Bacterial community structure analyses to assess pollution of water and sediments in the Lake Shkodra/Skadar, Balkan Peninsula

- Goal, Scope, Background. Lake Skadar is the largest lake in Balkan Peninsula, located on the Montenegro-Albanian border. The unique features of the lake and wide range of endemic and rare or endangered plant and animal species resulted in the classification of the Skadar as a wetland site of international significance. In spite of its importance the Lake is influenced by inflowing waters from river Morača and other regional rivers contaminated by the industry, municipal and agricultural activities in the area. Therefore, the Lake has been subject of various physical, chemical, biological and toxicological examinations. However, community-level analyses are most relevant to assess the effect of stressors on aquatic ecosystems. In the present study bacterial community structure among differently polluted sites of the lake was compared by genetic fingerprinting technique. Methods Water and sediment samples were collected from five differently polluted sampling sites on the Lake Skadar in spring and autumn of the same year. The bacterial community structure in the samples was characterized and compared by temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE) analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Results and Discussion The TTGE analysis resulted in many distinguishable and reproducible band patterns, allowing reliable comparison of bacterial communities among sampling sites. Results on the bacterial community structure revealed that three of the selected locations can be considered as sites that have not shown any pollution degradation determined by our method, due to similar structure of bacterial community in the sediment samples. On the other hand, significant shifts in bacterial community structure in the mouth of the river Morača and Plavnica were shown. Since the results coincide with some of the bioassays and chemical analysis performed previously, the changes in bacterial community structure are explained as an effect of antropogenic pollution on the lake ecosystem by waters of river Morača and stream Plavnica. Conclusion The TTGE has proven to be an efficient and reliable method to monitor bacterial dynamics and community shifts in aquatic environment, especially in the sediments. Within the variety of environmental quality assessments the use of TTGE analyses of bacterial community is strongly recommended, particularly as an initial investigation. However, in any conclusion on the state of the environment, the TTGE results should be combined to some other biological, chemical and hydrological data. Recommendation and Outlook Since prokaryotes are a crucial group of organisms in the biosphere, the ecosystem function studies are largely based on bacterial communities. Therefore, bacterial community structure analysis should be a part of an integrated weight of evidence approach in pollution assessment. In case of Triad approach, consisting of chemical analyses, bioassays, and community studies in the field, the TTGE bacterial community structure analyses should be placed in the later Triad leg. In comparison to other community studies, based on various biotic indices, the TTGE bacterial community analysis has proven to be very sensitive, reliable and less time consuming.     

Evaluation of the genotoxic and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase-inhibitory potential of Dicuran on procaryotic and eucaryotic test systems

The effect of the herbicide Dicuran 500 FL (formulated product) on the phenotypical and genotypical changes in procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms was investigated using short-term tests for detecting genotoxins. Since pesticides discharged in the water environment can modulate the mixed-function monooxygenases (MFO) detoxification system of water organisms, the in vivo and in vitro effects of Dicuran on hepatic cytochrome P450 (cyt P450) monooxygenase activities were also examined in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). By measuring the activities of MFO in experimental carp exposed to Dicuran an attempt was made to establish whether Dicuran could be bioactivated by MFO into ultimate mutagens. Our results on the bacterial strains Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98 show that Dicuran does not possess either mutagenic or premutagenic characteristics. The micronucleus test on the erythrocytes of experimental carp did not establish any clastogenic effect either. However, Dicuran significantly inhibited the MFO activity of 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and benzo[a]pyrene monooxygenase (BaPMO) in the liver of experimental carp in vitro, as well as in in vivo conditions. These findings demonstrate the potentially damaging effect of Dicuran on the xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme systems of fish, and suggest the applicability of described methods for the prediction of the ecotoxicological significance of the presence of pesticides in the water environment.     

