Organochlorine pesticide residues in maternal blood,cord blood,placenta, and breastmilk and their relation to birth size

There is a growing concern that persistent organic pollutants like organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) can impair fetal growth and affect birth size. However, currently available epidemiological evidence is inconclusive. In this case-control study, we examined the association between exposure to hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers (α-HCH, β-HCH and γ-HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and birth size. We recruited 60 infant-mother pairs, comprising of 30 term, small for gestational age babies with their mothers (Case group), and another 30 term, appropriate for gestational age babies with their mothers (Control group). This study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Delhi, India, between March, 2009 and February 2010. Organochlorine pesticides were estimated in maternal blood, cord blood, placenta and breastmilk samples, using gas–liquid chromatography. Transplacental and transmammary transfer of OCPs was assessed by correlating the maternal blood OCP levels with those in cord blood and breastmilk by simple linear regression. The birthweight, crown heel length, head circumference, mid-arm circumference and ponderal index of the neonates was correlated with OCP levels in the maternal blood, cord blood, placenta and breastmilk. The OCP estimates were compared between samples of the case and control group. There was a significant (P < 0.001) transplacental transfer of all OCPs, however the transmammary transfer was insignificant for most OCPs except α-HCH. The OCP levels in the case group were higher than the control group; these were significantly more for t-HCH in cord blood and breastmilk; β-HCH in maternal blood, cord blood and breastmilk; DDE in placenta and DDT in breastmilk. There was a significant negative correlation between birthweight and t-HCH levels in maternal blood (P = 0.022), cord blood (P < 0.001), placenta (P = 0.008) and breastmilk (P = 0.005); β-HCH in cord blood (P < 0.001) and placenta (P = 0.020); γ-HCH in placenta (P = 0.045); and DDT (P = 0.009). Length at birth had a significant negative correlation with t-HCH in cord blood (P = 0.014) and breastmilk (P < 0.001); β-HCH in cord blood (P = 0.016) and breastmilk (P = 0.012); DDE in placenta (P = 0.016); and DDT in breastmilk (P = 0.006). Similarly, OCP levels were also found to be negatively correlated with head circumference, ponderal index and chest circumference in neonates. We conclude that prenatal exposure to some OCPs could impair the anthropometric development of the fetus, reducing the birthweight, length, head circumference, chest circumference and ponderal index.     

Determination of disulfoton and permethrin residues in an organic soil and their translocation into lettuce, onion and carrot.

The residues of disulfoton and permethrin in an organic soil and in vegetables grown in soil treated with a granular formulation of the pesticides were determined by gas chromatography. The residues were removed from soil or plant samples by successive extractions with acetone and hexane. Permethrin persisted in the soil for the initial 28 days and declined slowly during the rest of the season but disulfoton after persisting for one week at the applied concentration was degraded in the next two weeks. The insecticides did not translocate into the edible parts of the vegetables but were present in the root system of onion and lettuce. Carrot and lettuce yields were not singificantly different from those of the controls but onion yields were substantially decreased by the use of permethrin.     

Determination of disulfoton and permethrin residues in an organic soil and their translocation into lettuce,onion and carrot 1

Abstract

The residues of disulfoton and permethrin in an organic soil and in vegetables grown in soil treated with a granular formulation of the pesticides were determined by gas chromatography. The residues were removed from soil or plant samples by successive extractions with acetone and hexane. Permethrin persisted in the soil for the initial 28 days and declined slowly during the rest of the season but disulfoton after persisting for one week at the applied concentration was degraded in the next two weeks. The insecticides did not translocate into the edible parts of the vegetables but were present in the root system of onion and lettuce. Carrot and lettuce yields were not significantly different from those of the controls but onion yields were substantially decreased by the use of per‐methrin.     

天津市工业污染物排放特征及其成因的研究

基于1992—2008年天津环境经济数据,采用环境库兹涅茨曲线模型,建立了天津工业污染物排放与经济增长的科学评价模型,与典型的倒U型环境库兹涅茨曲线不同,天津工业污染物排放模型有三次函数模型和指数函数模型,目前工业废气排放量和工业固体废物产生量处于上升趋势,而工业废水中的COD、工业烟尘和工业粉尘排放量出现下降趋势。通过计算工业污染物排放及其影响因子之间的灰色关联度,定量剖析1992年后天津工业污染物排放的库兹涅茨曲线的成因。结果表明,天津市环境污染变化的主要影响因子包括工业总产值、国际贸易(外商直接投资)、能源消费、城市发展、工业污染治理、环境科研投入以及排污费征收。     

Correlation of climatic factors and dengue incidence in Metro Manila, Philippines

