Comparison of residue levels of persistent organochlorine compounds in butter from Spain and from other European countries

Abstract

Commercially available butter from Spain (n=36) and from other European countries (n=20) has been analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography with an electron capture detector for organochlorine contaminants. The results showed that both groups of samples have a similar pattern of these pollutants, but in all cases where significant differences in concentrations were found, Spanish samples presented higher values. This was especially notable for lindane (median values 11.6 vs. 3.0 ng/g wet weight), hexachlorobenzene (6.4 vs. 0.5) and ß‐hexachlorocyclohexane (3.1 vs. 1.2). Total PCBs showed no differences (5.4 vs. 6.6), but detailed analysis of congener composition indicated a higher presence in Spanish samples of the most persistent chlorinated PCBs. No sample presented levels of concern for any single organochlorine compound. It is interesting to note that consumption of butter in Spain is low so, although levels of organochlorines are higher than those found in other countries, consumers are less exposed through this foodstuff than in other European countries. These results also confirm the fact that environmental pollution by organochlorines is more important in Spain than in the rest of Europe.     

Wastewater reuse in Mediterranean semi-arid areas: The impact of discharges of tertiary treated sewage on the load of polar micro pollutants in the Llobregat river (NE Spain)

The presence of sewage-borne micro contaminants in environmental waters is directly related to the discharge of treated effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and the flow rate of the receiving river waters. Mediterranean rivers, in particular, are characterized by important fluctuations in the flow rates and heavy pollution pressures resulting from extensive urban, industrial and agricultural activities. This translates into contamination levels in these rivers often higher than those in other larger European basins. The present work provides an overview of the occurrence of five groups of organic contaminants (131 compounds) namely pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, polar pesticides, estrogens, alkylphenols and related ethoxylates in WWTP tertiary treatment effluents. Data gathered during a period of water reuse carried out in the lower stretch of the Llobregat river (NE Spain), in the surroundings of the town of Barcelona as a consequence of the severe drought that took place along the years 2007-2008 are presented as illustrative example. In general, measured concentrations of the target compounds were in the low to mid ng L⁻¹ range. The total concentration of each compound class downstream to the discharge point was similar or slightly higher than that found upstream. Regarding the loads calculated for each compound, the relative contribution from the river upstream and the tertiary effluent were highly compound depending with no apparent trend. However, estimation of the overall bulk loads for each compound class determined in the Llobregat river showed the following rank order: pharmaceuticals > alkylphenols > pesticides > illicit drugs ? estrogens.     

Long-term environmental monitoring of persistent organic pollutants and metals in a chemical/petrochemical area: human health risks

Organic pollutants such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as well as some metals are periodically monitored in soil and vegetation samples collected in Tarragona County (Spain). We here report the temporal trends of the concentrations of the above pollutants between the initial survey (2002) and that recently (2009) performed. The area under evaluation was divided into 4 sections (chemical, petrochemical, urban/residential and unpolluted). In general terms, urban soils presented the highest concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCNs and PAHs, confirming that traffic is a very important emission source of these pollutants. In addition, substantially higher levels of PAHs and some metals were found in vegetation samples from the petrochemical complex. The assessment of health risks of these contaminants indicated that the current concentrations of micropollutants did not mean additional non-carcinogenic or cancer risks for the population living in the zone.     

Modelling the influence of peri-urban trees in the air quality of Madrid region (Spain)

Tropospheric ozone (O(3)) is considered one of the most important air pollutants affecting human health. The role of peri-urban vegetation in modifying O(3) concentrations has been analyzed in the Madrid region (Spain) using the V200603par-rc1 version of the CHIMERE air quality model. The 3.7 version of the MM5 meteorological model was used to provide meteorological input data to the CHIMERE. The emissions were derived from the EMEP database for 2003. Land use data and the stomatal conductance model included in CHIMERE were modified according to the latest information available for the study area. Two cases were considered for the period April-September 2003: (1) actual land use and (2) a fictitious scenario where El Pardo peri-urban forest was converted to bare-soil. The results show that El Pardo forest constitutes a sink of O(3) since removing this green area increased O(3) levels over the modified area and over down-wind surrounding areas.     

