Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Milk and Blood of Women from Anupgarh, Rajasthan, India

Anupgarh is the most fertile area of Rajasthan state where a variety of seasonal crops are grown. The availability of three manmade canals has enhanced the agricultural activities in this area. The farmers use huge amounts of pesticides to increase the crop productivity. Exposure of humans to these hazardous chemicals occurs directly in the fields and indirectly due to consumption of contaminated diet, or by inhalation or by dermal contact. The organochlorine pesticides are reported to be lipophilic and their presence in human milk and blood has been documented in different parts of the world. Blood and milk samples were collected from lactating women who were divided into four groups on the basis of different living standards viz residence area, dietary habits, working conditions and addiction to tobacco. The level of total organochlorine pesticides in blood ranged from 3.319mg/L—6.253mg/L while in milk samples it ranged from 3.209Mdash;4.608 mg/L. The results are in concurrence with the reports from other countries.     

Pesticide Residues in Bovine Milk from a Predominantly Agricultural State of Haryana, India

One hundred forty seven samples of bovine milk were collected from 14 districts of Haryana, India during December 1998–February 1999 and analysed for the presence of organochlorine pesticide (OCPs) residues. ∑HCH, ∑DDT, ∑endosulfan and aldrin were detected in 100%, 97%, 43% and 12% samples and with mean values of 0.0292, 0.0367, 0.0022 and 0.0036 μg/ml, respectively. Eight percent samples exceeded the maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.10 mg/kg as recommended by WHO for ∑HCH, 4% samples of 0.05 mg/kg for α-HCH, 5% samples of 0.01 mg/kg for γ-HCH, 26% samples of 0.02 mg/kg for β-HCH as recommended by PFAA and 24% samples of 0.05 mg/kg as recommended by FAO for ∑DDT. Concentrations of β-HCH and p,p′-DDE were more as compared to other isomers and metabolites of HCH and DDT.     

Enzyme-Retted Flax Fiber and Recycled Polyethylene Composites

Municipal solid wastes generated each year contain potentially useful and recyclable materials for composites. Simultaneously, interest is high for the use of natural fibers, such as flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), in composites thus providing cost and environmental benefits. To investigate the utility of these materials, composites containing flax fibers with recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) were created and compared with similar products made with wood pulp, glass, and carbon fibers. Flax was either enzyme- or dew-retted to observe composite property differences between diverse levels of enzyme formulations and retting techniques. Coupling agents would strengthen binding between fibers and HDPE but in this study fibers were not modified in anyway to observe mechanical property differences between natural fiber composites. Composites with flax fibers from various retting methods, i.e., dew- vs. enzyme-retting, behaved differently; dew-retted fiber composites resulted in both lower strength and percent elongation. The lowest level of enzyme-retting and the most economical process produces composites that do not appear to differ from the highest level of enzyme-retting. Flax fibers improved the modulus of elasticity over wood pulp and HDPE alone and were less dense than glass or carbon fiber composites. Likely, differences in surface properties of the various flax fibers, while poorly defined and requiring further research, caused various interactions with the resin that influenced composite properties.     

Human milk contamination by nine organochlorine pesticide residues (OCPs)

Abstract

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely used around the world as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, nematicides, and rodenticides. Despite banned in Brazil, the usage remains occurring in many countries. The persistence and extreme mobility of OCPs contribute to the contamination of the environment and the human body. The OCPs bioaccumulation in adipose tissue triggers the excretion into human milk during breastfeeding. Hence, the present study determined eighteen OCPs residues in the breast milk of mothers from the Western Region of Bahia State, Brazil. Nine different residue species were found, including beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane (9.24?±?0.00?ng g^?1 fat), delta- Hexachlorocyclohexane (22.15?±?10.48?ng g^?1 fat), Heptachlor (58.08?±?74.13?ng g^?1 fat), Aldrin (142.65?±?50.65?ng g^?1 fat), Dieldrin (774.62?±?472.68?ng g^?1 fat), Endosulfan I (408.44?±?245.51?ng g^?1 fat), Dichloro-diphenyl-dichloro-ethylene (29.17?±?22.42?ng g^?1 fat), Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane (28.87?±?0.00?ng g^?1 fat) and Methoxychlor (1699.67?±?797.43?ng g^?1 fat). The Methoxychlor presence in all samples may reveal a recent exposure, while Dieldrin and Endosulfan I analyses can point to distant past exposure.     

