Chemical contaminants, pathogen exposure and general health status of live and beach-cast Washington sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni)

Analyses of blood and liver samples from live captured sea otters and liver samples from beachcast sea otter carcasses off the remote Washington coast indicate relatively low exposure to contaminants, but suggest that even at the low levels measured, exposure may be indicated by biomarker response. Evidence of pathogen exposure is noteworthy - infectious disease presents a potential risk to Washington sea otters, particularly due to their small population size and limited distribution. During 2001 and 2002, 32 sea otters were captured, of which 28 were implanted with transmitters to track their movements and liver and blood samples were collected to evaluate contaminant and pathogen exposure. In addition, liver samples from fifteen beachcast animals that washed ashore between 1991 and 2002 were analyzed to provide historical information and a basis of reference for values obtained from live otters. The results indicate low levels of metals, butyltins, and organochlorine compounds in the blood samples, with many of the organochlorines not detected except polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and a few aromatic hydrocarbons detected in the liver of the live captured animals. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were measurable in the liver from the live captured animals; however, some of these are likely from biogenic sources. A significant reduction of vitamin A storage in the liver was observed in relation to PCB, dibutyltin and octacosane concentration. A significant and strong positive correlation in vitamin A storage in the liver was observed for cadmium and several of the aliphatic hydrocarbons. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytochrome P450 induction was elevated in two of 16 animals and may be potentially related to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. Mean concentration of total butyltin in the liver of the Washington beach-cast otters was more than 15 times lower than the mean concentration reported by Kannan et al. (1998) for Southern sea otters in California. Organochlorine compounds were evident in the liver of beach-cast animals, despite the lack of large human population centers and development along the Washington coast. Concentrations of PCBs and chlordanes (e.g., transchlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane) in liver of Washington beach-cast sea otters were similar to those measured in Aleutian and California sea otters, excluding those from Monterey Bay, which were higher. Mean concentrations of 1,1,1,- trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophyenyl)ethanes (DDTs) were lower, and mean concentrations of cyclohexanes (HCH, e.g., alpha BHC, beta BHC, delta BHC and gamma BHC) were slightly higher in Washington beach-cast otters versus those from California and the Aleutians. Epidemiologically, blood tests revealed that 80 percent of the otters tested positive for morbillivirus and 60 percent for Toxoplasma, the latter of which has been a significant cause of mortality in Southern sea otters in California. This is the first finding of positive morbillivirus titers in sea otters from the Northeast Pacific. Individual deaths may occur from these diseases, perhaps more so when animals are otherwise immuno-compromised or infected with multiple diseases, but a population-threatening die-off from these diseases singly is unlikely while population immunity remains high. The high frequency of detection of morbillivirus and Toxoplasma in the live otters corresponds well with the cause of death of stranded Washington sea otters reported herein, which has generally been attributable to infectious disease. Washington’s sea otter population continues to grow, with over 1100 animals currently inhabiting Washington waters; however, the rate of growth has slowed over recent years. The population has a limited distribution and has not yet reached its carrying capacity and as such, is still considered at high risk to catastrophic events. (PDF contains 189 pages)

Einfluss der Verarbeitung auf lipophile chlororganische Rückstände in Fischen

Influence of fish processing methods on changes of chlordane and toxaphene residue concentrations were studied in various fishery products. Investigation included smoking, marinating and canning of fish. Smoking of Greenland halibut and ocean perch led to an increase in chlordane and toxaphene residue amounts in the edible part in relation to the raw material. A similar increase was observed during the marinating process of herring fillets. In both cases, loss of water was responsible for the observed changes in residue contents. The fat and thus the lipophilic organochlorine compounds remained completely in the products. Canning of herring fillets in tomato sauce reduced the residue concentration of the final product due to dilution by the tomato sauce. The concentrations in the fillets kept nearly unchanged even after storage of cans for six months. No equilibration was observed between residue concentrations in fillets and sauce.

