Human health risks associated to trace elements and metals in commercial fish from the Brazilian Amazon.

Fish constitutes the main protein source for the Amazonian population. However, the impact of different anthropogenic activities on trace element and metal accumulation in fish and their risks for human health at a regional scale remain largely unexplored. Here we assessed exposure levels of 10 trace elements and metals (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg) in 56 samples belonging to 11 different species of fish from the Brazilian Amazon. We studied the relationship between exposure levels, fish origin, and fish feeding habits, and assessed toxicological and carcinogenic risks for the Amazonian population. No significant correlation was found between sampling site and exposure levels to the studied elements, but a significant difference was found between the accumulation of some metals and the position of the fish species in the food chain. The concentrations of Cr and Hg in fish flesh were found to exceed the Brazilian limits for human consumption. This study shows that current fish consumption patterns can lead to estimated daily intakes of Hg, As and Cr that exceed the oral reference dose, thus posing a toxicological concern. Furthermore, carcinogenic risks may be expected due to the continued exposure to Cr and As. The results of this study show that the consumption of wild caught fish in the Amazon region should be controlled. Moreover, continued monitoring of trace element and metal contamination in fish and on the health of the Amazonian population is recommended, particularly for riverine and indigenous communities.

Tremendously enhanced catalytic performance of Fe(III)/peroxymonosulfate process by trace Cu(II): A high-valent metals domination in organics removal.

Dissolved copper and iron ions are regarded as friendly and economic catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation, however, neither Cu(II) nor Fe(III) shows efficient catalytic performance because of the slow rates of Cu(II)/Cu(I) and Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycles. Innovatively, we observed a significant enhancement on the degradation of organic contaminants when Cu(II) and Fe(III) were coupled to activate PMS in borate (BA) buffer. The degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB, 20 µmol/L) reached up to 96.3% within 10 min, which was higher than the sum of individual Cu(II)- and Fe(III)- activated PMS process. Sulfate radical, hydroxyl radical and high-valent metal ions (i.e., Cu(III) and Fe(IV)) were identified as the working reactive species for RhB removal in Cu(II)/Fe(III)/PMS/BA system, while the last played a predominated role. The presence of BA dramatically facilitated the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) via chelating with Cu(II) followed by Fe(III) reduction by Cu(I), resulting in enhanced PMS activation by Cu(I) and Fe(II) as well as accelerated generation of reactive species. Additionally, the strong buffering capacity of BA to stabilize the solution pH was satisfying for the pollutants degradation since a slightly alkaline environment favored the PMS activation by coupling Cu(II) and Fe(III). In a word, this work provides a brand-new insight into the outstanding PMS activation by homogeneous bimetals and an expanded application of iron-based advanced oxidation processes in alkaline conditions.

Research progress on the environmental risk assessment and remediation technologies of heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil.

Controlling heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil has been a significant challenge. These heavy metals seriously threaten the surrounding ecological environment and human health. The effective assessment and remediation of heavy metals in agricultural soils are crucial. These two aspects support each other, forming a close and complete decision-making chain. Therefore, this review systematically summarizes the distribution characteristics of soil heavy metal pollution, the correlation between soil and crop heavy metal contents, the presence pattern and migration and transformation mode of heavy metals in the soil-crop system. The advantages and disadvantages of the risk evaluation tools and models of heavy metal pollution in farmland are further outlined, which provides important guidance for an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of heavy metal pollution in farmland soils and the assessment of the environmental risk. Soil remediation strategies involve multiple physical, chemical, biological and even combined technologies, and this paper compares the potential and effect of the above current remediation technologies in heavy metal polluted farmland soils. Finally, the main problems and possible research directions of future heavy metal risk assessment and remediation technologies in agricultural soils are prospected. This review provides new ideas for effective assessment and selection of remediation technologies based on the characterization of soil heavy metals.

Distribution characteristics, sources and risk assessment of heavy metals in the surface sediments from the largest tributary of the Lancang River in the Tibet Plateau, China.

