Metals and arsenic in marine fish commercialized in the NE Brazil: Risk to human health

Abstract

Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in fish is the result of long-term biomagnification in the food chain and is of public concern, due to the toxicity they engender. The objective of this research was to determine the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury in 13 species of marine fish broadly commercialized in Aracaju, SE, Brazil and to evaluate the risks of fish consumption associated with these trace elements, using the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ). As, Cd, and Pb levels were measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and mercury was analyzed via cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicate a large variability in concentrations for arsenic (0.07–2.03?mg kg^–1) and mercury (0.01–1.44?mg kg^–1), associated with the animal dietary category. Cadmium (0.04–0.19?mg kg^–1) and lead (<0.01–0.45?mg kg^–1), on the other hand showed a mild variability. None of the evaluated specimens had As, Cd, and Pb THQ values higher than 1. The THQ values for mercury were higher but indicated no consumption risk, except for amberjack, and snook fish. Overall THQ indicates lower risk of consumption in fish that are at the base of the food chain, than in those that are top predators.     

Health risk assessment due to exposure of arsenic contamination in drinking water of district Shiekhupura,Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the magnitude and health impacts of As in drinking water. Drinking water samples (n?=?60) were collected from twenty different sites of Shiekhupura District (Pakistan). Health risk assessment through average daily dose (ADD), hazard indices (HI), hazard quotient (HQ), carcinogenic risk (CR), and cancer indices (CI) for dermal and oral exposure were determined. Results revealed that As concentration ranged from 2 to 900?µg?L^?1 in water samples, which was significantly greater than the safe limit of As (10?µg?L^?1) in water. Health risk assessment of As showed that ADD (1.07E?02–9.85E?04), HQ (1.06E+01–9.85E+00), and CR (1.60E?02–9.85E?04) for oral exposure and ADD (1.03E?05–9.69E?06), HQ (1.19E?02–7.96E?03), and CR (1.11E?05–8.98E?05) for dermal exposure which were exceeded the toxic risk index value. Comparison of the two exposure pathways indicated that the oral exposure is much higher risk than the dermal contact. Both values of HI and CI were greater than WHO limit. It is concluded that residents of study area are at higher risk of As induced diseases and carcinogenicity.     

Identifying optimal groundwater remediation strategies through a simulation-based PROMETHEE-TOPSIS approach: An application to a naphthalene-contaminated site

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop a simulation-aided PROMETHEE-TOPSIS approach for the selection of the most desirable groundwater remediation strategies. The combination methods enables a careful evaluation of the identified remediation alternatives in which their strong and weak points can be detected and a ranking is provided which facilitates the final selection for the decision-maker. The capabilities and effectiveness of the developed method are illustrated through a case study on the remedial alternative selection for a naphthalene contaminated site in Anhui, China. Four attributes (i.e., total pumping rate, total cost, mean residual contaminant concentration and maximum excess life time cancer risk) for fifty remedial alternatives in each duration are considered and analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the weight of attributes importance. The results demonstrates that the developed method could help decision makers obtain the useful ranking information strategies that covering a variety of decision-relevant remediation options, which is beneficial for public health and environmental protection.     

基于RANS的城市广场空气质量评价及健康场所指引

空气中污染物及病菌的浓度直接影响人类健康。在污染源不变的情况下,有效通风决定了空气质量的优劣。因此,建立有效通风的定量判定指标,并利用此指标对特定区域空气质量进行实时评价,引导居民选择健康的室外活动场所成为迫切需要解决的问题。本研究采用雷诺平均Navier-Stokes(RANS)方法建立了基于计算流体力学(CFD)技术的城市空气污染模拟系统,研究了风速、污染物浓度和污染物扩散效率之间的关系。在此基础上,借助实时气象数据,对城市广场空间不同时段进行了风场模拟及空气质量评价。结果表明: 行人高度(1.5 m)空气中污染物有效扩散的临界风速值为1.0 m·s^-1,此指标可作为某一具体区域空气质量评价标准。参照此判定指标,链接实时天气系统,通过模拟得到的行人高度风速分布,可实时、可视化地显示该场所空气质量优劣分布,实现公平、效率、合理地利用城市空间资源,为人们选择健康的室外活动场地提供指引,为公众疾病预防和健康促进提供技术和手段。     

