Search

Industrialisation and urbanisation in the world and Iran have led to high levels of heavy metal contamination in water resources. The health risk of exposure to heavy metals via drinking water in two western cities of Mazandaran province, Iran was assessed. The concentrations of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) in 60 water samples collected from groundwater resources of the cities of Noshahr and Ramsar were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks assessment for adults, teenagers, and children were estimated in terms of hazard quotient (HQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LTCR), 'respectively'. The average concentrations of As, Cr, and Pb in drinking water were 'respectively' 1.9, 21.6, and 1.8 µg/L in Noshahr and 1.2, 15.6, and 1 µg/L in Ramsar. These results showed that the concentration of metals in the studied areas were within standard ranges. The average HQs caused by exposure to Cr (0.229–0.383), As (0.200–0.333) and Pb (.016–.027) in Noshahr were lower than one. Also, the average HQ calculated due to exposure to Cr (0.151–0.253), As (0.132–0.219), and Pb (0.009–0.015) in Ramsar were within safe range. The non-carcinogenic risk of the heavy metals in Noshahr and Ramsar was in the following order: Cr > As > Pb. Based on the LTCR values, the carcinogenic risk of Cr in drinking water in the cities was higher than that of As. The LTCR values of As and Cr in drinking water for all the age groups in the cities were higher than the acceptable limit (10−5) recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The results can be helpful for health policy makers to prioritise interventions in the environmental health action plan and for people in taking protective measures such as using home water treatment devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most abundant element in the atmosphere, nitrogen is a vital nutrient for plant growth. Nitrate is the main form of nitrogen uptake by plants. Although nitrates are relatively low in toxicity, if they accumulate in vegetables can be converted to nitrite and nitrous acids in the human body. This study collected 83 tomato and 40 onion samples cultivated in Fars province; then nitrate concentration was determined by an HPLC, also cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) concentration by an atomic absorption instrument. The Cd and Pb in samples were below the detection limits (LOD) of the techniques used. However, the nitrate concentration in tomato and onion samples from Fars province varied from 0 to 154.40 mg/kg and 0 to 317.20 mg/kg, respectively. The mean chronic daily intake (CDI) for tomatoes in children, women and men was 0.1188, 0.0375, and 0.0366, and for onions, 0.1899, 0.0605, and 0.0447, respectively. On the other hand, the 95th percentile hazard index in the probabilistic method for nitrate for children, women, and men were 0.81, 0.26, and 0.21, respectively. Also, nitrate concentration in onion for children and tomatoes in both men and women was identified as the most considerable parameter in assessing the non-carcinogenic risk of nitrate. This study showed that the amount of nitrate in some samples of tomatoes and onions was not within the acceptable international standard limits. Therefore, monitoring the nitrate concentration in these high-consumption vegetables is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation aims to identify sources and assess the concentrations, spatial distribution patterns, and ecological and health risks of Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd from road dust (RD) samples collected from Qom, Iran. Samples were collected from the surface of the roads, and were air-dried for 15 days. Debris including hair and leaves were removed from samples by using 1000-μm nylon sieve. One gram of each dried samples were digested according to US environmental protection agency (USEPA) method using HCl, HNO3, and H2O2 for analysis of heavy metals (HMs), and utilising inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The mean concentrations for all HMs have higher values in the warm season with total mean concentrations of Zn = 227.3 > Pb = 130.1 > Ni = 94.2 > Cu = 78.7 > Cr = 39.5 > Cd = 2 mg/kg. Furthermore, correlations between all concentrations have been investigated using Pearson's method after approving normal distribution for all HMs through Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test. The spatial distribution of Pb, Zn, and Ni show higher concentrations in the periphery of Qom, while Cu, Cr, and Cd are almost the same for the whole city. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) categorised all HMs as uncontaminated (average Igeo <0) except for Pb and Zn with average Igeo of 1.52 and 1.01, respectively. Ecological risk (Er) analysis confirms lower risk for all HMs (average Er <40). The warm season exhibits a higher potential ecological risk index (average RI = 81.73) for all components compared to the cold season (average RI = 75.85). Hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk assessment (CRA) values ranged lower than 1 and 10−6, respectively, and thus, revealed negligible health risks for individuals. Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) points to four factors for HMs dominantly affected by traffic-related and anthropogenic activities (contributing 38.56%), and natural sources (accounting for 32.45%) in the cold and warm seasons, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physicochemical contents, antioxidant capacities, and radiological contamination levels of 20 honey samples were studied in this study to show the quality of the hive honey. Moreover, some antioxidant activities and radical scavenging properties of honey samples were investigated. The findings showed that the antioxidant properties of honey, which are strongly connected to their floral origins, have a significant therapeutic potential. While artificial radioactive 137Cs could not be detected in any of the honey samples, the average activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were 0.79 ± 0.23 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 0.85 ± 0.32 Bq kg−1 for 232Th and 68.33 ± 22.80 Bq kg−1 for 40K, respectively. The difference in 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K contents between honey species was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In addition, the lifetime cancer risk values calculated from honey consumption were found to be below the acceptable limit values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrite (NO2-), nitrate (NO3-), and fluoride (F-) are three of the most prevalent elements found in drinking water that should be regularly assessed since they can have significant and very important impacts on human health. Health risk assessment is one technique for assessing how these three components affect human health. The main objective of this study was to assess the health risks of NO2-, NO3-, and F- in the drinking water of Yasuj, Iran. Health risk assessment was accomplished through probabilistic and deterministic approaches. NO2-, NO3-, and F-concentrations were measured at 51 sampling sites of the distribution network from 2018 to 2019. The mean concentration of NO2-, NO3-, and F- were 0.07 (0.01–0.15), 9.05 (3.2–18), and 0.23 (0.02–0.65) mg/L, respectively, and were lower than World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian standard. Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis were applied to determine the non-carcinogenic risk of NO2-, NO3-, and F-. The hazard quotient (HQ) was computed for four classified subgroups of infants, teenagers, children, and adults for the human health risk assessment of the ingestion route. The HQ values for all subgroups were less than 1. The sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that the NO3- and F- levels had the greatest effect in adults and infants compared to other subgroups. The results demonstrated that the NO2-, NO3-, and F-levels in Yasuj drinking water are safe for the inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrochemical properties of groundwater (n = 32) collected from eight Gram Panchayats (GP) in Kushmandi Block of South Dinajpur District in West Bengal, India and human health risk posed by groundwater fluoride (F−) and iron (Fe) are reported. About 18% and 28.7% of the collected water samples exceeded the permissible limits for F− and Fe, respectively, as per prescribed potable water quality standards of WHO and Bureau of Indian Standards. Total Dissolved Solid in groundwater never exceeded the acceptable limit of 500 mg l −1 (maximum value was 301.6 mg l −1) while NO3- ranged from near zero to 17.8 mg l−1, never exceeding the safe limit of 45 mg l−1. Hydrogeochemical analyses revealed the dominance of Ca/Na-bicarbonate type water throughout the Block and indicated that fluorite (CaF2) could be the most prominent source of F− in groundwater. Non-carcinogenic health risk index due to exposure