Angqu, positioned in the eastern expanse of the Tibet Plateau, claims the title of the largest tributary to the Lancang River. In October and December of 2018, in the sediment of Angqu, a comprehensive investigation was conducted on nine heavy metals-arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni). This investigation aimed to scrutinize the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of these metals, assess the pollution status and ecological risks associated with the sediments, and delve into the sources contributing to their presence. The research results indicate that the average concentrations of As, Hg, and Cd in Angqu sediments exceed the soil background values of Tibet, while the concentrations of other heavy metals are below the soil background values of Tibet. Notably, arsenic poses potential ecological risks. In Angqu sediments, the concentrations of Mn, Cu, Ni, and Pb are generally higher in the wet season, but the seasonal variations of heavy metals in Angqu sediments are not significant. The sediments in the Angqu Basin are predominantly affected by mercury Hg, Cd, and As, with varying degrees of pollution at different sampling points. In the main stream of Angqu (City section), Hg pollution has reached above a moderate level, whereas As pollution near the tributary is only slightly polluted. The analysis of heavy metal sources reveals that there are five primary contributors to heavy metals in surface sediments of Angqu: parent material, agricultural activities, groundwater, atmospheric deposition, and other unidentified sources. Mn, Cr, Pb, and Ni are mainly derived from soil parent material, accounting for more than 50%. About 60.82% of As comes primarily from groundwater. Zn and Cd are mainly sourced from agricultural activities, accounting for 41.25% and 34.33%, respectively. Additionally, 20.6% of Hg originates from atmospheric deposition.

The reduction of abiotic stress in food crops through climate-smart mycorrhiza-enriched biofertilizer.

Climate change enhances stress in food crops. Recently, abiotic stress such as metalloid toxicity, salinity, and drought have increased in food crops. Mycorrhizal fungi can accumulate several nutrients within their hyphae through a symbiotic relationship and release them to cells in the root of the food crops under stress conditions. We have studied arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-enriched biofertilizers as a climate-smart technology option to increase safe and healthy food production under abiotic stress. AMF such as Glomus sp., Rhizophagus sp., Acaulospora morrowiae, Paraglomus occultum, Funneliformis mosseae, and Claroideoglomus etunicatum enhance growth and yield in food crops grown in soils under abiotic stress. AMF also works as a bioremediation material in food crops grown in soil. More precisely, the arsenic concentrations in grains decrease by 57% with AMF application. In addition, AMF increases mineral contents, and antioxidant activities under drought and salinity stress in food crops. Catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) increased by 45% and 70% in AMF-treated plants under drought stress. AMF-enriched biofertilizers are used in crop fields like precision agriculture to reduce the demand for chemical fertilizers. Subsequently, AMF-enriched climate-smart biofertilizers increase nutritional quality by reducing abiotic stress in food crops grown in soils. Consequently, a climate resilience environment might be developed using AMF-enriched biofertilizers for sustainable livelihood.

Association between Mixed Heavy Metal Exposure and Arterial Stiffness, with Alkaline Phosphatase Identified as a Mediator.

Elevated arterial stiffness has been associated with exposure to heavy metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). However, the collective impact of multiple metals and the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess the combined effects of exposure to nine heavy metals on arterial stiffness and explore whether serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) acts as a mediator in this relationship. In the retrospective analysis, data from 8,700 participants were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 1999 to 2018. Arterial stiffness was measured by estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV). The cumulative impact of exposure to multiple metals was examined using adaptive elastic-net, environmental risk score, weighted quantile sum regression, and quantile g-computation. Additionally, mediation analysis was conducted to explore the potential mediating role of serum ALP. We found that combined exposure to multiple metals was consistently associated with elevated ePWV, with Ba, Pb, and Sb exhibiting the greatest contributions. Notably, serum ALP partially mediated the associations between individual (Pb, Sb) and mixed metal exposure with ePWV, with mediation proportions at 10.76% for Pb, 18.22% for Sb, and 11.07% for mixed metal exposure. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a clear association between exposure to heavy metals, either individually or in combination, and heightened arterial stiffness. Furthermore, the findings suggest that serum ALP activity may act as a mediator in these relationships.

Comprehensive monitoring of contamination and ecological-health risk assessment of potentially harmful elements in surface water of Maroon-Jarahi sub-basin of the Persian Gulf, Iran.

