Evaluate the Work-Related Exposure of Vanadium on Scalp Hair Samples of Outdoor and Administrative Workers of Oil Drilling Field: Related Health Risks.

Petrochemical facilities, including oil well drilling, are discharging resources of extensive noxious waste into the environment. The workers in different sections might be exposed to vanadium (V) through different routes (groundwater and soil), which is linked with extensive physiological disorders, hypertension, respiratory disorders, anemia, skin, and gastrointestinal disorders. This study determined the contents of V in a biological sample (scalp hair) of workers of different categories (outdoor and office workers) in an oil drilling field in Sindh, Pakistan. The environmental samples, groundwater, bottled mineral water, and soil samples were also analyzed for V. For comparative purposes, the scalp hair of age-matched male subjects residing in domestic areas of Hyderabad city, Pakistan, was also analyzed. Generally, the concentrations of V in groundwater near the oil drilling field and drilled soil illustrated significant variations. The results show that the vanadium concentration in the scalp hair of non-exposed referents (controls) and office workers (exposed referents) was 62% and 45% lower than those observed for outdoor drilling and cleaning mud workers. It was observed that high exposure to V in outdoor workers might be linked with different physiological disorders such as anemia, eye problems, and bronchial disorders.

Determination of toxic elemental levels in whey milk of different cattle and human using an innovative digestion method: risk assessment for children < 6.0 months to 5 years.

In present study, the toxic elements, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), were determined in whey milk samples obtained from various cattle (cow, goat, buffalo, sheep, camel) and human subjects of different areas of Sindh, Pakistan, based on consuming drinking water (exposed area) and surface water (control/non-exposed area). The whey milk was separated from casein by lowering the pH, and heating in an ultrasonic bath at 60 °C for 5 min and centrifuged. The whey milk samples were treated with deep eutectic solvent, prepared from choline chloride-oxalic acid (ChCl-Ox) at different mole ratio. Effects of different parameters on digestion efficiency of whey milk samples, including time and temperature of electric hot plate, mole ratio, and volumes of deep eutectic solvent were examined. The total levels of all selected toxic elements were also detected in whole milk samples of all exposed and nonexposed cattle and human, after acid digestion method. The validity of the proposed method was established by a conventional acid digestion method of selected whey milk samples and spiked certified standards in replicate real whey milk samples. The resulted elements obtained after proposed and conventional heating system were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The % of all three toxic elements found in whey milk samples were 24 to 50% of their total content in milk samples of different cattle and human. The As, Cd, and Pb contents in cattle and human milk consumed contaminated groundwater was significantly higher (2- to 3-fold) than those values observed for milk samples of cattle, who receive drinking water from fresh canal water (p < 0.01). Estimating the daily intake, hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk for <6 month to 5 years old children, based on the concentrations of toxic elements in milk samples of different cattle and human..

Vortex-Assisted Modified Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction of Trace Levels of Cadmium in Surface Water and Groundwater Samples of Tharparkar, Pakistan, Optimized by Multivariate Technique.

A simple vortex-assisted modified dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure is proposed for the enrichment of cadmium (Cd+2) in surface (stored rainwater) and groundwater of the Tharparkar district in Pakistan, before analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate was used as a ligand to make a hydrophobic complex of Cd+2, which was extracted in an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate), and the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 was applied as a dispersing medium. The contents of tubes were shaken for different time intervals on a vortex mixer to enhance extraction efficiency. A multivariate strategy was used to simultaneously evaluate seven factors including, concentration of the complexing reagent, pH, amounts of ionic liquid and Triton X-114, vortex shaking time, centrifugation time and extracting solution for their influence on the percentage recovery of the analyte. The important variables were further optimized by central composite design. The preconcentration factor and LOD were observed as 76.9 and 0.048 µg/L, respectively. The Certified Reference Material SRM1643e was used to check the validity of the developed method, and the RSD was found to be 4.02%. The proposed technique was successfully applied for the enrichment of Cd+2 in groundwater and surface water samples from the southeastern part of Pakistan. The observed results revealed that the concentration of Cd+2 in groundwater was higher than the World Health Organization recommended value of 3 µg/L for drinking water. For adults weighing approximately 60 kg, consumption of groundwater for drinking and other domestic purposes would provide levels of Cd+2 that are 2- to 3-fold higher than the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake.

Ultrasonically Dispersed Ionic Liquid-Based Microextraction of Lead in Biological Samples of Malnourished Children Prior to Analysis by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

In the present study, a simple ultrasonically dispersed modified liquid-phase microextraction method was developed for the extraction of lead (Pb) from blood and scalp hair samples of malnourished children (MNC). The complexation of Pb was executed by means of the complexing agent, ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC), whereas extraction was carried out through the ionic liquid (IL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. Ultrasound energy was used for the dispersion and extraction of the metal complex into an IL because it enhances the extraction of the metal complex into infinite IL drops at a temperature range of 40-80°C for 1-5 min. After sonication, the enriched analyte phase was separated by centrifugation. Nitric acid (HNO3; 0.5-2 mol/L) was added to the IL-enriched phase to back-extract the analyte into the acidic aqueous phase and analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Various experimental parameters that affect the efficiency of the proposed method, such as volume of IL, concentration of the complexing agent, pH, ultrasonication time and temperature, and concentration of HNO3, were optimized. The enhancement factor was calculated as 70. The LOD for Pb ions was found to be 0.19 µg/L, with an RSD of <5%. Accuracy was ensured by applying the procedure to a certified reference material for whole blood and scalp hair. The developed procedure was successfully applied for the analysis of the concentration of Pb ion in whole-blood and scalp hair samples of MNC from different areas of Sindh, Pakistan. The concentration of Pb among MNC was 2-fold higher than the referent.