The pollution potential of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bursa, Türkiye, in terms of organochlorine pesticides (ΣOCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (ΣPBDEs), was investigated in air samples. Concentrations were determined using polyurethane foam disk samplers at key processes, such as the aeration tank (AT) and settling chamber (SC) of the WWTP and the background area (BA) at an urban site. Atmospheric concentration levels of PBDEs at the SC are 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe global increase in electronic waste (e-waste) has led to a rise in informal recycling, emitting hazardous heavy metals (HMs) that threaten human health and ecosystems. This study presents the first comprehensive assessment of HM levels in dry deposition and soils at proximity of forty (40) informal e-waste recycling sites across Pakistan, between September 2020 to December 2021. Findings reveal that Zn (1410), Pb (410) and Mn (231) exhibited the higher mean deposition fluxes (μg/m.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnvironmental phenolic chemicals, due to their widespread occurrence and potent estrogenic properties, pose a risk to human exposure. The phenolic organic contaminants alkylphenols (APs) and alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEs) are used in various household applications, and they may enter to the environment during production and use, potentially appearing in indoor dust. However, little is known about the levels of environmental phenolics in indoor environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonitoring concentration levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is required to evaluate the effectiveness of international regulations to minimize the emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the environment. In this manner, we evaluated the spatial and temporal variations of 22 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) using polyurethane foam passive air samplers at ten stations in Bursa in 2017 and 2018. The highest concentration value for ΣOCPs was detected in Ağaköy (775 pg/m) and Demirtaş (678 pg/m) sampling sites, while the lowest value was observed in Uludağ University Campus (UUC, 284 pg/m) site.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Environ Contam Toxicol
January 2024
The areal distributions of the soil organochlorine pesticide (OCP) levels were investigated at adjacent and surrounding sites of the obsolete pesticide stockpile warehouse in Kocaeli, Türkiye. OCP levels in soil at neighboring sampling locations (positioned at 0.4 to 3 km from the stockpile) varied from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2023
One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is leading people remain at homes longer than ever. Considering the elongation of the time people spend indoors, the potential health risks caused by contaminants including heavy metals in indoor environments have become even more critical. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels and sources of heavy metals in indoor dust, to assess the exposure to heavy metals via indoor dust, and to estimate the associated health risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPesticides may cause a potential risk to human health when applied in excess to control pests, diseases, and weeds in crop fields. In the current study, conducted in the Aegean region of Turkey from 2012 to 2016, a total of 3044 samples of 16 different commodities of fruits and vegetables were screened to identify pesticide residues and health risk to consumers posed by such residues was assessed. Results showed that 354 samples out of the total samples had higher maximum residue limit (MRL) values, while the MRL values were lower in 473 samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the car is due to their use as a flame retardant additive in various car components such as dashboard, plastic parts, seat and headliner cushion foams, insulated cables, and electronic circuits. Ingestion of dust inadvertently or dermal contact to dust are significant pathways of human exposure to pollutants including PBDEs. There are no studies documenting presence of car dust associated flame retardants in Turkey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe composition of atmospheric aerosols is dynamic and influenced by their emission sources, organic and inorganic composition, transport pathways, chemical and physical processes, microorganisms' content and more. Characterization of such factors can improve the ability to evaluate air quality and health risks under different atmospheric scenarios. Here we investigate the microbial composition of the atmospheric particulate matter (<10 μm; PM), sampled in Bolu, Turkey, and the linkage to the chemical composition changes, and different environmental factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganophosphate esters (OPEs) are commonly used as flame retardants (FRs) and plasticizers. The usage of OPEs has increased recently due to the ban of several brominated flame retardants, but information on levels in the environment, including the indoor environment is still limited. We investigated the occurrence and distribution of 12 OPEs in urban house dust from Vancouver, Canada; Istanbul, Turkey; and Cairo, Egypt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed at different altitudes of Taurus Mountains in semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD) and in half-, one-and-a-half-, and two-and-a-half-year-old pine needles. SPMDs were deployed for three different exposure periods: March to September (Summer), September to March (Winter), and March to March (whole year) at eight sites where needle samples were collected. The values of PAHs in needles were between 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolyurethane foam (PUF) passive samplers were employed to assess air concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in background, agricultural, semi-urban, urban and industrial sites in Bursa, Turkey. Samplers were deployed for approximately 2-month periods from February to December 2014 in five sampling campaign. Results showed a clear rural-agricultural-semi-urban-urban-industrial PCBs concentration gradient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and related substances have been listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Stockholm Convention. Countries which have ratified the Convention need to take appropriate actions to control PFOS use and release. This study compiles and enhances the findings of the first inventory of PFOS and related substances use in Turkey conducted within the frame of the Stockholm Convention National Implementation Plan (NIP) update.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElimination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under national and international regulations reduces "primary" emissions, but "secondary" emissions continue from residues deposited in soil, water, ice and vegetation during former years of usage. In a future, secondary source controlled world, POPs will follow the carbon cycle and biogeochemical processes will determine their transport, accumulation and fate. Climate change is likely to affect mobilisation of POPs through e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLevels of eight potentially toxic heavy metals in indoor dust from homes and offices in Istanbul were investigated. The concentrations of heavy metals in indoor dust from homes+office ranged from 62 to 1800 μgg(-1) for Cu, 3-200 μgg(-1) for Pb, 0.4-20 μgg(-1) for Cd, 210-2800 μgg(-1) for Zn, 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConcentrations of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in water, zooplankton, precipitation, and air samples as well as stereoisomer fractions (SF; herbicidally active/total stereoisomers) of metolachlor were determined in water samples collected from 10 remote inland lakes in Ontario, Canada, between 2003 and 2005. The most frequently detected chemicals in lake water, precipitation, and air were α-endosulfan, atrazine, metolachlor, chlorpyrifos, chlorothalonil, and trifluralin, and α-endosulfan and chlorpyrifos were the chemicals detected frequently in zooplankton. Air concentrations of these CUPs were within the range of previously reported values for background sites in the Great Lakes basin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMecoprop, dichlorprop and metolachlor concentrations and enantiomer signatures were determined in Ontario streams in 2006-2007 and compared to results from 2003 to 2004. Median concentrations of dichlorprop and metolachlor were not significantly different between the two campaigns, but mecoprop was higher in 2006-2007. Concentrations of mecoprop and dichlorprop in Lake Ontario surface water were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than stream averages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConcentrations of mecoprop, dichlorprop, and metolachlor were investigated in 393 samples from Ontario streams in 2003-2004. Maximum concentrations of mecoprop, dichlorprop, and metolachlor were 1900, 6.62, and 1560 ng L(-1), respectively in 2003, and 103,000, 110, and 5290 ng L(-1), respectively, in 2004.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVariability in the enantioselective degradation of chiral organochlorine pesticides (alpha-HCH, cis- and trans-chlordane (CC and TC), and o,p'-DDT) in the field and laboratory was investigated. Background soils presumably receive the same EF signature of a compound via atmospheric deposition and then degrade that compound in a way that can vary over small spatial areas. Background soils from woodland and grassland areas were sampled to compare chiral signatures and determine the spatial variability within a few square meters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganocohlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in agricultural soils are of concern due to the uptake of these compounds by crops, accumulation in the foodchain, and reemission from soils to the atmosphere. Although it has been about three decades since DDT was banned for agricultural uses in Canada, residues persist in soils of some agricultural areas. Emission of DDT compounds to the atmosphere from a historically treated field in southern Ontario was determined in fall 2004 and spring 2005.
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