Imidacloprid Uptake and Accumulation in Lettuce Plant ( L. var. ) and Its Effects on Abundance of Microbial Communities in Cultivated and Non-Cultivated Arid Soil.

Systemic plant protection products, such as neonicotinoids (NIs), are capable of being translocated throughout a plant. Although NIs are less toxic to mammals, fish, and birds, their impact on microbial and non-target insects is of concern. This study investigates the uptake, translocation, and accumulation of the NI, imidacloprid (IMI), in romaine lettuce ( L.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in human breast milk from Colombia: A probabilistic risk assessment approach.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. They were produced in relatively large volumes in the last century and are now subject to long-term monitoring and regulated under the United Nations Stockholm Convention (SC) on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Though restricted, human exposure is still a concern and in some regions of the globe the information on the health risk is limited.

Suspect and non-targeted screening-based human biomonitoring identified 74 biomarkers of exposure in urine of Slovenian children.

Human exposure to organic contaminants is widespread. Many of these contaminants show adverse health effects on human population. Human biomonitoring (HBM) follows the levels and the distribution of biomarkers of exposure (BoE), but it is usually done in a targeted manner.

Application of 96-well plate SPE method for analysis of persistent organic pollutants in low volume blood serum samples.

Though many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are closely regulated the human population is still exposed to these ubiquitous chemicals from the environment and diet. Safe management and human biomonitoring of POPs is necessary to understand the risk of exposure. Within human biomonitoring the mass of sample is often limited, therefore robust methods using smaller sample amounts are necessary.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in human breast milk from Colombia: Spatial occurrence, sources and probabilistic risk assessment.

The diet is the main route that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) enter the body and measuring breast milk is one of the best ways to understand the maternal body burden and can be passed on to infants. In this study, it was determinate the concentrations of 23 PAHs in 60 milk samples taken from 3 cities in Colombia and to determine the potential routes of exposure and risk to human health. On average, concentration for the ∑ across all locations was 186.

Remodeling of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) lipidome under a stimulated scenario of Arctic warming.

Arctic warming associated with global climate change poses a significant threat to populations of wildlife in the Arctic. Since lipids play a vital role in adaptation of organisms to variations in temperature, high-resolution mass-spectrometry-based lipidomics can provide insights into adaptive responses of organisms to a warmer environment in the Arctic and help to illustrate potential novel roles of lipids in the process of thermal adaption. In this study, we studied an ecologically and economically important species-Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)-with a detailed multi-tissue analysis of the lipidome in response to chronic shifts in temperature using a validated lipidomics workflow.

Targeted and suspect screening of plasticizers in house dust to assess cumulative human exposure risk.

Indoor dust is an important exposure route to anthropogenic chemicals used in consumer products. Plasticizers are common product additives and can easily leach out of the product and partition to dust. Investigations of plasticizers typically focus on a subset of phthalate esters (PEs), but there are many more PEs in use, and alternative plasticizers (APs) are seeing greater use after recognition of adverse health effects of PEs.

Open, High-Resolution EI+ Spectral Library of Anthropogenic Compounds.

To address the lack of high-resolution electron ionisation mass spectral libraries (HR-[EI+]-MS) for environmental chemicals, a retention-indexed HR-[EI+]-MS library has been constructed following analysis of authentic compounds via GC-Orbitrap MS. The library is freely provided alongside a compound database of predicted physicochemical properties. Currently, the library contains over 350 compounds from 56 compound classes and includes a range of legacy and emerging contaminants.

Concentrations of Metals in Fishes from the Athabasca and Slave Rivers of Northern Canada.

There is growing concern about possible effects of exploitation of the Alberta Oil Sands on the ambient environment, including possible effects on populations of fishes in the Athabasca River and farther downstream in Lake Athabasca and the Slave River. In the present study, concentrations of metals in dorsal muscle tissue of 5 fish species-goldeye, northern pike, walleye, whitefish, and burbot-from the Slave, Peace, and Athabasca Rivers were quantified. A suite of 25 metals including As, Hg, Se, Tl, and V was analyzed.

Metals and PFAS in stormwater and surface runoff in a semi-arid Canadian city subject to large variations in temperature among seasons.

Because compounds accumulate through dry periods and enter aquatic systems in just a few seasonal events such as snowmelt and summer storms, surface waters in semi-arid, cold regions, such as the Canadian Prairies, are particularly vulnerable to loading of contaminant from runoff events from surfaces. This study assessed concentrations of metals and selected trace organics entering a river via surface runoff from an urban region and how these semi-arid regions with large seasonal variations in temperature might differ from more temperate regions. Selected potentially harmful elements (PHEs) including, Mn with Cr, Cu, Zn, Ba and U all exceeded guideline discharge values set by the Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment (CCME) by as much as 16-fold.

Oxygenated and Nitrated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Ambient Air-Levels, Phase Partitioning, Mass Size Distributions, and Inhalation Bioaccessibility.

Among the nitrated and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs and OPAHs) are some of the most hazardous substances to public health, mainly because of their carcinogenicity and oxidative potential. Despite these concerns, the concentrations and fate of NPAHs and OPAHs in the atmospheric environment are largely unknown. Ambient air concentrations of 18 NPAHs, 5 quinones, and 5 other OPAHs were determined at two urban and one regional background sites in central Europe.

Poly- and per-fluoroalkyl compounds in sediments of the Laurentian Great Lakes: Loadings, temporal trends, and sources determined by positive matrix factorization.

