉含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加先增加后减小;在相同柠檬酸添加量处理时,紫花苜蓿中镉的含量随镉含量的增加而增加;在低镉处理下,铜的加入对较低柠檬酸浓度时紫花苜蓿镉含量影响不明显,但柠檬酸浓度为12 mmol/kg时,紫花苜蓿中镉含量随铜添加量的增加而明显增加。     

不同Cd2+浓度与硝酸盐浓度、磷酸盐浓度交互作用对杜氏盐藻生长及叶绿素荧光特性的影响

研究了不同Cd2+浓度与硝酸盐浓度、磷酸盐浓度交互作用对杜氏盐藻(Dunaliella salina)生长及叶绿素荧光特性的影响.结果表明,Cd2+浓度与硝酸盐浓度、磷酸盐浓度对杜氏盐藻的光合作用及生长均具有显著影响(P＜0.05)；Cd2+胁迫24 h后,杜氏盐藻的荧光参数Fv/Fm、Fv/Fo、Yield、rETR、细胞密度和叶绿素相对含量均与Cd2+浓度表现为显著的负相关；在低硝酸盐摩尔浓度(55μmol/L)下,杜氏盐藻的荧光参数Fv/Fm、Fv/F.、Yield、rETR、细胞密度和叶绿素相对含量均明显下降；在高硝酸盐摩尔浓度(7 040 μmol/L)下,杜氏盐藻的上述荧光参数下降幅度小；在正常硝酸盐摩尔浓度(880 μmol/L)下,杜氏盐藻荧光参数Fv/Fo、NPQ和叶绿素相对含量均最高,对Cd2+的耐受性更强；在低磷酸盐摩尔浓度(2.27 μmol/L)下,杜氏盐藻的荧光参数(除NPQ外)、细胞密度和叶绿素相对含量均显著低于对照组和高磷处理组,表现为磷限制现象；在离磷酸盐摩尔浓度(290.40 μmol/L)下,杜氏盐藻的荧光参数(除NPQ外)、细胞密度和叶绿素相对含量均明显高于低磷处理组和对照组,杜氏盐藻受Cd2+胁迫程度最小.     

氯化汞对小鼠睾丸生殖细胞的DNA损伤作用

探索氯化汞对雄性小鼠生殖细胞毒性的分子遗传机制。分别以 0 .0 1、0 .10、1.0 0 mmol/L的氯化汞体外处理小鼠睾丸细胞和以 0 .5、1.0、5 .0 μmol/kg的氯化汞体内暴露小鼠 ,应用单细胞凝胶电泳技术检测生殖细胞 DNA的损伤。体外处理 3种剂量组小鼠睾丸生殖细胞 DNA损伤率显著高于阴性对照组 ( 0 mmol/L组 ,P<0 .0 0 1) ;0 .1、1.0 mmol/L剂量组慧星细胞迁移率显著高于阴性对照组 ( P<0 .0 0 1,P<0 .0 5 )。体内暴露 3种浓度氯化汞组小鼠睾丸生殖细胞 DNA损伤率显著高于阴性对照组 ( 0μmol/kg,P<0 .0 0 1) ,5 .0 μmol/kg组慧星迁移率显著高于阴性对照组 ( P<0 .0 5 )。一定剂量的氯化汞处理引起生殖细胞 DNA损伤作用可能是氯化汞细胞毒性的机制之一。     

复合赤泥在高浓度含磷废水处理中的应用

赤泥与石灰粉（CaO和Ca（OH）₂）按不同比例混合制成复合赤泥，通过投加实验考察了复合赤泥的除磷效果。结果证明，对于磷酸盐浓度为45 000 mg/L左右（以P计）的酸性工业废水，复合赤泥（赤泥与Ca（OH）₂按质量比1：1混合）投加量为240 g/L，去除率为99.97%；对于10 mg/L左右的含磷废水，赤泥的最佳投加浓度为15 g/L，上清液磷浓度可降至0.30 mg/L，出水低于0.5 mg/L的排放标准。根据以上研究结果，提出了对高浓度酸性磷酸盐废水的处理宜采用复合赤泥再加原状赤泥的二级处理方法。     

Patterns of volatile metabolites and nonvolatile trichothecenes produced by isolates of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stachybotrys,Fusarium, Trichoderma,Trichothecium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Memnoniella</Emphasis>

