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Journal of Environmental Management Jun 2024Marine protected areas (MPAs) are zones geographically delimited under pre-defined management goals, seeking to reduce anthropogenic threats to biodiversity. Despite...
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are zones geographically delimited under pre-defined management goals, seeking to reduce anthropogenic threats to biodiversity. Despite this, in recent years reports of MPAs affected by chemical contamination has grown. Therefore, this study addresses this critical issue assessing legacy and current chemical contamination in filter-feeder bivalves obtained in very restrictive no-take MPAs from Brazil. The detected pollutants encompass polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Despite protective measures, bivalves from nine MPAs exhibited high LABs (13.2-1139.0 ng g) and DDTs levels (0.1-62.3 ng g). PAHs were present in low concentrations (3.1-29.03 ng g), as PCBs (0.7-6.4 ng g), hexachlorobenzene (0.1-0.2 ng g), and Mirex (0.1-0.3 ng g). Regardless of the sentinel species, MPAs and management categories, similar accumulation patterns were observed for LABs, DDTs, PAHs, and PCBs. Based on the limits proposed by Oslo Paris Commission, the measured levels of PAHs, PCBs and were below the environmental assessment criteria. Such findings indicate the no biological effects are expected to occur. However, they are higher considering background conditions typically measured in remote or pristine areas and potential simultaneous exposure. Such findings indicate an influence of anthropogenic sources, emphasizing the urgency for monitoring programs guiding strategic management efforts to safeguard these areas.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Bivalvia; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Persistent Organic Pollutants
PubMed: 38759561
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121102 -
Marine Pollution Bulletin Jun 2024Anthropogenic pollution poses a threat to marine conservation by causing chronic toxic effects. Seabirds have contact throughout their lives with pollutants like...
Anthropogenic pollution poses a threat to marine conservation by causing chronic toxic effects. Seabirds have contact throughout their lives with pollutants like plastic, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides such as hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). We assessed 155 Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) stranded along the Brazilian coast, analyzing associations between organic pollutants, plastic ingestion, biomarkers (transcript levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor, cytochrome P450-1A-5 [CYP1A5], UDP-glucuronosyl-transferase [UGT1], estrogen receptor alpha-1 [ESR1], and heat shock protein-70 genes) and enzymes activity (ethoxy-resorufin O-deethylase and glutathione S-transferase [GST]). Plastic debris was found in 29 % of the birds. The transcription of UGT1 and CYP1A5 was significantly associated with hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and PCBs levels. ESR1 was associated with HCB and Mirex, and GST was associated with Drins and Mirex. While organic pollutants affected shearwaters more than plastic ingestion, reducing plastic availability remains relevant as xenobiotics are also potentially adsorbed onto plastics.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Environmental Monitoring; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Birds; Glutathione Transferase; Brazil; Plastics; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Pesticides; Glucuronosyltransferase; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon
PubMed: 38723548
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116398 -
Journal of Chromatography. A May 2024Birds are excellent bioindicators of environmental pollution, and blood provides information on contaminant exposure, although its analysis is challenging because of the...
Optimization and uncertainty assessment of a gas chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry method to determine organic contaminants in blood: A case study of an endangered seabird.
Birds are excellent bioindicators of environmental pollution, and blood provides information on contaminant exposure, although its analysis is challenging because of the low volumes that can be sampled. The objective of the present study was to optimize and validate a miniaturized and functional extraction and analytical method based on gas chromatography coupled to Orbitrap mass spectrometry (GCOrbitrap-MS) for the trace analysis of contaminants in avian blood. Studied compounds included 25 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 6 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 8 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Four extraction and clean-up conditions were optimized and compared in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and uncertainty assessment. Extraction with hexane:dichloromethane and miniaturized Florisil pipette clean-up was the most adequate considering precision and accuracy, time, and costs, and was thereafter used to analyse 20 blood samples of a pelagic seabird, namely the Bermuda petrel (Pterodroma cahow). This species, endemic to the Northwest Atlantic, is among the most endangered seabirds of the region that in the '60 faced a decrease in the breeding success likely linked to a consistent exposure to dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). Indeed, p,p'-DDE, the main DDT metabolite, was detected in all samples and ranged bewteen 1.13 and 6.87 ng/g wet weight. Other ubiquitous compounds were PCBs (ranging from 0.13 to 6.76 ng/g ww), hexachlorobenzene, and mirex, while PAHs were sporadically detected at low concentrations, and PBDEs were not present. Overall, the extraction method herein proposed allowed analysing very small blood volumes (∼ 100 µL), thus respecting ethical principles prioritising the application of less-invasive sampling protocols, fundamental when studying threatened avian species.
