Assessing the hidden dangers of volcanic CO exposure: a critical review of health impacts.

Volcanic eruptions pose significant health risks to inhabitants of affected regions, with volcanic gases, including carbon dioxide (CO), being a notable concern. This review examines the implications of long-term exposure to volcanic CO emissions on public health, highlighting the shift in understanding from acute to chronic health effects. Recent studies have underscored the need to reevaluate the adverse health impacts of CO beyond acute toxicity symptoms.

Health impact of the Tajogaite volcano eruption in La Palma population (ISVOLCAN study): rationale, design, and preliminary results from the first 1002 participants.

Background: The eruption of the Tajogaite volcano began on the island of La Palma on September 19, 2021, lasting for 85 days. This study aims to present the design and methodology of the ISVOLCAN (Health Impact on the Population of La Palma due to the Volcanic Eruption) cohort, as well as the preliminary findings from the first 1002 enrolled participants.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with random selection of adult participants from the general population, with an estimated sample size of 2600 individuals.

Concentration of Essential, Toxic, and Rare Earth Elements in Ready-to-Eat Baby Purees from the Spanish Market.

Background: The infant population is particularly sensitive, so the risk posed by their diet must be analyzed. The aims of the present study were (i) to determine the contents of 38 elements in 159 samples of ready-to-eat baby food sold in Spain and (ii) to estimate the dietary intakes and risk assessments of these elements in name brands and store brands in infants ranging between 6 and 12 months of age.

Methods: A list of essential, non-essential/toxic elements, rare earth elements (REEs), and other hi-tech-related elements that are currently considered as emerging environmental pollutants were measured in ready-to-eat baby foods by ICP-MS.

Validation of a Method Scope Extension for Simple Biomonitoring of 353 Pollutants in Serum Samples.

Animals and humans are exposed to various residues that can have a detrimental impact on health, including carcinogenic potential, endocrine disruption, or fatal toxicity. The toxic burden can be evaluated in several biological samples, with serum being one of the preferred and most convenient options. In this study, we have applied and validated a method for detecting several hundred toxins in serum samples.

Effect of prenatal exposure to organophosphates and pyrethroid pesticides on neonatal anthropometric measures and gestational age.

Several studies have examined the association between prenatal exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides and their impact on foetal growth and newborn anthropometry; however, the available evidence is limited and inconclusive. This study examined whether prenatal organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure was associated with anthropometric measures at birth (weight, length, head circumference), ponderal index, gestational age, and prematurity in 537 mother-child pairs. These were randomly selected from the 800 pairs participating in the prospective birth cohort GENEIDA (Genetics, early life environmental exposures and infant development in Andalusia).

[Chemical pollution, exposome and health in the Canary Islands population: An assessment of the situation.].

Objective: The set of exposures to chemical substances and their role as a cause of disease gives rise to the concept of the exposome, partially made up of chemical pollutants to which an individual is exposed, which is why, unlike the genome, it is an a priori modifiable factor, its study being crucial in terms of Public Health. The population of the Canary Islands has been studied in terms of its levels of chemical contamination, with numerous biomonitoring studies, which makes it necessary to characterise its exposome and its consequences in terms of disease, in order to implement specific corrective measures to minimize the impact on its health.

Methods: A review of scientific literature (MEDLINE and Scopus) was made, according to PRISMA criteria and PICO methodology, to include studies on biomonitoring of pollutants, or evaluating the effect of pollutants on diseases prevalent in the archipelago.

Ethanol and Medical Psychotropics Co-Consumption in European Countries: Results from a Three-Year Retrospective Study of Forensic Samples in Spain.

Ethanol and medical psychotropics (MPs) are legal psychoactive substances widely consumed in Western countries that are routinely detected in standard toxicological analyses at compulsory autopsies, and toxicokinetic interactions between these drugs have been described. However, studies assessing the consequences of this co-consumption are scarce in Europe. We performed a retrospective study on toxicological results from compulsory autopsies in Spain.

Medical Psychotropics in Forensic Autopsies in European Countries: Results from a Three-Year Retrospective Study in Spain.

Medical psychotropics are widely used and prescribed in developed countries. These medications may have an impairing effect on mood or perception and may induce harmful behaviors. Nevertheless, in Europe, studies on their importance from a medico-legal perspective are scarce.

Comparative study of organic contaminants in agricultural soils at the archipelagos of the Macaronesia.

The occurrence of organic pollutants in soil is a major environmental concern. These compounds can reach the soil in different ways. Point sources, related to pesticides that are used intentionally, can be applied directly to the soil, or reach the soil indirectly due to application to the aerial parts of crops.

Impact of chemical elements released by the volcanic eruption of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) on banana agriculture and European consumers.

The recent volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma has aroused the concern of banana producers and consumers, given that in its area of influence there are thousands of hectares of banana plantations with an annual production of about 100 million kilos for export. Since volcanoes are one of the main natural sources of heavy metal contamination, we sampled bananas from the affected area and determined the concentrations of 50 elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Ga, Gd, Hg, Ho, In, La, Lu, Mn, Mo, Nb, Nd, Ni, Os, Pb, Pd, Pm, Pr, Pt, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, Ti, Tl, Tm, U, Y, Yb and Zn). The levels of 36 elements were elevated but the washing implemented after the eruption can remove a good part.

Nutritional Evaluation and Risk Assessment of the Exposure to Essential and Toxic Elements in Dogs and Cats through the Consumption of Pelleted Dry Food: How Important Is the Quality of the Feed?

Dry feed for pets lacks specific legislation regarding maximum residue limits for inorganic elements. The aim of the present study was to determine the content of 43 inorganic elements in dog and cat feed, studying whether there were differences according to the supposed quality of the food and performing the risk assessment for health. Thirty-one and thirty packages of pelleted dry food for cats and dogs, respectively, were analyzed.

Biomarkers, matrices and analytical methods targeting human exposure to chemicals selected for a European human biomonitoring initiative.

The major purpose of human biomonitoring is the mapping and assessment of human exposure to chemicals. The European initiative HBM4EU has prioritized seven substance groups and two metals relevant for human exposure: Phthalates and substitutes (1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester, DINCH), bisphenols, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), halogenated and organophosphorous flame retardants (HFRs and OPFRs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arylamines, cadmium and chromium. As a first step towards comparable European-wide data, the most suitable biomarkers, human matrices and analytical methods for each substance group or metal were selected from the scientific literature, based on a set of selection criteria.

Database of persistent organic pollutants in umbilical cord blood: Concentration of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, BDEs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been banned over the last decades for being damaged to the environment and to the health of humans and animals. However, due to their lipophilic nature and resistance to degradation, they are frequently detected in biological samples. Its presence has been associated with the increased risk of suffering from different diseases in human series, being newborns and children especially sensitive.

Serum concentration of toxic metals and rare earth elements in children and adolescent.

Biomonitoring studies are important for quantifying the body burden of pollutants and their possible effects on health. Serum concentration of 42 elements was assessed by ICP-MS in 89 children (7.2 ± 3.

Association between prenatal exposure to multiple persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and growth indicators in newborns.

Despite the fact that many of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been banned for decades, they still constitute a group of harmful substances to human health. Prenatal exposure can have adverse effects on one's health as well as on their newborns. The present cross-sectional study, which includes 87% of the births registered in La Palma Island (Canary Islands, Spain) during 2016 (n = 447), aims to evaluate the potential adverse health effects exerted by a wide range of POPs on newborns.