Allium cepa L. as a bioindicator to measure cytotoxicity of surface water of the Quatorze River,located in Francisco Beltrão,Paraná, Brazil

Due to an increase in water consumption in the industrial sector and within the Brazilian population, surface water that receives wastewater from industries, domestic sewage, agricultural industries, and sewage treatment stations can pollute water bodies when not properly treated. The water quality has been linked to catchment characteristics and intensity of agricultural activities. Thus, the aim of this study was to monitor the cytotoxic potential of the water of the Quatorze River, located in the town of Francisco Beltrão, Paraná, Brazil, along its route in the rural area, using the root meristematic cells of Allium cepa L. as a bioindicator. The results showed that the water at points 2, 3, and 4 were not cytotoxic because the rates of A. cepa cell division were unaltered. Point 1 had presented a mitotic index that was statistically larger than the negative control, indicating that this water contained substances with mitogenic capacity, as demonstrated by elevated values in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). However, the mitotic index values decreased along the route of the river (point 1 to point 4), possibly indicating a mechanism of self-purification, despite having received other sources of pollution. Thus, the results of this study show that the water of the Quatorze River should undergo periodic environmental monitoring at different times of the year, including cytotoxicity analysis, to evaluate the principal sources of contamination to maintain the quality of the river water and, consequently, to maintain human health and equilibrium of the entire ecosystem.     

Persistent organic pollutant in a fish community of a sub-alpine lake

This study investigated the presence of organochlorine pollutants in abiotic and biotic samples from Lake Como (Italy). DDTs and PCBs were found to be the major contaminants, ranging from 0.04 to 4.25 and from 0.25 to 40.8 μg/g lipid respectively. Evidence of biomagnification according to the trophic role of the investigated organisms was highlighted by means of Stable Isotope Analysis. A Trophic Magnification Factor (TMF) was calculated for the chemicals of interest and the applicability of the method for global use was confirmed. Statistically significant correlation has been found between the calculated trophic level and the concentrations of more lipophilic compounds, while for the less lipophilic (e.g., HCH, 3CBs) the relationship is no statistically significant and the TMF is close to 1.The role of the foraging area in affecting PCB and DDT concentrations within aquatic ecosystems has been highlighted by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA).     

Detection of Hepatitis A Virus and Norovirus in Different Food Categories: A 6-Year Survey in Italy

Food and Environmental Virology - To observe the prevalence of contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) in different food types, 9242 samples were analyzed over a 6-year period...     

Organic carbon effects on aerobic polychlorinated biphenyl removal and bacterial community composition in soils and sediments

Certain organic compounds, including biphenyl and salicylic acid, stimulate polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degradation by microorganisms in some environments. However, the usefulness of these amendments for improving PCB removal by microorganisms from diverse habitats has not been extensively explored. This study evaluated the effects of biphenyl, salicylic acid, and glucose on changes in aerobic PCB removal and bacterial communities from an agricultural soil, a wetland peat soil, a river sediment, and a mixture of these samples. PCB removal patterns were significantly different between soils and sediments amended with carbon compounds: (i) terrestrial soil microorganisms removed more PCBs than river sediment microorganisms, particularly with regard to PCBs with >4 chlorine substituents, (ii) glucose-supplemented, agricultural soil microorganisms removed more hexachlorobiphenyl than unsupplemented samples, (iii) biphenyl-supplemented, river sediment microorganisms removed more di- and tri-chlorobiphenyls than unamended samples. Carbon amendments also caused unique shifts in soil and sediment bacterial communities, as determined by specific changes in bacterial 16S rRNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis banding patterns. These results indicate that organic carbon amendments had site-specific effects on bacterial populations and PCB removal. Further work is needed to more accurately characterize PCB degrading communities and functional gene expression in diverse types of environments to better understand how they respond to bioremediation treatments.     

Photodegradation of the pure and formulated alpha-cypermethrin insecticide gives different products

Alpha-cypermethrin is a broad-spectrum insecticide widely used in the treatment of rice crops, mainly commercialized as a CONTEST^® formulation. The photodegradation of alpha-cypermethrin and of the commercial formulation has not yet been systematically investigated in paddy water under natural conditions. Here, paddy water solutions of alpha-cypermethrin and CONTEST^® formulation at 5.0 mg L^?1 were irradiated under simulated sunlight for 10 days. Hydrolysis experiments were carried out on the same solutions preserved in the dark. Analysis by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the identification of photodegradation products. Results show that degradation of pure alpha-cypermethrin and the formulation counterpart produces both common and different photodegradation products. Five out eleven photodegradation products were identified for the first time, in particular three in the alpha-cypermethrin paddy water solution and four in the formulation. Our findings underline the importance of carrying out photodegradation experiments directly on the commercial formulation, since degradation products could be different from the pure insecticide.     

Influence of angular exposure and proximity to vehicular traffic on the diversity of epiphytic lichens and the bioaccumulation of traffic-related elements

This study investigated the influence of angular exposure and distance from vehicular traffic on the diversity of epiphytic lichens and the bioaccumulation of traffic-related elements in a town of central Italy. An Index of Lichen Diversity (ILD) was calculated on the street-facing and the opposite side of road-lining trees and in a urban park 250 m away, and the content of selected trace elements (Al, Ba, Ce, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn) was determined in samples of the lichen Punctelia borreri (Sm.) Krog growing on tree bark, both on the exposed and opposite sides. ILD increases with distance from traffic emissions. However, at the site with vehicle traffic, non-nitrophilous lichens decreased while nitrophilous ones increased. The concentration of the traffic-related elements Ba, Cr, Cu, Mn, Sb, and Zn accumulated in thalli of P. borreri was higher on roadside trees than in trees from the urban park. ILD was not affected by the angular exposure to the road and the bioaccumulation of traffic-related elements was similar in lichens from the side of the bole exposed to traffic emissions and particulate resuspension and from the opposite side. The angular exposure in respect to the traffic source does not influence trace element accumulation. These results are important when using lichens for biomonitoring purposes, both for planning future studies and for the reliability of the interpretation of past surveys that do not report information about the angular exposure of the collected lichen material.