Topics: Animals; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Pesticides; Birds; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Endangered Species; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants
PubMed: 38604058
DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464870 -
The Science of the Total Environment May 2024The assessment of chemical pollution in free-ranging living mammals is viable using remote biopsies and portrays a comprehensive scenario of environmental health. The...
The assessment of chemical pollution in free-ranging living mammals is viable using remote biopsies and portrays a comprehensive scenario of environmental health. The Southwestern Atlantic Ocean holds incredible biodiversity, but it is under the constant and invisible threat of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) of anthropogenic origin, such as pesticides, brominated flame retardants, and industrial-use compounds (e.g., PCBs). Thus, this study aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of POPs (PCBs, DDTs, HCB, mirex and PBDEs) and natural organobromine compounds (MeO-BDEs) using gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in biopsy samples of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis, n = 20) that inhabit and forage both inside and in adjacent areas to degraded (Guanabara Bay) and conserved (Ilha Grande Bay) coastal bays in the Southeastern Brazil. Among the studied compounds, PCBs were predominant in the contamination profile with median concentration of 97.0 μg.g lipid weight (lw), followed by the sum of the p,p' isomers of DDT, DDD, and DDE of 11.0 μg.g lw, the brominated flame retardants PBDEs of 1.6 μg.g lw, and the other organochlorine pesticides mirex of 0.78 μg.g lw, and HCB of 0.049 μg.g lw. The MeO-BDEs were detected with a median concentration of 22.8 μg.g lw. 85 % of the Atlantic spotted dolphins analyzed in this study presented PCB concentration that exceeded even the less conservative threshold limits for adverse health effects (41 μg.g lw). This study shows that despite the conservation status of preserved bays, cetacean species foraging in these locations are still under increased threat. Hence chemical pollution demands local and global efforts to be mitigated.
Topics: Animals; Stenella; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Mirex; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Flame Retardants; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Pesticides; Cetacea; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 38522545
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171912 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... May 2024Organochlorine compounds (OCs) are persistent organic pollutants linked to damaging the immune and endocrine systems, leading to a greater susceptibility to infectious...
Back on top: Resuspended by dredging and other environmental disturbances, organochlorine compounds may affect the health of a dolphin population in a tropical estuary, Sepetiba Bay.
Organochlorine compounds (OCs) are persistent organic pollutants linked to damaging the immune and endocrine systems, leading to a greater susceptibility to infectious diseases at high concentrations. Sepetiba Bay, in the Southeastern Brazilian coast, historically presents anthropogenic activities and environmental contamination that could negatively impact resident populations. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the temporal trends in the accumulation of organochlorine compounds over a 12-year database in the Guiana dolphins' (Sotalia guianensis) resident population from Sepetiba Bay, including individuals collected before, during, and after an unusual mortality event triggered by morbillivirus (n = 85). The influence of biological parameters was also evaluated. The OCs concentrations in the blubber ranged from 0.98 to 739 μg/g of ΣPCB; 0.08-130 μg/g of ΣDDT; <0.002-4.56 μg/g of mirex; <0.002-1.84 μg/g of ΣHCH and <0.001-0.16 μg/g of HCB in lipid weight. Increased temporal trends were found for OCs in Guiana dolphins coinciding with periods of large events of dredging in the region. In this way, our findings suggest that the constant high OCs concentrations throughout the years in this Guiana dolphin population are a result of the constant environmental disturbance in the area, such as dredging. These elevated OCs levels, e.g., ΣPCB concentrations found above the known thresholds, may impair the response of the immune system during outbreak periods, which could lead the population to a progressive decline.
Topics: Animals; Dolphins; Bays; Estuaries; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Environmental Monitoring; Polychlorinated Biphenyls
PubMed: 38508370
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123788 -
Marine Pollution Bulletin Mar 202423 livers of South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) found stranded in southern Brazilian beaches were evaluated for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and...
