Comparison of Cd, Cu, Se, and Zn Concentration in the Muscle and Hepatopancreas of Sepia pharaonis and Uroteuthis duvauceli in the North of Persian Gulf (Iran).

The objective of this research was to examine and contrast the levels of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and selenium (Se) in the muscle and hepatopancreas tissues of two species, namely pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) and Indian squid (Uroteuthis duvauceli), from the Persian Gulf. A total of thirty individuals of each species were gathered in January 2009 from the northern waters of the Persian Gulf. The metal concentrations were significantly higher in muscle tissue (p < 0.05) than in other tissues. S. pharaonis had higher metal concentrations than U. duvauceli. In the muscle and hepatopancreas samples of S. pharaonis, the highest mean concentrations were found to be for Zn (58.45 ± 0.96 µg/g dw) and Cu (1541.47 ± 192.15 µg/g dw), respectively. In U. duvauceli, the highest concentration of measured elements was seen for Zn in both muscle (36.52 ± 0.56 µg/g dw) and hepatopancreas (60.94 ± 2.65 µg/g dw). Se had the lowest concentration among the elements measured in both species. There was a negative and significant correlation between Cu and biometrical factors (total body length and weight) in both muscle and hepatopancreas samples of S. pharaonic and only in the muscle samples of U. duvauceli (p < 0.01, R2 = - 052; p < 0.01, R2 = - 0.055). However, there was a strong correlation between Zn and biometrical factors in hepatopancreas samples of both species. The comparison of metal concentrations with standards revealed that only Cd levels in S. pharaonis exceeded the ESFA and WHO standards, whereas other metals were below the standards.

Antibiotics in sewage treatment plants, receiving water bodies and groundwater of Chennai city and the suburb, South India: Occurrence, removal efficiencies, and risk assessment.

The presence of antibiotics in the aqueous environment can alter the water microbiome, inducing antimicrobial resistance genes. Hence, the occurrence of 18 antibiotics belonging to sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, phenicols, and macrolides classes were investigated in surface water, groundwater, and sewage treatment plants in Chennai city and the suburbs. Fluoroquinolones had the maximum detection frequency in both influent and effluent samples of urban and suburban STPs, with ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin showing the highest influent concentrations. Erythromycin was the predominant antibiotic in surface water samples with an average concentration of 194.4 ng/L. All the detected antibiotic concentrations were higher in the Buckingham Canal compared to those in Adyar and Cooum rivers, possibly due to direct sewer outfalls in the canal. In groundwater samples, ciprofloxacin showed the highest levels with an average of 20.48 ng/L and the concentrations were comparable to those of surface water. The average sulfamethazine concentration in groundwater (5.2 ng/L) was found to be slightly higher than that of the surface water and much higher than the STP influent concentrations. High levels of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethazine in groundwater may be because of their high solubility and wide use. Moreover, erythromycin was completely removed after treatment in urban STPs; FQs showed relatively lesser removal efficiency (2.4-54%) in urban STPs and (8-44%) in suburban STP. Tetracyclines and phenicols were not detected in any of the samples. Ciprofloxacin and azithromycin in surface water pose a high risk in terms of estimated antibiotic resistance. This study revealed that the measured surface water concentration of antibiotics were 500 times higher for some compounds than the predicted calculated concentrations from STP effluents. Therefore, we suspect the direct sewage outlets or open drains might play an important role in contaminating surface water bodies in Chennai city.

Spatial distribution and sources of pesticidal persistent organic pollutants in the Hooghly riverine sediment.

Given the extensive indiscriminate usage in the past and limited ongoing use, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been widely reported in the Hooghly riverine environment. Hence, surface riverine sediment samples were collected along the urban and suburban transects of the Hooghly River and OCPs were quantified in gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Mean concentration of HCH, DDT, and endosulfan was 5 ng g-1, 10 ng g-1, and 4 ng g-1 respectively. DDT was dominant among all the OCPs and contributed nearly 40% to the total OCPs possibly due to the ongoing use of DDT for vector control programs. Diagnostic ratios suggest recent source of lindane, DDT, and endosulfan. Using OCP concentration from previously published data in surface water during the same time frame, sediment-water partitioning of OCPs was estimated. Excluding α-HCH and γ-HCH in few pockets, majority of the OCPs tend to partition more on to sediment. Comparing the sediment concentration with the sediment quality guideline values, risk on ecological integrities was indicated due to DDT and HCH contamination. Suburban sites indicated higher risk than urban sites according to the calculated sediment quality guideline quotient (SQGQ). A brief review on the approach to pesticidal POP pollution management in India revealed that older management approaches should be replaced with a unique, integrated, and holistic system.

Evaluation of wastewater treatment by-products as soil amendment: Growth of sorghum-sudan grass and trace elements concentrations.

Wastewater treatment by-products (WTBP), such as sewage sludge (SS) may be used to enhance soil chemical, physical, and biological properties. These enhanced soil properties, in turn, could from its source of production to its site of application. These concerns may be mitigated by incineration of the SS to produce ash (SSA) and dissolved in water and stored in ponds as contribute to an increase in plant growth, production, mineral nutrition. Some SS is difficult to handle due to bad odor in its raw state and has large mass, hence expensive for transportation weathered SSA (WSSA). A greenhouse study was conducted using Candler fine sand CFS; (CFS; pH = 6.8) and Ogeechee loamy sand OLS; (pH = 5.2) with application of either 0, 24.7, 49.4, 98.8, or 148.2 Mg ha(-1) as either SS, SSA, or WSSA to evaluate the biomass production and elemental composition responses of sorghum-sudan grass (Sorghum vulgaris var. Sudanese hitche). Shoot and root biomass were 2 to 3 fold greater in the soil amended with SS, than either SSA or WSSA. Concentrations of nutrient and trace elements in the shoots and roots increased with increasing rates of amendments. Application of these by-products up to 98.8 Mg ha(-1) rate did not adversely affect growth or accumulation of trace elements in sorghum-sudan grass. Long-term field studies are recommended to investigate the potential leaching of various elements from the amended soils in addition to evaluation of plant growth and production responses to determine the acceptable rates of these by-products as amendments to agricultural soils.