A recent data set for 22 poly- and per-fluorinated compounds (PFASs) in Ponar grab samples of surface sediments and cores from the Great Lakes of North America was examined for concentrations, loads, correlations with geographical coordinates and depth (time), and for sources. Correlations were determined by multivariate regression analyses. Source apportionment of PFASs was carried out by positive matrix factorization (PMF) for two cores from Lake Ontario.

Spatial and temporal trends in poly- and per-fluorinated compounds in the Laurentian Great Lakes Erie, Ontario and St. Clair.

The temporal and spatial trends in sediment of 22 poly- and perfluorinated (PFAS) compounds were investigated in the southern Great Lakes Erie and Ontario as well as Lake St. Clair. Surface concentrations measured by Ponar grab samples indicated a trend for greater concentrations near to urban sites.

Current and historical concentrations of poly and perfluorinated compounds in sediments of the northern Great Lakes - Superior, Huron, and Michigan.

Current and historical concentrations of 22 poly- and perfluorinated compounds (PFASs) in sediment collected from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan in 2011 and Lake Huron in 2012 are reported. The sampling was performed in two ways, Ponar grabs of surface sediments for current spatial distribution across the lake and dated cores for multi-decadal temporal trends. Mean concentrations of the sum of PFASs (∑PFASs) were 1.

Neonicotinoid insecticides in pollen, honey and adult bees in colonies of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in Egypt.

Honeybee losses have been attributed to multiple stressors and factors including the neonicotinoid insecticides (NIs). Much of the study of hive contamination has been focused upon temperate regions such as Europe, Canada and the United States. This study looks for the first time at honey, pollen and bees collected from across the Nile Delta in Egypt in both the spring and summer planting season of 2013.

Hydroxylated 2-Ethylhexyl tetrabromobenzoate isomers in house dust and their agonistic potencies with several nuclear receptors.

In the current study, by combining ultra-high resolution (UHR) MS spectra, MS spectra, and derivatization, three hydroxylated isomers of 2-ethylhexyl tetrabromobenzoate (OH-TBB) were identified in Firemaster 550 and BZ-54 technical products. Also, a new LC-UHRMS method, using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), was developed for simultaneous analysis of OH-TBB, TBB, hydroxylated bis(2-ethylhexyl)-tetrabromophthalate (OH-TBPH) and TBPH in 23 samples of dust collected from houses in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. OH-TBBs were detected in 91% of samples, with a geometric mean concentration of 0.

Untargeted Screening and Distribution of Organo-Iodine Compounds in Sediments from Lake Michigan and the Arctic Ocean.

The majority of halogenated organic compounds present in the environment remain unidentified. To address this data gap, we recently developed an untargeted method (data-independent precursor isolation and characteristic fragment; DIPIC-Frag) for identification of unknown organo-bromine compounds. In this study, the method was adapted to enable untargeted screening of natural and synthetic organo-iodine compounds (NSOICs) in sediments.

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls along an east-to-west gradient in subtropical North Atlantic surface water.

Despite the fact that most persistent toxic substances have hardly been primarily emitted for several decades, their concentrations are only slowly decreasing in the global oceans. Surface seawater samples were collected along a 38°-24° N/28°-67° W transect in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. While the concentration levels of hexachlorobenzene (2.

Effect of pyrolysis temperature on potential toxicity of biochar if applied to the environment.

Biochars have increasingly been used as adsorbents for organic and inorganic contaminants in soils. However, during the carbonization process of pyrolysis, contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/DF) can be generated. In this study, biochars made from sawdust, were prepared at various temperatures ranging from 250 to 700 °C.

Potential health risks posed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in muscle tissues of fishes from the Athabasca and Slave Rivers, Canada.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are released to the environment from oil sands operations and from natural sources in Alberta, Canada. Concentrations of 16 USEPA priority PAHs were measured in tissues of fishes collected from three locations on the Athabasca River in Alberta and two downstream locations on the Slave River in the Northwest Territories, Canada. A total of 425 individual fish were collected including 89 goldeye (Hiodon alosoides), 93 whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), 104 northern pike/jackfish (Esox lucius), 96 walleye (Sander vitreus) and 43 burbot/loche mariah/mariah (Lota lota).

Bioanalytical and instrumental screening of the uptake of sediment-borne, dioxin-like compounds in roach (Rutilus rutilus).

To examine the uptake of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), common roaches (Rutilus rutilus) were exposed for 28 days to differently contaminated sediments from two major European rivers in a purpose-built facility. Dietary transfer of DLCs was investigated by exposing fish to sediments inoculated or non-inoculated with black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus). Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), measured via high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) in sediments and whole fish, were used to calculate toxicity equivalent quotients (TEQs).

Untargeted Screening and Distribution of Organo-Bromine Compounds in Sediments of Lake Michigan.

Previously unreported natural and synthetic organo-bromine compounds (NSOBCs) have been found to contribute more than 99% of total organic bromine (TOB) in environmental matrices. We recently developed a novel untargeted method (data-independent precursor isolation and characteristic fragment, DIPIC-Frag) and identified ∼2000 NSOBCs in two sediments from Lake Michigan. In this study, this method was used to investigate the distributions of these NSOBCs in 23 surficial samples and 24 segments of a sediment core from Lake Michigan.

Concentrations of neonicotinoid insecticides in honey, pollen and honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in central Saskatchewan, Canada.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NIs) and their transformation products were detected in honey, pollen and honey bees, (Apis mellifera) from hives located within 30 km of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Clothianidin and thiamethoxam were the most frequently detected NIs, found in 68 and 75% of honey samples at mean concentrations of 8.2 and 17.