Deleterious effects in mice of fish-associated methylmercury contained in a diet mimicking the Western populations' average fish consumption

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxin, and human beings are mainly exposed to this pollutant through fish consumption. Only a few contradictory epidemiological studies are currently available examining the impact of fish consumption on human populations. In the present study, we wanted to address whether a diet mimicking the fish consumption of Western populations could result in observable adverse effects in mice, and whether beneficial nutriments from fish were able to counterbalance the deleterious effects of MeHg, if any. In Europe and the United States, fish consumption varies widely between countries, from 11 to 100 g fish/day. A mid-range value of 25 g fish/day corresponds to a fish contribution to the total diet of 1.25% on a dry weight basis. We decided to supplement a vegetarian-based mouse diet with 1.25% of lyophilized salmon flesh (SAL diet), or 1.25% of a blend of lyophilized cod, tuna, and swordfish (CTS diet). Total mercury contents were 1.15±0.15, 2.3±0.1 and 35.75±0.15 ng Hg/g of food pellets for the control, SAL and CTS diets, respectively. After two months feeding, the CTS diet resulted in significant observable effects as compared to the control and SAL diets, encompassing decreased body growth, altered behavioral performance and increased anxiety level, modification of mitochondrial respiratory protein subunit concentrations in kidney and brain structures, modified gene expression patterns in kidneys, liver and muscles, and a decrease of dopamine concentrations in the hypothalamus and striatum. Our findings have health implications, firstly because 1.25% of CTS flesh in the diet corresponds to an average exposure to MeHg below the WHO provisory tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) (1.6 μg MeHg/kg of body weight/week), and secondly because many people in Western populations, among them women of child-bearing age, are exceeding the PTWI value (for instance, 35% of the French population inhabiting the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts).     

Advantages and risks of using steel slag in preparing composts from raw organic waste

It had been reported that iron and manganese oxides in steel slag enhanced the production of humic acid (HA) from low-molecular-weight compounds, such as phenolic acids, amino acids, and saccharides. In the present study, this function of steel slag was applied to the composting of raw organic wastes (ROWs). The degree of humification of HAs is an important factor in evaluating compost quality. Thus, HAs were extracted from the prepared composts and the humification parameters were determined, in terms of elemental compositions, acidic functional group contents, molecular weights, spectroscopic parameters from UV–vis absorption and ¹³C NMR spectra. The timing for adding steel slag affected the degree of humification of HAs in the composts. The weight average molecular weight of a HA when slag was added initially (29 kDa) was significantly higher than when slag was added after elevating the temperature of the compost pile (17–18 kDa). These results show that ROWs are decomposed to low-molecular-weight compounds after the pile temperature is elevated and the presence of slag enhances the polycondensation of these compounds to produce HAs with a higher degree of humification. Because the slag used in the present study contained several-tens ng g^?1 to several μg g^?1 of toxic elements (B, Cu, Cr, and Zn), leaching tests for these elements from the prepared composts were carried out. Levels for leaching boron from composts prepared by adding slag (0.2–0.4 mg L^?1) were obviously higher than the corresponding levels without slag (0.05 mg L^?1).     

Evaluating the fish safety level of river water and wastewater with a larval medaka assay

A larval medaka (Oryzias latipes) assay was proposed to evaluate the fish safety level of river waters and wastewaters. Organic toxicants were 10-100 times concentrated with adsorption cartridges from 4 l of river water or 1-10 times concentrated from 400 ml of wastewater. Toxicity of these concentrated solutions was determined by exposing 48-72 h post-hatch age larvae for 48 h. The method effectively revealed a variation of the median lethal concentration ratio (LCR50) from 13 to >100 in 125 river water samples, and from <1 to >10 in five typical wastewater samples. Ayase River, which takes water mostly from agricultural or household discharge, showed significantly (P<0.001) lower LCR50 than Sagami River that takes natural water as the source. Safety Levels in both Sagami River and Ayase River were influenced by the irrigation activity, LCR50 at some sites showing a seasonal-specific decrease in winter. Pollution from pulp and paper industries contributed to the low LCR50 in several tributaries of Ayase River. Required little manpower in sampling, pretreatment and testing, the proposed larval medaka assay was proved as an efficient tool for screening those high risk sites for priority management.     

Land-use change and its socio-environmental impact in Eastern Ethiopia’s highland

The Alemaya district (Eastern Ethiopian highlands) is characterized by undulating physiographic features with arid, semi-arid, and humid climatic conditions. This study evaluated socio-environmental changes in land use and land cover during 1985–2011. Screen digitization on remotely sensed data (i.e., Landsat images from 1985 to 2011) was performed to produce 10 classes of land use and land cover. Then, final land-use maps were prepared using a geographic information system following field verification and accuracy assessment. The drying of water bodies, including the prominent lakes Alemaya, Adele, and Tinike, had been the most important environmental change observed. Degraded land, marsh, perennial cropland, and residential areas increased by 37, 438, 42, and 190 %, respectively, whereas grassland, plantation, shrubland, and temporal cropland decreased by 64, 11, 63, and 29 %, respectively. The increase in land degradation (+37 %), the other major observed problem, has made large areas unsuitable for agriculture and has reduced crop productivity. These land-use and land-cover changes have affected both the environment and the livelihoods of local residents; especially the issue related to land degradation requires urgent attention.     