推进生物多样性保护与人类健康的共同发展——One Health

随着新冠肺炎(COVID-19)的暴发, 野生动物、生物多样性和人类健康的关系再次引起广泛讨论。近20年来, 国际社会对于生物多样性与健康的研究日益增多, 并将它作为生物多样性保护与研究的重要方向之一。One Health作为一个新的理念框架, 通过交叉学科的研究和行动来推动包括人、所有其他动物及环境的健康。这个理念被不同国家、国际组织及协定所接纳及推广, 包括《生物多样性公约》等。本文通过总结近些年生物多样性对健康的影响方式、One Health的定义与发展历史、进入生物多样性议程的过程, 提出中国应用One Health改进相关野生动物管理以降低公共卫生危机的可能性的建议, 以及One Health框架内增强生物多样性保护所需的研究方向。One Health在中国的应用与发展应重视生物多样性研究和保护在其中的作用, 利用在景观生态学、群落内物种关系动态变化、气候变化影响、土地利用变化模式与趋势的研究, 与人类健康相结合, 提高One Health在应对公共健康和环境健康风险方面的准确性与及时性。同时, 需要加强我国在野生动物管理方面的投入和力度, 增强生物多样性保护与公共健康的联系, 将预警与干预措施前移, 减少疾病暴发带来的社会经济成本。     

Acid lactic lactobacilli as a biotechnological toll to improve food quality and human health

The genus Lactobacillus has been widely used in food industry as starter or adjunct culture due to its probiotic features. Its biotechnological features improve the spectrum of uses of lactobacilli, which can affect its applicability directly. In this sense, this literature review gathers information and discusses the biotechnological potential of technological/probiotic lactobacilli aiming to improve food quality and human health. The primary and secondary metabolism generates specific substances, such as organic acids, carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, diacetyl, fatty acids, and bacteriocins, which are determinant due to their probiotic potential, antimicrobial activity, and the development of new food flavors. In order to become industrially and commercially attractive, it is necessary develop a large-scale process with lower production costs.     

Focus: Preventive Medicine: Pre-Participation Screening of Athletes: Primary Health Care Physicians’ Knowledge,Experience, and Approach in Turkey

Pre-participation screening (PPS) is crucial for assessing the competitive athletes since their risk of sudden death is higher than non-athletes. In Turkey, PPS is performed at the primary health care setting by primary care physicians (PCPs) who are family medicine specialists (FMSs) or general practitioners (GPs). Although there are national guidelines, there is no legal regulation for this process. This study aims to evaluate PCPs’ knowledge, experience, and approach about PPS. We prepared an online survey for PCPs and used non-probabilistic sampling. PPS attitudes and practices were analyzed and compared according to factors such as experience, education, and being GP or FMS. Of the 214 PCPs included in the study, 39.3% were female. The mean age was 44.9 years (SD:8.88). The average work experience was 7.9 years. Most participants were aware of their authorization to perform PPS (89.7%) and had previously prepared it (90.2%). However, 6.5% of them felt confident in performing PPS. Only 13.1% were aware of the guidelines. Almost 25% of the participants stated being informed about the subject at some part of their career, but this did not affect the confidence or referral decisions. In addition to medical history and physical examination, further testing was considered necessary by 96.3% of the participants. Significantly more tests were ordered by GPs than FMSs (p=0.026 and p=0.011, respectively). The accurate referral decision ratio was 59.3%, without difference between FMSs and GPs (p=0.216). We found that awareness of the guidelines was low among PCPs who lack confidence in PPS. These factors collectively increased the tendency for unnecessary further testing and referral. Therefore, the PPS implementation into medical school and residency curriculums and national legal regulation for the process is a necessity in Turkey.