PCDDs, PCDFs, dioxin-like PCBs and indicator PCBs in soil from five selected areas in Slovakia

There is a lack of information regarding persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soil from Slovakia. This paper reports the concentrations of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and 6 indicator PCBs associated with 32 soil samples collected in 2007 from areas in the vicinity up to several kilometres from four selected industrial PCDD/F sources in Slovakia and one background area.The results show that the total WHO₁₉₉₈-PCDD/F/dl-PCB-TEQ concentrations varied from 0.34 to 18.05 pg g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) and the average total TEQ concentrations in samples collected at the Šala, Košice, Krompachy and Dubová areas were 3.18, 2.64, 7.80, and 3.19 pg g⁻¹ dw respectively. The average of the total WHO₁₉₉₈-TEQ values in three soil samples representing the background Starina area was 0.66 pg g⁻¹ dw. The predominant contaminants among 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs, dl-PCB, and indicator PCBs was OCDD, PCB 118, and PCB 153 respectively. The major contributors to the TEQ were 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, PCB 126, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, PCB 156 and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF + 1,2,3,4,7,9-HxCDF in descending order.     

Exergy efficiency analysis of a refurbished dwelling: a case study in Ljubljana,Slovenia

Buildings contribute almost half of the world's carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Energy and water consumption are some of the largest and fastest growing pressures on the global environment. The use of energy is mainly attributed to the heating and cooling of buildings. The type of materials used in the construction of buildings plays a significant role in the life-cycle emissions of each dwelling. Changing the material use in the construction of an existing building and adding insulation could have a major impact on energy use and the environment of the building in its entire life cycle. This paper investigates the amount of exergy savings and the decrease in CO₂ emissions resulting from the refurbishing of an existing building in Ljubljana. This study results from the growing awareness that in the choice of building materials, the designer must consider not only the requirements of the owner and occupier of the building, but also the resulting energy savings, the resource base and the effects of the manufacturing and processing of building materials on the environment. The exergy efficiency of the material use is calculated and the environmental impact assessment of energy and material use is accounted for.     

Integrated evaluation of aerogenic pollution by air-transported heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Mn and Cu) in the analysis of the main deposit media

The composition of the ambient air is constantly changing; therefore, the monitoring of ambient air quality to detect the changes caused by aerogenic pollutants makes the essential part of general environmental monitoring. To achieve more effective improvement of the ambient air quality, the Directive 2008/50/EC on ‘Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe’ was adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council. It informed the public and enterprises about a negative effect of pollution on humans, animals and plants, as well as about the need for monitoring aerogenic pollutants not only at the continuous monitoring stations but also by using indicator methods, i.e. by analysing natural deposit media. The problem of determining the relationship between the accumulation level of pollutants by a deposit medium and the level of air pollution and its risks is constantly growing in importance. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the response of the main four deposit media, i.e. snow cover, soil, pine bark and epigeic mosses, to the long-term pollution by aerogenic pollutants which can be observed in the area of oil refinery influence. Based on the quantitative expressions of the amounts of the accumulated pollutants in the deposit media, the territory of the oil refinery investigated in this paper has been referred to the areas of mild or moderate pollution.     

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food by Step One real-time polymerase chain reaction

The aim of this study was to follow contamination of ready-to-eat food with Listeria monocytogenes by using the Step One real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We used the PrepSEQ Rapid Spin Sample Preparation Kit for isolation of DNA and MicroSEQ® Listeria monocytogenes Detection Kit for the real-time PCR performance. In 30 samples of ready-to-eat milk and meat products without incubation we detected strains of Listeria monocytogenes in five samples (swabs). Internal positive control (IPC) was positive in all samples. Our results indicated that the real-time PCR assay developed in this study could sensitively detect Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food without incubation.     

Mycobiota and mycotoxins in bee pollen collected from different areas of Slovakia

Contamination by microscopic fungi and mycotoxins in different bee pollen samples, which were stored under three different ways of storing as freezing, drying and UV radiation, was investigated. During spring 2009, 45 samples of bee-collected pollen were gathered from beekeepers who placed their bee colonies on monocultures of sunflower, rape and poppy fields within their flying distance. Bee pollen was collected from bees’ legs by special devices placed at the entrance to hives. Samples were examined for the concentration and identification of microscopic fungi able to grow on Malt and Czapek-Dox agar and mycotoxins content [deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), zearalenone (ZON) and total aflatoxins (AFL), fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxins (OTA)] by direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The total number of microscopic fungi in this study ranged from 2.98 ± 0.02 in frozen sunflower bee pollen to 4.06 ± 0.10 log cfu.g^?1 in sunflower bee pollen after UV radiation. In this study, 449 isolates belonging to 21 fungal species representing 9 genera were found in 45 samples of bee pollen. The total isolates were detected in frozen poppy pollen 29, rape pollen 40, sunflower pollen 80, in dried poppy pollen 12, rape pollen 36, sunflower 78, in poppy pollen after UV radiation treatment 54, rape 59 and sunflower 58. The most frequent isolates of microscopic fungi found in bee pollen samples of all prevalent species were Mucor mucedo (49 isolates), Alternaria alternata (40 isolates), Mucor hiemalis (40 isolates), Aspergillus fumigatus (33 isolates) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (31 isolates). The most frequently found isolates were detected in sunflower bee pollen frozen (80 isolates) and the lowest number of isolates was observed in poppy bee pollen dried (12 isolates). The most prevalent mycotoxin of poppy bee pollen was ZON (361.55 ± 0.26 μg.kg^?1), in rape bee pollen T-2 toxin (265.40 ± 0.18 μg.kg^?1) and in sunflower bee pollen T-2 toxin (364.72 ± 0.13 μg.kg^?1) in all cases in frozen samples.     

Toxicity of metalaxyl,azoxystrobin, dimethomorph,cymoxanil, zoxamide and mancozeb to Phytophthora infestans isolates from Serbia

A study of the in vitro sensitivity of 12 isolates of Phytophthora infestans to metalaxyl, azoxystrobin, dimethomorph, cymoxanil, zoxamide and mancozeb, was conducted. The isolates derived from infected potato leaves collected at eight different localities in Serbia during 2005–2007. The widest range of EC₅₀ values for mycelial growth of the isolates was recorded for metalaxyl. They varied from 0.3 to 3.9 μg mL^?1 and were higher than those expected in a susceptible population of P. infestans. The EC₅₀ values of the isolates were 0.16–0.30 μg mL^?1 for dimethomorph, 0.27–0.57 μg mL^?1 for cymoxanil, 0.0026–0.0049 μg mL^?1 for zoxamide and 2.9–5.0 μg mL^?1 for mancozeb. The results indicated that according to effective concentration (EC₅₀) the 12 isolates of P. infestans were sensitive to azoxystrobin (0.019–0.074 μg mL^?1), and intermediate resistant to metalaxyl, dimethomorph and cymoxanil. According to resistance factor, all P. infestans isolates were sensitive to dimethomorph, cymoxanil, mancozeb and zoxamide, 58.3% of isolates were sensitive to azoxystrobin and 50% to metalaxyl. Gout's scale indicated that 41.7% isolates were moderately sensitive to azoxystrobin and 50% to metalaxyl.     

Toxicity of fungicides with different modes of action to Cladobotryum dendroides and Agaricus bisporus

Isolates of Cladobotryum dendroides from Serbian mushroom farms and Agaricus bisporus F56 were tested for sensitivity to selected fungicides in vitro. Chlorothalonil was the most toxic fungicide to C. dendroides isolates (EC₅₀ values were below 1.68 mg L^{? 1}). Trifloxystrobin and kresoxim-methyl were not effective in growth inhibition of C. dendroides isolates (EC₅₀ values exceeded 300 mg L^{? 1}). Metalaxyl-M+mancozeb was the most toxic fungicide to strain F56 of A. bisporus, and iprodione the least toxic. The fungicide selectivity indexes for both C. dendroides and A. bisporus indicated that iprodione, chlorothalonil, captan and metalaxyl-M+mancozeb had satisfactory selective fungitoxicity. Iprodione had the best selectivity to both the pathogen and the host, although inferior than prochloraz manganese and carbendazim, fungicides officially recommended for mushroom cultivation in European Union (EU) countries.     

Prioritisation of organic contaminants in a river basin using chemical analyses and bioassays

Region-specific contaminant prioritisation is an important prerequisite for sustainable and cost-effective monitoring due to the high number of different contaminants that may be present. Surface water and sediment samples from the Sava River, Croatia, were collected at four locations covering a 150-km-long river section characterised by well-defined pollution gradients. Analysis of contaminant profiles along the pollution gradients was performed by combining toxicity screening using a battery of small-scale or in vitro bioassays, which covered different modes of action, with detailed chemical characterisation based on gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). A large number of contaminants, belonging to different toxicant classes, were identified in both analysed matrices. Analyses of water samples showed that contaminants having polar character occurred in the highest concentrations, while in sediments, contributions from both non-polar and amphiphilic contaminants should be taken into account. Estimated contributions of individual contaminant classes to the overall toxicity indicated that, besides the classical pollutants, a number of emerging contaminants, including surfactants, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and plasticizers, should be taken into consideration in future monitoring activities. This work demonstrates the importance of the integrated chemical and bioanalytical approach for a systematic region-specific pollutant prioritisation. Finally, the results presented in this study confirm that hazard assessment in complex environmental matrices should be directed towards identification of key pollutants, rather than focusing on a priori selected contaminants alone.     

Assessment of Atmospheric Deposition of Heavy Metals and Other Elements in Belgrade Using the Moss Biomonitoring Technique and Neutron Activation Analysis

This study aimed at assessing atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and other elements using the moss genera Brachythecium sp. (B. rutabulum and B. salebrosum) and Eurhynchium sp. (E. hians and E. striatum) collected in autumn 2004 in the urban area of Belgrade. The concentrations of 36 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Dy, Hf, Ta, W, Hg, Th, U) were determined in moss and local topsoil samples by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The concentration of elements in moss positively correlated to those obtained for topsoil. High enrichment factors for As, Zn, Mo, Br, Sb, Se, Hg and Cl, calculated to continental crust composition, gave an evidence for anthropogenic impact on urban area, mainly due to intensive vehicular traffic and fossil fuel combustion. The concentration of elements in moss, characteristic for fossil fuel combustion, obtained in this study were substantially lower than in the previous investigation (2000) conducted in the area of Belgrade. The level of concentrations for V, Cr, Ni, and As in moss from this study correlated to those measured for neighboring countries, and were several times higher than the base-level data from low polluted areas. The level of accumulated elements in both investigated moss genera were similar and all studied species could be combined for biomonitoring purposes in urban areas.