Enterotoxin production and antimicrobial susceptibility in Staphylococci isolated from traditional raw milk cheeses in Serbia

This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) by examining a total of 71 raw milk cheeses. Additionally, enterotoxigenicity, antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of mecA and mecC genes in the staphylococcal isolates were investigated. The isolation and enumeration procedure of CPS followed the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. The presumptive staphylococci were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) using the VITEK MS system. VIDAS® Staph enterotoxin II assay was used for the detection of classical enterotoxins. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was accomplished performing the disk diffusion method. All suspected methicillin resistant staphylococci were investigated for the presence of mecA and mecC genes by PCR assay. A high prevalence (87.32%) of CPS was detected in the cheeses at contamination levels up to 5.58 log CFU g^?1. Among 47 staphylococcal isolates screened for enterotoxin production, only one isolate, identified as S. hyicus, was confirmed as being enterotoxigenic. Resistance to penicillin (63.70%) was the most common resistance among the tested Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The dominant phenotypic resistance patterns in coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) were resistance to ofloxacin and fusidic acid. All CNS isolates were susceptible to the clinically important antibiotics clindamycin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, linezolid, rifampicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The mecA and mecC genes were not detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study concerning evaluation of the presence of methicillin resistant staphylococci (MRS) in dairy products in Serbia.     

Determination of Q1, an unknown organochlorine contaminant, in human milk, Antarctic air, and further environmental samples

Q1, an organochlorine component with the molecular formula C(9)H(3)Cl(7)N(2) and of unknown origin was recently identified in seal blubber samples from the Namibian coast (southwest of Africa) and the Antarctic. In these samples, Q1 was more abundant than PCBs and on the level of DDT residues. Furthermore, Q1 was more abundant in seals from the Antarctic than the Arctic. To prove this assumption, gas chromatography-electron-capture negative ion mass spectrometry (GC/ECNI-MS), which is sensitive and selective for Q1, allowed for screening of traces of Q1 even in samples with particularly high levels of other organochlorine contaminants. Q1 was isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from a skua liver sample. A 1:1 mixture with trans-nonachlor in electron-capture detectors (ECDs) was used to determine the relative response factor with ECNI-MS. The ECNI-MS response of Q1 turned out to be 4.5 times higher than that of trans-nonachlor in an ECD. With GC/ECNI-MS in the selected ion-monitoring mode, four Antarctic and four Arctic air samples were investigated for the presence of Q1. In the Antarctic air samples, Q1 levels ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 fg/m(3). In Arctic air samples, however, Q1 was below the detection limit (<0.06 fg/m(3) or 60 ag/m(3)). We also report on high Q1 levels in selected human milk samples (12-230 microg/kg lipid) and, therefore, suggested that the unknown Q1 is an environmental compound whose origin and distribution should be investigated in detail. Our data confirm that Q1 is a bioaccumulative natural organochlorine product. Detection of a highly chlorinated natural organochlorine compound in air and human milk is novel.     

Spore inhibition-based enzyme substrate assay for monitoring of aflatoxin M1 in milk

A spore germination-based concept and its transformation into a field level prototype for monitoring aflatoxin M₁ (AFM₁) in milk was developed. Initially, 15 strains of Bacillus spp. procured from different culture collection were screened for AFM₁ sensitivity using spot assay and marker strain showing inhibition at 0.5 ppb was selected based upon maximum zone of inhibition. The selected strain B. megaterium 2949 was further screened for different enzymes activities and subsequently its spores were produced to an extent of 73.13% ± 3.197% in newly developed sporulation medium containing beef extract (0.0075% ± 0.0004%), yeast extract (0.015% ± 0.001%), peptone (0.0375% ± 0.0016%), and sodium chloride (0.0375% ± 0.0018%). A spore germination-based concept/ assay was optimized by immobilizing spores in eppendorf with pretreated milk (80°C/15 min) containing germinant and chromogenic substrate followed by incubation at 37°C. The appearance of sky blue color within real time of 45 min indicated spores germination and release of specific marker enzyme such as acetyl esterase and its specific action on chromogenic substrate which demonstrates absence of AFM₁ in milk. However, if there was no color change, presence of AFM₁ at 0.5 ppb MRL was denoted by Codex. The developed concept on AFM₁ detection was validated and a correlation of 0.97 was established with AOAC approved Charm 6602 and ELISA at Codex MRL with minimal false positive and negative results. The cost effective test has potential application in dairy farms, manufacturing, and R&D units for routine monitoring of AFM₁ in milk.     