We reported previously that trichodiene, a volatile trichothecene derivative, was produced by a Stachybotrys isolate, also known to produce highly cytotoxic, non-volatile, macrocyclic trichothecenes (satrotoxins). We investigated the relationship between the production of trichodiene and various non-volatile trichothecenes for several molds. Volatile metabolites were concentrated by adsorption on Tenax TA and analyzed by GC/MS, while non-volatile metabolites were separated by HPLC, derivatized and analyzed by GC/MS. Stachybotrys chartarum isolates producing macrocyclic trichothecenes secreted significantly larger amounts of trichodiene and other sesquiterpenes than isolates which only produced simple trichothecenes. The amounts of secreted trichodiene were relatively small in all cases. With the exception of Memnoniella, which excreted small amounts of sesquiterpenes, the other isolates produced varying amounts of sesquiterpenes, including trichodiene, as well as simple tricothecenes, no detectable trichodiene, but large amounts of griseofulvin derivatives. In Stachybotrys there is apparently a correlation between trichodiene and macrocyclic trichothecene production. In the remaining isolates, there was no simple relationship between trichodiene and non-volatile trichothecene synthesis. Trichodiene is produced in larger amounts by Stachybotrys isolates, which also produce satratoxins, but it will be difficult to utilize this metabolite to detect toxic isolates in buildings due to the relatively small amounts excreted.     

Radionuclides and trace elements in fish collected upstream and downstream of Los Alamos national laboratory and the doses to humans from the consumption of muscle and bone

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine radionuclide and trace element concentrations in bottom‐feeding fish (catfish, carp, and suckers) collected from the confluences of some of the major canyons that cross Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) lands with the Rio Grande (RG) and the potential radiological doses from the ingestion of these fish. Samples of muscle and bone (and viscera in some cases) were analyzed for ³H, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, ^totU, ²³⁸Pu, ^239,240Pu, and ²⁴¹Am and Ag, As, Ba, Be, Cr, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Tl. Most radionuclides, with the exception of ⁹⁰Sr, in the muscle plus bone portions of fish collected from LANL canyons/RG were not significantly (p<0.05) higher from fish collected upstream (San Ildefonso/background) of LANL. Strontium‐90 in fish muscle plus bone tissue significantly (p<0.05) increases in concentration starting from Los Alamos Canyon, the most upstream confluence (fish contained 3.4E‐02 pCi g^‐1 [126E‐02 Bq kg^‐1]), to Frijoles Canyon, the most downstream confluence (fish contained 14E‐02 pCi g^‐1 [518E‐02 Bq kg^‐1]). The differences in ⁹⁰Sr concentrations in fish collected downstream and upstream (background) of LANL, however, were very small. Based on the average concentrations (±2SD) of radionuclides in fish tissue from the four LANL confluences, the committed effective dose equivalent from the ingestion of 46 lb (21 kg) (maximum ingestion rate per person per year) of fish muscle plus bone, after the subtraction of background, was 0.1 ± 0.1 mrem y^‐1 (1.0 ± 1.0 μSv y^‐1), and was far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (all pathway) permissible dose limit of 100 mrem y^‐1 (1000 μSv y^‐1). Of the trace elements that were found above the limits of detection (Ba, Cu, and Hg) in fish muscle collected from the confluences of canyons that cross LANL and the RG, none were in significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations than in muscle of fish collected from background locations.     

A History of Dry Cleaners and Sources of Solvent Releases from Dry Cleaning Equipment

Approximately 25, 000-35, 000 dry cleaning facilities currently operate in the U.S. The release of perchloroethylene and other solvents from these establishments represents a major source of soil and groundwater contamination. The manner in which dry cleaning solvents escape from dry cleaning plants is, for all practical purposes, identical for chlorinated and petroleum hydrocarbon solvents and is related to one of the following events: the catastrophic failure of a component of the dry cleaning system, the improper installation, operation or maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment or a combination of all of these causes. Acceptable customs, codes and regulations can also dictate what is authorized for operation of a dry cleaning facility in a particular community, geographic area during a particular time frame. Environmental litigation dealing with the origin of a solvent release from dry cleaners tends to focus on the design and manufacture of dry cleaning industry machines such as washers, washer extractors, tumblers, solvent filters, water separators, stills and spotting boards. A thorough analysis of the daily operations of dry cleaners often reveals that poor maintenance, failure to follow the manufacturer's instructions and the actions of the operator are the most likely causes of soil and groundwater pollution. In order to forensically evaluate the most probable origins of a solvent release and to examine issues regarding liability, a thorough understanding of the history of dry cleaning and a detailed analysis of the operation and maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment are necessary. The discovery of solvent plumes in the vicinity of dry cleaning plants may suggest that the solvent source is the dry cleaning plant; however, the presence of these plumes does not necessarily indicate that the dry cleaning equipment was defectively designed or manufactured. A thorough review of the type of equipment used over the life of the dry cleaning plant and verifiable solvent mileage records frequently indicates that operators of the plant have disposed of solvent and contaminated solids into the municipal sewer or on ground surfaces.     

