Evaluation of heavy metal contaminants in prepared noodles: source allocation and health risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In recent years, special attention has been given to emission research that led to the deposition of toxicants from road traffic. Thus, it is...     

Short-term Emissions of Ammonia and Carbon Dioxide from Cattle Urine Contaminated Tropical Grassland Microcosm

The study was designed to understand the emissions of ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a single cattle urination event on a tropical grassland and underline the significance of the emissions in the context of huge animal population grazing on large pasture areas in some countries. Emissions of ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were monitored for three weeks from a tropical grassland (dominated by Cynodon dactylon Pers.) microcosm contaminated with cow and buffalo urine. The grassland microcosms were treated with urine (50 and 100 ml of each) only once and irrigated with water once every week. Ammonia was sampled by an automatic sampling system comprising of a vacuum pump, three-way stopcocks and rubber tubing and an impinger containing suitable absorbing solution (H₂SO₄), connected to the tubing suitably. The sampled gas, after sucked by the vacuum pump and absorbed in H₂SO₄, was allowed to enter the closed microcosm again maintaining internal pressure of the microcosm. Carbon dioxide was sampled by absorption in an alkali (NaOH) trap inside the microcosm. Both NH₃ and CO₂ emissions were highly variable temporally and there was no continuous increasing or decreasing emission trend with time. Respectively, 45 and 46% of total NH₃-N were emitted within first 48 h from 50 and 100 ml cow urine application while the corresponding values for buffalo urine were 34 and 32%. Total NH₃-N emissions, integrated for sampling days (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 15, 18 and 21st) were 11 and 6% in cow and 8 and 5% in buffalo urine, of the total-N added through 50 and 100 ml urine samples. Carbon dioxide emissions were standardized at 25 ^∘C by using a suitable formula which were lower than actual emissions at actual soil temperature (> 25 ^∘C). Carbon dioxide emission rates were classified on the basis of soil repiratory classification and classes ranged from moderately low soil activity up to unusually high soil activity, the latter observed only on very few sampling days. Grasses in the microcosm had shown appreciable growth after urine application. Although variable and somewhat unpredictable, emissions were appreciable and that too only from a patch of single urination, indicating to the huge magnitude of total emissions under the scenario of thousands of cattle grazing on hundreds of acres of grasslands in a tropical country.     

Urban soil quality of Raipur,Chhattisgarh, India

Soil quality in urban areas in India is degraded due to multiple anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this work are to determine the concentration variations, toxicity, and sources of carbons, metals, and ions in the surface soil of Raipur, the industrialized capital city of Chhattisgarh state, India. High concentrations of Al, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, and elemental carbon (EC) were registered. Relatively lower concentrations of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Ba, Pb, organic carbon (OC), and carbonate carbon (CC), as well as ions (viz. F^–, Cl^–, NO₃^–, SO₄^2–, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺), were also recorded. EC was found to be one of the major pollutants, although enrichment factors pointed to high contamination with SO₄^2–, K⁺, Mg²⁺_, Cr, Mn, and Pb; and extreme contamination with NO₃^– and Ca²⁺. The spatial and temporal variations, enrichment factors, toxicity, and sources of the chemical species detected in the soil are discussed.     

Evaluation of Three Air Dispersion Models: ISCST2, ISCLT2, and Screen2 for Mercury Emissions in an Urban Area

The goal of this paper is to compare and evaluate the performance of three air quality regulatory models for mercury releases. The models include Industrial Source Complex Short Term model (ISCST2), Industrial Source Complex Long Term model (ISCLT2), and SCREEN2. The evaluation is conducted in multiple point source urban environment using meteorological data, emission inventory and monitoring data for eight stations for the year 1990 to 1992. The performance of the models is evaluated using eight statistical parameters. The comparison of models results for both quarterly and annual averaging periods shows that ISCST2 predictions qualitatively match the observed concentrations; whereas SCREEN2 predicts highest concentrations and ISCLT2 the lowest concentrations. The summary of statistical analysis obtained by using three different methods of observed concentration (Co) and predicted concentrations (Cp) comparison show that the ISCST2 has a better overall performance than ISCLT2 and SCREEN2 models. However, none of the models met the criteria for a reasonable model. Summaries of 95% confidence limits on normalize mean square error (NMSE), geometric mean variance (VG) and geometric mean bias (MG) for each and among model indicate that of the three models, ISCST2 has the best overall performance indicators. Improved model performance may be achieved by incorporating different types of mercury forms into emission rate and air dispersion calculations.     