Dengue is a serious public health problem in Metro Manila, Philippines. Increasing dengue incidence has been attributed to climate change; however, contradicting reports show inconclusive relationships between dengue and climatic factors. This study investigates temperature and rainfall as climatic factors affecting dengue incidence in Metro Manila from 1996 to 2005. Monthly dengue incidence and climatic data for Metro Manila were collected over a 10-y period (1996-2005). Climatic factors temperature and rainfall were linked with dengue incidence through regression analysis. A predictive model equation plots dengue incidence (Y) versus rainfall (X), which suggests that rainfall is significantly correlated to dengue incidence (r2 = 0.377, p < 0.05). No significant correlation between dengue incidence and temperature was established (p > 0.05). Evidence shows dengue incidence in Metro Manila varies with changing rainfall patterns. Intensified surveillance and control of mosquitoes during periods with high rainfall are recommended.     

Dieldrin, heptachlor, and chlordane residues in soybeans in Illinois 1974, 1980

The Illinois soybean crop was monitored in 1974 and 1980 for dieldrin, heptachlor, and chlordane residues resulting from the use of these compounds for corn soil insect control in the years before extensive soybean cultivation. Residue levels were compared with past published amounts. Dieldrin residue levels in soybeans declined between 1974 and 1980. Heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide levels remained level between 1974 and 1980. Chlorinated hydrocarbon residues were lower in the southern third of Illinois than for the remainder of the state.     

Investigation of pesticide residues in water,sediments and fish samples from Tapi River,India as a case study and its forensic significance

Abstract

This research is a case study on detection of pesticides in river water, sediment as well as fish samples from Tapi River, among the major rivers of Gujarat, India. To investigate the misuse, concentration level and occurrence patterns of persistent pesticides, samples were collected from the river. Chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan were analyzed by gas chromatography technique with flame ionization detector (FID). Scanty reports are available, but after 1999, no such data are reported as some of these pesticides have been banned. Although these pesticides are still in use which we observed from the obtained results. In this river, the amount of endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, and methyl parathion was observed in surface water with concentrations of 37.56?µg/L, 0.86?µg/L and 0.43?µg/L, respectively. Endosulfan, DDT and methyl parathion detected in sediment were 38.38?ng/g, 0.65?ng/g and 0.77?ng/g, respectively. In fish samples, levels of endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, and methyl parathion detected were 101.28, 0.392, and 3.49?ng/g correspondingly. Results showed that highly toxic pesticides are still being used in the surrounding area, and there is an urgent need for enforcement of rules to control the production and application of such pesticides.     

Consumer health risk to pesticide residues in Salvia officinalis L. and its infusions

Salvia officinalis L. is a popular herb widely used in culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal preparations, and also as an ornamental plant. Sage crops are threatened by many diseases, such as gray mold, powdery mildew, and leaf spot, by weeds, and by pests, such as aphids. Use of crop protection products may lead to presence of pesticide residues in this herb. The aim of this work was to study presence of pesticide residues in the herb, S. officinalis L., available on the retail market in Poland, to verify their compliance with the maximum residue levels (MRLs) and to assess the chronic and acute risks associated with consumption of this herb and infusions prepared from contaminated sage plants. Ninety active substances of pesticides were analyzed, including all active substances registered in Poland for protection of the sage. Five active substances were found, one fungicide – boscalid and four insecticides: chlorpyrifos, pp′-DDT, dimethoate (residue levels above MRL) and indoxacarb. The chronic and acute exposure to pesticide residues consumed with sage did not exceed 0.02% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and 0.1% of the acute reference dose (ARfD), respectively.     

Disappearance of bromopropylate residues in artichokes, strawberries and beans

Residues of Bromopropylate were determine in artichokes, strawberries and beans after foliar spray of acaricide at two rates. The rates used were 1 g/l formulated product (normal recommended) and 1.5 g/l. The residue levels of bromopropylate in the three crops after 14 days were lower than 0.7 ppm and did not exceed the Maximum Residual Level (MRL) recommended by FAO. In the artichokes and strawberries, the total concentration of residues decreased by 50% of the initial level after 2-3 days. Only trace levels of the bromopropylate residues (less than 0.01 ppm) were detected in the "hearts" of the artichokes. Bromopropylate residues in the green beans were also less than 0.8 ppm after the first day of foliar spraying. The kinetic of degradation occurred in two different steps. In the first step (4-6 days) the dissipation of bromopropylate was faster whereas in the second step (7-14 days) the loss of residues was much slower.     

