Toxic effect of alpha cypermethrin,an environmental pollutant,on myocardial tissue in male wistar rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - α-Cypermethrin (CYP) is a pyrethroid insecticide-like environmental pollutant, widely found in the environment. New research links exposure to...     

Bifenthrin exerts proatherogenic effects via arterial accumulation of native and oxidized LDL in rats: the beneficial role of vitamin E and selenium

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The purpose of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effects of Bifenthrin (Bif) chronic exposure on plasmatic and aortic lipid...     

Effects of 5-year application of municipal solid waste compost on the distribution and mobility of heavy metals in a Tunisian calcareous soil

It is obvious that the application of solid waste compost improves the soil fertility. These wastes, however, may also have some negative effects on the agricultural environment due to their metal content. This research aimed at evaluating the influence of Tunisian municipal solid waste compost and farmyard manure on some chemical properties and the distribution of heavy metals in a calcareous Tunisian soil (clayey–loamy soil). A field plot experiment, without vegetation, was installed since 1999 at the experimental farm of the Agronomic National Institute of Tunis (INAT) in the region of Mornag (20 km south of Tunis, Tunisia). During 5 years, the field received yearly the following treatments: 0, 40, 80 and 120 t/ha of municipal solid waste compost and 0, 40 and 120 t/ha of manure. The fractionation of heavy metals in the soil was evaluated after 5 years using a sequential extraction procedure. The application of the two amendments was found to increase the content of organic matter, the total nitrogen content and the electrical conductivity, whereas it slightly decreased the soil pH. The addition of manure did not have a significant effect on the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil, whereas compost application increased the total concentration of heavy metals in the soil. The distribution of heavy metals between the different fractions in untreated and treated soils showed the residual fraction to be dominant, followed by the fraction bound to Fe and Mn oxides. The amount of Cu bound to the organic fraction increased with the application rate, which is probably caused by the formation of organic complexes. For the other metals, the increase of the association with organic matter is very limited. The application of compost moreover increases the amount of Zn associated with Fe and Mn oxides. The “Mobility Factor (MF)” was quite low and did not change after the 5-year application of the two organic amendments. It always remained lower than 10%, although for Cd it amounted to 17%.     

EDTA-enhanced phytoremediation of lead-contaminated soil by the halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum

The low bioavailability of Pb and low number of Pb-tolerant plant species represent an important limitation for Pb phytoextraction. It was recently suggested that halophyte plant species may be a promising material for this purpose, especially in polluted salt areas while Pb mobility may be improved by synthetic chelating agents. This study aims to evaluate Pb extraction by the halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum in relation to the impact of EDTA application. Seedling were cultivated during 60 days on Pb artificially contaminated soil (200, 400, and 800 ppm Pb) in the presence or in the absence of EDTA (3 g kg^?1 soil). Results showed that upon to 400 ppm, Pb had no impact on plant growth. However, exogenous Pb induce a decrease in shoot K⁺ while it increased shoot Mg²⁺ and had no impact on shoot Ca²⁺ concentrations. Lead concentration in the shoots increased with increasing external Pb doses reaching 1,390 ppm in the presence of 800 ppm lead in soil. EDTA addition had no effect on plant growth but strongly increased Pb accumulation in the shoot which increased from 1,390 ppm in the absence of EDTA to 3,772 ppm in EDTA-amended plants exposed to 800 ppm exogenous Pb. Both Pb absorption and translocation from roots to shoots were significantly enhanced by EDTA application, leading to an increase in the total amounts of extracted Pb per plant. These data suggest that S. portulacastrum is very promising species for decontamination of Pb²⁺-contaminated soil and that its phytoextraction potential was significantly enhanced by addition of EDTA to the polluted soil.     

Cytotoxic effects of seven Tunisian hospital wastewaters on the proliferation of human breast cancer cell line MDA-231: correlation with their chemical characterization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Hospital wastewaters contain large amounts of pharmaceutical residues, which may eventually be discharged into the aquatic environment through...