[Significance of urinary cadmium concentration as an indicator of cadmium exposure in a population exposed to cadmium in a general environment].

Study was made on the significance of urinary cadmium concentration as an indicator of internal dose in a general environment polluted by cadmium. As an index of external dose, the mean rice cadmium concentration in each of 23 villages was employed. Morning urine samples were collected from 3,178 inhabitants of 23 cadmium-polluted villages of Kakehashi River basin in Ishikawa Prefecture and 294 inhabitants of two nonpolluted villages. Cadmium concentration in urine was determined. In addition, their residential history and intake of cadmium-polluted rice were obtained. All the subjects were 50 years of age or over. Participation rates were 91% for the polluted area and 94% for the nonpolluted area. Urinary cadmium concentrations were higher in the inhabitants of the cadmium-polluted area than in those of the nonpolluted area. Among the inhabitants in the cadmium-polluted area, urinary cadmium concentrations were higher in the subjects who had consumed cadmium polluted rice than in those who had not. The mean urinary cadmium concentrations in each village increased proportionally to increase in mean village rice cadmium concentration (intensity of exposure) when the inhabitants were classified according to period of residence at their present address. The mean urinary cadmium concentrations in each village were also significantly correlated with period of residence at the present address (duration of exposure) when the inhabitants were classified according to mean rice cadmium concentration of their village. It is concluded that urinary cadmium concentration mainly reflects the body burden of cadmium in a general environment polluted by cadmium.

Determination of food contamination by mineral oil from jute sacks using coupled LC-GC.

Jute fibers are treated with about 5-7% of a high boiling mineral oil fraction ("batching oil") to render them flexible for making fabrics. Foods transported in jute bags are contaminated by this batching oil. A method involving automated on-line LC-GC is described for determining these hydrocarbons in various foods. Complete transfer of the LC fraction to GC is presupposed for obtaining the required sensitivity. Results are given for nuts, coffee, cocoa products, and rice. Contamination ranged between about 5 and 500 ppm.

Continuous flow vapor generation for inductively coupled argon plasma spectrometric analysis. Part 2. Arsenic.

Total arsenic is determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission using hydride vapor generation. A 1 g sample is wet washed in a 16 x 150 mm 10 mL volumetric test tube on a programmed heating block with nitric, sulfuric, and perchloric acids at up to 310 degrees C. After treatment with hydrochloric acid and potassium iodide, arsenic is reduced by sodium borohydride to arsine in a simplified continuous flow manifold. A standard pneumatic nebulizer affects the gas-liquid separation of AsH3, which is quantified by ICP atomic emission at 193.756 nm. The instrument detection limit for the method has been determined to be 0.4 microgram/L. For a 10:1 dilution of a nominal 1 g sample, the detection limit is 4 micrograms/kg and the linear range is up to 4 mg/kg. Recoveries from 3 matrixes were 99-104%, with a typical RSD of 2%. The method has demonstrated statistical control for samples of biological interest and is especially well suited to analysis of small samples.

Selective determination of altertoxins by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection with dual "in-series" electrodes.

A selective method for the determination of altertoxin-I and altertoxin-II by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection is described. Altertoxins were separated on a reversed-phase column with methanol-water containing 0.1 M sodium nitrate and 1 mM nitric acid (60:40) as eluent and detected with dual in-series electrodes operating in the "redox" mode (generator electrode +1.0 V, indicator electrode -0.1 V). The method was applied successfully to the determination of sub-ppm levels of altertoxins in samples of maize, rice and tomatoes infected by Alternaria alternata.

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of tar compounds formed during pyrolysis of rice husks.

Pyrolysis of agricultural waste to produce fuel gas involves formation of tars as noxious by-products. In this paper the qualitative analysis of tars formed during pyrolysis of rice husks is presented, based on identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and interpolation of retention times on a polyaromatic hydrocarbon index scale. The influence of some reaction parameters on product formation is briefly discussed.

Tritium concentration in Japanese rice.

Polished rice samples harvested in 1985 were collected from 25 prefectures throughout Japan. Concentrations of both tissue free water tritium (TFWT) and organically bound tritium (OBT) were determined. Nearly uniform distribution of the TFWT and OBT concentrations was observed in Japan, taking into account a relatively large counting error. The average values for all Japanese polished rice were 2.69 +/- 0.74 Bq/L for the TFWT concentration, 2.01 +/- 0.78 Bq/L for the OBT concentration and 0.83 +/- 0.32 for the specific activity ratio. The TFWT concentration was within the range of tritium concentration of the land water reported by other researchers. The specific activity ratio below unity also confirmed by analyses of the 4 Chinese polished rice samples suggests that OBT in the rice is not equilibrated with TFWT or HTO in the environment because of isotope discrimination.

Proteins and amino acids of some local varieties of rice seeds (Oryza Sativa L.).

