Lead (Pb) is a highly neurotoxic chemical element known for reducing intelligence quotient (IQ) and promoting antisocial behavior in children and adolescents, while cadmium (Cd) is a carcinogenic bioaccumulative element. Both these metals are included in the priority pollutant list of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and in the WHO List of Chemicals of Major Public Health Concern, where contaminated foods and beverages are the most common pathways of exposure. The objective of this study was to determine total Cd and Pb levels in colored plastic utensils (cups, mugs, bowls, feeding bottles, and plates) for use by children and to measure the specific migration of these elements into beverages and foods. Total contaminant levels were determined using a handheld X-ray fluorescence analyzer. Specific migration tests were conducted using the simulant solutions acetic acid 3% (m/v) and water. Migration levels were determined by ICP-MS. Specific migration tests for Pb were also performed on commercially available samples (cola soft drink, orange juice, vinegar, and milk), with levels determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS). A total of 674 utensils were analyzed in loco at major commercial centers in Greater São Paulo, of which 87 were purchased for containing Cd and Pb concentrations above permitted limits. Mean concentrations of the metals detected in the purchased utensils were 1110 ppm for Pb and 338 ppm for Cd. For specific migration assays, Pb levels were 187, 13, and 380 times above the permitted limit (0.01 mg.kg -1) for acetic acid, water, and orange juice, respectively. Cd levels were 50 and 2.4 times above the maximum permitted limit (0.005 mg.kg -1) for acetic acid and water, respectively. The districts where the utensils were purchased were grouped according to their social vulnerability index and compared using ANOVA. Pb levels were different between low and medium/high social vulnerability groups (p?=?0.006). The findings corroborate the initial hypothesis that these utensils constitute a major source of exposure to PTEs such as Cd and Pb, pointing to the need for stricter regulation and inspection by the Brazilian regulatory agencies.
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Impact of sea-surface warming upon the fish assemblages of the Portuguese coast was assessed under two scenarios, the A2 and
the B2 scenarios (Special Report on Emission Scenarios), which when coupled with a regional circulation model HadRM3 predict
1 and 2°C of sea-surface warming until the year 2100. Species richness increased in the Portuguese coast. In both scenarios,
there was a latitudinal gradient in the amount of lost and gained species, increasing from north to south. An anomaly in the
latitudinal gradient of species richness was detected in the southernmost area, which presented the lowest species richness
of all areas, in the A2 scenario, and appears to be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Very few species were totally
eliminated from Portuguese waters. For the Portuguese coast as a whole, there were more new than lost species, in both scenarios.
Most of the new species were commercially important species, in the majority subtropical in the north and tropical in the
south, mainly demersal and reef-associated. Reef-associated species also increased in relative importance. A commercial opportunity
for fisheries may arise from climate warming, since most of the new species were commercial species and not many commercial
species were lost. An increasing gradient from north to south was detected in the colonization of new species of herbivores,
planktivores, and omnivores, as well as lower mean trophic level, which might have consequences for the future of trophic
webs. 相似文献
A partial life-cycle test with the model fish Danio rerio was performed in order to evaluate the genotoxic potential of binary mixtures of xenoandrogenic (tributyltin--TBT; triphenyltin--TPT) and an estrogenic compound (ethinylestradiol--EE2). Five days post-fertilisation larvae were diet-exposed to environmental relevant concentrations of TBT and TPT (25 ng/g-100 ng/g), and water-exposed to ethinylestradiol (3.5 ng/L) for a four-month period; binary mixtures of TBT plus EE2 and TPT plus EE2 were run in parallel. The erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) assay in circulating erythrocytes was used to evaluate genotoxicity in the end of the four-month exposure period. A significant increase (p<0.05, Kruskall-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA) in ENA frequency, in comparison with control animals, was observed in those animals exposed to TBT and TPT (the highest doses only), and to EE2 and the binary mixtures, although neither synergistic nor additive effects of the tested compounds were evident. Overall, the results clearly indicate that chronic exposure to low levels of TBT, TPT, EE2 and binary mixtures of TBT plus EE2 and TPT plus EE2 are genotoxic to zebrafish, which may suggest that wild fish populations may be under increased DNA damage in areas contaminated by these endocrine disrupting chemicals. 相似文献
The development of methods for process analysis has contributed to the improvement of production systems. In this context, many models and methodologies have been established in the literature in order to evaluate environmental performance of industrial processes, since it has become an important issue for society. However, few of them analyze environmental impacts and related costs simultaneously. So, this work presents an integrated methodology to perform this evaluation, based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Activity-Based Costing (ABC) principles. The proposed methodology was applied in a metallurgical industry in Brazil. As result, it allowed to identify the production process stages which have critical environmental impacts and greatest contribution to increase environmental costs of the company. 相似文献