A simplified methodology for the activation of organic charcoal.

One in three people globally are challenged to live on hazardous, unsanitary water, and this relates to higher risks of death and development of diseases. According to scientific research, activated charcoal can be used to clean water contaminants to help make water safer.•Carbonization: this study demonstrates an inexpensive method of producing activated charcoal that can be performed in any setting using locally available biomass materials.•Activation: thermal air oxidation between moderate temperatures of 450-550 °C. Our data indicate that this technique produces charcoal with an adsorptive capacity near to that of commercial-grade charcoal as demonstrated by spectrophotometric analysis. This simple approach to charcoal activation may benefit rural communities where sources of sanitary water are low or nonexistent.

Chronic exposure to high levels of atrazine alters expression of genes that regulate immune and growth-related functions in developing Xenopus laevis tadpoles.

Atrazine is the most commonly detected pesticide in ground and surface waters, with seasonal spikes that often exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's "Recommended Water Quality Criterion" of 350 parts per billion (ppb). Although numerous studies have shown atrazine produces adverse effects on growth, development, immune and endocrine system functions in a wide range of species, few describe gene expression changes concurrent with atrazine-induced changes in phenotype during development. In this report, developing Xenopus laevis tadpoles were chronically exposed to 400 ppb atrazine, an environmentally relevant concentration. Affymetrix microarrays and Taqman qRT-PCR were used to define gene expression changes that underlie atrazine-induced phenotypic alterations. Atrazine significantly reduced survival and growth (weight, length and fat body size) in male and female tadpoles. Microarray analysis showed atrazine altered expression of 44 genes in male tadpoles (18 upregulated, 26 downregulated) and 77 genes in female tadpoles (23 upregulated, 54 downregulated). Classification of the genes into functional groups showed the majority of genes were associated with the following biological functions: growth and metabolism, proteolysis, fibrinogen complex formation and immune regulation. Seven genes associated with immune system function, specifically defense molecules present in the skin (e.g. magainin II, levitide A, preprocarulein, skin granule protein), were significantly downregulated in female tadpoles. These results support the idea that environmental contaminants such as atrazine compromise important gene pathways during frog development that may, ultimately, be relevant to global amphibian decline.