to F− was more than unity in infants, children and adults in the order of HQChildren>HQInfant>HQAdult. Sensitivity analysis to ascertain non-carcinogenic human health risk of F− through multi-exposure pathways undertaken by Monte Carlo (MC) simulation (Oracle Crystal Ball, version 11.1.2.4.850) indicated that concentration of F− and Fe (Ci), their ingestion rate (IR), and exposure duration (ED) were the most influential governing factors behind non-carcinogenic health risks posed by F− and Fe consumption. Groundwater was rated as having 'Low' irrigation water quality (Sodium Adsorption Ratio, SAR <10 and Residual Sodium Carbonate, RSC of 0.41–2.88). Other important parameters of irrigation water quality, such as electrical conductivity (maximum 409 μS cm−1) and chloride (maximum 30.8 mg l−1), were also well within the recommended safe limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The road shipping has become one of the major metal contamination sources that could impact on roadside soils. Therefore, this study was conducted to determination, possible source identification and potential ecological and human health risks assessment of trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in roadside surface soil samples in Hamedan, west of Iran in 2018. In so doing, a total of 63 roadside soil specimens from three main highways, including Goltapeh (G), Razan (R), and Kermanshah (K), were collected. Then, the contents of elements in roadside soils were determined using ICP-OES. Based on the results obtained, the highways with heavy traffic have the highest accumulation of all the metals, suggesting the effect of traffic density on metals concentrations. Computed values of pollution indices with mean of 0.970 for I-geo and 2.16 for PI pointed out that the soils collected from R and K roads primarily contaminated by Zn. The results of potential ecological risk assessment (RI) indicated that the surface soNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).ils at all the sites with RI < 150 have low ecological risk. Also, based on the results of human health risk assessment there was no substantial non-carcinogenic risk found to both children and adults through exposure to studied metals in roadside soil. The carcinogenic risk of Cr for both target populations was at the tolerable or acceptable level, while the other metals have no considerable carcinogenic risk. Hazard quotient (HQ) values demonstrated that ingestion was the main path of road soil metal exposure to man beings. Multivariate statistical analyses represented that Mn in the roadside soils derived from both soil minerals erosion and exhaust sources. Other metals also derived from non-exhaust sources (e.g. wear and tear of brakes, tires, engines, and lubricating oil). Our findings could be provided a theoretic basis and data support for pollution monitoring and control, soil remediation treatment and the implementation of public prevention in roadside areas of Hamedan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high consumption of pesticides in agricultural lands, especially wheat fields, due to the high volume of production of this product in the world, has created certain concerns regarding the product health. Therefore, this study aims to identify and assess the risk of malathion and deltamethrin pesticides in agricultural fields in Aran-Bidgol. At first, twelve wheat fields where spraying was done with malathion and deltamethrin, were selected. The health risk assessment showed that wheat and bread consumers, children and adults, were not at significant non-carcinogenic health risk (THQ <1), but environmental monitoring should be continuous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess heavy metal pollution and human health risks, 481 samples from 59 soil sampling points were collected from different soil layers at an underground depth of 10 m in a tin ore area in Yunnan, China. The soil around the mining area was polluted by heavy metals to varying degrees, and high concentrations of Cd, Pb, As, and Cu posed serious ecological risks. Owing to leaching and infiltration of heavy metals, the lower soil samples were also severely polluted as much as the surface soil. The heavy metals mainly accumulated in the soil layers at depths of 0 − 6 m. Meanwhile, the concentration decreased with an increase in soil depth, after which it stabilised. Residents of the area are currently at danger of being diagnosed with non-carcinogenic disorders, while exhibiting a significantly elevated risk of carcinogenicity; children are at a higher risk than adults. In addition, As was the primary threatening factor to the health of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining worker exposure to hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air at levels exceeding the Permissible Exposure Limits and Recommended Exposure Limits established by the U.S. federal agencies of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), respectively, will continue to be an important part of environmental and occupational health risk assessments. The purpose of this work was to develop a reliable analytical method for rapid and on-site assessments of occupational VOC exposures using field-capable thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) instrumentation (i.e. the HAPSITE® ER). The experiments involved in this study included determining TD-GC-MS parameters suitable for efficient analyte separation and quantitation on the HAPSITE® ER, determinations of analyte mass loadings that cause mass spectrometer detector saturations, generation of calibration curves, estimations of the limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), as well as desorption efficiency and relative response factor repeatability. The LODs using Carbopack™ B and Tenax® TA sampling media were estimated and ranged from 0.2–1.9 ng and 0.045–0.3 ng, respectively. The LOQs using Carbopack™ B and Tenax TA sampling media were estimated and ranged from 1.0–6.3 ng and 0.2–1.1 ng, respectively. We have developed a reliable analytical method for chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, and heptane using field-portable HAPSITE® ER instrumentation and Tenax® TA sorbent media. Reliable and accurate methods were developed for chloroform and trichloroethylene using Carbopack™ B sorbent media, however, this particular sorbent hadlow desorption efficiency and insufficient repeatability in relative response factors for many analytes. Our current and ongoing work in determining the uptake rates for analytes on Tenax® TA sorbent media will make the methods described herein applicable for on-site occupational VOC exposure assessments of chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, and heptane using either passive or active air sampling techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of tea as one most widely consumed beverage in Iran with the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) leads to adverse health effects. In the current study, a meta-analysis and probabilistic risk assessment regarding PTEs concentration in tea samples from Iran were performed using international databases (PubMed and Scopus) and national databases (SID, Irandoc, and Magiran) from 2005 to 1 June 2022. Data were analysed using the random-effects model based on Iranian and imported tea subgroups, and a probabilistic health risk assessment was conducted using the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The highest THQ in adults and children due to consumption of Iranian tea was related to As (0.0635) and As (0.2964), respectively, and the highest THQ in adults and children due to consumption of imported tea was related to Cu (0.0266) and Cu (0.1242), respectively. TTHQ in adults and children's consumers due to PTEs ingestion via consumption of Iranian tea was 0.21 and 1.01, respectively, and TTHQ due to PTEs ingestion via consumption of imported tea was 0.22 and 0.94, respectively. Therefore, non-carcinogenic risk in children due to consumption of Iranian tea was higher than 1 value. The mean CR for content of inorganic As in adults and children via consumption of Iranian tea was 2.89E-5 and 1.35E-4, respectively, and the mean CR for inorganic As in adults and children via consumption of imported tea was 9.44E-6 and 4.42E-5 respectively. Hence adults and children, due to both Iranian and imported tea consumption, are at considerable carcinogenic risk. It is recommended to carry out continuous monitoring plans at country customs and reduce sources of tea contamination to PTEs in agricultural fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we isolated linalool, geraniol, carvacrol, thymol, menthol and eugenol; synthesised their phenoxyacetic acid derivatives; and assessed their phytotoxic and genotoxic potentials against weeds and agricultural crops. Moreover, the fungicidal activity of both categories of compounds against 12 fungi was examined. Finally, using probabilistic assessment based on Risk Quotient (RQ) by the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method, we examined human health risks via oral exposure to these compounds. Toxic potencies to plants demonstrated that all parameters and related indices including germination percentage, mean germination time, germination rate, root length, shoot length, seedling length and vigour index dose-dependently decreased in both weeds and agricultural crops. Based on the comet assay, DNA damage was observed in the root meristems of the plants. Consequently, a significant decrease was observed in head DNA, whereas a significant increase in tail DNA was observed in response to treatments. Besides, the natural components and semisynthetic molecules showed a broad spectrum of fungicidal traits. However, eugenol and eugenoxyacetic acid inhibitory effects on the growth of the tested fungi were similar to that of benomyl. Our probabilistic health risk assessment indicated di minimis risk for natural components and their phenoxyacetic acid derivatives. Sensitivity analysis showed that concentrations of residues of the compounds had the most significant effect on risk. Current findings could offer a platform for developing sustainable approaches to reduce chemical residues and their consequent risks to the environment and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of toxic heavy metals in vegetables is a matter of concern worldwide as they impose significant public health hazards. This study quantified heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in widely consumed vegetables such as red amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), radish leaf (Raphanus sativus), brinjal (Solanum melongena), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), carrot (Daucus carota), and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) grown in Savar industrial areas of Bangladesh to assess human health risks. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine heavy metals in vegetables (n = 96). Studied heavy metals were detected in most vegetable samples, whereas 59.38% and 40.62% of samples contained carcinogenic Pb and Cd higher than the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maximum allowable concentration (MAC). Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that wastewater irrigation due to anthropogenic activities is the main source of heavy metal contamination in vegetables of the study area. Human health risks were assessed in terms of estimated daily intake (EDI), incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCR), target hazard quotient (THQ), and hazard index (HI). EDI values of all heavy metals were lower than the corresponding maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI) values. The ILCR values of Pb in most samples (except fenugreek) for children were found above the threshold value (ILCR> 10−4), indicating carcinogenic health effects from lifetime consumption of these vegetables. The THQs of Pb in sample red amaranth and carrot were greater than 1.0, indicating potential non-carcinogenic risks of consuming contaminated vegetables. The HI values of all heavy metals in red amaranth and carrot >1.0 for adults and children, suggesting health hazards from these samples. This study might help policymakers and concerned authorities to implement a strategic plan for safe vegetable production and minimise the health risks of consuming heavy metal contaminated vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the health and ecological risks of natural radionuclides and heavy metals based on 23 sediment and water samples collected from some sediment at the Red Sea Coast in Egypt. The studied area is characterised old harbour used for shipping and processing phosphate ore. The results revealed that Cd and Zn contents in some water and sediment samples exceeded the standard limit, their concentrations reached (0.027–0.09) mg/L in water and (4.5–236) mg/Kg in sediment samples respectively. While the other analysed trace elements Fe, Mn, Ni, pb and Cu remain below permissible limits. The estimated contamination degree varied from low to considerable while the ecologic risk indices revealed that sediment ranged 10.8 to 466.6 as from low to moderately contaminate with trace elements. The average activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K were 3.4, 0.83 and 5.5 Bq/L in water and 63.5, 16.5 and 556 Bq/Kg in sediment samples which were below the recommended limits except for the activity concentrations of 238U and 40K in some water and sediment samples above the permissible limits. The total annual effective dose rates from the exposure pathway were 0.09 to 0.26 mSv y−1. The estimated excess lifetime cancer risk values for workers were slightly higher than that of the sediment world average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children have higher threats due to their exposure and higher susceptibility to the environmental pollutants. The current study put an effort on detecting different heavy metals in children play products and its related effects on children's health. Heavy metals were detected in the selected samples from the local markets of city Lahore by using flame atomic absorption spectrometer (iCE 3000 series). Results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Ni and Zn) except Pb and Cd are below the EU migration limits. The concentration of Pb in all samples and the concentration of Cd in nineteen samples exceeds from the limits. Highest values of Pb and Cd detected in poster paints were (8.33 ± 1 mg/kg) and (0.94 ± 0.1 mg/kg), respectively. In crayons and playing dough highest values of Pb and Cd detected were (10.94 ± 1 mg/kg), (2.75 ± 0.1 mg/kg) and (9.313 ± 01 mg/kg), (1.9 ± 0.1 mg/kg), respectively. Obtained results are further used to calculate both the oral and dermal health risks of these playing products. The value of the total health risk assessment was less than 1 in all the selected playing products. The maximum value of the total health risk assessment is detected in crayon (3.97E-02), which can cause serious health problems. Therefore, it is needed to make laws which limit the use of heavy metals in these playing products in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth, industrial development, and a massive increase in the application of resources have led to the deterioration of human environmental quality. Due to the carcinogenicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), these compounds have been considered by environmentalists. The potential hazard to human health from exposure to 16 priority PAHs in street dust was investigated using 21 street dust samples from different land uses in Masjed Soleyman. PAH concentrations were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that the mean concentration of PAHs in residential, commercial, and busy traffic land uses was 203.82, 557.73, and 311.12 µg·kg−1 respectively. Furthermore, the maximum and minimum amounts of total PAHs were detected in commercial and residential land uses, respectively. High molecular weight PAHs consisted 58% of total PAHs in the sampling area. Based on the results of diagnostic ratios, the main source of PAHs emission was pyrogenic. Results of Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) showed that the risks were negligible although higher for children compared to adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was performed to determine the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and health risk in potato and related products (raw potato, fries potato, charcoal-grilled potato, gas-grilled potato, boiled potato and industrial potato chips) using the MSPE technique (magnetic solid phase extraction) and GC/MS method (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). The results exhibited that the median of 16 PAHs was 10.63 µg/kg. Also, the median level of BaP (Benzo[a]pyrene) in samples was 0.07 µg/kg, which was less than standard level of the European Commission (maximum level of BaP in vegetables is 1 and in dried herbs is 10 μg/kg). The highest and lowest median level of ƩPAHs were evaluated in potato chips (19.28 μg/kg) and raw potatoes (6.31 μg/kg), respectively. The simulation of Monte Carlo used to estimate the indexes of Chronic Daily Intake (CDI) and Incremental Life Cancer Risk (ILCR). This results showed the rank order of the index of CDI according to percentile 95% was Nap > Ace > Acy > Ph > Fla > An > Chr > B(k)F > B(a)P. The cancer risk assessment exhibited PAHs in samples did not pose a serious concern to humans (ILCR<10−6), which were below the provisional maximum tolerable daily (10 ng/kg bw day−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to assess the concentration of nitrate (NO3) and fluoride (F), and associated health risks in the four tehsils of district Khyber i.e. Jamrud, Bara, Landi Kotal, and Mula Gori. A total of 61 samples from various groundwater sources were collected and analysed. Groundwater results showed that the mean values of F