Consumer exposure to pesticide residues in apples from the region of south-eastern Poland

The production of apples in Poland is the largest among the countries of the European Union, and therefore, the consumption of these fruits is high in our country. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of pesticide residues in Polish apples and to assess if these residues pose a risk to the health of the consumer. Furthermore, compliance with legal regulations concerning the use of plant protection products in crop cultivation was ascertained. Pesticide residues were found in 192 samples (61.5 % of tested samples). In six samples (1.9 %), residues exceeded maximum residue limits. Violations concerned the insecticides: indoxacarb, diazinon and fenitrothion. The highest long-term consumer exposure was found in the case of consumption of apples with diazinon residue for both groups, adults and toddlers [4 % acceptable daily intake (ADI), adults; 21 % ADI, toddlers]. The highest values of short-term exposure were obtained in the case of consumption of apples with indoxacarb [5 % acute reference dose (ARfD), adults; 27 % ARfD, toddlers] and fenitrothion (4 % ARfD, adults; 23 % ARfD, toddlers). Although fungicides are the pesticides found most often in apples, the consumption of apples with insecticide residues constitutes the greatest hazard to human health.     

Mercury in the Grisette,Amanita vaginata Fr. and soil below the fruiting bodies

This study examined the mercury concentration in the Grisette Amanita vaginata Fr. and soil below the fruiting bodies collected between 2000 and 2008 from the wild at seven distant sites across Poland. The Hg content in samples was determined by cold atomic absorption method (CV-AAS) at a wavelength of 253.7 nm. Mean Hg contents varied from 0.096 ± 0.052 to 0.48 ± 0.13 mg kg^?1 dry matter (dm) in caps (range, 0.043–0.73 mg kg^?1), from 0.047 ± 0.02 to 0.23 ± 0.07 mg kg^?1 dm (range, 0.028–0.47 mg kg^?1) in stipes, and in underlying soil were from 0.035 ± 0.018 to 0.096 ± 0.036 mg kg^?1 dm (range, 0.017 to 0.16 mg kg^?1). The median Qc/s values ranged from 1.2 to 2.2 (mean 1.2 ± 0.4 to 2.1 ± 0.5) indicating that Hg content in stipes was generally lower than in caps. This mushroom species has some potential to bioconcentrate Hg in the fruiting bodies, as the values of the bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied for the sites between 1.2 ± 0.6 to 11 ± 5 for caps and 0.61 ± 0.26 to 7.4 ± 3.9 for stipes. Also available literature data on Hg in A. vaginata are reviewed and discussed.     

Spatio-temporal variation of element accumulation by Moehringia trinervia in a polluted forest ecosystem (South Poland)

The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting accumulation of elements by Moehringia trinervia (L.) Clairv. in a forest ecosystem impacted by long-term inflow of air pollution. The concentrations of N, S, Ca, K, Mg, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn were determined in plants collected in 1999. In addition, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn content was compared with measurements from 1984. Soil properties and bulk precipitation chemistry were used as explaining variables. The amount of heavy metals accumulated by M. trinervia depended on the magnitude of industrial emissions, but only Cu and Pb concentrations were clearly related to the distance from the pollution sources. The spatial distribution of Fe content was shaped by habitat conditions, whereas the distributions of Cd and Zn content were unexplained. Among the macronutrients, only Mg uptake was affected by environmental properties: it was lower under high concentrations of soil Cd and Zn.     

Ecotoxicological and microbiological characterization of soils from heavy-metal- and hydrocarbon-contaminated sites

The aims of this study were to characterize soils from industrial sites by combining physicochemical, microbiological, and ecotoxicological parameters and to assess the suitability of these assays for evaluation of contaminated sites and ecological risk assessment. The soil samples were taken from long-term contaminated sites containing high amounts of heavy metals (sites 1 and 2) or petroleum hydrocarbons (site 3) located in the upper Silesia Industrial Region in southern Poland. Due to soil heterogeneity, large differences between all investigated parameters were measured. Microbiological properties revealed the presence of high numbers of viable hetrotrophic microorganisms. Soil enzyme activities were considerably reduced or could not be detected in contaminated soils. Activities involved in N turnover (N mineralization and nitrification) were significantly (P?<?0.05) higher in samples from the metal-contaminated sites than in samples from the hydrocarbon-contaminated site, whereas the opposite was observed for phosphatase activity. The Microtox test system appeared to be the most appropriate to detect toxicity and significant differences in toxicity between the three sites. The Ostracodtoxkit test was the most appropriate test system to detect toxicity in the hydrocarbon-contaminated soil samples. Correlation analysis between principal components (obtained from factor analysis) determined for physicochemical, microbiological, and ecotoxicological soil properties demonstrated the impact of total and water-extractable contents of heavy metals on toxicity.     