Origin,distribution, and perspective health benefits of particulate matter in the air of underground salt mine: a case study from Bochnia,Poland

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The composition and distribution of airborne particles in different locations in a salt mine were determined in terms of their origin, the distance from the...     

Fluoride concentrations in the pineal gland,brain and bone of goosander (Mergus merganser) and its prey in Odra River estuary in Poland

The aim of the study was to investigate fluoride concentrations in bone, brain and pineal gland of goosander Mergus merganser wintering in the Odra estuary (Poland) as well as in fish originating from its digestive tract. The fluoride concentrations were determined with potentiometric method. Medians of concentrations in goosander had the highest and the lowest values in pineal gland and brain (>760 and <190 mg/kg, respectively). Fluoride concentration in the pineal gland was significantly greater than in the bone and the brain of the duck. In fish, the fluoride concentration ranged from 37 to 640 mg/kg and significant correlation was revealed between the fluoride concentration and fish weight and length. Based on own results and data of other authors, a daily fluoride intake by the goosander in the Odra estuary was estimated at 15 mg. So high fluoride concentrations like in the duck have not been found in mammal brains.     

Metal contamination recorded in the sediment of the semi-closed Bakar Bay (Croatia)

This study presents metal levels in the sediments of the Bakar Bay, with its main goal to evaluate recent anthropogenic influence, as well as over previous decades. Sediment profiles at 7 sampling points were taken. Chemical contents in bulk sediment were obtained using ICP, ICP-MS, and AAS methodologies, and 20 most significant elements were presented. Concentrations of selected elements were evaluated by factor statistical analyses to identify their source. Also, metal enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index were calculated, and spatial distribution maps for three sediment layers were constructed. Measured metal concentrations in sediment were compared with concentrations in other sediments from the Adriatic Sea. In addition, a set of sediment quality guidelines were also applied in order to predict the probability of adverse biological effects on the benthic community: This was found not to be very serious. Factor analysis clearly demonstrates the segregation between metals of natural origin resulted from soil and bedrock weathering (Li, Al, Cr, Sc), and with two anthropogenic sources originating from the city of Bakar and bulk cargo terminal (Hg, Pb, Zn, Ag, Sn, and Fe). Mercury (max 0.65 μg g^?1) is found to be the heaviest contaminant, followed by lead (max 71.5 μg g^?1), copper (89.3 μg g^?1), and zinc (156 μg g^?1). However, this study shows that Bakar Bay is considerably less polluted with toxic metals than it was believed.     

Metals in the sediment and liver of four fish species from different trophic levels in Tisza River,Serbia

In aquatic environments metals originate from various natural and anthropogenic sources. The degree of contamination in fish tissues depends on the pollutant, fish species, their mode of feeding, sampling site and trophic level. This study presents concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr and Zn in sediment and liver of four ecologically different fish species: piscivorous northern pike (Esox lucius L.), benthivorous sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.) and silver bream (Brama brama L.), and omnivorous common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Fish were caught at four sites along the stretch of the River Tisza in Serbia during October 2010. The concentrations of metals have been assessed using the inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry. Results revealed that metals with the highest values in sediment and fish samples were Al and Fe, respectively and sometimes concentrations of Zn are in the same order of magnitude as Fe concentrations. The highest concentration of metals was recorded in omnivorous common carp.     

Environmental human silver exposure

Environmental exposure to silver (Ag) was assessed in occupationally non-exposed adult human population by analyzing Ag in the hair (H?·?Ag) and whole blood (WB?·?Ag). H?·?Ag was analyzed in 311 (123 men, M; 188 women, W); while WB?·?Ag was determined in 235 of these individuals (90 M, 145 W). Women had more H?·?Ag than men (M 0.05 vs. W 0.076), whereas WB?·?Ag concentrations in men and women were not significantly different. A natural distribution of the median derivatives was utilized to generate the dataset to fit the logistic sigmoid curve to assess the current human body burden of environmental Ag population exposure for M and W separately. The H?·?Ag (µg?g^?1) below 0.0105 for M and 0.0145 for W, reflects low level of environmental Ag exposure. The adaptive physiological saturation phase followed where H?·?Ag rose rapidly, first for M and then for W in parallel with biological assay. Both parallel saturation curves converged and plateaued at 0.215 for M and 0.965 for W (µg?g^?1). The current level of human environmental Ag exposure is low, but cases of high Ag exposure occurred sporadically. In conjunction with the medical histories overt clinical neural toxicity may be expected for H?·?Ag at 4?µg?g^?1and higher. There were no significant correlation between the H?·?Ag and WB?·?Ag.     