were 0.86, 0.83, 0.67, and 2.9 mg/l, and that of NO3 15.8, 8.38, 9.76, 4.22 mg/l in Bara, Jamrud, Landi Kotal, and Mula Gori, respectively. Furthermore, health risk assessment was carried out for different age groups i.e. adult male/female (66 years), teens male/female (16 years), and children (6 years). The results revealed that HI values of F through groundwater consuption was > 1 in 39.3% and 16.4% of the samples for children and other age groups (teen and adults), respectively. Similarly, HI values of NO3 for children, adults, and teens were higher than the threshold value in 62.3%, 34.4%, and 39.3% of the samples, respectively. The principal component analysis (PCA)revealed that the predominant source of F enrichment in groundwater was geogenic. However, for the NO3 proportion in the region, the potential causes were agricultural activities. Results revealed that the region requires immediate attention, and remedial measures must be implemented to protect residents from the adverse effects of NO3 and F in the district of Khyber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entrance of heavy metals through human activities causes pollution of water, soil, and plants. The aim of this study was to measure the heavy metals concentration (Hg, Pb, As, and Cd) and their ecological impacts on water, soil, and vegetables in the Kashaf Roud River basin. Hence, 72 samples of irrigation water, 72 samples of soils, and 216 samples of vegetables (dill, leek, and basil) were collected. The contamination levels were evaluated by several ecological indices including Ecological Risks index (ERI), Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI), Contamination factor (Cf), Pollution Index (PI), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), Potential ecological risk index (RI), Pollution load index (PLI), and modified degree of contamination (MDC). Based on obtained results, concentrations of heavy metals in water and soil samples were in the order of Pb>As>Cd>Hg. In addition, Pb and As had the highest concentration in vegetables with the mean total concentrations of 1.60 and 0.08 mgkg−1 wet weight, respectively. According to ERI value (238), water sampling site no. 3 had higher pollution than other places and was classified in the considerable ecological risk. Among the soil samples, the Cf average values followed the declining order of Cd (7.78)>Pb (6.91)>Hg (4.26)>As (2.68), so that Pb and Cd presented high contamination levels. Moreover, all soil samples of the studied region possessed PLI>1, which confirms their contamination with heavy metals. Finally, the trends in the BAF values for heavy metals in various vegetables were in order of Hg>Cd≈Pb>As for Leek and Hg>As> Pb>Cd for Dill and Basil. Concentrations of heavy metals in soil and water samples were within the national and international standard ranges. However, the concentrations of these metals in some vegetable samples exceeded the national and international levels. The utilisation of standard quality effluent for agricultural irrigation requires control measures and good organisational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of toxic chemicals formed during incomplete combustion of organic materials. In this study, the 16 PAHs were investigated in meat and meat products. Literature search was performed in Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science databases from 2000 to 2021. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used. Fifteen (15) studies containing 155 observations were selected based on the criteria. The sum of 16 PAHs ranged from 0.4 to 2290.32 µg/kg (wet weight). Low-weight PAH were dominant species. The pooled weight of the studies indicated that the effect size of PAH concentration was 4.02 µg/kg (95% CI = 0.495 to 7.545, p = 0.03) with the I2, Q statistics and Tau2 corresponding to 47.61, 638.36 values and 100%, respectively. The upper confidence limit (UCL) for excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) estimates ranged from 2.76 × 10−5 to 1.15 and in 97% of estimates, the ELCR value showed high potential risk. The UCL for the hazard index (HI) estimates ranged from 2.53 × 10−3 to 33.9 from which 39.35% of the estimates displayed high non-carcinogenic health risks. Environmental contamination in raw samples and cooking procedures in processed samples were responsible for further PAH formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 25 Ilam street dust specimens were sampled to investigate the possible ecological and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We found that the average concentrations of heavy metal(loid)s, namely Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, V, and As, were 52, 213, 63, 46, 0.4, 44, 31, and 5 mg/kg, respectively. The average concentration of all heavy metal(loid)s except for Cr and V was several times higher than the baseline values. We evaluated Zn and Pb in the region using the average enrichment factor (EF) and pollution index (PI); the Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI) indicated that 76% of the samples had high degrees of pollution. According to principal component analysis (PCA), three principle components are involved in the heavy metal(loid) pollution of Ilam street dust. For example, the pollution sources of Cu, Cr, Cd, and Ni likely originated from anthropogenetic origins, including traffic, tire depreciation, and gasoline use. The sources of Pb and Zn were other anthropogenic activities, such as metal corroding and the combustion of garbage and gases from industries, while V and As were probably from natural sources. The range of sum over 11 PAHs was 167–11,497 μg/kg with a mean of 2242 μg/kg. The concentration of low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs averaged 1471 μg/kg, accounting for 66% of the total PAHs; their sources were mainly associated with combustion and pyrogenic emissions. The PCA also revealed that PAHs mainly originated from burning fossil fuels. The values of RQ∑PAHs (MPCs) and RQ∑PAHs (NCs) were respectively >1 and ≥800, indicating a high ecosystem risk for PAHs. Mean values for RQ∑PAHs (MPCs) and RQ∑PAHs (NCs) were 4 and 1021, respectively, implying that Ilam street dust poses a relatively high ecosystem risk of PAHs. Street dust PAHs' toxic equivalency quotient (TEQ) varied from 26 to 199 μg/kg. The total cancer risk was 3.92 × 10−4 and 4.06 × 10−4 for adults and children, respectively, indicating that the potential for cancer risk is very high through dust dermal contact and ingestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organochlorine, organophosphate, triazole, and strobilurin pesticides were determined in fish samples. Relative standard deviations lower than 9.3% were obtained for organochlorine pesticides and 10.8% for other pesticides. Accuracy ranged from 73% to 119% for organochlorine pesticides and 80.4% to 116% for organophosphate, triazole, and strobilurin pesticides. A total of 28 pesticides were analysed and 7 of them were detected (exceeding 10 µg/kg) in some samples, with the highest concentration recorded at 68.5 µg/kg, corresponding to heptachlor epoxide A. The pesticide most frequently detected was β HCH, found in 30 of the 100 analysed samples. Hazard Quotient values were estimated for men, women, and children. These values exceeded 1 for heptachlor epoxide in women and children, as well as for endrin in children. These findings emphasise the need for stricter controls to reduce fish contamination and mitigate health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human breast milk is the optimal source of nutrition for newborns, but the potential transfer of contaminants like mycotoxins, particularly ochratoxin A (OTA), from maternal blood to milk remains a concern. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of global OTA levels in human breast milk and assess the associated health risks. We conducted a thorough search of scientific databases, including Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar and PubMed, using keywords related to OTA in human breast milk. A total of 39 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. OTA levels compared to limits, estimated infant intake at various ages and health risks assessed using Margin of Exposures (MOEs) and Hazard quotient (HQ). Our findings reveal the widespread presence of OTA in breast milk across different regions, with notably higher levels detected in Africa compared to Asia, South America and Europe. The higher concentrations observed in warmer, humid climates suggest that environmental factors significantly influence OTA contamination. Mature breast milk samples generally exhibited greater OTA exposure. The neoplastic and non-neoplastic effects demonstrate generally low risks globally. The regional differences in OTA levels and associated health risk assessments underscore the need for continued research into the health impacts of OTA exposure in infants. This includes further investigation into multiple sources of exposure, such as infant formula, within the broader context of the exposome framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed beverages worldwide, so assessing its quality for potential health risks is essential. