Search results for " Biomonitoring"
showing 10 items of 65 documents
Influence of Heavy Metal Concentration on Chlorophyll Content in Pleurozium schreberi Mosses
2020
Abstract The aim of biomonitoring is assessment of environment condition. Biomonitoring studies with the use of mosses focus mainly on analytes accumulation and determining elements’ concentrations in the study area. It is often forgotten that a bioindicator should be alive during biomonitoring studies (which can be determined by, e.g., analysis of chlorophyll content). The objective of the carried out research was an assessment of the influence of selected heavy metals concentration: Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb accumulated by Pleurozium schreberi mosses during 3-month exposition within active biomonitoring, on their vitality, assessed by an analysis of a and b chlorophyll concentrations. The stu…
Coping with uncertainty in the assessment of atmospheric pollution with lichen transplants
2019
In the assessment of atmospheric deposition using lichen transplants, coping with uncertainty is mandatory in cases of environmental forensics, when understanding whether an area is polluted or not, or tracing a given pollution source is of paramount importance. In this article, we have suggested a method based on the calculation of exposed-to-control ratios of element concentrations and on the quantification of the overall uncertainty associated with such calculation, which proved to be very robust and can be applied in most cases using a minimum of three replicates. The method allowed the selection of significantly accumulated elements i.e. those polluting the site under study, as well as…
Mosses as a biomonitor to identify elements released into the air as a result of car workshop activities
2022
Human activity as a result of civilization development contributes to creating new sources of environmental pollution. Air pollution is one of the major problems because it affects the fauna and flora, and people themselves. There is a lack of public awareness of the level of atmospheric analytes pollution emitted from people's occupational and recreational (leisure) activities. A quick, cheap and easy way to investigate the state of the environment is to use organisms-biomonitors that indicate the level of environmental pollution. The study aimed to assess air pollution in an urban area using three moss species: Sphagnum fallax, Pleurozium schreberi and Dicranum polysetum. Mosses were expo…
Biomonitoring of parabens in human milk and estimated daily intake for breastfed infants
2020
In this study, we assessed the presence of four parabens in human milk of 120 mothers from Valencia (Spain) which took part in a human biomonitoring project (BETTERMILK). The detection frequency ranges of parabens were 41-60% and 61-89% for unconjugated- and total (unconjugated + conjugated)-parabens, respectively. The concentrations ranged from <LoQ to 31 ng/mL and from <LoQ to 49 ng/mL for unconjugated- and total-parabens, respectively. The frequency of use of some cosmetic products and human milk protein levels were the main predictors of parabens in milk. The study evidences the presence of both conjugated and unconjugated paraben forms in human milk. The newborns estimated daily intake…
Effects of tobacco smoke on indoor air quality: the use of mosses in biomonitoring.
2020
This research was carried out to assess the possibility of using Pleurozium schreberi mosses as bioindicators of atmospheric aerosol pollution in living quarters (kitchen and bedroom), with metals originating from tobacco smoke from various types of cigarettes: conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. The moss-bag method of active biomonitoring was used. The mosses were exposed in these indoor spaces for three months and, after the exposition period, their analytes – Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb – were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS). Results were interpreted using the relative accumulation factors (RAF), coefficients of variation (CV) and th…
Geothermal mercury output at Nisyros Volcano (Greece)
2019
Nisyros (Greece) is an active volcano in the eastern part of the South Aegean Active Volcanic Arc (SAAVA), hosting a high-enthalpy geothermal system. On June 2013, an extensive survey on Hg concentrations in different types of matrices (fumarolic fluids, atmosphere, soils and plants) was carried out at Lakki plain, an area affected by widespread soil degassing and fumarolic manifestations. To investigate the spatial distribution of mercury emission and its possible relationships with diffuse degassing of hydrothermal fluids, Hg concentrations in soils were related to their physicochemical parameters (e.g. temperature, soil-pH, hydrothermal gases and elemental C, N and S concentrations). Fur…
Distribution and air-sea exchange of mercury (Hg) in polluted marine environments
2012
Mercury (Hg) is emitted in the atmosphere by anthropogenic and natural sources, these last accounting for one third of the total emissions. Since the pre-industrial age, the atmospheric deposition of mercury have increased notably, while ocean emissions have doubled owing to the re-emission of anthropogenic mercury. Exchange between the atmosphere and ocean plays an important role in cycling and transport of mercury. We present the preliminary results from a study on the distribution and evasion flux of mercury at the atmosphere/sea interface in the Augusta basin (SE Sicily, southern Italy), a semi-enclosed marine area affected by a high degree of contamination (heavy metals and PHA) due to…
Occurrence of palladium and platinum in human scalp hair of adolescents living in urban and industrial sites
2023
Platinum group elements (PGEs) can be naturally found at very low concentrations in the Earth's crust. However, the increasing uses of PGEs in vehicle exhaust catalysts, in addition to some other applications (industry, jewelry, anticancer drugs) cause their anthropogenic emission and dispersion in the environment. The use of human hair samples analysis is considered a suitable biological indicator to assess human occupational and environmental exposure. It is an easily accessible material for individuals or population groups of non-invasive sampling. The aim of this study is a comparative analysis to investigate human hair content of Pd and Pt in adolescents, of both genders, residing near…
Environmental impact of antifouling technologies: state of art and perspectives
2001
1. Marine fouling affects most man-made surfaces temporarily or permanently immersed in the sea, resulting in significant (or substantial) economic costs. Intense research is aimed at preventing or reducing fouling. 2. The most widespread solution to avoid fouling formation is to make surfaces unsuitable for settlers, coating them with antifouling (AF) paints containing toxic compounds. Most AF agents (e.g. tributyltin, (TBT)) have undesirable effects on non-target species, including commercially important organisms. 3. To date, the use of TBT in AF paints has been restricted (but not prohibited) in a number of countries and new biocides are in use. 4. The environmental problems posed to ma…
Use of lead isotopic fingerprint in human scalp hair to identify potential sources of pollution in industrial Sicilian sites (Italy)
2019
Petrochemical industries represent a controversial, although important, the economic resource. They offer numerous job opportunities, which in turn contribute to the economic development of the city. People living in towns close to industrial plants are particularly exposed to severe environmental decline, which involves the deterioration of the quality of air, water, soil, and food. The municipalities of Augusta (SR), Gela (CL) and Pace del Mela (ME) host large oil refineries, together with several important chemical and petrochemical industries. The main goal of this study is to evaluate if stable lead isotope ratios measured in the biological matrix can be used as pollution fingerprints.…