Enzyme-immunoassay techniques for the detection of atrazine in water samples: Evaluation of a commercial tube based assay

Environmental immunoassays can help lower the operating costs and improve the effectiveness of residue laboratories. The present study assesses the ability of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect triazine herbicides in water. The tube based EIA could detect atrazine in lake and river water with detection limits of 62 pg/mL and 180 pg/mL respectively. The assay's ability to quantify atrazine in a set of 124 water samples taken from many parts of Canada was compared with a reference method that used gas chromatographic separation combined with a nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC-NPD) (R=0.919). A 71 % reduction in analytical load was achieved at a threshold concentration of 1 ng/mL. There were 2.4 % false negative and 0.8 % false positive results associated with that load reduction. The variability of the assay control parameters was generally within two standard deviations of the mean response for 65 assays. The EIA for atrazine is recommended for use as a screening technique and as an inexpensive way to monitor triazine levels in waters that are known to be contaminated with those herbicides.     

Photocatalytic degradation of the herbicide cinosulfuron in aqueous TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> suspension

The photocatalytic degradation of a sulfonylurea herbicide, cinosulfuron, has been studied in TiO₂ aqueous suspensions. A first order kinetic law was found. The influence of the initial concentration of cinosulfuron and of the initial radiant flux on the kinetics were evaluated. The identification of the intermediate products was based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analyses (HPLC-MS). The mineralization of cinosulfuron was traced using ion chromatography and total organic carbon (TOC) measurements. These results indicate that the photocatalytic degradation of cinosulfuron leads to CO₂, NO₃ ⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻ as final products, and in addition cyanuric acid (C₃H₃O₃N₃), confirming previous results on triazinic ring-containing compounds. Electronic Publication     

Xenobiotics: Substrates and inhibitors of the plant cytochrome P450

The ability of a plant cytochrome P450 to bind and metabolise plant endogenous molecules and xenobiotics was investigated. The work was performed on the yeast-expressed CYP73A1, a cinnamate 4-hydroxylase isolated fromHelianthus tuberosus. CYP73 controls the general phenylpropanoid pathway and is likely to be one of the most abundant sources of P450 in the biosphere. The enzyme shows a high selectivity toward plant secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, it oxygenates several small and planar xenobiotics with low efficiency, including an herbicide (chlorotoluron). One xenobiotic molecule, 2naphthoic acid, is hydroxylated with an efficiency comparable to that of the physiological substrate. This reaction was used to devise a fluorimetric test for the rapid measurement of enzyme activity. A series of herbicidal molecules (hydroxybenzonitriles) are shown to bind the active site without being metabolised. These molecules behave as strong competitive inhibitors of CYP73 with a K_i in the same micromolar range as the K_m for the physiological substrate. It is proposed that their inhibition of the phenylpropanoid pathway reinforces their other phytotoxic effects at the level of the chloroplasts. All our results indicate a strong reciprocal interaction between plant P450s and xenobiotics.     

胺苯黄隆的除草效果与残留药害

在小区试验条件下，对胺苯黄隆的除草效果进行了观察，并对其在移栽油菜上的药害和对后茬水稻的残留危害作了描述。结果表明，胺苯黄隆有较高的除草效果。在使用剂量超过１５ｇ每公顷（有效成份计，下同）时，对当季油菜的药害和后茬水稻的二次药害非常明显，可造成油菜籽产量下降３０．９６％～５７．８１％，并可使下茬水稻减产９．３４％～２３．２０％。     

Detectability of phenoxy herbicides by chlorophyll fluorescence

Abstract

Trace amounts of 2,4‐D ‐ which does not cause visible damage in plant ‐ are detectable in plant leaves by chlorophyll fluorescence regeneration in two ways. (I) In illuminated leaves the level of first and second fluorescence peak differ in treated and untreated leaves. (2) By taking buffer solution (pH=8.6) in dark‐adapted leaves under vacuum, the first, second and the other fluorescence decrease levels differ in untreated and 2,4‐D or MCPA treated leaves.     

Procedure for the determination of 2,4‐D and dicamba in inhalation,dermal, hand‐wash,and urine samples from spray applicators

Abstract

Analytical procedures for the simultaneous determination of residues of 2,4‐D and dicamba from polyurethane foam plug air samplers, ethylene glycol impregnated glass‐fiber filter paper dermal samplers, 1% sodium bicarbonate hand wash solution, and urine are presented. Residues were derivatized with diazomethane and quantitated using electron capture gas chromatography. Recoveries were greater than 80% at the limit of detection in all substrates. The limits of detection for both herbicides were 0.1 μg/foam plug and 0.5 μg/filter paper, and in the urine, 1.7 μg/100 mL and 5.0 μg/100 mL for dicamba and 2,4‐D, respectively.     