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the levels of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee worldwide and then estimate its human intake and health risks. The systematic search took place from June 1997 to April 2024 and 40 of 254 articles were selected based on the selection criteria. The results showed significant differences in average levels of OTA between countries, continents and coffee types (p < 0.001). Of 3256 samples, OTA was detected in 1778, accounting for 54.6% of the total, with the percentage of positive results varying between 7.5% and 100%. Only two studies reported OTA average levels in roasted coffee exceeding the maximum limit (ML) set by the European Commission (ML-EC = 5 μg/kg). The average OTA in soluble coffee was lower than ML-EC (10 μg/kg) in all studies, and in instant coffee, the level of OTA was higher than ML-EC (10 μg/kg) only in one study. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of OTA in all coffee types was lower than the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) values set by joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) (14 ng/kg bw/day) and proposed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (17 ng/kg bw/day). Non-carcinogenic risk assessment through coffee consumption indicated that the hazard quotient (HQ) was below the acceptable level, HQ = 1. The Margin of Exposure (MoE) for neoplastic effects was acceptable and unacceptable for non-neoplastic effects (NNE) in 4.5% (one of 22 cases) of the roasted and soluble coffees, but acceptable for all instant coffees. In conclusion, the study shows that the OTA content of coffee is not toxic to consumers worldwide. However, preventative measures should be taken, including inhibiting fungal growth and reducing OTA-producing fungal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total plastic production is expected to reach 33 billion tons by 2050, and microplastic emissions from effluents to the environment range from 0.46 million to 140 billion tons. Microplastic distribution and toxicological effects are actually poorly known. Here we review microplastic pollution with emphasis on their environmental distribution, their aging, their analysis in the environment and living organisms, their toxicity alone or combined with other contaminants, and their mitigation techniques. We present microplastic distribution in soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microplastic aging is controlled by physical, chemical, and biological factors. Model organisms of microplastic exposure include zebrafish, earthworms, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Arabidopsis thaliana. Microplastic exposure to humans could induce gastrointestinal, pulmonary, reproductive, and cardiovascular toxicity, and neurotoxicity. We discuss the combined toxicity of microplastics with organic pollutants, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, and antibiotics. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are currently the most commonly used techniques for microplastic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2002, with the SARS outbreak, infectious diseases, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have continued to be a major global public health threat. It is critical to develop effective data science methods to quickly detect disease outbreaks and contain their rapid globalized spread. However, in practice, limited testing availability, and thus insufficient testing data poses significant challenges in effective analysis and real-time monitoring of infectious diseases, especially during early stages of a novel disease outbreak. To tackle these challenges, this article proposes adaptive testing resource allocation strategies integrated with a physics-informed model to dynamically allocate limited testing resources across different communities. The physics-informed model accounts for transmission dynamics and health disparities, enabling effective health risk assessment despite limited data. By integrating nonstationary Multi-Armed Bandit techniques that strike superior balance between exploring the communities with high uncertain risks and exploiting those with high risk levels, the proposed methodology facilitates test allocation to collect high-quality testing data for early outbreak detection. Theoretical analysis is carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed allocation strategies, ensuring either sublinear or linear dynamic pseudo-regret under regularity assumptions. A comprehensive simulation study is conducted under three transmission scenarios to thoroughly evaluate the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals can easily accumulate in soil and river sediment due to their non-degradability, which seriously endangers the balance of the ecosystem and human health. Thus, research on heavy metals in soil-river composite ecosystems has great significance for risk mitigation. As a seasonal river in a semi-arid region (Yuzhong county) in northwest China, the Wanchuan River supports nearly 500,000 people, but has been polluted by the heavy metals from industrial wastes and sewage discharges. To protect precious water resources and soil ecosystems, it is urgent to do heavy metal research in the Wanchuan River basin. Towards this end, the current study collected samples of soil and river sediment in this basin, and analyzed the distribution characteristics, health risks, and pollution sources of heavy metals, based on the pollution index evaluation method, health risk assessment, a geostatistical model, and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. The research results show that the contents of heavy metals in soil and river sediment were equivalent. However, contamination levels of heavy metals in stream sediment fell below that in soil. The results from the PMF model pointed out that natural sources contributed remarkably to the contents of heavy metals in soil, while industrial sources had the highest contribution to the contents of heavy metals in river sediment. According to the health risk assessment, among all selected metals, Cr brought about the highest carcinogenic risk, while As generated the highest non-carcinogenic risk. Source-oriented health risk assessment showed that natural sources (37%) and agricultural sources (50%), respectively, contributed most to the non-carcinogenic risks and carcinogenic risks induced by soil metals. Industrial sources contributed most both to the non-carcinogenic risks (46%) and carcinogenic risks (37%) induced by river sediment metals. The current research may offer theoretical bases for heavy metal pollution treatment in the soil-river continuum. [Display omitted] • The soil-river continuum of the Wanchuan river was slightly polluted by heavy metals. • The distribution of heavy metals in soil and sediment was similar, but soil had a higher pollution degree than sediment. • Ingestion pathway induced the higher health risk than inhalation and dermal exposure. • Natural and agricultural sources were the main contributors to soil heavy metals, while industry dominated in sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverine contamination of metals and metalloids is a growing global concern. However, our understanding of how cascade reservoirs influence the fate of these pollutants remains limited. In this study, we focused on the Jinsha River, a typical large river polluted with metal(loid)s in Southwest China, to investigate the partitioning and transport of these substances from the upper natural reaches to the lower cascade reservoirs-regulated reaches during both flood and dry seasons. Results revealed that the rapid urbanization and industrial development following the construction of reservoirs led to significant copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) pollution. Through various analytical techniques such as correlation analysis, principal component analysis, redundancy analysis, and structural equation modeling, we determined that reservoirs had a profound impact on solid-associated parameters, including particulate organic matter (POM), suspended solid concentration (SSC), and median particle diameter (D50). These parameters, in turn, affected the fate of metal(loid)s through processes like sorption-desorption and dissolution-precipitation. High POM concentrations and low SSC and D50 values resulted in the precipitation of most particulate metal(loid)s, thereby reducing their transport across reservoirs. As river water moved downstream across the reservoirs, the percentage of particulate metal(loid)s decreased by 6.1% for arsenic (As), 38.3% for Cu, 74.9% for Ni, 36.8% for Cr, 17.8% for Cd, and 41.9% for Pb, respectively. Furthermore, the cascade reservoirs had cumulative