Proteins and amino acids in four local rice (Oryza Sativa L.) varieties were identified. Albumin and globulin were extracted from rice seeds, and the major promoters of these proteins were investigated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to show their patterns. Amino acid composition of the rice seed were determined quantitatively and qualitatively, and classified according to their acidic, basic and uncharged polar groups. Essential amino acids for each variety were determined, and the hydrophobicity index value of Amber 33 was (0.6078), Mishkhab 1 (0.63372), Hybrid 2 (0.6523) and Hwazawi (0.7411).

Fate of malathion and chlorpyrifos methyl in rough rice and milling fractions before and after parboiling and cooking.

Long-grain rough rice treated with malathion (14 ppm) or chlorpyrifos methyl (Reldan) (6 ppm or 12 ppm) was sampled after 1,6, and 12 wk. Samples from each treatment were processed raw or were parboiled with fresh steeping water, once-used, and twice-used steeping water. Three replicates of rough rice and of each milling fraction were preserved, and three of milled rice were cooked. Chemical residues were measured on rough rice, hulls, brown rice, bran, milled rice, and cooked rice. Parboiling reduced residues on rough rice and hulls but tended to increase residues in the other fractions. Residues of Reldan in bran were substantially increased by parboiling. Doubling the amount of Reldan applied to rough rice approximately doubled the residues found in the milling fractions. Small amounts of the protectants survived all processing including cooking. Residues of malathion in cooked rice averaged about 0.016 ppm in nonparboiled and 0.013 ppm in parboiled rice. Residue of Reldan in cooked rice was commensurate with the amount applied to rough rice. When applied to rough rice at 6 ppm, residues of Reldan in cooked rice averaged 0.05 ppm in nonparboiled rice and 0l.065 ppm in parboiled rice. When applied to rough rice at 12 ppm, residues in cooked rice averaged .053 ppm in nonparboiled rice and 0.15 ppm in parboiled rice. Legal tolerances were not exceeded in any milling fraction. Reuse of the steeping water had little or no effect on residues.

Acceptability, tolerance, and nutritional value of a rice-based infant formula.

An infant formula based on high protein rice flour, with added lysine and threonine, was evaluated in recovering malnourished infants. Acceptability, tolerance, and the digestibility of most major nutrients (energy 93.9 +/- 0.7%, fat 96.9 +/- 0.3%, carbohydrate 96.8 +/- 0.6% of intake) were excellent. Digestibility of protein, as with all rice products, was moderately low (80.1 +/- 3.3%), but its high biological value made N retention equal to that from casein. Plasma-free amino acids were consistent with the low essential/total amino acids ratio found in cereals, with slower absorption, and with the possibility that leucine was the first-limiting amino acid. Absorptions of Ca, Mg, PO4, and Zn were considered satisfactory. Energy costs of weight gain and the estimated percentage N in the weight gained during 14 days were comparable to those attained with the highest quality cow's milk-derived formulas in children of similar ages and nutritional status.

Multielement determination in rice, wheat, and barley by instrumental neutron activation analysis.

INAA has been used for the determination of Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, and W in grains of rice, wheat, and barley, which were collected from different plant fields in Iraq. Samples and standards were irradiated in the IRT-5000 reactor, at neutron fluxes of 2 x 10(13) cm-2.s-1 and 3.2 x 10(11) cm-2.s-1. Interferences of photopeaks with each other were considered, and reaction interferences were calculated and determined experimentally. Accuracy of our method was assessed by the analysis of IAEA standards Wheat Flour and Bovine liver. A good agreement has been achieved between the present results and recommended values. The precision and detection limit were determined for all elements in all types of grain.

Natural occurrence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins in rice bran.

Thirty four samples of rice bran, of which 9 were from raw (untreated) rice (RR) and 25 from parboiled rice (PbR) were collected from commercial rice mills in and around Madras and analysed for storage mycoflora and mycotoxins. Fungi of the Aspergillus flavus group were present in 29 of the 34 samples (8 from RR and 21 from PbR) in quantities ranging from less than 1-432 thousand propagules/g, though not always as the dominant mycoflora. Fungal numbers were usually higher in RR than in PbR samples. Five of the 9 RR samples and 6 of the 25 PbR samples were positive for aflatoxins. Among 29 isolates of A. flavus obtained from the bran samples, 16 isolates -6 from RR bran and 10 from PbR bran - were found to be toxigenic in vitro. Some isolates of A. candidus also seemed to produce aflatoxin and other fluorescent substances.

Natural occurrence of mycotoxins in some cereals.