The increase in heavy metal concentration in water bodies due to rapid industrial and socio-economic development significantly threatens ecological and human health. This study evaluated metal pollution and related risks to ecology and human health in the Maroon-Jarahi river sub-basin in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea basin, southwest Iran, using various indicators. A total of 70 water samples were taken from the sampling sites in the Maroon, Allah, and Jarahi sub-basins and analyzed for nine heavy metals. According to the results, the mean concentration of metals in the sampling locations across the entire sub-basin of Maroon-Jarahi was observed as follows Iron (528.22 µg/L), zinc (292.62 µg/L), manganese (56.47 µg/L), copper (36.23 µg/L), chromium (11.78 µg/L), arsenic (7.09 µg/L), lead (3.43 µg/L), nickel (3.23 µg/L), and cadmium (1.38 µg/L). Most of the metals were detected at the highest concentration in the sub-basin of the Jarahi River. The Water Quality Index (WQI) index in the basin varied from 18.74 to 22.88, indicating well to excellent quality. However, the investigation of the pollution status at the monitoring stations, based on the classification of Degree of Contamination (CD) and Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HPI) indices, revealed that they are in the category of relatively high pollution (16 < CD < 32) to very high (32 ≤ CD), and in the low pollution category (HPI < 15) to high pollution (HPI < 30), respectively. According to the three sub-basins, the highest amount of WQI, HPI, and Cd was observed in the stations located in the sub-basins of the Jarahi River. The calculation of Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI) also indicated that only 10% of the monitoring stations are in moderate pollution (10 < HEI < 20), while in other monitoring stations the HEI level is less than 10. The Potential ecological risk factors ( E r i ) of an individual metal was obtained as follows: Cd (173.70) > As (131.99) > Zn (57.52) > Cu (55.39) > Ni (48.98) > Cr (21.57) > Pb (0.71), revealing that Cd and As are the main elements responsible for creating ecological risk in the studied area. The Maroon-Jarahi watershed included areas with ecological risks that ranged from low (PERI ≤ 150) to very high (PERI ≥ 600). HI and ILCR health indicators indicated that consumption and long-term contact with river water in the study area can cause potential risks to human health, especially children. Moreover, the findings, the highest level of pollution and health risk for both children and adults, considering both exposure routes, occurred in the Jarahi River sub-basin, suggesting that those who live in the vicinity of the Jarahi River are likely to face more adverse health effects. In addition, the findings of the evaluation of the relationship between land use patterns and water quality in the studied basin showed that agricultural lands acts as a main source of pollutants, but forest lands play an important role in the deposition of pollutants and the protection of water quality at the basin scale. In general, the results of pollution indicators, risk assessment, and statistical techniques suggest that the lower sub-basin, the Jarahi area, and the Shadegan wetland are the most polluted areas in the investigated sub-basin due to excessive discharge of agricultural runoff, industrialization, and rapid urbanization. Thus, special measures should be considered to reduce the risks of HMs pollution in the sub-basin of the Maroon-Jarahi watershed, especially its downstream and the impact of agricultural land use on water quality should be taken into consideration in basin management plans.

Distribution, sources, and contamination evaluation of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Qizhou Island sea area in Hainan, China.

Coastal areas are regions of active interaction between the sea and land and are highly sensitive to changes in heavy metal contamination caused by natural and anthropogenic activities. The contents of heavy metals in 80 surface sediments in the Qizhou Island sea area in the northeast of Hainan Island were determined to assess the contamination status, spatial distribution, sources, and ecological risks. The results indicate that the main factors influencing the distribution patterns and contents of heavy metals are hydrodynamic conditions and sources of materials. The accumulation of Cd and Pb in the sediments is attributed to the combined effects of natural sources and anthropogenic input. In addition to widespread anthropogenic influence, the enrichment of Cd in the southeastern outer shelf area of the study region may be controlled by biogenic carbonate rocks or enhanced input of near-source materials during the late Pleistocene low sea level period.

Assessing soil remediation effect of Cr and Pb based on bioavailability using DGT, BCR and standardized determination method.

In the field of soil remediation, the importance of bioavailability of pollutants has not received adequate attention, leading to the excessive application of remediation measures. Therefore, to ensure the safe use of farmland soil, a scientific method is needed to assess labile contaminants and their translocation in plants. To evaluate soil remediation effect based on bioavailability, the concentrations of these heavy metals in soil were analyzed using by the method for total metal content, the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) extraction, and the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique. The results reveal that the correlation coefficients between metal concentrations measured by DGT and those accumulated in rice grains are the highest (Cr-R2 = 0.8966, Pb-R2 = 0.9045). However, the capability of method for total metal content to evaluate the remediation effect of heavy metals is very limited. In contrast, although Cr and Pb measured by BCR show a high correlation with HMs in rice plants, the method still falls short in precisely assessing bioavailability. Significantly, DGT proves to be more effective, successfully distinguishing the remediation effects of different treatments. Generally, DGT offers a more accurate and simpler assessment method, underscoring its practical significance for monitoring soil remediation and environmental management.

