Cytotoxic, phytotoxic, and mutagenic appraisal to ascertain toxicological potential of particulate matter emitted from automobiles

Vehicular air pollution is a mounting health issue of the modern age, particularly in urban populations of the developing nations. Auto-rickshaws are not considered eco-friendly as to their inefficient engines producing large amount of particulate matter (PM), thus posing significant environmental threat. The present study was conducted to ascertain the cytotoxic, phytotoxic, and mutagenic potential of PM from gasoline-powered two-stroke auto-rickshaws (TSA) and compressed natural gas-powered four-stroke auto-rickshaws (FSA). Based on the increased amount of aluminum quantified during proton-induced X-ray emission analysis of PM from TSA and FSA, different concentrations of aluminum sulfate were also tested to determine its eco-toxicological potential. The MTT assay demonstrated significant (p?<?0.001) dose-dependent cytotoxic effects of different concentrations of TSA, FSA, and aluminum sulfate on BHK-21 cell line. LC₅₀ of TSA, FSA, and aluminum sulfate was quantified at 16, 11, and 23.8 μg/ml, respectively, establishing PM from FSA, a highly cytotoxic material. In case of phytotoxicity screening using Zea mays, the results demonstrated that all three tested materials were equally phytotoxic at higher concentrations producing significant reduction (p?<?0.001) in seed germination. Aluminum sulfate proved to be a highly phytotoxic agent even at its lowest concentration. Mutagenicity was assessed by fluctuation Salmonella reverse mutation assay adopting TA100 and TA98 mutant strains with (+S9) and without (?S9) metabolic activation. Despite the fact that different concentrations of PM from both sources, i.e., TSA and FSA were highly mutagenic (p?<?0.001) even at lower concentrations, the mutagenic index was higher in TSA. Data advocate that all tested materials are equally ecotoxic, and if the existing trend of atmospheric pollution by auto-rickshaws is continued, airborne heavy metals will seriously affect the normal growth of local inhabitants and increased contamination of agricultural products, which will amplify the dietary intake of the toxic elements and could result in genetic mutation or long-term health implications.     

Gibberellic acid and urease inhibitor optimize nitrogen uptake and yield of maize at varying nitrogen levels under changing climate

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Worldwide, nitrogen (N) deficiency is the main yield limiting factor owing to its losses via leaching and volatilization. Urease inhibitors slow down...     

Caveolar disruption with methyl-β-cyclodextrin causes endothelium-dependent contractions in Wistar rat carotid arteries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Caveolae are organizing centers for cellular signal transduction in endothelial cells (ED) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the blood vessels....     

USING SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION FOR ALFALFA1

ABSTRACT: A test of the suitability of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) compared to a sprinkler, was conducted on a Kansas producer's field where the soil is loam. The treatments included drip tape spacing of 60, 40, and 30 inches placed at depths of 18 and 12 inches. A nearby plot irrigated by a center pivot sprinkler was seeded to alfalfa and used for comparison. Seedling emergence and yield were adversely affected at 60 inch spacing, while the depth of placement of drip tapes (18 and 12 inches) showed no effect on yield. The site served for education and allowed comparison between SDI tape spacing and center pivot system.     