Acumulação de compostos organoclorados (PCBs, DDTs e HCB) em tecido hepático de delfinídeos (Cetacea, Mammalia) do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

No decorrer das últimas décadas a pesquisa relacionada à contaminação de organismos marinhos por compostos organoclorados (OCs) se intensificou aliada à utilização de algumas espécies como sentinelas da qualidade ambiental quanto aos poluentes orgânicos. Dentre essas espécies, podem-se destacar os cetáceos, animais que entre outras características possuem grande longevidade, alta porcentagem lipídica em seus tecidos e são predadores de topo de cadeia trófica, tendendo assim a acumular altos níveis de OCs em seus tecidos. O presente estudo teve por objetivo determinar as concentrações de OCs de origem industrial e agrícola (PCBs, HCB e DDTs) em tecido hepático de oito diferentes espécies de cetáceos delfinídeos pertencentes a três distintas áreas oceânicas do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, são elas a região costeira, a plataforma continental e a região oceânica. A determinação foi realizada em cromatógrafo a gás (GC - Agilent 6890) conectado a um espectrômetro de massa (MS - Agilent 5973). Os valores de DDTs (1263617272 ng.g -1 lip.) e PCBs (7648877288 ng.g -1 lip.) aqui encontrados estão entre os mais altos já reportados para o táxon. Em todas as áreas observou-se uma predominância do ΣPCB, seguida do ΣDDT e HCB, em níveis que refletem o caráter fortemente industrial da região analisada. Entre os PCBs, a maior contribuição advém dos hexabifenis, seguida dos hepta e pentabifenis, sendo os congêneres 153, 138 e 180 os principais em todas as áreas. A razão p,pDDE/ΣDp,pDDT foi alta em todas as regiões (0,9), refletindo um input antigo do poluente na área. Foram realizadas correlações entre as concentrações de OCs e os parâmetros biológicos das espécies, como idade, sexo e comprimento total. A transferência placentária de OCs foi analisada em dois pares de fêmea-feto de Sotalia guianensis, mostrando uma maior transferência dos compostos com menor log Kow. Como esperado, foi encontrada uma diferença significativa no perfil de contaminação entre as espécies das diferentes regiões, relacionada à proximidade da fonte, características espécie-específicas e ao arranjo trófico das espécies.

O uso do boto-cinza (Sotalia guianensis) como sentinela da poluição continental por compostos organoclorados (DDT, PCB, HCH, HCB e Mirex) em baías costeiras do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Concentrações de compostos organoclorados (DDTs, PCBs, HCHs, Mirex e HCB) foram determinadas em camadas externas e internas do tecido adiposo subcutâneo de 17 botos-cinza (Sotalia guianensis) da região Sudeste do Brasil. Não houve diferenças estatísticas significativas entre os estratos, relativo aos 37 compostos determinados, assim como ΣDDT, ΣPCB, ΣHCH, e as razões p,p-DDE/ΣDDT e ΣDDT/ΣPCB. Entretanto, foram observadas diferenças significativas nas concentrações de alguns compostos organoclorados de animais encalhados ou capturados acidentalmente quando comparados com animais biopsiados remotamente, sendo assim as comparações entre esses dois conjuntos de dados, devem ser vistas com cuidado. No presente estudo, as concentrações dos compostos organoclorados foram determinadas em biópsias de botos-cinza obtidas de 2007 a 2009, nas baías de Sepetiba (n=13) e Ilha Grande (n=11), Sudeste do Brasil. As concentrações (ng/g de lipídio) variaram de

Estudo da formação de sub-produtos da degradação de clorobenzeno e 1,2-dicloroetano a partir da reação com reagente de Fenton em solução aquosa utilizando diferentes fontes de ferro