Radionuclides in deer and elk from Los Alamos national laboratory and the doses to humans from the ingestion of muscle and bone

Abstract

This paper summarizes radionuclide concentrations (³H, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁸Pu, ^239,240Pu, ²⁴¹Am, and ^totU) in muscle and bone tissue of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) collected from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico, lands from 1991 through 1998. Also, the committed effective dose equivalent (CEDE) and the risk of excess cancer fatalities (RECF) to people who ingest muscle and bone from deer and elk collected from LANL lands were estimated. Most radionuclide concentrations in muscle and bone from individual deer (n = 11) and elk (n = 22) collected from LANL lands were either at less than detectable quantities (where the analytical result was smaller than two counting uncertainties) and/or within upper (95%) level background (BG) concentrations. As a group, most radionuclides in muscle and bone of deer and elk from LANL lands were not significantly higher (p<0.10) than in similar tissues from deer (n = 3) and elk (n = 7) collected from BG locations. Also, elk that had been radio collared and tracked for two years and spent an average time of 50% on LANL lands were not significantly different in most radionuclides from road kill elk that have been collected as part of the environmental surveillance program. Overall, the upper (95%) level net CEDEs (the CEDE plus two sigma for each radioisotope minus background) at the most conservative ingestion rate (50 lbs of muscle and 13 lbs of bone) were as follows: deer muscle = 0.22 mrem y^‐1 (2.2 μSv y^‐1), deer bone = 3.8 mrem y^‐1 (38 μSv y^‐1), elk muscle = 0.12 mrem y^‐1 (1.2 μSv y^‐1), and elk bone = 1.7 mrem y^‐1 (17 μSv y^‐1). All CEDEs were far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection guideline of 100 mrem y^‐1 (1000 μSv y^‐1), and the highest muscle plus bone net CEDE corresponded to a RECF of 2E‐06, which is far below the Environmental Protection Agency upper level guideline of 1E‐04.     

Leaching of seven pesticides currently used in cotton crop in Mato Grosso State—Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the leaching of pesticides and the applicability of the Attenuation Factor (AF) Model to predict their leaching. The leaching of carbofuran, carbendazim, diuron, metolachlor, α and β endosulfan and chlorpyrifos was studied in an Oxisol using a field experiment lysimeter located in Dom Aquino – Mato Grosso. The samples of percolated water were collected by rain event and analyzed. Chemical and physical soil attributes were determined before pesticide application to the plots. The results showed that carbofuran was the pesticide that presented a higher leaching rate in the studied soil, so was the one representing the highest contamination potential. From the total carbofuran applied in the soil surface, around 6 % leached below 50 cm. The other pesticides showed lower mobility in the studied soil. The calculated values to AF were 7.06E-12 (carbendazim), 5.08E-03 (carbofuran), 3.12E-17 (diuron), 6.66E-345 (α-endosulfan), 1.47E-162 (β-endosulfan), 1.50E-06 (metolachlor), 3.51E-155 (chlorpyrifos). AF Model was useful to classify the pesticides' potential for contamination; however, that model underestimated pesticide leaching.     

Endosulfan in China 2—emissions and residues

Background, aim, and scope  Endosulfan is one of the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and also a candidate to be included in a group of new persistent organic pollutants (UNEP 2007). The first national endosulfan usage inventories in China with 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution has been reported in an accompanying paper. In the second part of the paper, we compiled the gridded historical emissions and soil residues of endosulfan in China from the usage inventories. Based on the residue/emission data, gridded concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese soil and air have been calculated. These inventories will provide valuable data for the further study of endosulfan. Methods  Emission and residue of endosulfan were calculated from endosulfan usage by using a simplified gridded pesticide emission and residue model—SGPERM, which is an integrated modeling system combining mathematical model, database management system, and geographic information system. By using the emission and residue inventories, annual air and soil concentrations of endosulfan in each cell were determined. Results and discussion  Historical gridded emission and residue inventories of α- and β-endosulfan in agricultural soil in China with 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution have been created. Total emissions were around 10,800 t, with α-endosulfan at 7,400 t and β-endosulfan at 3,400 t from 1994 to 2004. The highest residues were 140 t for α-endosulfan and 390 t for β-endosulfan, and the lowest residues were 0.7 t for α-endosulfan and 170 t for β-endosulfan in 2004 in Chinese agricultural soil where endosulfan was applied. Based on the emission and residue inventories, concentrations of α- and β-endosulfan in Chinese air and agricultural surface soil were also calculated for each grid cell. We have estimated annual averaged air concentrations and the annual minimum and maximum soil concentrations across China. The real concentrations will be different from season to season. Although our model does not consider the transport of the insecticide in the atmosphere, which could be very important in some areas during some special time, the estimated concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese air and soil derived from the endosulfan emission and residue inventories are in general consistent with the published monitoring data. Conclusions  To our knowledge, this work is the first inventory of this kind for endosulfan published on a national scale. Concentrations of the chemical in Chinese air and agricultural surface soil were calculated for each grid cell. Results show that the estimated concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese air and soil agree reasonably well with the monitoring data in general. Recommendations and perspectives  The gridded endosulfan emission/residue inventories and also the air and soil concentration inventories created in this study will be updated upon availability of new information, including usage and monitoring data. The establishment of these inventories for the OCP is important for both scientific communities and policy makers.     