23 livers of South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) found stranded in southern Brazilian beaches were evaluated for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). POPs (DDTs, mirex, eldrin, dieldrin, aldrin, isodrin, HCHs, chlordanes and PCBs) and PAHs in livers were Soxhlet extracted, analyzed and quantified using Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-TQMS). The main POPs found were PCBs and DDTs, totaling 81 %. Among pesticides, mirex followed DDTs, possibly due to usage in Uruguay, followed by Σdrins, ΣCHLs and ΣHCHs. Naphthalene was the major PAH found, while heavier compounds did not significantly bioaccumulate. Concentrations of POPs resembled previous findings for A. australis. Considering only juveniles, no POPs showed significant differences between sexes. Lipidic content, weight and length did not show any correlation with POP concentration. This was the first record of PAHs and PBDEs in South American fur seals, and the levels of these pollutants were relatively low.
Topics: Animals; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Fur Seals; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Persistent Organic Pollutants; Environmental Monitoring; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Mirex; Brazil; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Environmental Pollutants; Pesticides; Liver; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 38340375
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116129 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2024Monitoring concentration levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is required to evaluate the effectiveness of international regulations to minimize the emissions...
Monitoring concentration levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is required to evaluate the effectiveness of international regulations to minimize the emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the environment. In this manner, we evaluated the spatial and temporal variations of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) using polyurethane foam passive air samplers at ten stations in Bursa in 2017 and 2018. The highest concentration value for ΣOCPs was detected in Ağaköy (775 pg/m) and Demirtaş (678 pg/m) sampling sites, while the lowest value was observed in Uludağ University Campus (UUC, 284 pg/m) site. HCB, γ-HCH, Endo I, and Mirex were the most frequently detected OCPs, which shows their persistence. Diagnostic ratios of β-/(α + γ)-HCH have pointed to historical and possible illegal OCP usage in the study area. The seasonality of air concentrations (with spring and summer concentrations higher than winter and autumn concentrations) was well exhibited by α-HCH, β-HCH, ɣ-HCH, HCB, Endo I, and Mirex but not aldrin, dieldrin, and α-chlordane (CC). Levels of OCPs detected in ambient air in the current study were relatively similar to or lower than those reported in previous studies conducted in Türkiye. Back trajectory analysis was applied to identify the possible sources of OCPs detected in the sampling regions. The Clausius-Clapeyron approach was used to investigate the temperature dependence of OCP gas-phase atmospheric concentrations. The data showed that long-range atmospheric transport affects ambient air OCP concentrations in the study area.
PubMed: 38128657
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169397 -
BMC Bioinformatics Nov 2023Messenger RNA (mRNA) has an essential role in the protein production process. Predicting mRNA expression levels accurately is crucial for understanding gene regulation,...
Messenger RNA (mRNA) has an essential role in the protein production process. Predicting mRNA expression levels accurately is crucial for understanding gene regulation, and various models (statistical and neural network-based) have been developed for this purpose. A few models predict mRNA expression levels from the DNA sequence, exploiting the DNA sequence and gene features (e.g., number of exons/introns, gene length). Other models include information about long-range interaction molecules (i.e., enhancers/silencers) and transcriptional regulators as predictive features, such as transcription factors (TFs) and small RNAs (e.g., microRNAs - miRNAs). Recently, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, called Xpresso, has been proposed for mRNA expression level prediction leveraging the promoter sequence and mRNAs' half-life features (gene features). To push forward the mRNA level prediction, we present miREx, a CNN-based tool that includes information about miRNA targets and expression levels in the model. Indeed, each miRNA can target specific genes, and the model exploits this information to guide the learning process. In detail, not all miRNAs are included, only a selected subset with the highest impact on the model. MiREx has been evaluated on four cancer primary sites from the genomics data commons (GDC) database: lung, kidney, breast, and corpus uteri. Results show that mRNA level prediction benefits from selected miRNA targets and expression information. Future model developments could include other transcriptional regulators or be trained with proteomics data to infer protein levels.
Topics: MicroRNAs; RNA, Messenger; Mirex; Gene Expression Regulation; Transcription Factors; Gene Expression Profiling
PubMed: 37993778
DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05560-1 -
Environmental Research Jan 2024Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), they have contributed to the exposure of women to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These...