Elemental composition and potential toxicity of the riverine macrophyte Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx. reflects land use in eastern North America.

Land use influences surface water quality, often alleviating stoichiometric constraints on primary production and altering biogeochemical cycling. However, land use effects on nutrient content and potential trace metal accumulation in aquatic plants remain unclear, and high concentrations of metals and altered nutrient ratios could impact the health of herbivores and detritivores. We tested for land use effects on nutrient and trace metal accumulation in a widespread riverine macrophyte, Podostemum ceratophyllum, collected from 91 locations from Georgia to Maine, USA in 2014-2016. We quantified carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), their molar and mass ratios, N and C stable isotopes, and 17 additional elements in dried plants collected from each location to estimate relationships between plant tissue content and watershed land use, which we quantified as agriculture, forest, and development. Decreasing forest cover was correlated with increasing δ15N, Mg, Mn, and P in Podostemum tissue. Increasing urban development was correlated with increasing δ15N, Mg and P, while increasing agriculture was correlated with a decrease in C: P and the concentrations of multiple metals, along with increases in P, Mg and δ15N. Decreases in ratios of N: P and C:P with increasing agriculture and urban development in the watershed indicate more rapid P storage relative to C and N in plant tissue, and increased resource quality of the plant to consumers in these watersheds. We also observed potentially toxic dietary concentrations of some trace metals (B, Cd, Tl, Zn) in plant tissue which could be related to the plant's natural herbivory defense system or to land use. We conclude that land use influences the elemental composition of P. ceratophyllum, and potentially the quality and toxicity of the plant to herbivores and detritivores in eastern North American rivers.

Variation in oxidative potential of fine particulate matter and its association with chemical constituents at a regional site in India.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) constituents are greatly affected by site-specific emission sources and are one of the main reasons for oxidative stress that leads to cardiovascular ailments. This study investigated the temporal, seasonal, and episodic variations in the oxidative potential (OP) of PM2.5 and its association with chemical components. Additionally, we have also examined the effect of filter substrates on OP. Dithiothreitol (DTT) and ascorbic acid (AA) acellular assays were used to estimate the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PM2.5 samples collected over a year from a regional site in India. PM2.5 morphology and functional groups were also analyzed. Results showed that OPDTTv was at the highest in winter (2.56 ±â€¯0.84 nmol min-1 m-3) and at the lowest during monsoon (0.79 ±â€¯0.65 nmol min-1 m-3). OPAAv exhibited the highest activity in post-monsoon (0.09 ±â€¯0.04 nmol min-1 m-3) and least in summer (0.05 ±â€¯0.04 nmol min-1 m-3). Biomass burning (BB) and open-field burning of crop residue during the rabi and kharif harvesting seasons were associated with significantly elevated PM2.5 toxicity, which is indicative of the contribution of combustion-derived particles. OPDTTv and OPAAv levels from BB in post-monsoon were 21 % and 67 % higher than the levels observed during BB in summer. Flaky irregular agglomerates and porous structures were observed during the BB period. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy revealed that traffic-emitted organic hydrocarbons CH functional group was dominant across the season. Further, chemical species such as organics (OC and EC fractions) and ions (SO42-, NH4+, Cl-, NO3-) were found to be significantly associated with OP. Among the three filter substrates, the Teflon showed higher OP variability for both assays. This study emphasizes the impact of regional toxic aerosols across seasons and during episodic events. It contributes to our understanding of the toxicity of ambient PM2.5, which is crucial for developing targeted air-quality management strategies.

Contamination, fraction, and source apportionment of heavy metals in sediment of an industrialized urban river in China.

