U.S. nationwide reconnaissance of ten infrequently monitored antibiotics in municipal biosolids.

Ten infrequently monitored antibiotics in biosolids were examined in archived American sewage sludges (n = 79) collected as part of the 2006/2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey.

Occurrence, temporal variation, and estrogenic burden of five parabens in sewage sludge collected across the United States.

Five parabens used as preservatives in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were measured in sewage sludges collected at 14 U.S. wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in nine states.

Association of birth outcomes with fetal exposure to parabens, triclosan and triclocarban in an immigrant population in Brooklyn, New York.

Background: Prior studies suggest associations between fetal exposure to antimicrobial and paraben compounds with adverse reproductive outcomes, mainly in animal models. We have previously reported elevated levels of these compounds for a cohort of mothers and neonates.

Objective: We examined the relationship between human exposure to parabens and antimicrobial compounds and birth outcomes including birth weight, body length and head size, and gestational age at birth.

Maternal and fetal exposure to parabens in a multiethnic urban U.S. population.

Fetal exposure to five parabens was investigated due to their endocrine-disrupting potential and possible impact on fetal development. Body burdens occurring from real-world exposures were determined typically as total concentrations after conjugate hydrolysis in 181 maternal urine and 38 umbilical cord blood plasma samples from a multiethnic cohort of 185 predominantly-black, pregnant women recruited in Brooklyn, New York between 2007/9. For 33 participants, both sample types (maternal urine and cord blood) were available.

Indoor air condensate as a novel matrix for monitoring inhalable organic contaminants.

With the population of developed nations spending nearly 90% of their time indoors, indoor air quality (IAQ) is a critical indicator of human health risks from inhalation of airborne contaminants. We present a novel approach for qualitative monitoring of IAQ through the collection and analysis of indoor air condensate discharged from heat exchangers of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Condensate samples were collected from six suburban homes and one business in Maricopa County, Arizona, concentrated via solid-phase extraction, analyzed for 10 endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and screened for additional organic compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Use of amniotic fluid for determining pregnancies at risk of preterm birth and for studying diseases of potential environmental etiology.

Amniotic fluid (AF) is a biological medium uniquely suited for the study of early exposure of the human fetus to environmental contaminants acquired by the mother before and during pregnancy. Traditional diagnostic applications of AF have focused almost exclusively on the diagnosis of genetic aberrations such as Trisomy-21 and on heritable diseases in high-risk pregnancies. Since more than 50 anthropogenic compounds have been detected in AF, there is considerable potential in utilizing fetal protein biomarkers as indicators of health effects related to prenatal toxic exposure.

Human fetal exposure to triclosan and triclocarban in an urban population from Brooklyn, New York.

Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are antimicrobial agents formulated in a wide variety of consumer products (including soaps, toothpaste, medical devices, plastics, and fabrics) that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.

Transformation products and human metabolites of triclocarban and triclosan in sewage sludge across the United States.

Removal of triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan (TCS) from wastewater is a function of adsorption, abiotic degradation, and microbial mineralization or transformation, reactions that are not currently controlled or optimized in the pollution control infrastructure of standard wastewater treatment. Here, we report on the levels of eight transformation products, human metabolites, and manufacturing byproducts of TCC and TCS in raw and treated sewage sludge. Two sample sets were studied: samples collected once from 14 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) representing nine states, and multiple samples collected from one WWTP monitored for 12 months.

Detection and occurrence of N-nitrosamines in archived biosolids from the targeted national sewage sludge survey of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The occurrence of eight carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in biosolids from 74 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the contiguous United States was investigated. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, seven nitrosamines [(N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodibutylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA)] were detected with varying detection frequency (DF) in 88% of the biosolids samples (n = 80), with five of the seven being reported here for the first time in biosolids. While rarely detected (DF 3%), NDMA was the most abundant compound at an average concentration of 504 ± 417 ng/g dry weight of biosolids.

Occurrence of triclosan, triclocarban, and its lesser chlorinated congeners in Minnesota freshwater sediments collected near wastewater treatment plants.

The antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS), triclocarban (TCC) and their associated transformation products are of increasing concern as environmental pollutants due to their potential adverse effects on humans and wildlife, including bioaccumulation and endocrine-disrupting activity. Analysis by tandem mass spectrometry of 24 paired freshwater bed sediment samples (top 10 cm) collected by the U.S.

Nutrient gradients in a granular activated carbon biofilter drives bacterial community organization and dynamics.

The quality of drinking water is ensured by hygienic barriers and filtration steps, such as ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Apart from adsorption, GAC filtration involves microbial processes that remove biodegradable organic carbon from the ozonated ground or surface water and ensures biological stability of the treated water. In this study, microbial community dynamics in were monitored during the start-up and maturation of an undisturbed pilot-scale GAC filter at 4 depths (10, 45, 80 and 115 cm) over a period of 6 months.

The antibacterial activity of biogenic silver and its mode of action.

In a previous study, biogenic silver nanoparticles were produced by Lactobacillus fermentum which served as a matrix preventing aggregation. In this study the antibacterial activity of this biogenic silver was compared to ionic silver and chemically produced nanosilver. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was tested on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and was comparable for biogenic silver and ionic silver ranging from 12.

Strategies for quantifying C(60) fullerenes in environmental and biological samples and implications for studies in environmental health and ecotoxicology.

Fullerenes are sphere-like molecules with unique physico-chemical properties, which render them of particular interest in biomedical research, consumer products and industrial applications. Human and environmental exposure to fullerenes is not a new phenomenon, due to a long history of hydrocarbon-combustion sources, and will only increase in the future, as incorporation of fullerenes into consumer products becomes more widespread for use as anti-aging, anti-bacterial or anti-apoptotic agents.An essential step in the determination of biological effects of fullerenes (and their surface-functionalized derivatives) is establishment of exposure-assessment techniques.

Evaluation of extraction methods for quantification of aqueous fullerenes in urine.

There is a growing concern about the human and environmental health effects of fullerenes (e.g., C(60)) due to their increasing application in research, medicine, and industry.

Toxicogenomic response of Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H to the micropollutant triclosan.

In the framework of the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA) project, a pilot study was performed to identify the effects of triclosan on the MELiSSA carbon-mineralizing microorganism Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H. Triclosan is a biocide that is commonly found in human excrement and is considered an emerging pollutant in wastewater and the environment. Chronic exposure to MELiSSA-relevant concentrations (> or =25 microg liter(-1)) of triclosan resulted in a significant extension of the lag phase of this organism but hardly affected the growth rate.

Characterization of triclosan-resistant mutants reveals multiple antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H.

Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms were identified in 11 spontaneous high- and low-level triclosan resistance (Tcs(r)) mutants of Rhodospirillum rubrum S1H by genotyping complemented with transcriptional analyses, antibiotic resistance screening, and membrane permeability analyses. High-end Tcs(r) (MIC = 8 mg/liter) was the result of a FabI1(G98V) mutation. This point mutation led to an even higher level of Tcs(r) (MIC > or = 16 mg/liter) in combination with constitutive upregulation of mexB and mexF efflux pump homologs.