Estimation and analysis of terrestrial net primary productivity over India by remote-sensing-driven terrestrial biosphere model

Concentrations of cadmium, copper, and lead were determined in surficial sediments and the soft tissues (foot and gills) of swan mussel Anodonta cygnea from two sampling sites in Anzali wetland, which is an internationally important wetland registered in the Ramsar Convention. The metal contents in the mussel species from the studied region were comparable to other world areas. In most cases, the levels of the metals either fell within the range for other areas or were lower. There were significant differences between the tissues for the accumulation of Cd and Pb. Only in the case of Pb accumulation in gills significant differences between the specimens from the selected sampling sites could be observed. Age-related correlations were found in the case of Cu accumulation in foot and Cd levels in gills. No weight-dependent trend could be observed for the accumulation of the three elements. There was significant negative width-dependent relationship in the case of Cu. A significant negative correlation was also found between the maximum shell height and Cu accumulation in the gills. The only association among the elements in the selected soft tissues was found between Cd and Pb. Highly significant differences could be found between the sampling sites from the concentration of the elements in sediments point of view. The pattern of metal occurrence in the selected tissues and sediments exhibited the following descending order: Pb, Cu>Cd for gills, Cu>Pb, Cd for foot, and Cu>Pb>Cd for sediments. The mean concentrations of Cd and Pb in the sediments from the study area were higher than the global baseline values and world average shale. In the case of Cu, our results were somewhat higher than the baseline values but well below the world average shale.     

Occupational noise exposure and hearing loss among pulse processing workers

Occupational noise exposure and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) has been recognised as a problem among workers in Indian industries. The major industries in India are based on the processing of agricultural products. There are appreciable numbers of pulse processing units spread throughout the country. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hearing loss among pulse processing workers. As a part of hearing protection intervention, audiometric tests were conducted at the binaural low (250–1,500 Hz), the binaural mid (1,500–4,000 Hz) and the binaural high (3,000–8,000 Hz) frequency averages. The prevalence of hearing loss was determined based on hearing threshold levels (HTLs) with a low fence of 25 dB. Over 50% of pulse processing workers (dana bazaar and dal mill) showed hearing loss in the noise-sensitive higher (binaural mid and high) frequencies. The rate of hearing loss was particularly high among workers in the dal mill. The analyses show a higher risk of prevalence of hearing loss among the dal mill workers compared to the workers associated with the grain preprocessing activities. The study shows alarming signals of NIHL, especially in the dal mill workers. The occupational exposure to noise could be minimised by efficient control measures through engineering controls, administrative controls and the use of personal protective devices. Applications of engineering and/or administrative controls are frequently not feasible in developing countries for technical and financial reasons. A complete hearing conservation programme, including training, audiometry and the use of hearing protection devices, is the most feasible method for the protection of industrial workers from prevailing noise in workplace environments in the developing countries.     

Analysis of agricultural drought using vegetation temperature condition index (VTCI) from Terra/MODIS satellite data

The most commonly used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from remote sensing often fall short in real-time drought monitoring due to a lagged vegetation response to drought. Therefore, research recently emphasized on the use of combination of surface temperature and NDVI which provides vegetation and moisture conditions simultaneously. Since drought stress effects on agriculture are closely linked to actual evapotranspiration, we used a vegetation temperature condition index (VTCI) which is more closely related to crop water status and holds a key place in real-time drought monitoring and assessment. In this study, NDVI and land surface temperature (T _s) from MODIS 8-day composite data during cloud-free period (September–October) were adopted to construct an NDVI–T _s space, from which the VTCI was computed. The crop moisture index (based on estimates of potential evapotranspiration and soil moisture depletion) was calculated to represent soil moisture stress on weekly basis for 20 weather monitoring stations. Correlation and regression analysis were attempted to relate VTCI with crop moisture status and crop performance. VTCI was found to accurately access the degree and spatial extent of drought stress in all years (2000, 2002, and 2004). The temporal variation of VTCI also provides drought pattern changes over space and time. Results showed significant and positive relations between CMI (crop moisture index) and VTCI observed particularly during prominent drought periods which proved VTCI as an ideal index to monitor terminal drought at regional scale. VTCI had significant positive relationship with yield but weakly related to crop anomalies. Duration of terminal drought stress derived from VTCI has a significant negative relationship with yields of major grain and oilseeds crops, particularly, groundnut.     

