Concentrations Of Non-essential Metals Research Articles

Essential and Non-Essential Metal Concentrations in Shrimps from Iskenderun Bay, Türkiye

Contamination of the aquatic environment and living things with pollutants is increasing daily. Among these pollutants, heavy metals come to the forefront regarding toxicological and public health due to their widespread use, toxicity, and resistance to degradation, as well as accumulation and biomagnification in the food chain. The study aimed to determine the essential (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn) and non-essential (As, Al, Cd, Pb) metal concentrations by ICP-OES of Metapenaeus monoceros, Penaeus japonicus, Penaeus semisulcatus (n=30) caught from the Northeastern Mediterranean, Iskenderun Bay. The concentration of Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb were under LOD. The concentration (ppm) ranges were Al: 0.73-38.89, As: 2.18-9.68, Cu: 28.96-69.01, Fe: 7.85-241.36, Mn: 0.44-1.28, and Zn: 51.71-108.51 for all species. Except for the As concentrations, the differences between mean concentrations of metals in shrimp species were not statistically significant. When the results of the study are compared with the findings of other studies on shrimps caught from the Iskenderun Bay, it shows that Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb contamination levels decreased, while Cu, Fe, and Zn contamination levels increased.

METALS EXPOSURE AND COGNITIVE DECLINE IN LATINO ELDERS: RESULTS FROM THE SACRAMENTO AREA LATINO STUDY ON AGING

Abstract Latinos have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and clinical presentation could take place 7 years earlier, on average, than non-Hispanic whites. This health disparity will likely intensify as the US Latino population over 65 years is predicted to grow from 4 million in 2016 to 19.9 million in 2060. Environmental exposures, such as metals, are of interest as contextual factors contributing to ADRD due to their known neurotoxic effects, particularly in early life. Using data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging, we examined the association between blood concentrations of five metals and cognitive outcomes. We hypothesized that Latino elders with higher concentrations of non-essential metals will have greater cognitive decline than those with lower concentrations of non-essential metals. Initial results suggest non-essential blood metal levels are not sociodemographically patterned in SALSA participants. Higher lead and mercury concentrations was associated with cognitive decline.

The Safe Urban Harvests Study: A Community-Driven Cross-Sectional Assessment of Metals in Soil, Irrigation Water, and Produce from Urban Farms and Gardens in Baltimore, Maryland.

Background:Emerging evidence suggests social, health, environmental, and economic benefits of urban agriculture (UA). However, limited work has characterized the risks from metal contaminant exposures faced by urban growers and consumers of urban-grown produce.Objectives:We aimed to answer community-driven questions about the safety of UA and the consumption of urban-grown produce by measuring concentrations of nine metals in the soil, irrigation water, and urban-grown produce across urban farms and gardens in Baltimore, Maryland.Methods:We measured concentrations of 6 nonessential [arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni)] and three essential [copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn)] metals in soil, irrigation water, and 13 types of urban-grown produce collected from 104 UA sites. We compared measured concentrations to existing public health guidelines and analyzed relationships between urban soil and produce concentrations. In the absence of guidelines for metals in produce, we compared metals concentrations in urban-grown produce with those in produce purchased from farmers markets and grocery stores (both conventionally grown and U.S. Department of Agriculture–certified organic).Results:Mean concentrations of all measured metals in irrigation water were below public health guidelines. Mean concentrations of nonessential metals in growing area soils were below public health guidelines for Ba, Cd, Pb, and Ni and at or below background for As and Cr. Though we observed a few statistically significant differences in concentrations between urban and nonurban produce items for some combinations, no consistent or discernable patterns emerged.Discussion:Screening soils for heavy metals is a critical best practice for urban growers. Given limitations in existing public health guidelines for metals in soil, irrigation water, and produce, additional exposure assessment is necessary to quantify potential human health risks associated with exposure to nonessential metals when engaging in UA and consuming urban-grown produce. Conversely, the potential health benefits of consuming essential metals in urban-grown produce also merit further research. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9431

In utero and peripubertal metals exposure in relation to reproductive hormones and sexual maturation and progression among boys in Mexico City

BackgroundEndocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as metals have been reported to alter circulating reproductive hormone concentrations and pubertal development in animals. However, the relationship has rarely been investigated among humans, with the exception of heavy metals, such as Pb and Cd. Our aim was to investigate measures of in utero and peripubertal metal exposure in relation to reproductive hormone concentrations and sexual maturation and progression among boys from the Early Life Exposure in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) cohorts.MethodsOur analysis included 118 pregnant women and their male children from the ELEMENT study. Essential and non-essential metals were measured in urine collected from the mothers during the third trimester of pregnancy and their male children at 8–14 years. Reproductive hormone concentrations [serum testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), inhibin B, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)] were measured in blood samples from the children at 8–14 years. We also assessed Tanner stages for sexual maturation (genital, pubic hair development, and testicular volume), at two time points (8–14, 10–18 years). We used linear regression to independently examine urinary metal concentrations in relation to each peripubertal reproductive hormones adjusting for child age and BMI. