Toxicological evaluation of sulfur-containing metabolites of 2,5,2′,5′-tetrachlorobiphenyl in rats

Sulfur-containing metabolites of 2,5,2′,5′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCB), 4-methylthio-TCB (MT-TCB), 4-methylsulfoxyl TCB (MSX-TCB) and 4-methylsulfonyl TCB (MS-TCB) were examined for their acute toxicities, hepatic enzyme inducing activities, accumulation in the liver and lung, and excretion to the feces in rats. TCB and MT-TCB suppressed body weight and recovery of body weight gain was delayed in the MT-TCB-treated rats. MT-TCB and MS-TCB caused an increase in total liver lipid and only MT-TCB brought about an atrophy of the thymus. Treatment with MT-TCB increased cytochrome P-450 content and benzphetamine N-demethylase activity. The same enzymes were also induced by treatment with MSX-TCB. Although TCB administered was excreted mostly as hydroxylated TCB, a part was excreted as unchanged and a very small portion as the sulfur-containing metabolites. MT-TCB, MSX-TCB and MS-TCB were excreted from the MT-TCB- and MSX-TCB-treated rats. The MS-TCB-treated rats excreted only MS-TCB. The same compounds as found in the feces were identified in the liver and lung of the rats treated with those compounds except in the liver of TCB-treated rats. These results indicate that sulfur-containing metabolites, especially MT-TCB, were more important than their parent compound, TCB, from a toxicological point of view.     

Chemical fractionation and heavy metal accumulation in the plant of Sesamum indicum (L.) var. T55 grown on soil amended with tannery sludge: Selection of single extractants

A pot experiment was carried out to study the single and sequential extractions of metals in different tannery sludge amendment and the potential of the plant of Sesamum indicum L. var. T55 (sesame) for the removal of metals from tannery waste contaminated site. The metal extraction efficiency obtained with each extractants was slightly different and follow the order; EDTA>DTPA>NH(4)NO(3)>NaNO(3)>CaCl(2). The correlation analysis between extractable metals in the different amendments of sludge and metal accumulation in the plant (lower and upper parts) showed better correlation for most of the tested metals with EDTA extraction. In this study, a sequential extraction technique was applied on different amendments of tannery sludge. The results showed that Mn, Zn, Cr and Cd were mostly associated with Fe-Mn oxide fraction in most of the amendments, K and Ni was found in residual (RES) fraction, Fe and Cu was bound with organic matter (OM) and RES fractions and Na was associated with carbonate (CAR) fraction. The metal accumulation after 60 d of growth of the plant was found in the order of K>Na>Fe>Zn>Cr>Mn>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cd and its translocation was found less in upper part. The accumulation of toxic metals (Cr, Ni and Cd) in the plants was found to increase with increase in sludge ratio, in contrast, the accumulation of Pb decreased. In view of growth parameters and metal accumulation in the plant, it was observed that lower amendments (25%) of tannery sludge were found suitable for the phytoremediation of most of the studied metals.     

Perfluorinated chemicals in relation to other persistent organic pollutants in human blood

In order to evaluate blood levels of some perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and compare them to current levels of classical persistent organic pollutants (POPs) whole blood samples from Sweden were analyzed with respect to 12 PFCs, 37 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl-dichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), six chlordanes and three polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The median concentration, on whole blood basis, of the sum of PFCs was 20-50 times higher compared to the sum of PCBs and p,p'-DDE, 300-450 times higher than HCB, sum of chlordanes and sum of PBDEs. Estimations of the total body amount of PFCs and lipophilic POPs point at similar body burdens. While levels of for example PCBs and PBDEs are normalized to the lipid content of blood, there is no such general procedure for PFCs in blood. The distributions of a number of perfluorinated compounds between whole blood and plasma were therefore studied. Plasma concentrations were higher than whole blood concentrations for four perfluoroalkylated acids with plasma/whole blood ratios between 1.1 and 1.4, whereas the ratio for perflurooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) was considerably lower (0.2). This suggests that the comparison of levels of PFCs determined in plasma with levels determined in whole blood should be made with caution. We also conclude that Swedish residents are exposed to a large number of PFCs to the same extent as in USA, Japan, Colombia and the few other countries from which data is available today.     

Accumulation and elimination of aqueous and dietary silver in Daphnia magna

The dissolved uptake, dietary assimilation, and efflux of Ag in a freshwater cladoceran, Daphnia magna, were measured under different laboratory conditions. The dissolved uptake rate of Ag was proportional to the ambient Ag concentration, but the accumulation was highly variable due to the sorption of Ag onto the daphnid bodies. The ambient Na(+) but not the ambient K(+) concentration significantly decreased the dissolved uptake of Ag, suggesting a competitive uptake of Ag(+) with Na(+). The dietary assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of Ag are dependent on the concentration of the algal food available to D. magna. The AE was as low as 2% when the food concentration reached the saturation levels. In contrast, the Ag concentrations in the algae did not significantly affect the Ag AE in D. magna. The efflux rate constant of diet-incorporated Ag was twice that through dissolved uptake. The elimination of Ag was further separated into different compartments (excretion, egestion, molting, and reproduction) in the juveniles and adults after accumulation from dissolved and dietary sources. Regeneration into the dissolved phase was the predominant pathway by which the incorporated Ag was lost from D. magna, regardless of the exposure pathway. In contrast to the essential metals or Hg, there was minimal maternal transfer of Ag from the mothers to the offspring. By employing the biokinetic model, we further showed that water is a dominant pathway for Ag accumulation in D. magna. Trophic transfer is less significant primarily because of the low Ag AE when the food concentration reached the saturation levels.     

Remediation of contaminated agricultural soils near a former Pb/Zn smelter in Austria: batch, pot and field experiments

Metal contaminated crops from contaminated soils are possible hazards for the food chain. The aim of this study was to find practical and cost-effective measures to reduce metal uptake in crops grown on metal contaminated soils near a former metal smelter in Austria. Metal-inefficient cultivars of crop plants commonly grown in the area were investigated in combination with in-situ soil amendments. A laboratory batch experiment using 15 potential amendments was used to select 5 amendments to treat contaminated soil in a pot study using two Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars that differed in their ability to accumulate cadmium. Results from this experiment identified 3 of these amendments for use in a field trial. In the pot experiment a reduction in ammonium nitrate extractable Cd (<41%) and Pb (<49%) compared to the controls was measured, with a concurrent reduction of uptake into barley grain (Cd<62%, Pb<68%). In the field extractable fractions of Cd, Pb, and Zn were reduced by up to 96%, 99%, and 99%, respectively in amended soils.     

Seasonal and spatial patterns of metals at a restored copper mine site II. Copper in riparian soils and Bromus carinatus shoots

Soil and plants were sampled throughout winter and spring near a perennial stream traversing a restored mine site in a winter-rainy climate. Within 1m of an acidic reach of the stream, soil had pH 3-5 and 50-100 microg/g "bioavailable" copper (extractable with 0.01 M CaCl2). Soil 2-3 m from the stream had pH 5-8 and lower (less than 3 microg/g) bioavailable copper. "Oxide-bound" copper (extractable with 2N HCl) was 50-100 microg/g at most locations. Copper concentrations in the shoots of field-collected Bromus carinatus declined from 20 microg/g in winter to 2 microg/g in spring at all sampling sites. A similar temporal pattern was found in plants grown under controlled conditions. Thus B. carinatus has a developmental program for control of shoot copper concentration, causing a seasonally-varying pattern of copper phytoaccumulation over a large range of copper availability in the soil.     

State of energy consumption and CO2 emission in Bangladesh

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the most important gases in the atmosphere, and is necessary for sustaining life on Earth. It is also considered to be a major greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. In this article, energy consumption in Bangladesh is analyzed and estimates are made of CO2 emission from combustion of fossil fuel (coal, gas, petroleum products) for the period 1977 to 1995. International Panel for Climate Change guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories were used in estimating CO2 emission. An analysis of energy data shows that the consumption of fossil fuels in Bangladesh is growing by more than 5% per year. The proportion of natural gas in total energy consumption is increasing, while that of petroleum products and coal is decreasing. The estimated total CO2 release from all primary fossil fuels used in Bangladesh amounted to 5072 Gigagram (Gg) in 1977, and 14 423 Gg in 1995. The total amounts of CO2 released from petroleum products, natural gas, and coal in the period 1977-1995 were 83 026 Gg (50% of CO2 emission), 72 541 Gg (44% of CO2 emission), and 9545 Gg (6% CO2 emission), respectively. A trend in CO2 emission with projections to 2070 is generated. In 2070, total estimated CO2 emission will be 293 260 Gg with a current growth rate of 6.34% y . CO2 emission from fossil fuels is increasing. Petroleum products contribute the majority of CO2 emission load, and although the use of natural gas is increasing rapidly, its contribution to CO2 emission is less than that of petroleum products. The use of coal as well as CO2 emission from coal is expected to gradually decrease.     

Influences of macroalga-derived dissolved organic carbon on the aquatic toxicity of copper and cadmium

In this study, the effect of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from macroalga (Sargassum) on the acute toxicity of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) to a freshwater cladoceran (Daphnia magna) was investigated. Potassium-loaded macroalga was incubated with ultrapure water to extract macroalgal DOC, which was then spiked with the constituents of the Elendt M7 hard water media. The 48 h median lethal concentration of Cu increased linearly with DOC levels but that of Cd was relatively independent of DOC levels (0-44 mg l(-1)). The independence of Cd toxicity on DOC level might be due to the competitive effect of high calcium concentrations in the media with Cd for the binding sites of DOC. The decreased Cu toxicity was a result of reduced Cu uptake as evidenced in a separate accumulation test. Also, the capability of the macroalgal DOC on reducing Cu toxicity was found to be comparable to DOC tested in other studies. Therefore, the present study suggested that the biosorption treatment process using macroalgae should consider the effect of DOC release from the biomass as a step of modifying the metal toxicity as well as influencing metal biosorption capacity.     

Changes in amino acid profile and metal content in seeds of Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) grown under various fly-ash amendments

Seeds of Cicer arietinum L. plants are edible and a valuable source of protein. Accumulation of toxic metals in the edible part of the plant, grown in fields close to fly-ash (FA) landfills, may pose a threat to human health. In the present study, the effects of FA and its amendments with different ameliorants viz., garden soil (GS), press mud (PM) and saw dust (SD), on total soluble protein contents, amino acid composition and metal accumulation in seeds were investigated in var. CSG-8962 and var. C-235 of C. arietinum. Plants accumulated adequate amounts of essential metals viz. Fe, Cu, Zn in seeds, while the toxic metals such as Cd and Cr were taken up in smaller quantities. The accumulation of Cr and Cd was less in var. C-235 than var. CSG-8962. Amendment of FA with PM enhanced the amount of soluble protein and amino acids in both varieties and was found to be superior among all tested ameliorants. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of amino acids showed better response in var. C-235 as compared to var. CSG-8962. Thus var. C-235 seems to be suitable for cultivation in FA contaminated areas due to more accumulation of essential metals and less accumulation of toxic metals in seeds. Application of PM may further improve the growth of plants and nutritional quality of seeds.