In this study, we conducted an analysis of the heavy metal concentrations, health risk assessment, fraction and source interpretation in surface and core sediments from main stream of the Pearl River and Pearl River Estuary (RRE) area. Results showed that the higher deposited heavy metal concentrations in sediments occur at the Pearl River. The concentrations of heavy metals in surface sediments from the studied locations are in a descending order: Zn>Cr>Cu>Ni>Pb>Cd. Regarding chemical fractions, Cd showed the highest proportion of acid soluble fraction (F1) among all studied heavy metals. The high mobility of Cd poses a significant threat to water bodies and the surrounding environment. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed the Pearl River sediments exhibited significantly higher values than the estuary sediments. Cd was found to be the primary contributor to potential ecological risk, accounting for 74% of RI. The health risk assessment showed the total hazard index (HI) for child was exceeded 1 mainly driven by Zn, indicating that the child population was at risk of non-carcinogenic effects. Besides, unacceptable carcinogenic risk in both Pearl River and estuary area were observed for children. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used to ascertain sources of six heavy metals and apportion their contributions in sediments. The results showed that the source contributions of natural, industrial, and mixed sources from coal combustion and traffic emissions accounted for 39.81%, 34.10%, 26.10%.

Soil eDNA biomonitoring reveals changes in multitrophic biodiversity and ecological health of agroecosystems.

Soil health is integral to sustainable agroecosystem management. Current monitoring and assessment practices primarily focus on soil physicochemical properties, yet the perspective of multitrophic biodiversity remains underexplored. Here we used environmental DNA (eDNA) technology to monitor multitrophic biodiversity in four typical agroecosystems, and analyzed the species composition and diversity changes in fungi, bacteria and metazoan, and combined with the traditional physicochemical variables to establish a soil health assessment framework centered on biodiversity data. First, eDNA technology detected rich multitrophic biodiversity in four agroecosystems, including 100 phyla, 273 classes, 611 orders, 1,026 families, 1,668 genera and 1,146 species with annotated classification, and the relative sequence abundance of dominant taxa fluctuates tens of times across agroecosystems. Second, significant differences in soil physicochemical variables such as organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP) were observed among different agroecosystems, nutrients were higher in cropland and rice paddies, while heavy metals were higher in fish ponds and lotus ponds. Third, biodiversity metrics, including α and ß diversity, also showed significant changes across agroecosystems, the soil biota was generally more sensitive to nutrients (e.g., OM, TN or AP), while the fungal communities were mainly affected by heavy metals in October (e.g., Cu and Cr). Finally, we screened 48 sensitive organismal indicators and found significant positive consistency between the developed eDNA indices and the traditional soil quality index (SQI, reaching up to R2 =0.58). In general, this study demonstrated the potential of eDNA technology in soil health assessment and underscored the importance of a multitrophic perspective for efficient monitoring and managing agroecosystems.

Bumble bees do not avoid field-realistic but innocuous concentrations of cadmium and copper.

Bee populations are facing numerous stressors globally, including environmental pollution by trace metals and metalloids. Understanding whether bees can detect and avoid these pollutants in their food is pivotal, as avoidance abilities may mitigate their exposure to xenobiotics. While these pollutants are known to induce sublethal effects in bees, such as disrupting physiological mechanisms, their potential impacts on locomotive abilities, fat metabolism, and reproductive physiology remain poorly understood. In this study, utilising workers of the buff-tailed bumble bee and two prevalent trace metals, namely cadmium and copper, we aimed to address these knowledge gaps for field-realistic concentrations. Our findings reveal that workers did not reject field-realistic concentrations of cadmium and copper in sucrose solutions. Moreover, they did not reject lethal concentrations of cadmium, although they rejected lethal concentrations of copper. Additionally, we observed no significant effects of field-realistic concentrations of these metals on the walking and flying activities of workers, nor on their fat metabolism and reproductive physiology. Overall, our results suggest that bumble bees may not avoid cadmium and copper at environmental concentrations, but ingestion of these metals in natural settings may not adversely affect locomotive abilities, fat metabolism, or reproductive physiology. However, given the conservative nature of our study, we still recommend future research to employ higher concentrations over longer durations to mimic conditions in heavily polluted areas (i.e., mine surrounding). Furthermore, investigations should ascertain whether field-realistic concentrations of metals exert no impact on bee larvae.

Development of an integrated framework for dissecting source-oriented ecological and health risks of heavy metals in soils.