effects on the deposition of particulate metal(loid)s, particularly concerning Cr, Cd, and Pb in the final reservoirs. Human health risk assessments indicated that dissolved As and Pb posed potential non-carcinogenic threats to residents. Despite the fact that reservoirs captured most particulate metal(loid)s, the transport of dissolved As and Pb across the reservoirs still impacted the safety of downstream drinking water. Therefore, in cascade reservoir systems, the concern regarding dissolved metal(loid) pollution remains a priority for future reservoir management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of trace elements such as lithium (Li) in water resources in the long term can endanger consumers' health. Several studies have been conducted on Li concentration in water sources; hence, this study attempted to retrieve studies using a systematic search. The search was conducted in Web of Sciences, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases from 1 January 2010 to 15 January 2023. Li concentration was meta-analyzed based on the type of water resources and countries subgroups in the random effects model (REM) statistical analysis. In addition, health risk assessment in different age groups was calculated using the target hazard quotient (THQ). This study included 76 papers with 157 data reports in our meta-analysis. The overall pooled concentration of Li was 5.374 (95 % CI: 5.261–5.487 μg/L). The pooled concentration of Li in groundwater (40.407 μg/L) was 14.53 times surface water (2.785 μg/L). The highest water Li content was attributed to Mexico (2,209.05 μg/L), Bolivia (1,444.05 μg/L), Iraq (1,350 μg/L), and Argentina (516.39 μg/L). At the same time, the lowest water Li content was associated with Morocco (1.20 μg/L), Spain (0.46 μg/L), and India (0.13 μg/L). THQ due to Li in water resources in consumers of Iraq, Mexico, South Africa, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Portugal, Malawi, South Korea, Nepal, South Korea, Argentina, and the USA was higher than 1 value. Therefore, continuous monitoring of Li concentration in water sources and reducing Li concentration, especially in groundwater water, using new water treatment processes in these countries are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nonferrous Metals (Extractive Metallurgy) is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Seafood is considered a healthy and nutritious food, but the presence of toxic substances in such foods is a serious problem. The present study aimed to analyze the concentration of some toxic metals in seafood and evaluate their noncarcinogenic risks to consumers. Samples were digested according to the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC) standard. The heavy metals concentration of Cd, Ni, Hg, Pb, and Sn in 30 canned tuna samples were determined using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The mean concentrations of Cd, Ni, Sn, Pb, and Hg were 0.7, 0.49, 1.03, 0.31, and 0.12 µg g− 1, respectively. Based on these results, the concentrations of Cd, Sn, and Hg in samples met the required standards. However, the concentrations of Ni and Pb in some samples were higher than the permissible limits. The mean values of Sn, Ni, Pb, Hg, and Cd in samples followed a decreasing order. Since the values of the health risk index for these samples were lower than the HI and HRI risk threshold (<1), they can be consumed without any problems arising. Highlights: The metal concentration was measured in the four most popular brands of canned fish sold in Neyshabur City, Iran. Some samples exceeded the maximum permissible level of nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb). A significant correlation was observed between Ni concentration with Pb and Hg concentrations and Pb concentration with Cd concentration. The values of the health risk index (HRI) for noncarcinogenic health risks were lower than 1. The calculated Hazard index (HI) for adult and child consumers was less than 1. The HI values were greater for children than for adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrialization of Nigeria for economic development has led to the pollution of the ecosystem by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through anthropogenic activities. PAHs are toxic organic compounds, ubiquitous and can pose a health-related environmental risk. The sources, concentration, and health risk assessments of PAHs in underground and surface water in Nigeria were reviewed in this study. Previous studies were extracted from research databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Scopus) and appropriately screened. The PAH levels found in the studies were at low and high concentrations and could pose a health-related risk to the populace. The values ranged from ND–17,762 to ND–450,000 µg/L for underground and surface water, respectively. Also, the sources of the PAHs were pyrogenic and petrogenic. The cancer risk assessment values of PAHs in the water recorded low to high-risk values via dermal and ingestion exposure routes to humans. The hazard index (HI) values of the non-carcinogenic risk observed no risk except for only one study. It is recommended that proper monitoring, awareness, and strict enforcement of regulatory laws be implemented to prevent water and environmental pollution by this toxic compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are well-known for exposing living organisms and humans to different levels of risk. The present study aimed to evaluate the extent of exposure to health risks sustained by the inhabitants of different suburbs across Southeastern Nigeria as a result of contaminated water sources. There are existing literatures on human health risk assessment in the study region. However, this is the first study to report a detailed breakdown of the risks faced by nine age groups in the study area. This was achieved by integrating a novel code (HERisk), statistical clustering, and water quality data. Laboratory analysis showed that the levels of PTEs (Fe2+, Ni2+, Cr3+, and Pb2+) in 53.6%, 17.8%, 3.5%, and 46% of the samples were found to be above the recommended limits. Aggregated human health risk scores for ingestion and dermal routes revealed that children aged 1 to 2 years are the most vulnerable to health hazards. According to cumulative carcinogenic health risk values (0.00E+00 to 2.41E-04), samples proximal to regions with significant human activities expose the locals to a high risk of developing cancer via ingestion. Q-mode hierarchical cluster analysis successfully validated the classification schemes used for the interpretation of the HERisk code values, captured the patterns in the dataset, and brought forth new perspectives. The comprehensive approach detailed in this study can be adopted as a framework for ongoing monitoring and assessment of water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling food waste by feeding it to insects can result in the continuous production of high-quality animal feed protein and organic fertilizer. However, the bioconversion efficiency and safety of using insects as feed protein for animal breeding are important factors limiting the development of this technology. Therefore, we aimed to optimize the efficiency of bioconversion of food waste using Lucilia sericata maggot (LSM). Sodium selenite (SS) was used to improve the quality and safety of each trophic-level organism. The results showed that an SS concentration of 15 mg kg–1 w.w. in the food waste culture substrate (SS15), the yield and quality of the obtained LSMs were optimal. The total selenium (Se) content of LSMs was 82.4 ± 1.16 mg kg–1 d.w., and non-inorganic Se accounted for 96.4% ± 2.01% of the total Se content. Additionally, the conversion efficiency of food waste was 18.7% higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). When SS15 was used to raise maggots as a protein substitute for fish meal (commercial feed), the weight of the chickens and the crude protein content were 1.09–1.26 times and 1.09–1.13 times, respectively (p < 0.05), in comparison with the corresponding findings obtained with the use of ordinary maggots and commercial feed. In this group, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and immunoglobulin A and G activities were significantly higher than those obtained with the other feeds (p < 0.05). During this cyclic utilization process, the total Se content in chickens (0.31 ± 0.05 mg kg–1 w.w. in the breast, 0.19 ± 0.01 mg kg–1 w.w. in the leg, and 0.57 ± 0.01 mg kg–1 w.w. in the liver) significantly increased (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the Cu and Zn contents in the LSMs and chickens increased, whereas cadmium, lead, chromium, and nickel absorption was inhibited (p < 0.05). Health risk assessment based on the levels of Se and heavy metals showed that Se-enriched chickens produced using this method can be safely consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuxin is located in the atmospheric channel