ISOPROTURON DEGRADATION AS AFFECTED BY THE GROWTH OF TWO ALGAL SPECIES AT DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS AND pH VALUES

Metabolism of [¹⁴C-u-phenyl]isoproturon [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] by two soil and freshwater microorganisms, green alga Chlorella kesslerei and cyanobacterium Anabaena inaequalis, was studied as a function of pH, pesticide concentration, and incubation time. Metabolized isoproturon, in the media, ranged from 0% (Chlorella at pH 5.5 after 1 d) to 22% (Anabaena at pH 5.5 after 10 d). Twenty-five percent faster degradation of isoproturon by Anabaena occurred at pH 5.5 versus pH 7.5, when measured over 10 d. Increased ¹⁴C incorporation into tissue, with time and at lower pH, was due mainly to bioaccumulation of [¹⁴C]isoproturon and/or its metabolites in the cells. Metabolic degradation resulted in four identifiable (by TLC) metabolites. Based on this, a degradation pathway is proposed, involving mono- and di-N-demethylation, hydroxylation of the isopropyl moiety, and hydrolysis to 4-isopropylaniline. Similarity in the metabolites produced suggests that the enzyme systems responsible for metabolizing isoproturon are almost identical in both photosynthetic micro-algae.     

Teratogenicity of bifenox and nitrofen in rodents

Abstract

The teratogenicity of the diphenyl ether herbicide bifenox [2,4‐dichlorophenyl 3'‐carboxymethyl‐4'‐nitrophenyl ether] was compared to that of nitrofen [2,4‐dichlorophenyl 4'‐nitrophenyl ether] in rats and in mice. Neither compound increased prenatal mortality in mice. Because nitrofen causes both malformations that are compatible with survival to weaning and a high incidence of perinatal (but not of fetal) mortality, emphasis was placed on postnatal parameters of bifenox toxicity. In rats, bifenox caused a low incidence of “bloody tears”;, but it did not decrease survival to term or to weaning in rats or mice, and did not reduce Harderian gland weight in mice. Because the weight of the Harderian glands is a more objective measure of their status than is the presence of an eye discharge, it is concluded that bifenox is not teratogenic at the levels administered. Nitrofen decreased litter size, pup weight, and Harderian gland weight in mice.     

Photooxidative removal of the herbicide Acid Blue 9 in the presence of hydrogen peroxide: modeling of the reaction for evaluation of electrical energy per order (EEO)

The present work deals with photooxidative removal of the herbicide, Acid Blue 9 (AB9), in water in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) under UV light illumination (30 W). The influence of the basic operational parameters such as amount of H₂O₂, irradiation time and initial concentration of AB9 on the photodegradation efficiency of the herbicide was investigated. The degradation rate of AB9 was not appreciably high when the photolysis was carried out in the absence of H₂O₂ and it was negligible in the absence of UV light. The photooxidative removal of the herbicide was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetic, and hence the figure-of-merit electrical energy per order (E_Eo) was considered appropriate for estimating the electrical energy efficiency. A mathematical relation between the apparent reaction rate constant and H₂O₂ used was applied for prediction of the electricity consumption in the photooxidative removal of AB9. The results indicated that this kinetic model, based on the initial rates of degradation, provided good prediction of the E_Eo values for a variety of conditions. The results also indicated that the UV/H₂O₂ process was appropriate as the effective treatment method for removal of AB9 from the contaminated wastewater.     

Nonformal environmental education: a case study with farmers in a town of the South Minas Gerais state,Brazil

Brazil is a central place in the international agricultural markets and this fact has been demanding environmentally oriented agricultural practices by Brazilian farmers and professionals involved in the agricultural market chain. A concise and structured questionnaire was applied to obtain the environmental perception of a group of Brazilian farmers in a town of the south Minas Gerais state, using herbicides as the topic for a case study. A highly variable opinion about taking the environment into account when choosing the most appropriate herbicide was found. Anyway, efficacy has been indicated as the most important factor when choosing an herbicide, followed by the environment and price. The outcomes from the questionnaires, i.e. the insufficient conception and importance given to environment when choosing the herbicide, motivated the creation of a teaching-learning model for the nonformal environmental education using the concept of socio-ecological resilience. This routine puts in practice the resilience thinking currently invoked as a major tool to achieve the conservation of the socio-ecological system, as well as it is complimentary to the outcome-oriented optimization for conservation theory. For the case study about farmers and the use of herbicides, we conclude that a complex reasoning and, ultimately, pro-environmental actions can be improved after experiencing the recommended model for environmental education.