Seasonal variability of 1-chloropyrene on atmospheric particles and photostability in toluene

The occurrence of a mutagenic compound, 1-chloropyrene (Cl-Py), in extracts of ambient particulate matter at an urban site in Japan has been investigated. Samples were collected with a high-volume air sampler for 24 h periods over the course of 1 week in winter (February), spring (May), summer (August), and autumn (November) 2002. The Cl-Py levels showed seasonal variation, ranging from 2.4 pg/m(3) (summer) to 18.9 pg/m(3) (winter). This variation would indicate that the lower temperatures in winter results in an increased distribution of Cl-Py from vapor phase to the particle phase. In addition, there is also the possibility that ambient Cl-Py is emitted from seasonal sources or is susceptible to photodegradation by sunlight, or both. The photodegradation of Cl-Py in a laboratory experiment was conducted to simulate the compound's fate on airborne particle surfaces. The degradation of Cl-Py proceeded by a first-order reaction with a rate constant of 0.72 h(-1). In the presence of a radical sensitizer, 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ), the photodegradation rate of Cl-Py was elevated in comparison with the rate in the absence of AQ. In addition, the dechlorination of Cl-Py (i.e., the formation of Py) occurred in the presence of AQ.     

Radiostrontium monitoring of bivalves from the Pacific coast of eastern Japan

In early April 2011, radiostrontium was accidentally released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to the Pacific coast of eastern Japan. We developed a simple procedure to analyze radiostrontium levels in marine mussels (Septifer virgatus) and seawater using crown ether (Sr Resin; Eichrom). Then, we used our method to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of radiostrontium in mussels and seawater on the Pacific coast of eastern Japan from 2011 to 2013 and for 2015. Activity of ⁹⁰Sr in mussels and seawater decreased with distance from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and between 2011 and 2013 tended to be higher in areas south of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant than to the north of it. Activity in mussels and seawater also tended to decrease from 2011 to 2013 and by 2015 had reached levels experienced prior to the Fukushima accident. Our results suggest that radiostrontium discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was dispersed by coastal currents in a southerly direction along the Pacific coast of eastern Japan from 2011 to 2013, following which its activity decreased to background levels by 2015.     

Quantifying the ecosystem service of non-native weed seed predation provided by invertebrates and vertebrates in upland wheat fields converted from paddy fields

The extent of post-dispersal weed seed predation in upland wheat fields converted from paddy fields was quantified in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan. We investigated the temporal variability in seed predation of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), a non-native winter annual weed in Japan, during summer after the seed shed in both the field interior areas and boundary strips, and estimated the total seed loss due to predation during the summer. Furthermore, the contribution of invertebrates and vertebrates to seed predation was estimated by using exclosures. The total seed loss due to predation during four months (from late June to late October) in the field interior areas and boundary strips was estimated to be 35–43% (the maximum proportion of seed predation per two weeks = 27%) and 42% (25%), respectively. The seed predators in the field interior areas were vertebrates (rodents or birds) and invertebrates (crickets and ground beetles). In contrast, seed predators in the boundary strips were mainly invertebrates (crickets and ground beetles). The results of this study suggest that predators make a substantial contribution in the depletion of post-dispersal seeds of Italian ryegrass in converted paddy fields.     

Removal of Cr(VI) from contaminated soil by electrokinetic remediation

A new process for the removal of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] contaminated soil is described. The process provides for an efficient removal of anionic chemicals from contaminated soils. Chromate anions were removed from the soil to the anodic reservoir by the moving force of electromigration. In this process, the chromate anions that accumulate in the anodic reservoir are simultaneously eliminated by using a column packed adsorbent. The adsorbent (immobilized tannin) used was chemically incorporated into cellulose. Cr(VI) was found to be adsorbed to this adsorbent efficiently. In the electrokinetic process, the pH of the aqueous solution in the anodic reservoir was decreased by the electrolysis of water. In the present study, the pH of the solution in the anodic reservoir is maintained at pH 6 by the addition of an aqueous alkaline solution during the electrokinetic process. The advantage of pH control is that it promotes the release of Cr(VI) from the soil by electromigration, thus permitting the maximum adsorption of Cr(VI) on the immobilized tannin. Simultaneous collection of Cr(VI) from the anodic reservoir leads to the protection from secondary contamination with Cr(VI).     

Granulation of gibbsite with inorganic binder and its ability to adsorb Mo(VI) from aqueous solution

In this study, we prepared a new adsorbent and evaluated its ability to adsorb Mo(VI). Gibbsite was granulated with colloidal alumina or colloidal silica. The amount of Mo(VI) adsorbed onto granular gibbsite with a binder, effect of contact time and pH on the adsorption of Mo(VI), and column experiments were investigated. The amount of Mo(VI) adsorbed was greater in the order of ST12 (colloidal silica, 12%)?相似文献   

Photodegradation of tetraphenyltin contained in polychlorinated biphenyl-based transformer oil simulants in alkaline 2-propanol solution

The photodegradation of tetraphenyltin (TePT) contained in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-based transformer oil simulants by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in alkaline 2-propanol solutions was examined. In the absence of PCBs, the TePT level fell to below 1% of the initial concentration within 30 min. In the absence of both PCBs and an alkali, the concentrations of tri-, di-, and monophenyltins initially increased to a few milligrams per liter, and then reduced to below the detection limits within 90 min. The addition of an alkali to the reaction solution slightly accelerated the photodecomposition of TePT. The decomposition of other phenyltins (PTs) was also accelerated. When PCBs with concentrations of approximately 80 times the initial TePT concentration were added, only a small fraction of the TePT decomposed within 100 min. Moreover, the levels of PTs did not change during irradiation. TePT and other PTs did decompose when the level of PCBs was reduced to the same concentration as that of TePT; however, the decomposition rates were slower than those in the absence of PCBs. In the actual treatment process, TePT and other PTs in PCB-based transformer oil are decomposed by catalytic reduction, which is used after UV irradiation. Therefore, in the actual treatment of PCB-based transformer oil wastes, pollution due to PTs can be prevented.