Search results for "contamination"

Microorganisms of food ice cubes and their transfer to drinks

2017

The present work was carried out to investigate the microbiological characteristics of the ice cubes produced at different levels: 1) home-made (HM) from domestic freezers; 2) produced by ice machines in bars and pubs (BP); 3) produced by ice industries (IN). BP samples were collected from the box stocks. HM and BP samples were transferred into sterile stomacher bags. IN samples were provided in the manufacturers’ plastic bags. Samples were transported into thermal insulated boxes. Five samples per each production level, forming a total of 15 samples (HM1-HM5, BP1-BP5, IN1-IN5), were collected in duplicate in two consecutive months. Each ice sample was thawed in 1 L sterile Dhuram’s bottle …

Diagnosis of boron, fluorine, lead, nickel and zinc toxicity in citrus plantations in Villarreal, Spain

1997

In the late 1980s, citrus plantations in the area of Villarreal (Spain) showed injuries similar to those previously reported for boron and fluorine toxicity. The area was affected by the disposal of industrial wastewater, mainly from ceramic industries. Conjunctive uses of surface water, groundwater and wastewater for irrigation had taken place. A survey was conducted at 25 orchards to assess leaves and soil for their boron, fluorine, lead, nickel and zinc contents. Wastewater and groundwater were also analyzed to corroborate the presence of these pollutants. The results showed that both boron and fluorine contents were greater than those reported as excess at the most part of the orchards …

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…

Algae in urban water bodies - control of growth and use as a biomas

2018

Enhancing the ecology security of Ukraine and other developing countries is predetermined by the environmental problems of cities. It prompts studies on the contamination of city's and adjacent water bodies. The control of blue-green algae distribution and the use of its biomass for production of the biofuels, energy, oils, medicine, etc. is one of the contributing factors to the well-balanced development of infrastructure of cities. The intensity of the processes of eutrophication and the species composition of the algae, which cause algal blooming, was investigated based on data of the Vorskla River in Poltava city (Ukraine). Relevant methods, statistical data of Ukrainian Environmental S…

Multi-elemental EDXRF mapping of polluted soil from former horticultural land.

2004

The distribution of major and trace elements was systematically investigated by use of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) on a former horticultural soil. The purpose of the study was to combine mapping of soil element concentration levels with multivariate statistics for characterisation of soil metal pollution in relation to previous and present land use. A 1-ha study site was chosen from a former horticulture where a previous preliminary survey indicated increased concentration levels of toxic elements. The soil was sampled from the top 20 cm of the soil surface in a 10×10-m grid-like pattern covering the 1-ha study area. In addition, three soil profiles were studie…

Metals in sediments of lakes in Latvia

1995

Abstract The concentrations and speciation forms of Pb, Cu, Ni, Cd, Zn, and Mn have been determined in sediments from 49 lakes thoroughout Latvia to study the impact of different pollutant sources and to estimate the background pollution level. Regional variation in pollutant distributions of Pb, Cu, and Cd concentrations is due to anthropogenic load. The enrichment of metals in the top layer of sediments is an estimate of the environmental pollution level. In regions with no known pollution sources, this enrichment was not typical. Another factor that determines metal concentrations in sediments is the organic matter production and sedimentation in eutrophic water bodies.

Genetic diversity of a clonal earthworm : gene expression variation and impacts on decomposition in metal contaminated soil

2016

Biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning positively. Metal-contamination diminishes species diversity and ecosystem function depends on the remaining species, and the genotypes within them. I studied how the clonally reproducing earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra responds to soil metal contamination and how its genetic diversity affects decomposition. Expression of the gene for the metal tolerance protein metallothionein was compared between populations with or without metal exposure history: with exposure history expression was high and stable and without there was a slow response. Adaptation to metal contamination likely explains the differences. Clonality of D. octaedra was verified with m…

Effects of soil metal contamination on genetic diversity of the earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny) in three metal contaminated areas in Finland

2007

Removal of molecular contamination in low-energy RIBs by the isolation-dissociation-isolation method

2020

Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research / B 463, 324 - 326 (2020). doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2019.04.072

Separation of atomic and molecular ions by ion mobility with an RF carpet

2021

Gas-filled stopping cells are used at accelerator laboratories for the thermalization of high-energy radioactive ion beams. Common challenges of many stopping cells are a high molecular background of extracted ions and limitations of extraction efficiency due to space-charge effects. At the FRS Ion Catcher at GSI, a new technique for removal of ionized molecules prior to their extraction out of the stopping cell has been developed. This technique utilizes the RF carpet for the separation of atomic ions from molecular contaminant ions through their difference in ion mobility. Results from the successful implementation and test during an experiment with a 600~MeV/u $^{124}$Xe primary beam are…