Thirty samples each of wheat and rice and 22 of maize were screened qualitatively and quantitatively for the presence of mycotoxins out of which 13, 15 and 7 samples respectively were found to be contaminated with different mycotoxins. Aflatoxin was present in 37.4% samples and besides aflatoxin, ochratoxin A, sterigmatocystin, citrinin, rubratoxin and zearalenone were also present in the cereals. The quantity of aflatoxin was highest in rice samples in comparison to wheat and maize. During the preliminary bioassay no external changes were observed in the mice except for slight weight loss when fed with grain samples, while a high rate of mortality was observed when treated with lethal doses of mycotoxins.

Simultaneous determination of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in biological samples and natural products by gas chromatography-mass fragmentography.

A method for the simultaneous determination of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in plasma samples was developed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with multiple ion detection. Plasma samples were directly purified without deproteinization on an ion-exchange resin, and the eluate was extracted with ethyl acetate under acidic conditions. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness under a stream of nitrogen, and the residue was dissolved in an internal standard solution. Pantothenic and hopantenic acids were converted into their trimethylsilyl derivatives by treating with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. Aliquots of this solution were injected into the gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, which was equipped with a wide-bore fused-silica column (DB-17) and analysed by the multiple ion detection method. The detection limits for pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in plasma were 1 ng/ml each at a signal-to-noise ratio of 5. This method was applied to a study of the assay of pantothenic acid and hopantenic acid in biological samples and natural products.

Heavy metal contents of paddy fields of Alcácer do Sal, Portugal.

Recent claims of metal contamination in the lower reaches of the Sado River, in the Alcácer do Sal region, Portugal, a major rice-producing area were investigated by carrying out metal surveys in the area. The elements Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb were measured in the soil and in rice plant parts--roots, shoots and grain--as well as in some weeds growing in the Sado banks, near the paddy fields. Results showed that the metal contents of paddy soils were similar to background concentrations, with the exception of Zn and Cu, which were above those concentrations and reached their highest levels at Vale de Guizo, the monitored station located furthest upstream in the Sado River. At some sites, plant roots accumulated relatively large amounts of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu, but the shoot levels of these metals were within the normal range for rice plants. It is possible that varying, but significant, amounts of Fe associated with the roots were in the form of ferric hydroxide plaque covering their surfaces. Copper levels in the shoots of rice were below the normal contents cited for this plant in the literature. Metal levels of river sediments collected near Vale de Guizo seem to corroborate the possibility of some metal contamination in the Sado River, most probably derived from pyrites mining activity in the upper zone of the Sado basin.

Grain quality characteristics of rice in Madagascar retail markets.

A survey of rice in retail markets of Madagascar with emphasis on the surplus regions of Marovoay and Lac Alaotra and the deficient area, Antananarivo City showed rices of Madagascar to be predominantly medium-long, medium-shaped, with high apparent amylose content, low gelatinization temperature, and soft, hard or medium gel consistency. Mean protein content was 7.5%. Percent white grains among red and white grains ranged from 0 to 100% (mean 56%), head rice 0-94%, translucency 6-66%, and Kett whiteness 12-48%.

Effect of saline soil on grain quality of rices differing in salinity tolerance.

Four varieties of rice, differing in salinity tolerance and grown in saline soil (electrical conductivity 5-6 dS/m) at Sadhoke, Punjab, Pakistan, had lighter grain and higher Na content than control samples. Grains of three out of the four rices grown on saline soils had higher brown rice protein (higher nutritional value), less translucent grain, lower starch and amylose content, and lower K than their control samples, but these differences were not related to salinity tolerance. Alkali spreading value and gel consistency were not affected by culture in saline soil. Cooked rice Instron hardness increased in saline culture in two higher-protein samples of the four rices. Amylograph peak viscosity was suppressed by saline culture.

Long-term observation of serum creatinine and arterial blood pH in persons with cadmium-induced renal dysfunction.

Twenty-one subjects who had cadmium (Cd)-induced renal dysfunction and who lived in a Cd-polluted area in Japan were investigated to determine changes in their renal function. Since 1974, serum creatinine and arterial blood pH were measured annually during the autumn months for 9-14 y. Mean serum creatinine was significantly increased during this period, i.e., from 1.19 +/- 1.28 mg/100 ml to 1.68 +/- 1.56 mg/100 ml. Even after cadmium exposure ceased, significant deterioration of glomerular filtration was found. Eleven subjects showed a greater than 20% serum creatinine increase during this period. The most severe case had a serum creatinine value of 4.4 mg/100 ml at the most recent examination and experienced generalized edema, which suggests a clinical diagnosis of renal failure. The mean arterial blood pH values decreased significantly in all subjects, i.e., from 7.400 +/- 0.023 to 7.361 +/- 0.034. The 11 subjects cited above also showed a significant decrease and progression of tubular dysfunction after Cd exposure ceased. Our findings suggest that Cd-induced renal tubular dysfunction and decreased glomerular filtration are aggravated even after cessation of environmental Cd exposure, and in some cases this renal dysfunction may progress to renal failure.