Detection of dicofol and related pesticides in human breast milk from China, Korea and Japan

Previously, we demonstrated that the concentrations of DDTs were greater in breast milk collected from Chinese mothers than from Japanese and Korean mothers. To investigate dicofol as a possible source of the DDTs in human breast milk, we collected breast milk samples from 2007 to 2009 in China (Beijing), Korea (Seoul, Busan) and Japan (Sendai, Takarazuka and Takayama). Using these breast milk samples, we quantified the concentrations of dichlorobenzophenone, a pyrolysis product of dicofol (simply referred to as dicofol hereafter), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) using GC-MS. Overall, 12 of 14 pooled breast milk samples from 210 mothers contained detectable levels of dicofol (>0.1 ng g⁻¹ lipid). The geometric mean concentration of dicofol in the Japanese breast milk samples was 0.3 ng g⁻¹ lipid and significantly lower than that in Chinese (9.6 ng g⁻¹ lipid) or Korean breast milk samples (1.9 ng g⁻¹ lipid) (p < 0.05 for each). Furthermore, the ΣDDT levels in breast milk from China were 10-fold higher than those from Korea and Japan. The present results strongly suggest the presence of extensive emission sources of both dicofol and DDTs in China. However, exposure to dicofol cannot explain the large exposure of Chinese mothers to DDTs because of the trace levels of dicofol in the ΣDDTs. In the present study, dicofol was confirmed to be detectable in human breast milk. This is the first report to identify dicofol in human samples.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in breast milk of first-time Irish mothers: impact of the 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland

The 2008 dioxin incident in Ireland resulted in elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Irish pork and pork products, due to the consumption of contaminated animal feed by pigs. In order to investigate any resulting impact on the Irish population, these contaminants were measured in pooled breast milk samples from 109 first-time mothers, collected in 2010. A comparison of the results with similar data from 2002 revealed generally lower concentrations of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in the 2010 samples, confirming the declining trend reported by many authors. Contaminant concentration levels for both 2002 and 2010 were generally slightly lower than those reported internationally, with a mean combined PCDD/F and PCB WHO-TEQ of 9.66 pg g⁻¹ fat, for an overall pooled sample of milk from 2010. An apparent slight increase in PCDFs was observed between 2002 and 2010 (from 2.73 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat to 3.21 pg WHO-TEQ g⁻¹ fat), with the main contributory congener being 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF. While it cannot be totally discounted that the slight increase in 2,3,4,7,8-PentaCDF and in the overall PCDF WHO-TEQ in breast milk could be attributable to consumption of Irish pork during the 2008 incident, we consider that it is more likely that this was due to other factors, including the predominantly urban/industrial sampling locations for the 2010 samples, compared to 2002.     

Brominated flame retardants and polychlorinated biphenyls in human breast milk from several locations in India: potential contaminant sources in a municipal dumping site

This study investigated the status of contamination of organohalogen compounds (OCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and brominated flame retardant (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in human milk samples from several locations in India. The levels of OCs were significantly higher in the milk of mothers living in and near municipal dumping site than other locations indicating that the open dumping sites for municipal wastes act as potential sources of these contaminants in India. The PCB concentrations observed in this study tended to decrease compared to those in the matched locations reported previously, probably due to the restriction of technical PCB usage in India. PBDE levels in human milk were two to three folds lower than those of PCBs in all the sampling locations investigated. Congener profiles of PCBs and PBDEs were different between samples from the dumping site mothers and general populations in other areas suggesting the presence of region-specific sources and pathways. HBCDs were detected in human milk from only two sites, with much lower concentrations and detection frequencies compared to PCBs and PBDEs. When hazard quotients (HQs) of PCBs and PBDEs were estimated for infant health risk, the HQs in some milk samples from the dumping site exceeded the threshold value (HQ > 1) of PCBs, indicating the potential risk for infants in the specific site.