Behaviour of forchlorfenuron residues in grape,soil and water

Persistence of forchlorfenuron residues in grape berries at harvest following its dip application as single or split doses to grape berry clusters and periodic dissipation of forchlorfenuron residues in grape berries following foliar spray application were studied. Periodic dissipation of forchlorfenuron residues following its fortification in soil and water were also studied. Splitting the dip application concentration of forchlorfenuron to grape berries reduced its residues in the berries at harvest, which persisted for more than 65 days from all treatments. In case of foliar application, however, the residues of forchlorfenuron in/on the grape berries persisted for 15-20 days only from three treatment concentrations of 2, 3 and 4 ml/l and dissipated with half-lives of 3.4-4.5 days. The residues of forchlorfenuron dissipated faster in soils maintained at field capacity moisture condition than in air dry soils. There was wide variation in its residue persistence in soil (DT50 = 15.1-121.3 days) depending on soil type and moisture condition. Forchlorfenuron residues persisted for more than 30 days in water and its dissipation was fastest at a water salinity level of 3.85 mmho/ cm although the rate of dissipation was not significantly affected by the change in salinity level from <0.04 to 5.90 mmho/cm.     

Pesticide pressure and fish farming in barrage pond in Northeastern France. Part II: residues of 13 pesticides in water, sediments, edible fish and their relationships

Residues of pesticides in fish farming productions from barrage ponds are seldom studied in spite of increasing health questionings and environmental concerns. The purpose of this study is to establish the pesticide contamination profiles of sediments and edible fish from five ponds in Northeastern France. Multi-residues method and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis were used to quantify 13 pesticides (azoxystrobin, carbendazim, clomazone, diflufenican, dimethachlor, fluroxypyr, iprodion, isoproturon, mesosulfuron-methyl, metazachlor, napropamid, quizalofop and thifensulfuron-methyl). Ten sediments and 143 muscles samples were analysed, corresponding to two successive fishing campaigns (first fishing date and second fishing date (P2), about 1 year later) on five sites (noted C-0, C-25, C-45, C-75 and C-85 to express the increasing gradient of crop area). Isoproturon was present in all sediments samples (1.8–56.4 μg/kg dry weight). During P2 period, carbendazim was quantified in the fish of site C-0 (0.09?±?0.02, 0.2?±?0.1 and 0.17?±?0.06 μg/kg wet weight (ww) for roach, carp and perch, respectively). Metazachlor was only quantified in perch of the site C-25 (0.13?±?0.02 μg/kg ww). Concentrations of isoproturon were similar for the sites C-45 and C-75 with 0.4?±?0.1 and 0.75?±?0.06 μg/kg ww for carp and perch, respectively. Contamination of fish reflected generally concentrations in surroundings. Isoproturon was the most concentrated and its main source was water for perch while carp was exposed through both water and sediments, highlighting their life strategies in pond.     

Interaction of temperature and an environmental stressor: Moina macrocopa responds with increased body size,increased lifespan,and increased offspring numbers slightly above its temperature optimum

For organisms, temperature is one of the most important environmental factors and gains increasing importance due to global warming, since increasing temperatures may pose organisms close to their environmental tolerance limits and, thus, they may become more vulnerable to environmental stressors. We analyzed the temperature-dependence of the water-soluble antioxidant capacity of the cladoceran Moina macrocopa and evaluated its life trait variables with temperature (15, 20, 25, 30 °C) and humic substance (HS) concentrations (0, 0.18, 0.36, 0.90, 1.79 mM DOC) as stressors. Temperatures below and above the apparent optimum (20 °C) reduced the antioxidative capacity. Additions of HSs increased body length, but decreased mean lifespan at 15 and 20 °C. There was no clear HS-effect on offspring numbers at 15, 20, and 30 °C. At 25 °C with increasing HS-concentration, lifespan was extended and offspring numbers increased tremendously, reaching 250% of the control. Although the applied HS preparation possesses estrogenic and antiandrogenic activities, a xenohormone mechanism does not seem plausible for the reproductive increase, because comparable effects did not occur at other temperatures. A more convincing explanation appears to be the mitohormesis hypothesis which states that a certain increase of reactive oxygen production leads to improved health and longevity and, with Moina, also to increased offspring numbers. Our results suggest that at least with the eurythermic M. macrocopa, a temperature above the optimum can be beneficial for several life trait variables, even when combined with a chemical stressor. Temperatures approximately 10 °C above its optimum appear to adversely affect the lifespan and reproduction of M. macrocopa. This indicates that this cladoceran species seems to be able to utilize temperature as an ecological resource in a range slightly above its thermal optimum.     

