Lowering the pH leads to the disaggregation of NiO and ZnO nanoparticles and modifies the mutagenic response.

In a changing environmental scenario, acid rain can have a significant impact on aquatic ecosystems. Acidification is known to produce corrosion in metals, hence increasing their harmful effects on the environment, organisms and human health. The prevalent use of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in everyday products raises concerns regarding exposure and nanotoxicity even in these acidified conditions.

A comprehensive overview of genotoxicity and mutagenicity associated with outdoor air pollution exposure in Brazil.

This review examined the mutagenicity and genotoxicity associated with exposure to outdoor air pollutants in Brazil. A search was performed on the Web of Science database using a combination of keywords that resulted in 134 articles. After applying exclusion criteria, a total of 75 articles were obtained.

Health impacts of PM-bound metals and PAHs in a medium-sized Brazilian city.

Rio Grande is a medium-sized industrial city located in the extreme south of Brazil, and previous studies in this city have shown contamination by metal(loids) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water, soil, and sediment and in the atmosphere. In Brazil, the incorporation of PM monitoring in environmental legislation is recent (2018) and, like other developing countries, the number of studies is still small. This study aimed to investigate the levels of PM in the industrial and urban area of Rio Grande, to determine the concentration of metal(loid)s As, Cd, Cu, and Pb and of 16 PAHs in the samples of PM, to perform the health risk assessment for these contaminants and the health impact assessment for two possible scenarios of reduction of PM levels.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of fruit extracts from yerba mate progenies ( a St-Hil.): a natural biopesticide.

This study evaluated the biocidal activity of aqueous fruit extracts from progenies at different ripening stages in two ecotoxicity assays using juveniles and larvae. Mutagenicity was verified by the /microsome assay (TA 98 and TA 100) in the presence and absence of hepatic metabolism in vitro. The results showed that the snails were more sensitive than the larvae to the P.

Integrated study of genotoxicity biomarkers in schoolchildren and inhalable particles in areas under petrochemical influence.

This study aimed to evaluate genotoxicity effects of inhalable particulate matter from areas influenced by a petrochemical complex on exposed children population. Peripheral blood and buccal mucosa exfoliated cells were collected from 54 children (5-12 years) at two public schools, 2.5 Km (Site NW) and 35 km (Site NWII) from the main industrial emission source.

Predicting ozone levels from climatic parameters and leaf traits of Bel-W3 tobacco variety.

Air pollution has been identified as a major cause of environmental and human health damage. O is an oxidative pollutant that causes leaf symptoms in sensitive plants. This study aims to adjust a multilinear model for the monitoring of O in subtropical climatic conditions by associating O concentrations with measurements of morphological leaf traits in tobacco plants and different environmental variables.

Selecting lichen functional traits as ecological indicators of the effects of urban environment.

Air pollution and the urban heat island effect are known to directly affect ecosystems in urban areas. Lichens, which are widely known as good ecological indicators of air quality and of climatic conditions, can be a valuable tool to monitor environmental changes in urban environments. The objective of this work was to select lichen functional traits and functional groups that can be used as ecological indicators of the effects of urbanization, with emphasis in the Southern subtropics, where this had never been done.

Bioremediation of soils contaminated by PAHs: Mutagenicity as a tool to validate environmental quality.

Bioremediation can be used as one of the decontamination techniques for areas contamined by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However the effective biodegradation of these compounds must take into account the possible toxic and mutagenic effects that might persist. In this study the mutagenic potential of soil samples from an area contaminated by wood preservatives was evaluated.

Air quality assessment in different urban areas from Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, using lichen transplants.

Based on the need to monitor air pollution and on the importance of doing it with biological organisms, the present work had as main objective to assess air quality in urban areas through lichen transplants. Besides, we also tested whether there were differences among the studied sites, aiming to point out the main pollution characteristics of the areas. The monitoring was carried out in seven cities, which varied from mainly rural to mainly industrial, in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil.

Soil mutagenicity - Effects of acidification and organic pollutants in urban/industrial areas.

This study aimed to analyze (i) the effect of different acid extractions, simulating changes in the background pH of rain on the availability of soil mutagenic compounds, (ii) the presence of organic compounds in soil and (iii) evaluation of the effects of soil sieving on the samples mutagenicity. Surface soil samples were collected at urban and industrial areas and assessed as total grain size composition (Total Soil) and in sieved fraction <0.5 mm (Soil <0.

Assessment of sediment mutagenicity in areas under the influence of a contaminated site undergoing a remediation process.

Soil contamination enters aquatic ecosystems affecting sediment quality. The region studied is the Taquari River, Brazil, close to a site contaminated by wood preservatives, with a runoff route into the river. The first stage of the remediation process (In this article, the terms intervention and remediation have been used with slightly different meanings.

The application of lichens as ecological surrogates of air pollution in the subtropics: a case study in South Brazil.

The use of lichens as ecological surrogates has been an important tool to evaluate the impact of air pollution in both ecosystem and human health but remains underused in the subtropics due to lack of knowledge. Aiming to support the application of lichen as ecological surrogates of the effects of air pollution in the subtropics, we hypothesized that urbanization was an important driver of changes on lichen diversity, composition, and vitality. For that, we quantified several lichen diversity metrics (richness, cover, and community composition) and photobiont vitality in relation to atmospheric pollution or its surrogates (modeled pollutant gases, pollutants in lichen thallus, and land cover).