Heavy metals (HMs) in soils pose significant risks on ecosystem and human health. To design targeted regulatory measures for mitigating and controlling the risk, it is necessary to accurately identify the pollution sources and environmental risks of soil HMs, as well as to reveal the linkages between them. To date, yet systematic investigation aimed at deciphering the links between source apportionment of soil HMs and their associated environmental risks is still lacking. To fill the gap, an integrated framework has been developed in this study and applied for dissecting the source-sink relationship and source-oriented ecological and health risks of soil HMs in Shanxi, a province with rich coal resource, in which long-term coal mining activities in history has resulted in soil HMs pollution and unavoidably posed environmental risks. Two advanced receptor models, multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares based on maximum likelihood principal component analysis (MCR-ALS/MLPCA) and multilinear engine 2 (ME2), have been employed for apportioning the potential sources, and their apportionment results are jointly incorporated into a modified ecological risk index and a probabilistic health risk assessment model for identifying the source-oriented ecological and health risks posed by soil metals. The results show that the soils in study area have been polluted by HMs (i.e., Cd, Cr, Hg and As) to varying degrees. Industrial activities (35%-35.8%), agricultural activities (11.1%-20.5%), atmospheric deposition (10.5%-13%) and mix source (31.5%-42.6%) are apportioned as the main contributors of soil HMs in the area. The source-oriented ecological risk assessment suggests Hg has presented significant ecological risk and largely contributed by the sources from atmospheric deposition and industrial activities. The source-oriented health risk assessment shows the non-carcinogenic hazard level and carcinogenic risk posed by soil HMs in the study area are acceptable. Relatively, industrial activities and mix source have contributed more on the health risks.

Potential human health risk assessment associated with Hg, Cd, Pb, and As in sardines and shrimp from four Egyptian coastal governorates.

Heavy metal contamination in seafood is a developing concern due to the potential negative consequences on human health. Egypt's coastal regions are important for seafood production and consumption, making it critical to assess the safety of these aquatic resources. The current study examined toxic metal levels (Hg, Pb, Cd, and AS) in 96 samples of sardine and shrimp from four Egyptian coastal governorates (Alexandria, Kafr El-Sheikh, Damietta, and Port Said) from 2019 to 2021. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to investigate the four hazardous metals. The recovery percentages of the determined metals ranged between 97 % and 99 %. Limits of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for the determined metals ranged from 0.001 to 0.0077 mg/l and from 0.0035 to 0.026 mg/l, respectively. Mercury (Hg) was not found in any of the samples tested. The concentrations of Pb and Cd in the sardines and shrimp samples were higher in the winter seasons than in the summer seasons. Meanwhile, the difference in seasons had no effect on the concentration of As in the sardines and shrimp samples. The highest concentrations of the other three metals in the sardine and shrimp samples were used to calculate the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Hazard Index (HI). The obtained THQ as well as the HI of Pb, Cd, and As were all less than 1.0 (with the exception of sardine samples from Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, which recorded 1.262), indicating that there is no significant health risk to the consumer from consuming such sardines and shrimp from these governorates. The effect of different seasons on the concentrations of the metals under study does not have a specific behavior, but varies according to the governorate, the type of sample, and the type of contaminated metal. Due to the high level of contamination with heavy metals in sardine samples collected from Kafr El-Sheikh governorate (TTHQ = 1.26), an environmental study is required to determine the causes of contamination and control them.

Interplay of heavy metal accumulation, physiological responses, and microbiome dynamics in lichens: insights and future directions.

Lichens are increasingly recognised as valuable bioindicators for environmental heavy metal pollution due to their sensitivity to spatial and temporal variations in pollution levels and their ability to adapt to diverse and often harsh habitats. This review initially examines the mechanisms of metal absorption in lichens, including particulate entrapment, ion exchange, and intracellular absorption, as well as their physiological responses to abiotic stressors such as heavy metal exposure and desiccation. In the latter part, we compile and synthesise evidence showing that secondary metabolites in lichens are significantly influenced by metal concentrations, with varying impacts across different species. Although extensive research has addressed the broader physiological effects of heavy metal hyperaccumulation in lichens, there remains a significant gap in understanding the direct or indirect influences of heavy metals on the lichen microbiome, possibly mediated by changes in secondary metabolite production. Our review integrates these aspects to propose new research directions aimed at elucidating the mechanisms underlying physiological responses such as resilience and adaptability in lichens. Overall, this review highlights the dynamic interplay between microbiome composition, secondary metabolite variation, and metal accumulation, suggesting that these factors collectively contribute to the physiological responses of lichens in polluted environments.

Tuning the Transparency Window of SrVO3 Transparent Conducting Oxide.