Novel hybrid composite discharge electrode for electrostatic precipitator

Over the last few decades, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) have emerged as effective air pollution control devices for treating coal-fired power plant exhausts. Among the components of the ESP, the discharge electrodes are extremely important in determining the collection efficiency of the ESP. Typically, in wet ESPs, the discharge electrodes used must be made of corrosion-resistant alloys, which makes them extremely expensive and heavy. Hybrid composite discharge electrodes have the potential to be lightweight and corrosion-resistant substitute for traditional metal alloy electrodes used in wet ESPs. In this experimental study, a novel hybrid composite electrode (recently patented at Ohio University) is presented as a substitute for traditional metal electrodes in wet ESPs. The samples of hybrid electrodes were fabricated by using carbon fiber composites, combined with metal mesh, in the shape of a long and thin tape. The electrode’s electrical response was evaluated in open atmospheric conditions, while connected to a transformer-rectifier unit to generate a corona current at voltages exceeding 50 kV. Results of these hybrid electrodes were compared with traditional metal electrodes. The hybrid composite discharge electrode produced a uniform corona at comparable power levels to that of metal electrodes, with additional advantages of being compact, lightweight, and highly corrosion resistant. In addition, hybrid composite electrodes exhibited lower corona onset voltage as compared with metal electrodes. The preliminary experimental data are encouraging and show significant potential for this new inexpensive hybrid electrode to replace metal electrodes in wet ESPs, providing comparable (and in some cases exceeding) collection efficiencies with lower ozone generation.

Implications: The newly invented hybrid composite electrode (HCE) performance was evaluated through experimentation with conventional metal electrodes. The HCE performance was comparable to the metal electrodes. The HCE also exhibited uniform corona fields and steady power while maintaining similar and in some cases superior electrical performance as compared with metal electrodes and thus shows a significant potential to substitute metal electrodes in wet ESP systems.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of fingerling stocking and ecological perspectives in enhancing fish harvest in a large tropical reservoir of Northern India

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The present study evaluated the effectiveness of stocking the Gangetic carps, viz. Labeo catla, Labeo rohita, and Cirrhinus mrigala, in a large...     

Cytogenetic evaluation of Fansidar on human lymphocyte chromosomes in vitro

Fansidar is a fixed combination of two antimalarial agents a diaminopyrimidine (Pyrimethamine) and a sulphonamide (Sulphadoxine) in the ratio 1:20- that have been used extensively worldwide for the treatment of Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria, toxoplasmosis and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study examined the effect of Fansidar on chromosomes in human lymphocyte culture. Fansidar was added to peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures in vitro at four different concentrations: 5,15, 25 and 50 microl in the ratio 1:20, 3:60, 5:100 and 10:200 microg ml(-1). Result shows that this drug induces moderate increase in the frequency of gaps, breaks and rearrangements. Therefore it can be concluded that Fansidar has moderate clastogenic effect on human chromosomes in vitro.     

The effect of biochar on severity of soil water repellency of crude oil-contaminated soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Crude oil contamination adversely affects soil water repellency. In this study the effect of biochar on this soil characteristic has been investigated...     

Treatment of dynamic mixture of hexane and benzene vapors in a Trickle Bed Air Biofilter integrated with cyclic adsorption/desorption beds

One of the main challenges that face successful biofiltration is the erratic loading pattern and long starvation periods. However, such patterns are common in practical applications. In order to provide long-term stable operation of a biofilter under these conditions, a cyclic adsorption/desorption beds system with flow switching was installed prior to a biofilter. Different square waves of a mixture containing n-hexane and benzene at a 2:1 ratio were applied to the cyclic adsorption/desorption beds and then fed to a biofilter. The performance of this integrated system was compared to a biofilter unit receiving the same feed of both VOCs. The cyclic adsorption/desorption beds unit successfully achieved its goal of stabilizing erratic loading even with very sharp peaks at the influent concentration equalizing influent concentrations ranging from 10-470 ppmv for n-hexane to 30-1410 ppmv for benzene. The study included different peak concentrations with durations ranging from 6 to 20 min. The cyclic beds buffered the fluctuating influent load and the followed biofilter had all the time a continuous stable flow. Another advantage achieved by the cyclic adsorption/desorption beds was the uninterrupted feed to the biofilter even during the starvation where there was no influent in the feed. The results of the integrated system with regard to removal efficiency and kinetics are comparable to published results with continuous feed studies at the same loading rates. The removal efficiency for benzene had a minimum of 85% while for n-hexane ranged from 50% to 77% according to the loading rate. The control unit showed very erratic performance highlighting the benefit of the utilization of the cyclic adsorption/desorption beds. The biofilter was more adaptable to concentration changes in benzene than n-hexane.