around Bohai Bay, and its geographical location is very special. Few existing studies have investigated the pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in atmospheric PM2.5 during the four seasons in Fuxin, so a total of 180 PM2.5 samples were collected from four sampling sites in Fuxin from December 2021 to November 2022. The seasonal distribution characteristics of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sb, Cd and Ba were analysed via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP‒MS), and the source of the heavy metals was analysed via the enrichment factor (EF) and principal component analysis (PCA). A health risk model was used to assess the health risk of respiratory exposure in men, women and children in Fuxin. The results revealed that the annual average mass order of heavy metals in Fuxin PM2.5 was Zn (0.2947 μg·m−3) > Pb (0.0664 μg·m−3) > As (0.0225 μg·m−3) > Ba (0.0205 μg·m−3) > Mn (0.0187 μg·m−3) > Cu (0.0140 μg·m−3) > Cr (0.0095 μg·m−3) > V (0.0067 μg·m−3) > Ni (0.0061 μg·m−3) > Sb (0.0024 μg·m−3) > Cd (0.0019 μg·m−3) > Co (0.0007 μg·m−3). The annual average concentration of As was 3.75 times the GB3095-2012 (China) secondary standard limit, and the concentration of hazard quotient (HQ) in PM2.5 was lower than 1, but the concentration of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) in As was higher than the cancer risk threshold (10–4). These findings indicate a certain risk of cancer in the urban population of Fuxin. Therefore, it is necessary to control the emissions created from coal burning to minimize the health risks to the people of Fuxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in specific regions is still prevalent. Moreover, the impact of past utilization can be observed in the present environmental matrices. The present study monitored the extent of contamination of OCPs in the soil and vegetable samples of Gaya, Bihar, India. For this, 63 soil and vegetable samples were collected from the vegetable cultivated area of Gaya. The collected samples were extracted using a Soxhlet extraction unit and OCPs were analysed with a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detector. The concentration data generated from the analysis were interpreted using statistical tools and software. Mean concentration (μg/g) of Σ19OCPs in soil from residential, agricultural, commercial, and polyhouse sites were 0.69, 2.21, 0.17, and 0.72, respectively. Similarly, in vegetable samples, mean concentration (μg/g) of Σ19OCPs were 0.91, 0.96, 1.00, and 0.67, respectively. Among the monitored vegetable types, the concentration of OCPs increased in the order: pods > tubers > leaves > fruits > roots > stem. The bioconcentration factor of 19 OCPs showed that 61.90% of vegetable samples were hyperaccumulators. The results of molecular diagnostic ratio and positive matrix factorization reported the recent inputs of heptachlor, aldrin, endrin and methoxychlor; the past application of dichlorodimethyltrichloroethane (DDT), endosulfan, and chlordane; and the degradation of DDT to its metabolites and aldrin to dieldrin, which make up an overall source profile of OCPs in study area. The study found that incremental lifetime cancer risks and hazard quotients ranged from 6.98 × 10–8 to 1.31 × 10–5 and 4.25 × 10–2 to 4.63 × 10–1, respectively in vegetable samples which indicate low to high ILCR and low non-carcinogenic risk to populations exposed to OCPs. The study indicates the long lasting impact of past pesticide use by studying the contamination in soil and vegetables, and raises serious concerns about food safety. The contamination poses direct health risk to consumers related to potential carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects. Thus monitoring on the ground level could be a force to modify region specific policies, health, and remediation measures related to exposure to OCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying nitrate sources and migratory pathways is crucial for controlling groundwater nitrate pollution in agricultural watersheds. This study collected 35 shallow groundwater samples in the Nansi Lake Basin (NLB) to identify groundwater nitrate sources and potential health risks. Results showed that NO3− concentration in 62.9% of groundwater samples exceeded the drinking water standard (50 mg/L). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to classify the sampling points into three groups based on hydrochemical and isotopic data. Groups A and C were situated in the eastern recharge and discharge regions of Nansi Lake, while Group B was located in the Yellow River floodplain west of the lake. Hydrochemical data and nitrate stable isotopes (δ15N–NO3− and δ18O–NO3−) indicated that elevated NO3− primarily originated from soil organic nitrogen (SON) in Group A, while manure and sewage (M&S) were the primary sources in Groups B and C samples. Microbial nitrification was identified as the primary nitrogen transformation process across all groups. The source apportionment results indicated that SON contributed approximately 40.1% in Group A, while M&S contributed about 53.9% and 81.2% in Groups B and C, respectively. The Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) model indicated significant non-carcinogenic risks for residents east of Nansi Lake, primarily through the oral pathway, with NO3− concentration identified as the most influential factor by sensitivity analysis. These findings provide new perspectives on identifying and handling groundwater nitrogen pollution in agriculture-dominated NLB and similar basins that require enhanced nitrogen contamination management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the source-specific health risks of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in urban park soils is essential for human health protection. However, previous studies have mostly focused on the deterministic source-specific health risks, ignoring the health risk assessment from a probabilistic perspective. To fill this gap, we developed a hybrid model that incorporated machine learning (ML) interpretability into positive matrix factorization (PMF) and probability health risk assessment (PHRA) based on the Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicated that concentrations of soil PTEs except for Mn and Sb were significantly higher than their corresponding background values. Random forest (RF) was regarded as the best ML model to identify key drivers for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn, with R2 > 0.60, but was less effective for other soil PTEs (R2 < 0.49). Specifically, the contributions of the four potential pollution sources were mixed sources, traffic emission, fuel combustion, and building materials, with contribution rate of 24.88%, 30.56%, 28.99%, and 15.56%, respectively. Fuel combustion contributed the most to non-carcinogenic for children (39.45%), male (43.84%), and female (43.76%), and the non-carcinogenic risk could be considered negligible for human. However, building materials was the major contributor to carcinogenic risk for children (36.1%), male (44.9%), and female (43.2%). The integration of the RF model with PMF and PHRA improved the accuracy of the results by identifying and quantifying the specific sources of each soil PTE using the relative importance analysis from the RF model. The results of this study assisted in providing efficient strategies for risk management and control of soil PTEs in Beijing parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staple food is a crucial exposure route for the human intake of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), but it has been neglected in previous human health risk (HHR) studies. Lack of attention to this issue will lead to an underestimation of HHR caused by PTEs. This study establishes a comprehensive regional identification method for health risk assessment (HRA), namely, soil–maize health risk assessment (SMHRA) and applies it to Ziyang, Shaanxi, which is a typical agricultural county. SMHRA considered the exposure pathway of staple food and utilized Monte Carlo simulation to enhance the accuracy of HRA for PTEs. Results indicated the PTE spatial heterogeneity in a soil–maize system. Introducing staple food exposure pathway would increase HHR values and probabilities 1.57–2.80 and 1.53–5.63 times than that when food route was not considered. Overall, the HHR caused by a single PTE was low, which relatively safe. The introduction of food pathway contributed to accurate estimate the HHR of As and Ni, and the risk probabilities ranged from 0.04% to 12.46%. Few areas had high levels of Ni, which pose health risks: approximately 1.8% for children and higher than 0.5% for adults. Both As and Ni had the highest contribution to HHR among all PTEs, with 33.84%–41.56% TNCR caused by As, and 54.73%–56.90% TCR created by Ni, respectively. For human health risk routes, the staple food exhibited the highest contribution to HHR among all exposure routes, with