Assessment of environmental quality of water bodies next to agricultural areas of Buenos Aires province (Argentina) by means of ecotoxicological studies with Rhinella arenarum

Over the last decade, oysters in the Bay of Veys (Northwest France) have sporadically experienced significant summer mortality events which appear to be due to a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. In the present work, the involvement of pesticides (as additional stressors) was investigated using both artificial exposure and field studies (at two sites). Six herbicides were detected in seawater following tests for a total of 15 herbicides. The most estuarine site was the most contaminated, showing relatively high values compared with those recorded in a neighboring river. No pesticides were detected in the flesh of oysters in the field but exposure experiments led to an accumulation of two substituted ureas (diuron and isoproturon, from 0.5 μ g/L and 1 μ gL^{? 1} respectively). Some physiological effects were observed in terms of reproduction (partial spawning) and histopathology (atrophy of the digestive tubule epithelium) but results related to other tissue alterations and to neutral red retention (NRR) assays were not conclusive and require further investigation.     

Characterization of acute toxicity,genotoxicity, and oxidative stress of dimethoate in Rhinella arenarum larvae

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is a great concern worldwide about the global decline of amphibians, particularly by agrochemical pollution. The aim of this study was to assess...     

Sorption interactions between imazaquin and a humic acid extracted from a typical Brazilian oxisol

Soil sorption of most hydrophobic organic compounds (e.g., nonpolar pesticides) is directly related to soil organic matter (SOM) content. Humic substances are the major SOM components, containing carboxylic, phenolic, amine, quinone, and other functional groups, and specific structural configurations. In this paper, sorption interactions between imazaquin (2-[4,5-dydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H- imidazol-2-yl]-3-quinoline-carboxylic acid) herbicide (IM) and a humic acid (HA) extracted from a typical Brazilian Oxisol were studied with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. A polarographic technique was used to quantify sorption. The IM amount sorbed on the HA was much higher than that on the whole soil within the pH range studied, emphasizing the prominent role played by SOM on IM sorption. Moreover, IM sorption increased as the soil-solution pH decreased. This enhancement in sorption was attributed to the hydrophobic affinity of the herbicide by the HA and to the electrostatic interaction between the protonated quinoline group of IM and the negative sites of the HA. Hydrophobic regions in the HA's interior at low pH (< 5.0) were recently demonstrated by an EPR detectable spin-label molecule. The FTIR and EPR spectroscopy and polarography data indicated weak interaction between IM and the soil and its HA, involving hydrogen bonding, proton transfer, and cation exchange (at low pH), and mainly hydrophobic interactions. However, no strong reaction mechanism, such as charge transfer, was involved. In addition, this research suggested that soil amendment with organic material might increase magnitude of IM sorption, consequently avoiding leaching and carryover problems usually found for mobile and persistent herbicides such as imazaquin.     

Treatment of urban runoff at Lake Tahoe: low-intensity chemical dosing.

A systematic investigation of the effect of coagulant type and dose and temperature, mixing, and water quality on subsequent charge neutralization and removal of phosphorus and fine particles from urban and/or stormwater runoff entering Lake Tahoe (Sierra Nevada mountains, western United States) was conducted. Dosing based on streaming current values resulted in turbidities of less than 10.9 +/- 0.35 NTU and filterable and total phosphorus concentrations of less than 9.83 +/- 0.54 and 25.6 +/- 5.71 microg/L, respectively. Inadequate slow mixing could be partially compensated for by increased settling time; however, such quiescent conditions are difficult to obtain in natural systems. For prehydrolyzed forms of aluminum, high intensity rapid mixing was counterproductive. Several classes of coagulants responded robustly to water quality and temperature changes. However, polyaluminum chlorides modified with silica or sulfate, with low to medium basicity, were consistently the best performers in these tests, in terms of simultaneously removing phosphorus and fine particles under a wide range of operating conditions with low doses.     

