Search results for "Pollutant"
showing 10 items of 1389 documents
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygen-containing derivatives (OPAHs) in soils from the Angren industrial area, Uzbekistan.
2009
We measured the concentrations and depth distribution (0-10, 10-20 cm) of 31 PAHs and 12 OPAHs in soils at eleven equidistant sampling points along a 20-km transect in the Angren industrial region (coal mine, power plant, rubber factory, gold mine), Uzbekistan to gain an insight into their concentrations, sources, and fate. Concentrations of all compounds were mostly much higher in the 0-10 cm than in the 10-20 cm layer except in disturbed soil close to the coal mine. Proximity to one of the industrial emitters was the main determinant of PAH and OPAH concentrations. The Sigma31PAHs concentrations correlated positively with the Sigma7 carbonyl-OPAH (r=0.98, p<0.01), Sigma5 hydroxyl-OPAH (r=…
Direct and indirect exogenous contamination by pesticides of rice-farming soils in a Mediterranean wetland.
2003
It is known that the sources of soil contamination can be endogenous or exogenous and that exogenous contamination may be direct or indirect. In this work, an environmental pesticide fate study was conducted in soil profiles collected from 23 rice field sites in an important Mediterranean wetland (Albufera Natural Park, Valencia, Spain) from April 1996 to November 1997. Temporal and spatial distribution of 44 pesticide residues in an alluvial Mediterranean soil (gleyic-calcaric Fluvisol, Fluvaquent) were monitored. During this period, the levels of pesticide residues in different soil horizons (Ap1 0–12 cm, Ap2 12–30 cm, ApCg 30–50 cm, C1gr 50–76 cm, and C2r 76–100 cm) were investigated. In…
Lipid and fatty acid variations inCiona intestinalis ovary after tri-n-butyltin(IV)chloride exposure
2005
Reduction of total lipids (TL) content and significant variations of triglyceride (TG) and phospholipid (PL) fractions were observed as a consequence of exposure of Ciona intestinalis ovaries to tributyltin chloride (TBTCL) solutions. In particular, an evident TG decrease and a PL increase were observed, which probably provoked an increment in membrane fluidity, because of the high concentration of long chain fatty acids and, as a consequence, PL. This could be a cell adaptive standing mechanism towards the pollutants, as observed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Also the increase in the content of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), important in the synthesis of compounds such as prostagla…
Vertical distribution of pharmaceuticals in lake sediments-citalopram as potential chemomarker
2012
The use of pharmaceuticals has increased enormously over the last few decades and serious concerns about their environmental fate and effects have arisen. Thus far, there is little knowledge about the historical pollution of the environment by pharmaceuticals. In the present study, sediment columns from three lake sites adjacent to wastewater treatment plants were collected, further divided in 2- or 2.5-cm slices, and analyzed for 15 pharmaceuticals by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, sediment columns were historically interpreted by analyzing fecal sterols (coprostanol and cholesterol) as well as organic material and organic carbon. Several pharmaceuticals were …
Elucidating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor antagonism from a chemical-structural perspective.
2020
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays an important role in several biological processes such as reproduction, immunity and homoeostasis. However, little is known on the chemical-structural and physicochemical features that influence the activity of AhR antagonistic modulators. In the present report, in vitro AhR antagonistic activity evaluations, based on a chemical-activated luciferase gene expression (AhR-CALUX) bioassay, and an extensive literature review were performed with the aim of constructing a structurally diverse database of contaminants and potentially toxic chemicals. Subsequently, QSAR models based on Linear Discriminant Analysis and Logistic Regression, as well as two tox…
Geochemical investigation of trace metal pollutants in the Oreto river, Palermo (Italy)
2022
In the past, three main rivers, named Kemonia, Papireto and Oreto, were present in the plain of Palermo, in northwestern Sicily. Today, only the latter one has been preserved from the unregulated urban expansion. Fortunately, over the last ten years, attention and consciousness towardsthe Oreto river and its delicate ecosystem has grown considerably, also thanks to many associations and citizens’ committees involved in protecting, preserving and valorising the precious area. In this context, our study is focused on a hydrogeochemical investigation of its surface water quality. The Oreto river flows for about 20 km within a catchment area of about 130 km2. Over the past three years, numerous…
Reducing Air Pollutants through Road Innovative Intersections
2013
Road pollutant emissions are correlated mainly to infrastructural capacity and to traffic intensity and typology. With the aim to improve road intersections performances in the last years was designed many new geometric layouts, like turbo roundabouts and flower roundabouts. The main objective of this paper is carried out a comparative analysis between conventional and innovative roundabouts in terms of CO, CO2, NO and PM2,5 vehicular emissions, evaluated by means of COPERT Software which is developed as a European tool for the calculation of emissions from the road transport sector.
Cadmium as a transcriptional modulator in human cells
2010
Cadmium (Cd) is an underground mineral widely used in the steel industry, in plastics, and as a component of batteries. It is an industrial and environmental pollutant released as an air contaminant from fertilizers and, more prominently, in the form of wastewater. Food, drinking water, and, mainly, inhalation of smoke from cigarettes are sources of daily exposure of humans to the heavy metal. Although Cd has no known useful function for humans as well as other organisms, it appears to evoke in cells a number of responses that involve not only death signaling but also protective reactions against the toxicity. This finding prompted a number of experimental studies aimed to elucidate the cel…
Environmental Implications of Traffic Flow Delays: A Model for Urban Streets
2012
In this paper the problem of road's capacity is dealt in presence of perturbations of the vehicular flow. In particular, among the different disturbing causes, it is here considered the presence of vehicles parked along the road in relation to their parking activity. Having already established the delay, caused by those vehicles leaving their stationary positions and entering the traffic flow or by those who slow down the flow to park, it is possible to evaluate the changes in time running values. Related to these times delay, the extra pollutant emissions by a given urban running fleet is also evaluated, by utilizing emission factors depending on age, type, volume capacity and engine of th…
The organic air pollutant cumene hydroperoxide interferes with NOantioxidant role in rehydrating lichen
2013
Organic pollutants effects on lichens have not been addressed. Rehydration is critical for lichens, a burst of free radicals involving NO occurs. Repeated dehydrations with organic pollutants could increase oxidative damage. Our aim is to learn the effects of cumene hydroperoxide (CP) during lichen rehydration using Ramalina farinacea (L.) Ach., its photobiont Trebouxia spp. and Asterochloris erici. Confocal imaging shows intracellular ROS and NO production within myco and phycobionts, being the chloroplast the main source of free radicals. CP increases ROS, NO and lipid peroxidation and reduces chlorophyll autofluorescence, although photosynthesis remains unaffected. Concomitant NO inhibit…