Air pollution protection by waste amorphous SiO2 utilization in Portland cement production

This papers deals with waste amorphous silica obtained from AlF₃ production. This is a waste material that could be used as additive in cement production. Results are encouraging although there are no large quantities of this material available (about 4000 t/yr). Experiments were performed with the addition of 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5% and 10.0% mass of amorphous silica obtained from AlF₃ production. Flexural and compressive strengths of the prepared mortar samples with w/c = 0.50 and with the constant flow were determined. Experiments show that optimal quantity for the amorphous silica addition is 5% of the cement mass.     

Possible health impacts of naturally occurring uptake of aristolochic acids by maize and cucumber roots: links to the etiology of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are nephrotoxic and carcinogenic derivatives found in several Aristolochia species. To date, the toxicity of AAs has been inferred only from the effects observed in patients suffering from a kidney disease called “aristolochic acid nephropathy” (AAN, formerly known as “Chinese herbs nephropathy”). More recently, the chronic poisoning with Aristolochia seeds has been considered to be the main cause of Balkan endemic nephropathy, another form of chronic renal failure resembling AAN. So far, it was assumed that AAs can enter the human food chain only through ethnobotanical use (intentional or accidental) of herbs containing self-produced AAs. We hypothesized that the roots of some crops growing in fields where Aristolochia species grew over several seasons may take up certain amounts of AAs from the soil, and thus become a secondary source of food poisoning. To verify this possibility, maize plant (Zea mays) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) were used as a model to substantiate the possible significance of naturally occurring AAs’ root uptake in food chain contamination. This study showed that the roots of maize plant and cucumber are capable of absorbing AAs from nutrient solution, consequently producing strong peaks on ultraviolet HPLC chromatograms of plant extracts. This uptake resulted in even higher concentrations of AAs in the roots compared to the nutrient solutions. To further validate the measurement of AA content in the root material, we also measured their concentrations in nutrient solutions before and after the plant treatment. Decreased concentrations of both AAI and AAII were found in nutrient solutions after plant growth. During this short-term experiment, there were much lower concentrations of AAs in the leaves than in the roots. The question is whether these plants are capable of transferring significant amounts of AAs from the roots into edible parts of the plant during prolonged experiments.     

Roe and red deer as bioindicators of heavy metals contamination in north-western Poland

The present paper examines the degree of environmental contamination in areas covered by the Natura 2000 programme, located in north-western Poland, with selected heavy metals based on their concentration in target organs of roe and red deer. Lead, cadmium, copper, iron, and zinc concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry. Residues of lead and cadmium were found in most of the analysed samples of roe and red deer organs The concentration of cadmium in the organs of the animals studied was much higher than that of lead. The median for Pb in liver and kidneys was 0.055 and 0.092 μg/g dry weight (d.w.) in roe deer, and 0.067 and 0.081 μg/g d.w. in red deer, respectively. The median for liver and kidney cadmium was 0.770 and 6.139 μg/g d.w. in roe deer, and 0.422 and 6.365 μg/g d.w. in red deer, respectively. Our study has demonstrated that this area is laden with lead and cadmium. This is evidenced by the fact that maximum permissible levels of these elements in the organs of red and roe deer, which were used as bioindicators of environmental contamination, were exceeded.