Poluições da água e do solo são duas das cinco categorias básicas de poluição ambiental. As outras três são do ar, ruído e luz. Poluição ocorre quando um material/produto químico é adicionado ao meio ambiente afetando-o adversamente. Uma vez que a poluição existe, retornar a matriz impactada para o seu estado anteriormente não poluído torna-se muito difícil ou até mesmo impossível em alguns casos. Os compostos organoclorados (OC) representam um importante grupo de poluentes orgânicos persistentes (POP), devido à sua toxicidade e elevada persistência no ambiente. Diferentes técnicas de remediação de solo e água subterrânea têm sido desenvolvidas com o objetivo de reparar as áreas contaminadas em menor tempo e custo possíveis e, assim, a oxidação química in situ tem se mostrado uma técnica cada vez mais atraente devido sua simplicidade e baixo custo. A degradação de dois compostos organoclorados via oxidação química por reagente de Fenton em solução aquosa é o objeto do presente trabalho. Para tanto, foram selecionados dois compostos, sendo um alifático e outro aromático. Assim, foram avaliadas as condições de degradação dos compostos organoclorados em relação às concentrações do oxidante em diferentes tempos reacionais, diferentes fontes de catalisador e, de forma qualitativa, quais foram os principais subprodutos formados. Os ensaios oxidativos foram realizados em meio aquoso com temperatura controlada a 25 C e em 3 configurações de [Fe2+] e [H2O2]. A extração dos compostos de interesse para a fase orgânica também foi estudada. A análise dos extratos revelou que o acetato de etila foi o solvente que melhor extraiu os compostos de interesse da fase aquosa. Além destes ensaios, foram avaliadas outras duas fontes de Fe(II), sendo 11 óxidos de manganês dopados com ferro e a classe de solo predominante no território nacional, que é caracterizada pela sua alta concentração de ferro endógeno (latossolo). O ensaio entre as fontes de ferro revelou que tanto o óxido de Mn quanto o latossolo produziram menos subprodutos em relação à reação com a solução de sulfato Fe(II). Entretanto, em termos quantitativos, a redução na concentração de clorobenzeno foi mais efetiva na reação com a solução de Fe(II) (cerca de 63%). A identificação dos sobprodutos foi realizada a partir da análise em cromatógrafo a gás acoplado a espectrômetro de massas e em análise comparativa dos espectros com a biblioteca NIST. Os ensaios oxidativos revelaram que em baixas concentrações de oxidante, há a possibilidade de geração de subprodutos mais tóxicos que os reagentes, sendo produzido bifenilas policloradas e hexaclorociclohexano nas reações com clorobenzeno e 1,2-dicloroetano, respectivamente

Compostos organoclorados em uma raia criticamente ameaçada, Gymnura altavela (LINNAEUS, 1758), no estuário da Baía de Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Nos últimos anos, temas envolvendo a conservação de elasmobrânquios têm recebido maior atenção em muitos países. Muitas espécies passaram a ser consideradas ameaçadas de extinção pela IUCN, demonstrando a necessidade de ordenamento pesqueiro e elaboração de planos de manejo. Os Poluentes Orgânicos Persistentes correspondem a mais uma ameaça para esse grupo de peixes, no entanto, estudos envolvendo a contaminação desses organismos são recentes e vêm aumentando nos últimos anos. O presente estudo teve como objetivo principal a quantificação de compostos organoclorados em tecido hepático de uma espécie de raia criticamente ameaçada raia-borboleta, Gymnura altavela, residente na Baía de Guanabara, um dos ambientes estuarinos mais impactados do Brasil. Além disso, investigouse a influência de fatores biológicos, tais como estágio de maturidade sexual, sexo, tamanho e porcentagem de lipídio na matriz analisada, sobre os perfis de contaminação por esses xenobióticos. As concentrações dos compostos organoclorados foram determinadas com a utilização do cromatógrafo de fase gasosa com detector de captura de elétrons (CG-DCE), da marca Agilent Technologies, modelo 7890. Nossos resultados mostraram que as bifelinas policloradas (PCB) representam a classe mais importante de contaminantes com concentração média de 6.772,8 ( 4.659,4) ng.g-1 de lipídio e a maior concentração foi 18.513,1 ng.g-1 de lipídio em um indivíduo macho e jovem. Desse total, 66,5% foram representados pelos congêneres de PCBs 153>138>180>101>170. Quanto ao número de átomos de cloro, os PCBs pertences à classe dos hexa-clorados foram os mais abundantes. A concentração média do ΣDDT foi 646,0 ( 722,4) ng.g-1 de lipídio e o isômero mais representativo foi o p,p DDE com 65,7% do total. O ΣHCH, o HCB e o Mirex representaram 0,13% da contaminação total em G. altavela sendo, portanto, os compostos com as menores contribuições. A razão representada pela fórmula ΣDDT/ΣPCB foi de 0,09, caracterizando uma predominância de compostos de origem industrial. As correlações de Spearman apontaram para uma diminuição das concentrações do ΣPCB, ΣHCH e Mirex à medida que os indivíduos crescem. Não foram encontradas diferenças nas concentrações em relação aos diferentes estágios de maturidade sexual e entre machos e fêmeas.

