Dietary intake of hexabromocyclododecane diastereoisomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) in the Belgian adult population

A study was performed to assess exposure of the Belgian population to HBCD diastereoisomers. Measurements of HBCD were performed by UPLC-MS/MS, on 45 composite samples from 5 major food groups: dairy (products), meat (products), eggs, fish (products) and a group of “other” products. The medium bound estimated average daily intake (EDI) of ΣHBCD in the Belgian population was 0.99 ng kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹. The diastereoisomer contribution to the mean EDI showed a predominance of γ-HBCD at 67%, followed by α-HBCD at 25% and 8% for β-HBCD. These results are consistent with the pattern found in the two food groups contributing the most to the EDI: meat (products) and the group of “other” products. Anyway, it has to be noted that diastereomeric distribution of HBCD can change due to bioisomerisation in biological material. Levels of HBCD diastereoisomers found in Belgian food samples of animal origin were low in comparison with those found in other EU countries and the resulting EDI was substantially below the proposed thresholds.     

Do BRI policy and institutional quality influence economic growth and environmental quality? An empirical analysis from South Asian countries affiliated with the Belt and Road Initiative

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The effect of quality institutions on growth-environmental nexus is a generally ignored topic, especially in South Asia economies affiliated with the...     

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air of intensive care unit (ICU) for severe COVID-19 patients and its surroundings: considering the role of environmental conditions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is ambiguity about the airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. While a distance of 6 feet is considered a safe physical distance, new findings...     

Degradation of aldrin and endosulfan in rotary drum and windrow composting

Removal efficiencies, kinetics and degradation pathways of aldrin, endosulfan α and endosulfan β in vegetable waste were evaluated during rotary drum and conventional windrow composting. The highest percentage removal of aldrin, endosulfan α and endosulfan β in rotary drum composting was 86.8, 83.3 and 85.3% respectively, whereas in windrow composting, it was 66.6%, 77.7% and 67.2% respectively. The rate constant of degradation of aldrin, endosulfan α and endosulfan β during rotary drum composting ranged from 0.410–0.778, 0.057–0.076 and 0.009–0.061 day^?1 respectively. The pathways of degradation of these pesticides in composting process were proposed. Metabolites dieldrin and 1 hydroxychlorodene formed during composting of aldrin in the vegetable waste indicated the occurrence of epoxidation reaction and oxidation of bridge carbon of aldrin containing the methylene group. Formation of chloroendic acid and chloroendic anhydride during composting of endosulfan containing vegetable waste support the occurrence of endosulfan sulfate and dehydration reaction respectively.     

Chemical fractionation and risk assessment of trace elements in sewage sludge generated from various states of Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the developing world, rapid urbanization and industrialization produces an enormous volume of wastes daily. This study was aimed to explore the...     

Investigation on diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl residues in cucumbers grown in Kerman greenhouses

Pesticides are considered as the most polluting substances. The residue of pesticides in agricultural crops, especially in greenhouse harvests, has been reported critical. Cucumber, considered as a vegetable, is an agricultural product which is commonly found in the Iranian food basket. The current study aims to assess the level of diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl existing in cucumbers sampled from Kerman greenhouses. The pesticide residue was extracted by acetone and dichloromethane. The extracts were cleaned up according to the solid-phase extraction method. The pesticide residues were then determined by capillary gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. The recoveries were 83 and 85 %, the limit of detection was 0.028 and 0.034 mg/kg, and the limits of qualification were 0.093 and 0.113 mg/kg for diazinon and oxydemeton-methyl in cucumber samples, respectively. The median of diazinon residue was detected 0.582 mg/kg, which was 11.64 times the national maximum residue limit (MRL) (0.05 mg/kg), and the median for oxydemeton-methyl was 1.910 mg/kg, being 1.91 times the MRL (1 mg/kg).     

Unrevealing arsenic and lead toxicity and antioxidant response in spinach: a human health perspective

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) are highly toxic and carcinogenic metal(loid)s. The present study evaluated the human exposure risk via estimating As and Pb...     

High thiabendazole fungicide uptake using Cellana tramoserica shells modified by copper: characterization,adsorption mechanism,and optimization using CCD-RSM approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this paper, Cellana tramoserica (CT) shells were modified by copper and used as an adsorbent to remove thiabendazole (TBZ) from aqueous media. The...     

Investigation on removal pathways of Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate from synthetic municipal wastewater using a submerged membrane bioreactor

Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25 days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator of wastewater treatment plant for the removal of hydrophobic emerging contaminants. In this study, the performance of submerged membrane bioreactor was monitored to understand the effect of DEHP on the growth of aerobic microorganisms. The data showed that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia concentration were detected below 10 and 1.0 mg/L, respectively for operating conditions of hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 4 and 6 hr, sludge retention time (SRT) = 140 day and sludge concentration between 11.5 and 15.8 g volatile solid (VS)/L. The removal efficiency of DEHP under these conditions was higher and ranged between 91% and 98%. Results also showed that the removal efficiency of DEHP in biological treatment depended on the concentration of sludge, as adsorption is the main mechanism of its removal. For the submerged membrane bioreactor, the pore size is the pivotal factor for DEHP removal, since it determines the amount of soluble microbial products coming out of the process. Highly assimilated microorganisms increase the biodegradation rate, as 74% of inlet DEHP was biodegraded; however, the concentration of DEHP inside sludge was beyond the discharge limit. Understanding the fate of DEHP in membrane bioreactor, which is one of the most promising and futuristic treatment process could provide replacement for conventional processes to satisfy the future stricter regulations on emerging contaminants.