Placental concentrations of xenoestrogenic organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls and assessment of their xenoestrogenicity in the PA-MAMI mother-child cohort.
BACKGROUND
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), they have contributed to the exposure of women to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These compounds can cross the placental barrier and interfere with the hormonal system of newborns.
AIM
To determine concentrations of OCPs and PCBs and their xenoestrogenic activity in placentas of women from the PA-MAMI cohort of Panama.
METHODS
Thirty-nine placenta samples from women in the Azuero peninsula (Panama) were analyzed. Five OCPs [p-p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p-p'-DDE), beta-hexachlorohexane (β-HCH), γ-hexachlorohexane (lindane), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mirex] and three PCB congeners (PCB-138, PCB-153 and PCB-180) were quantified in placenta extracts. The xenoestrogenic activity of extracts was assessed with the E-Screen bioassay to estimate the total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB).
RESULTS
All placental samples were positive for at least three POP residues and >70% for at least six. The frequencies of quantified OCPs ranged from 100% for p,p'-DDE and HCB to 30.8% for β-HCH. The highest median concentration was for lindane (380.0 pg/g placenta), followed by p,p'-DDE (280.0 pg/g placenta), and HCB (90.0 pg/g placenta). Exposure to p,p'-DDE was associated with greater meat consumption, suggesting that animal fat is a major source of exposure to DDT metabolites. The frequency of detected PCBs ranged between 70 and 90%; the highest median concentration was for PCB 138 (17.0 pg/g placenta), followed by PCB 153 (16.0 pg/g placenta). All placentas were positive in the estrogenicity bioassay with a median TEXB-α of 0.91 pM Eeq/g of placenta. Exposure to lindane was positively associated with the xenoestrogenicity of TEXB- α, whereas this association was negative in the case of exposure to PCB 153.
CONCLUSIONS
To our best knowledge, this study contributes the first evidence on the presence of POPs and xenoestrogenic burden in placentas from Latin-American women. Given concerns about the consequences of prenatal exposure to these compounds on children's health, preventive measures are highly recommended to eliminate or minimize the risk of OCP exposure during pregnancy.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Animals; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Polychlorinated Biphenyls; Hexachlorocyclohexane; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; Hexachlorobenzene; DDT; Placenta; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Pesticides; Environmental Pollutants; Mother-Child Relations
PubMed: 37977273
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117622 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Nov 2023The present work aims to study the efficiency of root exudates of Sudan grass on the degradation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and the consequent impact on the...
The present work aims to study the efficiency of root exudates of Sudan grass on the degradation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and the consequent impact on the microbial and ecological characteristics of the soil, including population composition, quantity dynamics, and community structure. Pot experiments were carried out to study the effect of root exudates on the degradation of OCPs at initial concentrations ranging from 66.67 to 343.61 mg/kg. In addition, the influence of root exudates on the rhizosphere microbial growth and their community structure was studied by monitoring the microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in the soils. In the range of OCP content (66.67 ~ 343.61 mg/kg), the soil-microbial system mediated by root exudates significantly promoted the removal of OCP pollutants. The removal rate of OCPs in the rhizosphere soil (TR) was as high as 79.32%, 36.86% higher than that in the OCP-contaminated group (TR) and 60.63% higher than that in the sterilized treatment group (CK). Under the same treatment conditions (pollution level and additive dose), the enhanced removal rate of HCHs, toxaphene, HCB, aldrin, and γ-chlordane by root exudates was much higher than the total amount of OCPs, while the extent of enhanced dissipation of DDTs, mirex, endosulfanI, dieldrin, and heptachlor epoxide was always lower than that in the corresponding soils. During the experiment, the phospholipid fatty acid content of bacteria was dominant, followed by that of fungi, and their variation trend was consistent with the degradation characteristics of OCPs in soil. Root exudates of Sudan grass might change the rhizosphere bacterial and fungal community structure during the process of phytoremediation, leading to enhanced OCP degradation.
Topics: Soil; Rhizosphere; Biodegradation, Environmental; Sorghum; Soil Pollutants; Pesticides; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Exudates and Transudates; Microbiota; Phospholipids; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 37884721
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30591-9