Search results for "heavy metals."
showing 10 items of 199 documents
Effect of in vitro exposure to cadmiumand copper on sea bass blood cells
2009
Blood cells freshly collected from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were exposed in vitro to different concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) at 10-7 M, 10-5 M, 10-3 M, and exam- ined for neutral red retention capacity and for cell vitality with MTT assay. A relationship between heavy metal exposure and alteration in responses of blood cells in a dose-time-dependent was found. Our results showed that fish blood cells may constitute an interesting biological model for experimen- tal and applied toxicology, especially in the case of environmental pollution.
Untreated Opuntia ficus indica for the Efficient Adsorption of Ni(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) Ions from Water
2023
The raw cladode of Opuntia ficus indica (OFI) was evaluated as a sustainable biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cu, and Cd) from aqueous solutions. The functional groups of OFI were identified by employing DRIFT-FTIR and CP-MAS-NMR techniques before and after contact with the ions in an aqueous media, showing a rearrangement of the biomass structure due to the complexation between the metal and the functional groups. The adsorption process was studied in both single- and multi-component systems under batch conditions at different pHs (4.0, 5.0, and 6.0), different metal concentrations, and different biomass amounts. The results show that the raw OFI had a removal capacity a…
Relationship between domestic smoking and metals and rare earth elements concentration in indoor PM2.5
2018
Cigarette smoke is the main source of indoor chemical and toxic elements. Cadmium (Cd), Thallium (Tl), Lead (Pb) and Antimony (Sb) are important contributors to smoke-related health risks. Data on the association between Rare Earth Elements (REE) Cerium (Ce) and Lanthanum (La) and domestic smoking are scanty. To evaluate the relationship between cigarette smoke, indoor levels of PM2.5 and heavy metals, 73 children were investigated by parental questionnaire and skin prick tests. The houses of residence of 41 "cases" and 32 "controls" (children with and without respiratory symptoms, respectively) were evaluated by 48-hours PM2.5 indoor/outdoor monitoring. PM2.5 mass concentration was determi…
Effects of Vermicompost, Compost and Digestate as Commercial Alternative Peat-Based Substrates on Qualitative Parameters of Salvia officinalis
2021
Peat is a common substrate used for the cultivation of potted plants. However, the use of peat in horticulture has recently been questioned from an environmental standpoint, since it is a non-renewable resource and plays a major role in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The aim of this work was to assess the potentialities of substrates obtained from vermicompost, compost and anaerobic digestion processes to partially substitute peat for sage (Salvia officinalis L.) cultivation. Therefore, we planned an experiment to assess the effect of these substrates on essential oil (EO) yield and composition, as well as on leaf nutrients concentration of sage plants. The three substrates were mixed with …
Toxicities by herbal medicines with emphasis to traditional Chinese medicine.
2011
It is estimated that three quarters of the world population rely on herbal and traditional medicine as a basis for primary health care. Therefore, it is one of the most important and challenging tasks for scientists working in drug research to investigate the efficacy of herbal medicine, to dissect favorable from adverse effects, to identify active principles in medicinal plants and to ban poisonous plants or contaminations from herbal mixtures. In the present review, some problems are critically discussed. Botanical misidentification or mislabeling of plant material can play a role for toxic reactions in humans. Some plant descriptions in traditional herbal medicine (e.g. traditional Chine…
Mosses as biomonitor of air pollution with analytes originating from tobacco smoke
2018
The aim of the carried out research was the assessment of the possibility to use a popular bioindicator - Pleurozium schreberi mosses as a biosensor of the air pollution in living quarters with the analytes originating from tobacco smoke. The moss bag method of active biomonitoring, popular in environmental studies, was applied; the method is based on exposing mosses collected in clean areas in the locations polluted with, for example, heavy metals. However, this experiment involved exposing mosses in living quarters, in which approximately 10 cigarettes were smoked daily (first room - kitchen). For the purpose of comparison, moss samples were also placed in another room (bedroom), which wa…
The influence of environmental conditions on the lifespan of mosses under long-term active biomonitoring
2021
Abstract Biomonitoring with living organisms is most often used in order to gather quick information about environmental quality – for example the level of heavy metals polluting the air. Experiments are not often performed when the bioindicator is exposed to pollutants over the long time (6 months and more) because this period required to obtain credible results and the risk not yet studied of physiological changes and of degeneration of the living material which would undoubtedly affect the biomonitoring results. The aim of study was to evaluate the physiological condition of Pleurozium schreberi moss species subjected to continuous exposure for a year, using the moss-bag method, under va…
Geographical and ecological outline of metal(loid) accumulating plants in Italian vascular flora
2018
The decontamination of heavy metal polluted soils is one of the major challenges that our industrialized world has to face. Remediation technologies are being developed and employed in order to reduce the potential hazards of metal and metalloid contamination. Plants capable of uptaking metals and metalloids in their tissues can be an effective tool to remove such pollutants from contaminated soils. The use of this plant-driven process (Phytoremediation) requires the knowledge of the right phytoextractors to use when facing different types of contamination. The aim of this paper is to provide an inventory of phytoextractors that can be used in Phytoremediation procedures in Italy. The check…
Leaf Biosorbents for the Removal of Heavy Metals
2018
The presence of heavy metals in waters is a global concern. Among various remediation technologies, biosorption is an attractive and promising process since in many cases, it is fast, selective, and highly efficient. Other advantages, such as applicability for various types of pollutants, simplicity, low cost, ease of operation, and the potential reusability of the adsorbents, make it beneficial. Nowadays, more and more green materials, raw or modified, are inclined to be explored instead of conventional adsorbents, within concept of Green Chemistry. This review focuses on the use of leaves-based biosorbents in raw or modified forms to sequestrate heavy metals from waters and wastewaters.
Recent advances on portable sensing and biosensing assays applied for detection of main chemical and biological pollutant agents in water samples: A …
2021
Abstract The quality analysis of water, pharmaceutical and environmental compounds is a basic subject for human health. The presence of low-quality drugs, biological toxins and chemical compounds in water or forbidden additives in the nourishments lead to irreversible problems in human health. Hence, multiple analytical approaches have been presented for investigating the quality of environmental, pharmaceutical, and food compounds and monitoring the detection of toxic compounds and pollutants in water. Sensing tools based on analytical strategies are required for identifying and quantifying the different pollutants including biological and chemical contaminants in water samples. Among diff…