Correlated transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) have gained great attention, because of their unique combination of transparency and metallic character. SrVO3 (SVO) was identified as a high-performance TCO in the visible range. Few studies have investigated band structure engineering through chemical doping to enhance the optical properties of SVO. Here, we use two different strategies by exploiting the band-filling and width of the bands derived from Vanadium to tune the screened plasma frequency ωp* and the interband transition Ep-d energy, corresponding to the optical transparency window edges. For control of the band-filling strategy, it is found that Titanium doped SVO has a wide transparency window, but such a composition does not maintain the high electrical conductivity required for TCO applications. Concerning the bandwidth strategy, the doping of SrVO3 by Calcium shows that ωp* remains located in the IR range (1.12 eV), while Ep-d is blue-shifted into the UV region (3.43 eV) due to reinforced electronic correlations. By an appropriate choice of dopant, we successfully increased the size of the transparency window by around 11% from 1.94 eV (SVO) to 2.30 eV (Calcium-doped SVO), while retaining high conductivity of around 2.30 × 104 (S·cm-1) and high charge carrier density of 2.93 × 1022 cm-3.

Chronic effects of metal releases from historical mining on threatened crayfish in Madison County Missouri, USA.

The Little St. Francis River and its tributaries drain metals-contaminated areas of the Madison County Mines National Priority List Superfund site (MCM) which was designated in 2003 to facilitate remediation of metals contamination within the MCM. One concern for natural resource trustees in the MCM is the potential effects of elevated metals concentrations on the federally threatened St. Francis River crayfish, Faxonius quadruncus, which has a geographic range that is limited to the St. Francis River watershed. A survey of riffle-dwelling crayfish, in-situ cage study, and laboratory toxicity tests were conducted to assess the effects of mining-derived metals on F. quadruncus and other crayfish species in the MCM. Crayfish densities were significantly greater at sites upstream of metals releases from historical mining (henceforth mining releases) compared to densities at sites downstream of mining releases, and metals concentrations in whole-body crayfish, surface water, sediments, macroinvertebrates, fish, and plant material were greater at sites downstream of mining releases compared to sites upstream of mining releases. Crayfish densities were also negatively correlated with consensus-based adverse effects indices, expressed as surface-water toxic units and sediment probable effects quotients. Decreased growth and increased mortality during cage and laboratory studies were likely due to exposure to, and subsequently uptake of, elevated concentrations of metals. Crayfish in all studies were found to bioaccumulate metals, which supports their utility as bioindicators of metals contamination. Study results show that elevated metals concentrations associated with mining releases in the MCM continue to adversely affect biota, including the federally threatened F. quadruncus.

Associations of multiple serum metals with the risk of metabolic syndrome among the older population in China based on a community study: A mediation role of peripheral blood cells.

Metal exposure has been reported to be associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), however, the evidence remains inconclusive, particularly in elderly individuals. From May to July 2016, serum levels of 16 metals were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 852 elderly individuals (≥65 years) residing in Wuhan, China. Biological detection and disease recognition were based on individual surveys conducted during health check-ups. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to identify the correlation among serum metals. The data were Ln-transformed to fit a normal distribution for further analyses. Linear and logistic regression were applied to explore the associations between metals and diseases. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was utilized to examine dose-response relationships. The Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) score was applied to determine the empirical weights of each heavy metal in the context of their combined effect on metabolic diseases. The prevalence of MetS, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were 46.36 %, 68.90 %, 24.65 %, and 21.60 %, respectively. Serum metal mixture was positively associated with the prevalence of MetS (OR = 1.92, 95 % CI: 1.30-2.82), hypertension (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI: 1.01-2.23), and diabetes (OR = 2.18, 95 % CI: 1.48-3.22). In single metal models, we found that serum zinc levels were associated with an increased risk of MetS, while rubidium had a protective effect against MetS. Interestingly, different metals had distinct effects on specific diseases in this study: lithium and barium were more likely to influence blood pressure, while selenium had a more significant effect on blood glucose. Lipids were more susceptible to the effects of zinc, selenium, and strontium. Platelet count (PLT) and lymphocyte count (LYM) mediated the association between selenium exposure and hyperlipidemia, while neutrophil count (NEU) mediated the relationship between serum rubidium exposure and MetS. Our findings offer valuable etiological insights into the relationship between serum heavy metals and the prevalence of MetS, suggesting that peripheral blood cells may play a mediating role in this association.