The application of bioassays as indicators of petroleum-contaminated soil remediation

Bioremediation has proven successful in numerous applications to petroleum contaminated soils. However, questions remain as to the efficiency of bioremediation in lowering long-term soil toxicity. In the present study, the bioassays Spirotox, Microtox, Ostracodtoxkit F, umu-test with S-9 activation, and plant assays were applied, and compared to evaluate bioremediation processes in heavily petroleum contaminated soils. Six higher plant species (Secale cereale L., Lactuca sativa L., Zea mays L., Lepidium sativum L., Triticum vulgare L., Brassica oleracea L.) were used for bioassay tests based on seed germination and root elongation. The ecotoxicological analyses were made in DMSO/H2O and DCM/DMSO soil extracts. Soils were tested from two biopiles at the Czechowice oil refinery, Poland, that have been subjected to different bioremediation applications. In biopile 1 the active or engineered bioremediation process lasted four years, while biopile 2 was treated passively or non-engineered for eight months. The test species demonstrated varying sensitivity to soils from both biopiles. The effects on test organisms exposed to biopile 2 soils were several times higher compared to those in biopile 1 soils, which correlated with the soil contaminants concentration. Soil hydrocarbon concentrations indeed decreased an average of 81% in biopile 1, whereas in biopile 2 TPH/TPOC concentrations only decreased by 30% after eight months of bioremediation. The bioassays were presented to be sensitive indicators of soil quality and can be used to evaluate the quality of bioremediated soil. The study encourages the need to combine the bioassays with chemical monitoring for evaluation of the bioremediation effectiveness and assessing of the contaminated/remediated soils.     

Subfossil markers of climate change during the Roman Warm Period of the late Holocene

Abundant bog oak trunks occur in alluvial deposits of the Raba River in the village of Targowisko (southern Poland). Several of them contain galleries of the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo L.). A well-preserved subfossil larva and pupa, as well as adults of this species, are concealed in some of the galleries. These galleries co-occur with boring galleries of other insects such as ship-timber beetles (Lymexylidae) and metallic wood borers (Buprestidae). A dry larva of a stag beetle (Lucanidae) and a mite (Acari) have been found in the C. cerdo galleries. Selected samples of the trunks and a sample of the C. cerdo larva were dated, using radiocarbon and dendrochronological methods, to the period from 45 bc to ad 554; one sample was dated to the period from 799 to 700 bc. Accumulation of the channel alluvia containing the bog oak trunks is synchronous with the Roman Warm Period (late antiquity/Early Mediaeval times). The most recent part of this period correlates with massive accumulations of fallen oak trunks noted from various river valleys in the Carpathian region and dated to ad 450–570. The results indicate that C. cerdo was more abundant within the study area during the Roman Warm Period than it is today.     

A method of rapid identification of the most important ecological problems in polluted areas

A comprehensive method is presented for the evaluation of the living elements of the environment by way of an example of an area situated within the emission range of a non ferrous metal works. The exposure of particular components of the environment is shown using the method of indices, taking into consideration the action of pollutants on the most essential and sensitive receptors. Methods of exposure reduction are also suggested. The proposed method may be helpful in land-use planning in polluted environments and can also be applied to determine the sequence of activities aimed at diminishing the effects of pollution.     

Accumulation of elements by edible mushroom species II. A comparison of aluminium,barium and nutritional element contents

The aim of the study was to compare accumulation efficiency of Al, Ba and nutritional elements (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na) exhibited by six edible mushrooms collected in particular regions of Poland during the last 20 years. The studied mushroom species were Boletus edulis, Cantharellus cibarius, Lactarius deliciosus, Leccinum aurantiacum, Suillus luteus and Xerocomus badius. The highest and the lowest concentrations of the elements in tested mushroom species were 11 – 410, 34 – 337, 16785 – 34600, 140 – 607, 12 – 75 and 16 – 143 mg kg^?1d.m., respectively. The highest average concentrations of Al, Mg and Mn were observed in Suillus luteus fruiting bodies, while for Ba, Ca, K and Na it was in Lactarius deliciosus. BCF >1 was found for K and Mg in all tested mushroom species and additionally for the highest Ca and Na concentrations of all tested mushroom species except for C. cibarius and S. luteus, respectively. For the other tested elements (Al, Ba, Fe and Mn) BCF values < 1 were recorded.