Monitoring dioxins and furans in the vicinity of an old municipal waste incinerator after pronounced reductions of the atmospheric emissions

In order to get an overall picture of the environmental impact of an old municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) from S. Adrià del Besòs (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), a monitoring program addressed at determining the levels of a number of pollutants in the vicinity of the facility was initiated in 1998. In March 1999, an adaptation was carried out due to EU legislation on pollutant emissions from the stack. As a result, emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were notably reduced, and a significant (30%) decrease was found in the levels of PCDD/F in herbage samples collected in the vicinity of the MSWI. In March 2001, herbage samples were collected at the same sampling points and the PCDD/F levels measured again. The current PCDD/F concentrations range from 0.23 to 1.43 ng I-TEQ kg(-1) (dry matter), with median and mean values of 0.58 and 0.66 ng I-TEQ kg(-1) (dry matter), respectively, while in the 2000 survey the PCDD/F concentrations ranged from 0.22 to 1.20 ng I-TEQ kg(-1) (dry matter), with median and mean values of 0.57 and 0.61 ng I-TEQ kg(-1) (dry matter), respectively. Although the current PCDD/F concentrations in herbage samples are comparable to those found in recent surveys carried out in various places of Catalonia, an exhaustive evaluation of the data, including principal component analysis, indicates that other emission sources of PCDD/Fs also have a notable environmental impact on the area under direct influence of the MSWI.     

Human-, Ovine-, and Bovine-Specific Viral Source Tracking Tools to Discriminate Between the Major Fecal Sources in Agricultural Waters

This study evaluated the sources of fecal contamination in different river catchments, using a combination of microbial source tracking tools, for human, ruminant, ovine and bovine livestock, in order to define appropriate water management strategies. Every source of waterway pollution was evaluated in river water samples from one urban river catchment and two important farming regions in New Zealand. Fecal pollution was initially measured by testing Escherichia coli and evaluating the presence of human- and ruminant-associated DNA markers of Bacteroidales (BiAdo, BacHum-UCD, BacH, and BacR) and human and ruminant fecal sterols/stanols ratios. Then specific fecal pollution sources were assessed with previously reported quantitative PCR assays targeting human-, bovine-, and ovine-specific viruses: human adenoviruses (HAdV), human JC polyomaviruses, bovine polyomaviruses (BPyV), and ovine polyomaviruses (OPyV). High level of ruminant fecal contamination was detected all over the farming areas, whereas no ruminant sources were identified in the urban river sampling sites. BacR was the most frequently observed ruminant marker and OPyV and BPyV allowed the identification of ovine and bovine fecal sources. The human fecal viral marker (HAdV) was the most frequently observed human marker, highly abundant in the urban sites, and also present in farming areas. This is the first study using simultaneously the ovine and the bovine viral markers to identify and quantify both bovine and ovine fecal pollution.     

Cooperatively breeding carrion crows adjust offspring sex ratio according to group composition

In cooperatively breeding species, parents should bias offspring sex ratio towards the philopatric sex to obtain new helpers (helper repayment hypothesis). However, philopatric offspring might increase within-group competition for resources (local resource competition hypothesis), diluting the benefits of helper acquisition. Furthermore, benefits of offspring sex bias on parents’ fitness may depend on different costs of production and/or different breeding opportunities of sons and daughters. Because of these counteracting factors, strategies of offspring sex allocation in cooperative species are often difficult to investigate. In carrion crows Corvus corone corone in northern Spain, sons are more philopatric and more helpful at the nest than daughters, which disperse earlier and have higher chances to find a breeding vacancy. Consistent with the helper repayment hypothesis, we found that crows fledged more sons in groups short of subordinate males than in groups with sufficient helper contingent, where daughters were preferred. Crow females also proved able to bias primary sex ratio, allocating offspring sex along the hatching sequence in a way that provided the highest fledging probability to sons in the first breeding attempt and to daughters in the following ones. The higher cost of producing male offspring may explain this pattern, with breeding females shifting to the cheapest sex (female) as a response to the costs generated by previous reproductive attempts. Our results suggest complex adjustments of offspring sex ratio that allowed crows to maximize the value of daughters and sons.