Fractionation of eleven elements by chemical bonding from airborne particulate matter collected in an industrial city in Argentina

A four-step chemical sequential extraction procedure was used to evaluate the distribution of Al, As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, V and Zn in airborne particulate matter collected on glass fibre filters using a high-volume sampler. Two sets of samples were collected in 2001 (winter and summer campaigns) in representative zones of an industrial city of Argentina. The leaching scheme was applied to PM-10 particles and consisted in extracting the elements in four fractions, namely soluble and exchangeable elements; carbonates, oxides and reducible elements; bound to organic matter and sulfidic metals; and residual elements. Metals and metalloids at microg g(-1) level were determined in each fraction by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). Analyte concentration varied from 14 microg g(-1) (equivalent to 1.0 ng m(-3)) for As to 11.8 mg g(-1) (equivalent to 2,089 ng m(-3)) for Al. Seven elements, namely Al, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ti and Zn showed similar distributions in both seasons while As was distributed in a significantly different manner in each season. The results exhibited low As contents in the first and second fractions that could be associated with routine coal combustion and a high content in the third and fourth fractions of the summer samples that could be linked to the use of pesticides. Aluminium, As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Ti, V and Zn were found in different percentages in the more bioavailable aqueous fraction with As, Mn, V and Zn exhibiting solubilities greater than 1% while Cr and Pb being insoluble. The content of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the residual fraction was, in average, higher than 50%. A comparative assessment of the use of the underlying information available from fractionation studies compared to that obtained from total element content was done for Fe and Mn. It showed that the results obtained using chemical sequential extraction procedures allowed further discrimination of the potential air pollution sources.     

Recovery of plasmatic cholinesterase activity in a neotropical fish Prochilodus lineatus (Pisces,Curimatidae) exposed to organophosphorous pesticides

The objective was to determine the plasmatic enzyme cholinesterase recovery, after being inhibited by an organophosphorous in juveniles of Prochilodus lineatus. Fish were exposed 12 h to a sublethal concentration of 1 mg/l of monocrotophos, and immediately placing in clean water during 12, 24, 48 and 96 h to detoxification. After this period, blood was extracted and plasma were used for the quantification of cholinesterase. The results showed a enzymatic inhibition of 91.9%, 55.1%, 50.4% and 33.4% with 12, 24, 48 and 96 h of recovery, respectively. The enzymatic activity spreads to be normalized with the course of hours and the degree of inhibition obtained initially was very high and sustained in the first 48 h.     

Assessment of Water Supply as an Ecosystem Service in a Rural-Urban Watershed in Southwestern Mexico City

Studies from the ecosystem services perspective can provide a useful framework because they allow us to fully examine the benefits that humans obtain from socio-ecological systems. Mexico City, the second largest city in the world, has faced severe problems related to water shortages, which have worsened due to increasing population. Demand for space has forced changes in land cover, including covering areas that are essential for groundwater recharge. The city has 880 km² of forest areas that are crucial for the water supply. The Magdalena River Watershed was chosen as a model because it is a well-preserved zone within Mexico City and it provides water for the population. The general aim of this study was to assess the ecosystem service of the water supply in the Magdalena River Watershed by determining its water balance (SWAT model) and the number of beneficiaries of the ecosystem services. The results showed that the watershed provides 18.4 hm³ of water per year. Baseflow was dominant, with a contribution of 85%, while surface runoff only accounted for 15%. The zone provides drinking water to 78,476 inhabitants and could supply 153,203 potential beneficiaries. This work provides an example for understanding how ecosystem processes determine the provision of ecosystem services and benefits to the population in a rural–urban watershed in Mexico City.     

Veterinary drugs in groundwater in a dairy region of central Argentina and risk assessment for human health

Veterinary drugs used in dairy production are potential contaminants of surface or groundwater sources, being able to affect human and environmental health. It is known that chronic exposure to antibiotics in low concentrations present in water can generate microbial resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of veterinary drugs in 53 groundwater samples used for animal and human consumption, collected in dairy milking parlors, in an important milk-producing area of central Argentina, and to assess the risk to human health when they are used as drinking water. In 75% of the total samples analyzed, at least one veterinary drug was detected. The most frequently found drugs in water samples were the antibiotics tetracycline in 58.5% and oxytetracycline in 56.6%, and an anti-inflammatory, flunixin in 39.6%. In the water samples, the tetracycline and oxytetracycline concentrations were between 0.1 and 5.3 μg/L and flunixin concentrations were between 0.01 and 2.1 μg/L. The frequency of appearance and the concentration levels of the substances found in the water samples were evaluated according to the productivity, size, and production system (confined or pasture) of the dairy farms. Higher concentrations and proportions of water samples containing antibiotics were observed when the number of animals per dairy farm was >182 and when the productivity was high (>25 liters per animal per day). In the case of flunixin, the percentage of detection was similar in all evaluated categories. The risk assessment for children and adults, considering the intake of drinking water containing residues of these drugs, did not indicate a significant health risk. It would be advisable to evaluate other sources of drinking water, both surface and underground, in other regions of the country, to provide data to assess the impact of these substances and the other contaminants on environmental and human health.