Genotoxicity biomarkers for airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) in an area under petrochemical influence.

The effects of fine inhalable particles (PM2.5) were evaluated in an area under the influence of a petrochemical industry, investigating the sensitivity of different genotoxicity biomarkers. Organic extracts were obtained from PM2.

Evaluation of area contaminated by wood treatment activities: Genetic markers in the environment and in the child population.

Wood preservation activities and related compounds are a problem since these areas have major environmental contamination liabilities which compromise the health of the surrounding population and the integrity of ecological processes. The present study evaluated an area influenced by soil contamination arising from the activities of a deactivated wood treatment plant. The presence and effect of mutagenic compounds in environmental samples were used as markers of exposure together with the evaluation biomarkers of genetic damage in children.

Characterization of an area of reference for inhalable particulate matter (PM2.5) associated with genetic biomonitoring in children.

Humans are exposed to health-impairing air pollutants, especially children who are more sensitive to cancer-causing toxins. This study described an area of reference for inhalable particulates (PM2.5) by chemical (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and mutagenic characterization associated with the genetic biomonitoring of children (aged 5-11 years).

Tools used to estimate soil quality in coal combustion waste areas.

Soil is a highly complex environmental compartment that has suffered with the contamination of substances of various origins. Among the main activities that affect soil quality are power generation activities that use fossil fuels, such as mineral coal. Environmental protection agencies encourage scientific investigations using tools described in legal devices or standard protocols to evaluate the potential of coal as a pollutant, especially in places that have large reserves of this mineral like the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Attic dust assessment near a wood treatment plant: past air pollution and potential exposure.

The wood treatment process uses substances that generate hazardous compounds that may contaminate environmental compartments. In the present study, an area under influence of a deactivated wood treatment plant was investigated to evaluate past air pollution and to try to understand local air dispersion. Attic dust samples were collected from eight residences around the plant and from two residences outside this area, as reference samples.

Comparative genotoxicity of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) using Salmonella, plants and mammalian cells.

This study compared genotoxicity in bacteria, plants and cell cultures in areas at risk of exposure to airborne pollution. Genotoxicity of moderately polar organic extracts of PM2.5 from areas with urban airborne pollution (Site 1) and urban-industrial pollution (Site 2) was evaluated using microsuspension assays in Salmonella/microsome, micronucleus test with Tradescantia pallida (Trad-MN) with acute exposure, and in V79 (V79-MN) cells, Comet assay in V79 and human lymphocyte, besides Trad-MN in situ at Site 1.

Toxicogenetic monitoring in urban cities exposed to different airborne contaminants.

Microparticles found in the air may be associated with organic matter that contains several compounds, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs, and may pose a significant risk to human health, possibly leading to DNA mutations and cancers. This study associated genotoxicity assays for evaluating human exposure with the atmospheric air of two urban areas in southern Brazil, that received different atmospheric contributions. Site 1 was under urban-industrial influence and the other was a non-industrial reference, Site 2.

Toxic effects of the ingestion of water-soluble elements found in soil under the atmospheric influence of an industrial complex.

In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of water-soluble elements from a contaminated soil via gavage in a single dose, simulating a geophagy event. The contaminated soil was collected in a field located in an industrial complex, and the control soil was collected in a reference area. Metabolic and behavioral parameters in Wistar male rats were measured after 24 and 96 h of gavage.

Mutagenicity of particulate matter fractions in areas under the impact of urban and industrial activities.

Organisms in the environment are exposed to a mixture of pollutants. Therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze the mutagenicity of organic and inorganic responses in two fractions of particulates (TSP and PM2.5) and extracts (organic and aqueous).

Soil mutagenicity as a strategy to evaluate environmental and health risks in a contaminated area.

Soil can be a storage place and source of pollutants for interfacial environments. This study looked at a site contaminated with wood preservatives as a source of mutagens, defined routes and extent of the dispersion of these contaminants by particle remobilization and atmospheric deposition, considering an evaluation of risk to human health by quantifying mutagenic risk. Soil sampling sites were chosen at gradually increasing distances (150, 500 and 1700m) from SI (industrial area pool) and indoor dust (pool in an area at risk at 385m and at 1700m).

Use of bioindicators to evaluate air quality and genotoxic compounds in an urban environment in Southern Brazil.

Biological indicators are widely used to monitor genotic compounds and air quality in urban environments. Parmotrema tinctorum and Teloschistes exilis have been used to verify the presence of pollutants and analyze morphophysiological alterations in the thallus of species caused by their action. Species were exposed for seven months, in an urban area, in southern Brazil.

Runoff of genotoxic compounds in river basin sediment under the influence of contaminated soils.

Contaminated sites must be analyzed as a source of hazardous compounds in the ecosystem. Contaminant mobility in the environment may affect sources of surface and groundwater, elevating potential risks. This study looked at the genotoxic potential of samples from a contaminated site on the banks of the Taquari River, RS, Brazil, where potential environmental problems had been identified (pentachlorophenol, creosote and hydrosalt CCA).