TNCR of 36.15%–56.73% and the TCR of 44.96%–64.28%. Our research imply that dietary intake of PETs must be considered in the human health risk assessment in agricultural environment, which offers the foundation for subsequent environmental risk prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine ecological and health risk assessment of the Berdan and Göksu river waters, principal physical and biochemical variables were measured monthly between September 2021 and August 2022 in the Berdan and Göksu river basins. Ecological risk assessment of the studied river basins indicated that both the Berdan and Göksu river waters were contaminated by phosphorus. Potential health risk assessment of the Berdan and Göksu river basins showed that the calculated Health Quotient values in the two visited stations in the Berdan river exceeded 0.1 indicating low cancer risk for both adults and children whilst one visited station in the Göksu River basin showed low cancer risk for children. The health risk assessment also indicated that the Health Quotient values calculated for children were consistently higher than those calculated for adults, showing that children were potentially at higher risk for health hazards from nitrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding ethnic variations in body composition is crucial for assessing health risks. Universal models may not suit all ethnicities, and there is limited data on the Inuit population. This study aimed to compare body composition between Inuit and European adults using computed tomography (CT) scans and to investigate the influence of demographics on these measurements. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 50 adults (29 Inuit and 21 European) who underwent standard trauma CT scans. Measurements focused on skeletal muscle index (SMI), various fat indices, and densities at the third lumbar vertebra level, analyzed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test and multiple linear regression. Inuit women showed larger fat tissue indices and lower muscle and fat densities than European women. Differences in men were less pronouncehd, with only Intramuscular fat density being lower among Inuit men. Regression indicated that SMI was higher among men, and skeletal muscle density decreased with Inuit ethnicity and age, while visceral fat index was positively associated with age. This study suggests ethnic differences in body composition measures particularly among women, and indicates the need for Inuit-specific body composition models. It highlights the importance of further research into Inuit-specific body composition measurements for better health risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workers, especially those involved in jobs requiring extended standing or repetitive movements, often face significant health challenges due to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). To mitigate MSD risks, enhancing workplace ergonomics is vital, which includes forecasting long-term employee postures, educating workers about related occupational health risks, and offering relevant recommendations. However, research gaps remain, such as the lack of a sustainable AI/ML pipeline that combines sensor-based, uncertainty-aware posture prediction with large language models for natural language communication of occupational health risks and recommendations. We introduce ERG-AI, a machine learning pipeline designed to predict extended worker postures using data from multiple wearable sensors. Alongside providing posture prediction and uncertainty estimates, ERG-AI also provides personalized health risk assessments and recommendations by generating prompts based on its performance and prompting Large Language Model (LLM) APIs, like GPT-4, to obtain user-friendly output. We used the Digital Worker Goldicare dataset to assess ERG-AI, which includes data from 114 home care workers who wore five tri-axial accelerometers in various bodily positions for a cumulative 2913 hours. The evaluation focused on the quality of posture prediction under uncertainty, energy consumption and carbon footprint of ERG-AI and the effectiveness of personalized recommendations rendered in easy-to-understand language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study in 2022 investigated the spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals in soils from abandoned sulfuric acid production sites in Henan Province, China, while also assessing associated health risks. In this area the average concentrations of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cobalt (Co), and thallium (TI) were found to be 218.52 mg·kg−1, 105.10 mg·kg−1, 1.90 mg·kg−1, 14.77 mg·kg−1, and 0.610 mg·kg−1, respectively. These results were analyzed using Correlation Analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), as well as Kriging and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) techniques in ArcGIS and Earth Volumetric Studio (EVS) software to identify the distribution and sources of heavy metal pollution. The results showed that the pollution of As, Pb, and Co was mainly attributed to the raw materials used in sulfuric acid production. Meanwhile, the pollution of Hg and Tl varied across different sulfuric acid production systems, possibly due to variations in raw materials. The combination of the potential ecological risk index (PERI) and the human health risk assessment concluded that arsenic and mercury are potentially risky, arsenic and cobalt are carcinogenic, and all heavy metal pollutions have non-carcinogenic risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are classified as environmental and food contaminants, with several adverse health effects, especially genotoxic and carcinogenic actions. In processed meats, they are the major contaminants, especially those subjected to smoking processes. Considering that the population is exposed to PAHs through several routes, and that the ingestion of contaminated food is considered the main one, evaluating the concentrations of these contaminants in food becomes essential, as well as the exposure and risk to the population at different ages through ingestion of the evaluated products. In the current study, the levels of nine PAHs (PAH9) were measured in 205 processed meat products commercially available and with high consumption in Brazil. The methodology involved saponification, extraction with n-hexane, purification with solid-phase extraction (SPE) silica cartridges, and quantification by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. In general, 83% of all samples were contaminated with at least one of the studied PAHs, and the measured PAH9 levels ranged between < LOQ-108.24 µg/kg. The highest mean of total PAHs was found in smoked sausage (108.24 μg/kg), while the lowest content was found in ham (1.83 μg/kg). Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and PAH4 (benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and BaP) exceeded the maximum permissible limits of the European Union (EU) in three (1.5%) and 18 samples (8.7%), respectively. The results of margin of exposure results (MOE ≥ 10,000) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values (10 − 6 < ILCR < 10 − 4) in all ten types of meat indicated there were low significant potential health problems related to meat products consumption for the Brazilian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nNOVELTY STATEMENTPresent study identified metal accumulation potential, biochemical, growth, and human health risk attributes of wheat varieties (Zincol-16, NARC-09, NARC-11, Pakistan-13, Borlaug-16) cultivated in sewage sludge amended soils, that is, 80% soil + 20% sludge (C), 90% soil + 10% sludge (B) and 100% soil (control, A). Metal accumulation significantly varied (p < 0.05) among wheat varieties and the accretion pattern was roots > straw > grains. The Borlaug-16 was found most efficient for biochemical attributes, that is, proline (0.84), sugar (2.76) and total chlorophyll (2.35) in mg/g amongst selected varieties. Among treatments, maximum mean total chlorophyll (2.18), carotenoids (0.97), sugar (2.88) in mg/g, plant height (76.04 cm), weight per 1000 kernel (55 g) and spike length (4.17 cm) were recorded in B followed by A > C. However, mean membrane stability index%, that is, A (82.76)>B (75.26)>C (54.35) and mean proline contents, that is, C (0.49)>B (0.39)>A (0.29) in mg/g were recorded respectively. Mean hazard quotient and hazard index (HI) calculated on the basis of grain metal contents followed the trend, that is, C > B > A. The HI results revealed highest and lowest health risks associated with the consumption of Zincol-16 and Borlaug-16, respectively. The ‘Borlaug-16’ and ‘sludge treatment B’ are recommended for cultivation and as rate of application, respectively, for ensuring food safety and agro-ecological health.Proline accumulation was a significant and reliable indicator of metal stress in wheat plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]