Bioefficacy of iprodione against two desapers, its compatibility with T. harzianum and residues on cabbage crop

Iprodione (3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N-isopropyl-2,4-dioxoimidazolidine-1-carboxamide) bio-assayed against fungi Alternaria brassicicola and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was found to be highly effective for inhibiting these desapers. Inhibition of A. brassicicola was 100% up to the dose of 75 ppm and for S. sclerotiorum there was 50% inhibition for the same concentration. Formulation of the pesticide was applied @ 500 and 1000 g. a.i./ha on the cabbage crop grown in the fields. Residues in the edible sample of cabbage were analyzed by gas choromatography for the fungicide and its metabolites. The dissipation of residues of the fungicide and its bio-efficacy against two fungi are presented. It dissipated from 3.72 to 0.072 microg/g on cabbage head by 15 days after treatment. The EC50 values of iprodione were found to be 11.5 ppm and 79.4 ppm for A. brassicicola and S. sclerotiorum, respectively. Half-life of iprodione was found to be 3 days for both cabbage head and leaves. The compatibility of the fungicide with a bio agent, T. harzianum was also studied and these two were not found to be compatible.     

Contamination of bovine milk with DDT and HCH residues in relation to their usage in malaria control programme

The contribution of spraying DDT and HCH for malaria control towards the contamination of bovine milk was investigated by analysing milk samples collected from preselected localities sprayed with either DDT or HCH in the Punjab. A direct correlation was found between the amounts of residues of these insecticides in milk and their typical usage pattern for the mosquito control programme. It is considered that these results may have significant bearing on the regulatory control of DDT and HCH residues in milk.     

POCIS passive samplers as a monitoring tool for pharmaceutical residues and their transformation products in marine environment

In the last years, several scientific studies have shown that carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceutical in aquatic environment. However, little data is available on its detection and its transformation products (TPs) in marine water. The use of polar organic chemical integrative sampling (POCIS) passive samplers as a semi-quantitative and qualitative tool for screening of pharmaceuticals and TPs in seawater has been studied. Furthermore, the uptake rates of the target compounds were also determined under laboratory experiments to characterize the levels accumulated in devices. The results confirmed the presence of residues of anticonvulsant CBZ as well as some of its main metabolites, over a 1-year monitoring campaign carried out in French coast on the Mediterranean Sea. The work reports for the first time the presence of two TPs (10,11-dihydro-10,11-trans-dihydroxycarbamazepine (TRANS) and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (10OH)) in marine water. The results contribute in assessing the environmental and human health risk of pharmaceuticals on coastal areas.     

Spatial and temporal analysis of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide residues in polecats (Mustela putorius) from throughout their range in Britain, 1992-1999

Polecats (Mustela putorius) in Britain are currently expanding their range eastwards from Wales to reoccupy central and eastern areas of England. Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), to which polecats are exposed by eating contaminated prey, are used more extensively in these central and eastern regions, leading to fears of increased exposure, and possible resultant mortality. We measured bromadiolone, difenacoum, flocoumafen and brodifacoum concentrations in the livers of 50 polecats from areas that included newly recolonised habitats and found that at least one SGAR was detected in the livers of 13 out of 37 (35.1%) male and 5 out of 13 (38.5%) female polecats. Difenacoum and bromadiolone were detected most frequently. We then combined these data with measurements on another 50 individuals from earlier studies to create a dataset for 100 polecats collected throughout the 1990s from across the whole of their current range. Using this dataset, we determined if there was any evidence that contamination in polecats had increased during the 1990s and whether animals from England were more contaminated than those from Wales, as might be expected given regional differences in the patterns of SGAR use. Overall, 31 of the 100 polecats analysed to date contained SGAR residues. The incidence was a little higher (40%) in animals that died between January and June and this probably better reflects the overall proportion of animals that are sub-lethally exposed. There was no statistically significant change during the 1990s in the proportion of polecats exposed to SGARs nor any evidence that greater use of SGARs in England resulted in more contamination of polecats. Contrary to expectation, the proportion of animals that contained difenacoum was marginally higher in Wales than elsewhere.     

Phosalone applied to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.): its deposition and persistence on foliages, soils and final residues in seeds

Phosalone, O,O-diethyl-S-(6-chloro-1,3-benzoxazol-2(3H)-onyl)methyl phosphorodithioate, was field-applied by ground equipment to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) at the rates of 1050 and 2100 g a.i./ha, respectively, to determine its dissipation on leaves and soils and the residues in seeds at harvest. The insecticide concentrations on cotton leaves and soils were measured periodically for 14 days following its application. It was found that the half lives of the insecticide on cotton leaves at the dosages of 1050 and 2100 g a.i./ha were 6.8 and 6.3 days, respectively. And the half lives on soils for the 2 dosages were 7 and 5.8 days, respectively. The residues remaining in soils at harvest time were 0.072 and 0.121 mg/kg 14 days post-application and the residues in cotton seeds were relatively low (less than 0.02-0.12 mg/kg).