Effects of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid formulation on medulla spinalis of Poecilia reticulata: A histopathological study

This study investigated the possible effects of a commonly used foliar herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) formulation on medulla spinalis of lebistes. Fish were exposed to 2,4-D (15, 30, 45 mg L⁻¹), behavioral changes were monitored. Fish were fixed, histopathological examination was carried out on sections taken from the upper parts of the fish body. Histopathology showed increase in neuronal loss, swelling indicating formation of intracellular edema, vacuolization noticed as the formation of vacuoles within or adjacent to cells, deformation in the Nissl granules, pyknosis and gliosis in medulla spinalis. Behavioral changes were decreased general activity, grouping, shortness in breath, sudden rotations and jumping, loss of equilibrium and colour. In conclusion, this commercial formulation of 2,4-D is considerably neurotoxic to lebistes. Fish constitute the last link in the chain of the feeding cycle in aquatic eco-system, number of studies investigating acute and chronic neurotoxicity of various herbicides in fish should be increased.     

Activity concentration of caesium-137 in agricultural soils

In this study, we measured 137Cs activity concentrations in the soil samples taken from agricultural lands in the Buyuk Menderes Basin in Turkey in 1997 and 1998. The soil samples were collected from 42 sites in this Basin. The activity concentration of 137Cs was found to range between 2.81+/-0.17 Bq.kg(-1) and 20.75+/-0.29 Bq.kg(-1). The effect of organic matter, clay, silt and sand contents and pH of the soil on the relative adsorption of the 137Cs on the soil surface were also studied.     

Characterization of different types of electronic waste: heavy metal,precious metal and rare earth element content by comparing different digestıon methods

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams. The content of this waste has critical importance for the development or adoption of...     

Applying machine learning approach in recycling

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Waste generation has been increasing drastically based on the world’s population and economic growth. This has significantly affected human...     

The relationship between carbon dioxide emission and crop and livestock production indexes: a dynamic common correlated effects approach

Rapid increase in carbon dioxide emission triggers climate change, while climate change poses a threat to food security. On the other hand, emission increase as a result of agricultural production continues. Considering this cycle, it is thought that examining the relationship between agricultural production and carbon dioxide emissions can help countries take emission-reducing measures and develop policies to ensure food safety. With this thought, a common correlated effect estimator was used in this study to explain the relationship between crop and livestock production index and carbon dioxide emission of 184 countries with the use of data for the period of 1998–2014. Countries were classified under four categories: low-income countries, lower middle–income countries, upper middle–income countries and high-income countries. According to DCCE test results, it was reported that a 1% increase in crop production index had effect on CO₂ emission only in lower middle–income countries. A 1% increase in livestock production index, on the other hand, was reported to increase CO₂ emission rates by 0.28, 0.49, and 0.39 in lower middle–income, upper middle–income, and high-income countries, respectively. When evaluated in general, it could be stated that livestock breeding has a higher effect on CO₂ emission in agricultural production. The findings of the present study revealed that countries need to improve agricultural production methods in ways to minimize the positive association between vegetative and livestock production in accordance with their level of development, to adopt more environment-friendly agricultural technologies and to endorse international environmental policies.

     

Smoke filtration performances of membranes produced from commercial PVA and recycled PET by electrospinning method and ANN modeling

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Plastic waste and air pollution are becoming a great concern due to their adverse effect on human health and the environment. There is increasing...     

Erionite series minerals: mineralogical and carcinogenic properties

Erionite is a human and animal carcinogen and one of the most toxic minerals known. Erionite deposits have been reported in many countries; however, it is only in the area of three villages of Cappadocia, Turkey, that environmental exposure to erionite has been demonstrated to be the cause of an epidemic of the disease mesothelioma. In the USA, no cases of mesothelioma have been reliably proven to be the result of erionite exposure, though the possibility exists. Erionite samples from three villages of the Cappadocia region were characterized mineralogically and compared with three different standards from the USA. Micro morphological details of erionite minerals using a high-resolution field-emission SEM showed that microstructures of "bundles", "fibers", and "fibrils" are important physical properties of fibrous erionite minerals. Typical lung burden of erionite and asbestos fibers were compared in terms of number of fibers. Assuming the lung burden of fibers in a human mesothelioma victim is about 1 mg, and the hazardous fibers are approximately 1 mum in diameter and 10 mum long, that milligram contains approximately 40 million asbestos and 50 million erionite fibers. These microstructures of erionite minerals draw attention to the concepts of surface area or surface-area-to-volume ratio and their relationship to the carcinogenicity of the mineral. The larger surface area creates a wider platform for mineral-cell interaction and thus more possibilities of proliferative transformation of mesothelial cells. Consequently, understanding the exact mineralogical properties will help determination of the true carcinogenic mechanism(s) of the mineral for prevention and possibly treatment of malignant mesothelioma.     

Re-evaluation and re-classification of erionite series minerals

Governments and industries have introduced regulatory measures requiring safety controls to limit asbestos exposure of the general public and asbestos workers. Although erionite is a more potent health hazard mineral than asbestos, it has received far less attention. Precise definition of erionite, types of these fibrous minerals, and most importantly, characterization requirements still raise questions and often lead to arguments and even legal disputes. Many bulk erionite samples used in animal and cell experiments for carcinogenicity are not mineralogically pure. To test this hypothesis, we characterized two erionite standards from Rome, Oregon, and Pine Valley, Nevada, USA. These standards were characterized quantitatively using modern analytical techniques, and one of them, the erionite standard from Rome, Oregon, passed the required tests for positive identification, but the other, the erionite standard from Pine Valley, Nevada, did not. Furthermore, we observed ambiguous definitions, incorrect identifications, and inaccurate reporting of clinical investigations. To address this problem, we established characterization guidelines for positive identification of erionite using a modified balance error formula, and we re-evaluated and re-classified published erionite data from the literature as erionite-Ca, erionite-Na, and erionite-K. If data did not pass either the E% or Mg-content test, then we propose that reference to them in the literature be disregarded. Erionite requires special attention from the mineralogical community to help establish its true carcinogenetic properties. We believe that the characterization guidelines established in this paper will contribute to setting up rules and regulations for evaluation of erionite by regulatory agencies.