Survey of veterinery [sic] drug residues, environmental contaminants and mycotoxins of cultured shirmp [sic] in Iran

Economical achievement of optimal growth in developing countries may lead to sustainable poverty reduction. Agricultural activities play an important role in economy and human being welfare, which leads to establishment of food security and quality. Aquaculture products in developing countries share 51.4 percent of total agricultural production.7—percent in developed countries. Therefore undoutedly food production by means of quality and quantity has to be increased .The history of shirmp production goes back to 500 years ago. Today 50 countries of the world produce shirmp .In Islamic Republic of Iran shrimp production started since 1992 in the coastal region of Persian Gulf. The shrimp culture farms canbe classified in to 4 different categories; Extensive, semi-extensive, intensive and super instensive. Global ecological manitenanc is one of the major concerns of authorities Human manipulation of nature is the most destructive activity. Industrial sweage leakage in to the rivers and water sources is a big issue that causes reduction in the aquatic population. Heavy metals have an inhibitory effect in the production and growth of sealife. Human intake of food treated with anti microbial cause's allergy, hypersensitivity and develops microbial resistance. Organochlorine compounds contamination may found in hepato pancreatic tissues of aquatic products, Aresnic may transfer to man via plant & animal product contamination. In 1991 during Persian Gulf Mir 700 oil well set

Computer-assisted automatic peak recognition and result evaluation for analysis of chlorinated hydrocarbons in environmental samples

A data manipulation method has been developed for automatic peak recognition and result evaluation in the analysis of organic chlorinated hydrocarbons with dual-column gas chromatography. Based on the retention times of two internal standards, pentachlorotoluene and decachlorobiphenyl, the retention times of chlorinated hydrocarbons can be calibrated automatically and accurately. It is very convenient to identify the peaks by comparing the retention times of samples with the calibrated retention times calculated from the relative retention indices of standards. Meanwhile, with a suggested two-step evaluation method the evaluation coefficients and the suitable quantitative results of each component can be automatically achieved for practical samples in an analytical system using two columns with different polarities and two internal standards. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Microcoulometric Determination Of Total Organo-Chlorinepesticide And Polychlorinated Biphenyl Residues In Grey Seal (Halichoerus-Grypus) Blubber

A procedure for estimating total organochlorine pesticide and PCB residue in seal blubber at concentrations of greater than 1μg g-1 of lipid is described. Lipid is cleaned up by alumina column chromatography, and the halogen concentration of the resulting hexane eluace is determined by combustion and microcoulometry. Results are similar to those obtained by gas chromatographic analysis and can be used to interpolate between results so obtained when data on specific organochlorine compounds is not required for each sample. The organochlorine residues recovered in this manner did not constitute all the halogen determined by combustion and microcoulometry of seal lipid. Analysis by the total halogen procedure was 2.5 tunes faster than the rate achieved with a combination of liquid and gas chromatography operated manually; the requirements for laboratory equipment and space for sample preparation are reduced.