Impact of spiked concentrations of Cd,Pb, As and Zn in growth medium on elemental uptake of Nasturtium officinale (Watercress)

This study is aimed at investigating the impact of water quality on the uptake and distribution of three non-essential and toxic elements, namely, As, Cd and Pb in the watercress plant to assess for metal toxicity. The plant was hydroponically cultivated under greenhouse conditions, with the growth medium being spiked with varying concentrations of As, Cd and Pb. Plants that were harvested weekly for elemental analysis showed physiological and morphological symptoms of toxicity on exposure to high concentrations of Cd and Pb. Plants exposed to high concentrations of As did not survive and the threshold for As uptake in watercress was established at 5 ppm. Translocation factors were low in all cases as the toxic elements accumulated more in the roots of the plant than the edible leaves. The impact of Zn on the uptake of toxic elements was also evaluated and Zn was found to have an antagonistic effect on uptake of both Cd and Pb with no notable effect on uptake of As. The findings indicate that phytotoxicity or death of the watercress plant would prevent it from being a route of human exposure to high concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in the environment.     

Butyltin compounds in sediment and fish from the Polish Coast of the Baltic Sea

Concentrations of mono- (MBT), di- (DBT), and tri-(TBT) butyltin compounds were measured in eggs, liver, and muscle of nine species of fish from four regions of the Baltic Sea - the Firth of Vistula, the Gulf of Gdańsk, Puck Bay, and the mouth of the Vistula River. The overall concentration ranges among all the fish sampled from the four sites were: < 7 to 79 ng/g for MBT, 6 to 1100 ng/g for DBT, 7 to 3600 ng/g for TBT, and 16 to 4800 ng/g for total BTs, on a wet wt basis. The highest concentration of total BTs was found in herring liver from the Firth of Vistula (4800 ng/g, wet wt) and in roach muscle from Puck Bay (3300 ng/g, wet wt), while the least concentration was found in burbot eggs and liver from the Vistula River (39 and 32 ng/g, wet wt, respectively). TBT was the major form of BTs present in most samples analyzed. Sediment samples collected from shipyards in the Gulf of Gdańsk contained butyltin concentrations ranging from 1.2 to 46 μg/g (dry wt) for MBT, 2.0 to 42 μg/g for DBT, and 2.6 to 40 μg/g for TBT. As with the fish, the majority of the BTs in sediment were present as TBT, which suggested recent exposure of the aquatic environment of the region to TBT.     

Malathion-induced sublethal toxicity on the hematology of cricket frog (Fejervarya limnocharis)

The effect of malathion [diethyl(dimethoxythiophosphorylthio)succinate] at sublethal concentration (0.006 ppm) on hematological parameters of the cricket frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) was studied for 24 hrs to 240 hrs of exposure and remarkable hematological alterations were observed. The study on hematological parameters revealed a highly significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the total erythrocytes count in malathion-exposed animals from 24 hours to 96 hrs of exposure as compared to control. Significant decreases (P < 0.01) of hemoglobin and packed cell volume were also observed from 48 hrs to 240 hrs. A significant increase (P < 0.01) in leucocytes count was noted throughout the exposure period. Elevated numbers of lymphocytes and eosinophils as found in the present study revealed lymphocytosis as well as eosinophilia, suggesting that this was a result of direct stimulation of the immunological defense due to the presence of a toxic substance or may be associated with tissue damage. The cytomorphological and cytopathological study of erythrocytes and leucocytes in malathion-exposed frogs at 0.006 ppm concentration revealed various cytotoxic effects at different exposure times. It was noted that the size and the shape of the erythrocytes were subjected to variation in different blood disorders.