Assessing heavy metal contamination in a Brazilian metropolis: a case study with a focus on (bio)indicators.

The continuous expansion of the global vehicle fleet poses a growing threat to environmental quality through heavy metal contamination. In this scenario, monitoring to safeguard public health in urban areas is necessary. Our study involved the collection of 36 street dust and 29 moss samples from roads of a Brazilian metropolis (Recife) with varying traffic intensities as follows: natural reserve (0 vehicles per day), low (< 15,000 vehicles per day), medium (15,000-30,000 vehicles per day), and high (> 30,000 vehicles per day).

Metal contaminants in rice from Cuba analyzed by ICP-MS, ICP-AES and CVAAS.

Mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic are considered hazardous pollutants in the environment, which can result in a risk for human health. This study aimed to determine the contents of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn by ICP-MS, CVAAS and ICP-AES in paddy and brown rice, grown in different soils of Cuba. The interest to include Cr, Ni, Cu and Zn was because these elements are found in very high levels in agricultural soils.

Bioavailability and sequential extraction of mercury in soils and organisms of a mangrove contaminated by a chlor-alkali plant.

Botafogo river estuary poses the highest Hg concentration reported for mangrove soils in Brazil. Such high contamination took place owing to the improper waste disposal for 24 years from a chlor-alkali plant nearby the estuary. Here we determined Hg concentrations in soils, mangrove plants (Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa), and an aquatic organism (the oyster species Crassostrea rhizophorae) to assess Hg bioavailability.

Lead isotope ratios in lichen samples evaluated by ICP-ToF-MS to assess possible atmospheric pollution sources in Havana, Cuba.

Epiphytic lichens, collected from 119 sampling sites grown over "Roistonea Royal Palm" trees, were used to assess the spatial distribution pattern of lead (Pb) and identify possible pollution sources in Havana (Cuba). Lead concentrations in lichens and topsoils were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry, respectively, while Pb in crude oils and gasoline samples were measured by ICP-time of flight mass spectrometry (ICP-ToF-MS). Lead isotopic ratios measurements for lichens, soils, and crude oils were obtained by ICP-ToF-MS.