The release of toxic organic compounds into the environment in an event of oil spillage is a global menace due to the potential impacts on the ecosystem. Several approaches have been employed for oil spills clean-up, with adsorption technique proven to be more promising for the total reclamation of a polluted site. Of the several adsorbents so far reported, adsorbent-based porous materials have gained attention for the reduction/total removal of different compounds in environmental remediation applications. The superior potential of mesoporous materials based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) against conventional adsorbents is due to their intriguing and enhanced properties. Therefore, this review presents recent development in MOF composites; methods of preparation; and their practical applications towards remediating oil spill, organic pollutants, and toxic gases in different environmental media, as well as potential materials in the possible deployment in reclaiming the polluted Niger Delta due to unabated oil spillage and gas flaring.
Toxic metals accumulated in the human body are predominantly absorbed by the digestive tract in non-occupationally exposed populations. In the current study, we collected plowed soil samples, and investigated the varied food compositions in a mining and smelting area in southwestern China, to measure the concentrations of ten potentially toxic metals—As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn. We collected information on the daily intakes of these metals to assess the health risks associated with their exposure among children and adults. The urine concentrations of the metals were also measured to obtain data on the amounts present in the body. The results showed that the hazard indexes (HIs) of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Sr were all larger than 1, for both adults and children; the Zn and Cu values were comparatively higher in children. The intake of staple foods of the region posed the greatest health risk, while drinking water only posed risks clearly associated with As exposure. The urine samples of local residents contained larger amounts of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, confirming the hazards in the health risk assessment. Obvious differences in the urine metal concentrations between men and women were confirmed. In conclusion, higher concentrations of metals in the surface soil and rain water were the predominant cause of elevated exposure through home-grown crops and produce to accumulate in local residents’ bodies. 相似文献