Removal of phenol in high salinity media by a hybrid process (activated sludge plus photocatalysis)

The degradation of phenol by a hybrid process (activated sludge + photocatalysis) in a high salinity medium (50 g L-1 of chloride) has been investigated. The sludge used from a municipal wastewater facility was adapted to the high salt concentrations prior to use. The photocatalytic conditions were optimized by means of a factorial experimental design. TiO2 P25 from Degussa was used as the photocatalyst. The initial phenol concentration was approximately 200 mg L-1 and complete removal of phenol and a mineralization degree above 98% were achieved within 25 h of treatment (24 h of biological treatment and I h of photocatalysis). From HPLC analyses, five hydroxylated intermediates formed during oxidation have been identified. The main ones were catechol and hydroquinone, followed by 1,2,4-benzenetriol, 2-hydroxy- 1,4-benzoquinone, and pyrogallol, in this order. No formation of organochlorine compounds was observed. Therefore, the proposed hybrid process showed itself to be suited to treat phenol in the presence of high contents of salt. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determination of pesticide residues in coconut water by liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography with electron-capture plus thermionic specific detection and solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

Two simple methods were developed to determine, 11 pesticides in coconut water, a natural isotonic drink rich in salts, sugars and vitamins consumed by the people and athletes. The first procedure involves solid-phase extraction using Sep-Pak Vac C-18 disposable cartridges with methanol for elution. Isocratic analysis was carried out by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 254 nm to analyse captan, chlorothalonil, carbendazim, lufenuron and diafenthiuron. The other procedure is based on liquid-liquid extraction with hexane-dichloromethane (1:1, v/v), followed by gas chromatographic analysis with effluent splitting to electron-capture detection for determination of endosulfan, captan, tetradifon and trichlorfon and thermionic specific detection for determination of malathion, parathion-methyl and monocrotophos. The methods were validated with fortified samples at different concentration levels (0.01-12.0 mg/kg). Average recoveries ranged from 75 to 104% with relative standard deviations between 1.4 and 11.5%. Each recovery analysis was repeated at least five times. Limits of detection ranged from 0.002 to 2.0 mg/kg. The analytical procedures were applied to 15 samples and no detectable amounts of the pesticides were found in any samples under the conditions described. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Pollution by hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol in the coastal plain of São Paulo state, Brazil

Organochlorine compounds were dumped by chemical industries during the 1970s in many areas of the coastal plain of São Paulo state in Brazil. These dumps, located on hillsides and in valleys, in both rural and urban environments, are responsible for soil and water pollution. The objective of this work was to determine how the pollutants have spread in an area occupied by a spodosol-type soil mantle. The study combines soil morphological observations with soil and water analysis of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil toposequences. The results indicate that the highest pollutant concentrations are observed near the dump site and that the compounds contamination is increasing. A map integrating topography and chemical concentrations was created to visualize the spatial distribution of HCB levels in the landscape. Physical and chemical analyses were performed to measure HCB and PCP levels in the soil. Soil water appears to act as a vector of HCB, probably through complexation with and dispersal of dissolved organic matter. The persistence of HCB at the studied site is most likely due to the low pH values in combination with a high content of organic matter. HCB was consistently found in higher concentrations than PCP. It is plausible that the cause of this difference is that PCP is degraded more easily under sunlight than HCB and that degradation of PCP under acid conditions leads to the formation of HCB. © 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Influence of sanitization on the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of organic and conventional broccoli

The present study was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of chlorinated and ozonized water on the physico-chemical characteristics of broccoli, produced under organic and conventional cultivation procedures. Organic and conventional broccolis were subjected to two sanitation treatments, using chlorine and ozone, and were kept under cold storage for seven days. Analyses of pH, titrable acidity, soluble solids and weight loss were performed and the content of Cu, Mn and Zn was determined. In addition, the presence of pesticides was verified. The results show no influence of the cultivation method or the sanitation treatment on sample weight loss. Cultivation methods and sanitizing treatments affected broccoli pH, titratable acidity, and soluble solids during the evaluation period. No differences regarding the metal content on organic and conventional broccoli were observed. Furthermore, the presence of organochlorine compounds, nor other pesticides, was not detected both in organic and conventional vegetables.

