Trace metal concentrations in hairs of three bat species from an urbanized area in Germany

Metal-contaminated soils and sediments are widespread in urbanized areas due to atmospheric deposition close to emission sources. These metals are bio-available for organisms, e.g., insects, and accumulate in food chains of insectivorous mammals. Especially bats, which live in urban regions and ingest large amounts of food relative to their body mass, are at risk of being poisoned due to the accumulation of trace metals. To determine species-specific trace metal contents in bats from urban environments, hair samples were analyzed by ICP-OES. Observed trace metal concentrations were related to species-specific foraging habitat, prey spectrum and degree of synanthropy. The species studied were Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Myotis daubentonii and Nyctalus noctula. P. pipistrellus showed the highest concentrations of lead and zinc and slightly higher concentrations of cadmium than the other two species, which was related to its high degree of synanthropy with foraging habitat mostly located in cities. In contrast, N. noctula displayed the highest contents of manganese and copper. The reason might be found in its prey spectrum, as N. noctula feeds mainly on beetles that are caught in cultured areas. Trace metal concentrations determined in hair samples of M. daubentonii ranged between the values of P. pipistrellus and N. noctula, probably reflecting an intermediate level of synanthropy. Positive correlations were observed between the concentrations of cadmium and lead and those of manganese and copper. Hair samples from bats are suitable monitoring tools to study trace metal exposure and can be used to determine differences in trace metal levels between species.     

A novel liquid-liquid extraction for the determination of naphthalene by GC-MS with deuterated anthracene as internal standard

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are known for their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects on human health. This therefore calls for the regulation of their concentrations in air, water, and soil. Naphthalene as the simplest in structure of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is mainly used as a starter material for other chemicals but also has impacts on human health. A method is therefore proposed for the determination of naphthalene in water samples by gas chromatography mass spectrometry after liquid-liquid extraction. The extraction method was optimized to improve the extraction output, thereby lowering the limit of detection. The limits of detection and quantification obtained for naphthalene were 4.4 and 14.6 ng mL^?1, respectively. Deuterated anthracene was used as internal standard to enhance the precision of the method, for which a relative standard deviation of 4.3% was obtained. The percent recovery of naphthalene obtained from tap water was ranged between 93.8 and 102.2.     

Nanoflower synthesis,characterization and analytical applications: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The occurrence of contaminants in the environment requires very sensitive analytical techniques for their determination. For that, analytical techniques have been...     

Multi-purpose reverse logistics network design for medical waste management in a megacity: Istanbul,Turkey

Environment Systems and Decisions - In the study, a multi-purpose reverse logistics network has been designed to create effectual management of medical waste (MW) generated in 39 districts of...