Search results for " heavy metals"

Impact of Heavy Metals in Eggs and Tissues of C. caretta along the Sicilian Coast (Mediterranean Sea)

2022

In this study we compared the heavy metal concentration found in different tissues and eggs of the loggerhead sea turtle and evaluated the potential ecotoxicological risk for this important species. Eighteen heavy metal elements were determined in different tissues (liver, gonads, fat, kidney, heart, brain, and spleen) of nine individuals of Caretta caretta found stranded along the coasts of Messina (Sicily, Italy) and in the shell and yolk of six eggs from the island of Linosa (Sicily, Italy). For the analysis of the heavy metals, we used the analytical procedures in accordance with the EPA 200.8 method supplemented by EPA 6020b with three replicates for each measurement. The elements anal…

Seagrasses as biological barriers against anthropic input in coastal marine ecosystems

2009

ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION IN TERRACES FOR PUBLIC USE RECOVERED IN THE CITY OF PALERMO AND IN AGRICULTURAL TERRACES

2017

The contamination by heavy metals in the soil is nowadays considered an indicator of environmental pollution caused by to several factors, such as waste disposal, industrial discharges and the use of irrigation water. Developed in collaboration with SO.GEST Ambiente Laboratory, in Palermo, this study had as a purpose to monitor the levels of heavy metals - Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn -both in public lands and in agricultural terrains. All the soil samples collected have been subjected to an acid extraction process by using HCL and eventually to a mass spectrometer-based analysis for the quantitative/ qualitative determination, specifically by the technique of flame atomic absorption spectrophoto…

NiO@Ni core shell for electrochemical detection of Hg ions

2018

Heavy metals are considered as one of the most dangerous chemicals for human health. Among heavy metals, mercury is one of the most dangerous one: few ppb of Hg can cause serious damages to brain, heart, lungs and kidney. The Environmental Protection Agency setted the maximum concentration of Hg in water as 2 ppb [1] . Nowadays is very important to develop new and novel sensors for heavy metals that could be cheap, easy to use and for in-situ and real-time analysis and in this context electrochemical sensors are perfect candidates [2] . The more powerful electrochemical tequinique is Square Wave Anodic Strippic Voltammetry (SWASV), a two step techinique were the heavy metals are first depos…

Mercury in fish products: what’s the best for consumers between bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna?

2017

A total of 205 bluefin and yellowfin tuna samples were examined for mercury detection in order to verify possible differences and have a detailed risk assessment of the two tuna species. The results showed significant higher mercury concentration in muscle tissue of bluefin tuna respect yellowfin tuna (p < 0.001) with mean concentration of 0.84 mg/kg and maximum value of 1.94 mg/kg. These differences can be due the different biological and ecological aspects of the two tuna species and to different oceanographic aspects between Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean sea. The results obtained in this study suggest an advisable containment of the sources of pollution and further studies on the c…

The use of mosses in biomonitoring of selected areas In Poland and Spitsbergen in the years From 1975 to 2014

2015

Przeanalizowano historyczne zmiany stężeń metali ciężkich: Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd i Pb zakumulowanych w próbkach mchów pobieranych do badań w Polsce, na terenach leśnych Beskidów i Karkonoszy oraz w lasach północno-wschodniej części kraju, w odniesieniu do mało zanieczyszczonych obszarów Archipelagu Svalbard, którego największą wyspą jest Spitsbergen. Wyniki badań przedstawianych w literaturze uzupełniono wynikami badań własnych, prowadzonych w 2014 r. Wykazano, że spośród wymienionych obszary Beskidów oraz Karkonoszy były i są najbardziej narażone na depozycję metali ciężkich. Stwierdzono również, że na przestrzeni lat 1975-2014 nastąpiło znaczące zmniejszenie stężeń Cu, Zn, Cd i Pb w mchach p…

Active Biomonitoring of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Aquatic Environment Using Mosses and Algae

2022

In this paper, we present an analysis of the pollution of surface water and air by the heavy metals: Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in the area of the smelter in Ozimek (Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland). The marine algae Palmaria palmata was exposed in the Mała Panew River, and three species of forest mosses: Pleurozium schreberi, Sphagnum fallax and Dicranum polysetum were also applied. Active biomonitoring was also carried out using P. schreberi mosses to assess air pollution, since the area and the river are influenced by the smelter’s activities. Analytes were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Student’s T-test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to assess th…

A Noxious Weed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Ragweed) as Sustainable Feedstock for Methane Production and Metals Immobilization

2023

Plants of the Ambrosia genus are invasive and cause many ecological problems, including the oppression of the growth of agricultural crops and native plants, land depletion, and the production of strong allergens. The use of weeds as a sustainable feedstock for biogas production, either methane or hydrogen, is a promising way to fulfill the energy needs of the current generation, eliminate the depletion of non-renewable carbon resources, and preserve the ecosystem degradation caused by invasive species impacts. A diversified microbial community was used as inoculum and Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. biomass as a substrate for anaerobic degradation and methane production. In this regard, the dev…

Elemental contamination of an open-pit mining area in the Peruvian Andes

2014

New technologies and higher prices of raw materials have promoted the expansion of mining activity throughout the world; if not properly regulated, this activity can lead to contamination of the local and regional environ- ment. The city of Cerro de Pasco is located close to a large open-pit mine and in recent years, several reports have pro- vided evidence of environmental contamination and related health problems. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the contamination in fluvial water, sediments and biological fluids from this area. The collective results show elevated metal and metalloid concentrations in rivers and sediments, especially in the areas downstream of the mine. For instance,…

CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION OF BEE HONEY – IDENTIFYING SENSOR OF THE ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION

2005

Changes in the quality of bee honey are also caused by the contamination with micro-polluting agents, toxic to consumers. This research is about chemical contamination of honey. The honey used in this study was harvested from beehives situated in Copşa Mica (Sibiu region), famous for the ecological unbalances induced by the non-ferrous metal industry through pollution produced by SC Sometra SA. The amount of Pb, Cd and Zn contained in the samples harvested in the area specifi ed above have been determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer AAS. Amounts of heavy metals above the admitted limit by the OMS 975/88 have been discovered. The results suggested that honey could be used to dete…