Selection and development of efficient consortia for decolorization of metal complex dyes

Decolorization of 18 different metal complex acid dyes was studied with 11 bacterial consortia. Five consortia and five dyes were selected on the basis of maximum decolorization. Among the parameters for optimization, nutrient broth was preferred by all bacterial consortia but one of them showed significant decolorization with Bushnell and Haas medium with or without glucose and yeast extract; hence, this consortium was selected for further studies. Decolorization efficiency was adversely affected beyond 200 mg/L dye and 2% NaCl concentration. Treatment efficiency was increased 2-fold using a developed consortium as compared to original consortium. Changes in the UV-Vis spectra and considerable reduction in chemical oxygen demand of selected metal complex dyes after decolorization prove the efficiency of the consortium for its use. Decolorization of a broad range of metal complex dyes at pH 7.5 ± 0.5, 35 ± 2 °C, and static conditions promises the use of the developed consortium for industrial wastewater treatment.     

Hg Vapor Emission from Broken Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) in an Acrylic Chamber

The United States Environmental Protection Agency/Environmental Response Team (US EPA/ERT), in collaboration with St. John's College, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Agra, India, is conducting a study to determine Hg vapor emission rates resulting from broken compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in a residential setting. The overall objectives of the study are to determine Hg vapor emission data and provide homeowners with cleanup procedures and disposal options for broken CFLs. Most of the currently available CFLs in the US market are manufactured in China for US companies. Several different types of CFLs were purchased from local stores and their Hg content was determined. Based on previous studies, such as the 2011 study by Singhvi and colleagues, five popular spiral CFLs were selected for emission studies in an acrylic chamber. This study found that Hg vapor emissions from CFLs may be significantly greater than those from beads of liquid Hg with weights comparable to the Hg content of the CFLs. The average 24-hour Hg loss into the atmosphere from CFLs broken on a plastic surface ranged from 0.6% to 22% of the bulb content, while that for CFLs broken on carpet ranged from 2.6% to 28%. Projections for a 12 foot × 9.33 foot × 8 foot (25.4 m³) room based on the chamber measurements in this study indicate that CFL breakage in some household settings may produce 24-hour Hg concentrations above the 2000 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) minimum risk level (MRL) of 0.2 μg/m³, for typical air exchange rates. This study also indicates that Hg emission may not be proportional to exposed surface area based on experiments using liquid Hg with different surface areas.     

Biological monitoring of chlorpyrifos exposure to rice farmers in Vietnam

Chlorpyrifos is the most common organophosphate insecticide registered for use in Vietnam and is widely used in agriculture, particularly rice farming. However, chlorpyrifos exposure to and adverse effects on farmers has not been evaluated. In this study, biological monitoring of chlorpyrifos exposure in a group of rice farmers was conducted after a typical application event using back-pack spraying.Urine samples (24 h) were collected from the rice farmers before and post insecticide application. Samples were analysed for 3,5,6-trichloropyridinol (TCP), the major urinary metabolite of chlorpyrifos, using an enzymatic pre-treatment before extraction followed by HPLC-MS/MS. Absorbed Daily Dose (ADD) of chlorpyrifos for farmers were then estimated from urinary TCP levels, expressed as μg g⁻¹ creatinine. The analytical method for urinary TCP had a low detection limit (0.6 μg L⁻¹), acceptable recovery values (80-114%), and low relative percentage differences in duplicate and repeated samples.Post-application chlorpyrifos ADD of farmers varied from 0.4 to 94.2 μg kg⁻¹ (body weight) d⁻¹ with a mean of 19.4 μg kg⁻¹ d⁻¹ which was approximately 80-fold higher than the mean baseline exposure level (0.24 μg kg⁻¹ d⁻¹). Hazard Quotients (ratio of the mean ADD for rice farmers to acute oral reference dose) calculated using acute oral reference doses recommended by United States and Australian agencies varied from 2.1 (Australian NRA), 4.2 (US EPA) to 6.9 (ATSDR).Biological monitoring using HPLC-MS/MS analysis of urinary TCP (24 h) was found to be an effective method for measuring chlorpyrifos exposure among farmers. This case study found that Vietnamese rice farmers had relatively high exposures to chlorpyrifos after application, which were likely to have adverse health effects.