Dental enamel as biomarker for environmental contaminants in relevant industrialized estuary areas in São Paulo,Brazil

Heavy metal contamination is a long-standing and very well-known public health problem, and its exposure can cause damage to several organs of human body, especially on the central nervous system of young children and teenagers. The aim of this article is to evaluate lead, cadmium, and manganese contamination in 125 children from 6 to 13 years old living in contaminated areas during the period from 2006 to 2009 (São Vicente, Cubatão Downtown, Bertioga and Cubatão Pilões/Água Fria). This estuary area is the most important example of environmental degradation by chemicals from industrial sources. This is a cross-sectional study through clinical examinations and dental enamel tests. All mothers from these children lived in the area since before the pregnancy. Lead, cadmium, and manganese levels (μg/g) were measured on dental enamel samples through graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, searching for the occurrence of heavy metals. The mean lead concentrations were 139.48 μg/g in Cubatão Pilões/Água Fria, 170.45 μg/g in Cubatão Downtown, 213.52 μg/g in São Vicente, and 151.89 μg/g in Bertioga. The mean cadmium concentrations were 10.83 μg/g in Cubatão Pilões/Água Fria, 12.58 μg/g in Cubatão Downtown, 10.92 μg/g in São Vicente, and 14.57 μg/g in Bertioga. The mean manganese concentrations were 23.49 μg/g in Cubatão Pilões/Água Fria, 30.90 μg/g in Cubatão Downtown, 41.46 μg/g in São Vicente, and 42.00 μg/g in Bertioga. Dental surface enamel may be used as an efficient biomarker of past environmental exposure to lead, manganese, and cadmium which are associated to well-known sources of heavy metal contamination. The results suggest that the evaluated children were exposed to sources of lead, cadmium, and manganese since before their conceptions. Although Bertioga initially was chosen as a control area of this study, it was also was verified to have heavy metal contamination on examined children.     

Genotoxicity in adult residents in mineral coal region—a cross-sectional study

The present study assessed the DNA damage in environmentally exposed volunteers living in seven municipalities in an industrial coal region, through the use of the comet assay with blood cells and the micronucleus test with buccal cells. Blood and buccal smears were collected from 320 male volunteers living in seven cities inserted in a coal region. They were ages of 18 and 50 years and also completed a questionnaire intended to identify factors associated with DNA damage through a Poisson regression analysis. The comet assay detected significant differences in DNA damage in volunteers from different municipalities, and neighboring cities (Pedras Altas, Aceguá, and Hulha Negra) had a higher level of DNA damage in relation to control city. Some of the risk factors associated with identified DNA lesions included residence time and life habits. On the other hand, the micronucleus test did not identify differences between the cities studied, but the regression analysis identified risk factors such as age and life habits (consumption of mate tea and low carbohydrates diet). We conclude that there are differences in the DNA damage of volunteers from different cities of the carboniferous region, but the presence of micronuclei in the oral mucosa does not differ between the same cities. Furthermore, we alert that some related factors may increase the risk of genotoxicity, such as residence location and time, and living and food habits. Finally, we suggest the need for continuous biomonitoring of the population, as well as for investing in health promotion in these vulnerable populations.

     

Seasonal variation of chemical composition and source apportionment of PM2.5 in Pune,India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Particulate matter with size less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) samples were collected from an urban site Pune, India, during April...     

Prevalence of chromosomal aberrations in Argentinean agricultural workers

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Little is known about biosecurity measures and toxic effects during pesticide application in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, particularly concerning...     

Elemental and isotopic determination of lead (Pb) in particulate matter in the Brazilian city of Goiânia (GO) using ICP-MS technique

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The toxic metal lead (Pb) can be harmful to human health in various manners, but is also considered as a distinguished tracer of environmental...     

Sediments as a sink for UV filters and benzotriazoles: the case study of Upper Iguaçu watershed,Curitiba (Brazil)

Ingredients in home and personal care products, including UV filters and benzotriazoles, are high production volume chemicals extensively used in our daily life, despite several studies revealed their potential eco-toxicity and endocrine-disrupting capacity. Due to some features, such as high lipophilicity, low degradability, and persistence of many of these compounds, sediments can be considered a sink for them in the aquatic environment. In the present study, nine organic UV filters and three benzotriazoles were investigated for the first time in sediments from four urban rivers in Brazil. The contaminants were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The results revealed that octocrylene (OC), etylhexyl-methoxycinnamate (EHMC), benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone, BP3), and benzotriazole (BZT) were the predominant compounds adsorbed on the sediments, with concentrations ranging from 5.6 to 322.2 ng g⁻¹ dry weight. The results reported in this work constitute the first data on the accumulation of polar benzotriazoles and lipophilic organic UV filters in sediments from Brazil.

     

When experts disagree: the need to rethink indicator selection for assessing sustainability of agriculture

Sustainability indicators are well recognized for their potential to assess and monitor sustainable development of agricultural systems. A large number of indicators are proposed in various sustainability assessment frameworks, which raises concerns regarding the validity of approaches, usefulness and trust in such frameworks. Selecting indicators requires transparent and well-defined procedures to ensure the relevance and validity of sustainability assessments. The objective of this study, therefore, was to determine whether experts agree on which criteria are most important in the selection of indicators and indicator sets for robust sustainability assessments. Two groups of experts (Temperate Agriculture Research Network and New Zealand Sustainability Dashboard) were asked to rank the relative importance of eleven criteria for selecting individual indicators and of nine criteria for balancing a collective set of indicators. Both ranking surveys reveal a startling lack of consensus amongst experts about how best to measure agricultural sustainability and call for a radical rethink about how complementary approaches to sustainability assessments are used alongside each other to ensure a plurality of views and maximum collaboration and trust amongst stakeholders. To improve the transparency, relevance and robustness of sustainable assessments, the context of the sustainability assessment, including prioritizations of selection criteria for indicator selection, must be accounted for. A collaborative design process will enhance the acceptance of diverse values and prioritizations embedded in sustainability assessments. The process by which indicators and sustainability frameworks are established may be a much more important determinant of their success than the final shape of the assessment tools. Such an emphasis on process would make assessments more transparent, transformative and enduring.     

Analytic framework for assessing participation processes and outcomes of climate change adaptation tools

The assumptions and empirical evidence linking climate change adaptation to development cooperation have led to the emergence of a range of climate change adaptation tools aiming at improving the quality of development cooperation initiatives in times of global change. In order to assess the quality of these tools, we develop an analytic framework to critically assess the social learning and sustainable development outcomes of climate change adaptation tools. The analytic framework defines project objectives, participation typology, participation tools, participation stages, scenarios development, modelling exercises, stakeholder analysis and risk communication strategies that support quality participation outcomes.     

Perceptions matter: household adaptive capacity and capability in two Australian coastal communities

Regional Environmental Change - This paper presents empirical data on household perceptions of capability to adapt to climate hazards and associated capacity needs. Households play an important...     

Anticipatory capacity in response to global change across an extreme elevation gradient in the Ica Basin,Peru

Regional Environmental Change - Mountainous areas with extreme elevation gradients and corresponding ranges of biophysical and socioeconomic conditions are highly vulnerable to global change. We...