Dietary intake of environmentally persistent plaguicides in the european population

[EN] Global pollution has become one of the most important problems of the modern societies and pesticides play a major role among the chemical contaminants that are released to the environment every year. Organochlorine compounds have been widely used in the past all over the world as pesticides and some of them are still used for the control of vectors of infectious diseases. Due to their high lipophilicity, stability and resistance to degradation, most of them have been banned or strictly regulated but their levels remain high in the environment as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Their presence in the environment leads to their introduction into the food chain, especially affecting food of animal origin with higher fat content. Due to their liposolubility, these substances tend to be bioaccumulated into the fat tissues of living beings along their entire lives, and to be biomagnificated across trophic levels in the food chain. Thus, the main human source of these pesticides comes from the daily intake of contaminated food from environmental sources. It has been established the role of many of the POPs as endocrine disruptors and even as carcinogenic agents, being thus considered as important risk factors for health. Moreover, chronic exposure to pesticides, even at very low levels, has been related with cancer, fertility problems, immunosuppression and other diseases. For this reason, it is important to know the level of POPs contamination and to identify the main sources contributing to it. Fish, meat and dairy products are the food groups with the highest levels of pollution. However, the residue levels vary by geographic area, and are influenced by several factors as food security policies, local pesticide use patterns, environmental practices, or the time when the study is conducted. Food habits, conditioned by different social and economic factors, as well as several biological factors (i.e. gender, sex and age), determine the levels of POPs exposure in the population. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview of the dietary intake of environmentally persistent pesticides by the European population, and the potential adverse consequences of this exposure on human health.

Evaluation of oxidative damage and renal distal tubule cell stress response following exposure to lindane

Lindane, or γ-hexachlorocyclohexane, is a chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide that was banned from U.S. production in 1976, but until recently continued to be imported and applied for occupational and domestic purposes. Lindane is known to cause central nervous system (CNS), immune, cardiovascular, reproductive, liver, and kidney toxicity. The mechanism for which lindane interacts with the CNS has been elucidated, and involves antagonism of the γ-aminobutyric acid/benzodiazepine (GABAA/BZD) receptor. Antagonism of this receptor results in the inhibition of Cl- channel flux, with subsequent convulsions, seizures, and paralysis. This response makes lindane a desirable defense against arthropod pests in agriculture and the home. However, formulation and application of this compound can contribute to human toxicity. In conjunction with this exposure scenario, workers may be subject to both heat and physical stress that may increase their susceptibility to pesticide toxicity by altering their cellular stress response. The kidneys are responsible for maintaining osmotic homeostasis, and are exposed to agents that undergo urinary excretion. The mechanistic action of lindane on the kidneys is not well understood. Lindane, in other organ systems, has been shown to cause cellular damage by generation of free radicals and oxidative stress. Previous research in our laboratory has shown that lindane causes apoptosis in distal tubule cells, and delays renal stress response under hypertonic stress. Characterizing the mechanism of action of lindane under conditions of physiologic stress is necessary to understand the potential hazard cyclodiene pesticides and other organochlorine compounds pose to exposed individuals under baseline conditions, as well as under conditions of physiologic stress. We demonstrated that exposure to lindane results in oxidative damage and dysregulation of glutathione response in renal distal tubule (MDCK) cells. We showed that under conditions of hypertonic stress, lindane-induced oxidative stress resulted in early onset apoptosis and corresponding down-regulated expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-xL. Thus, the interaction of lindane with renal peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBR) is associated with attenuation of cellular protective proteins, making the cell more susceptible to injury or death. ^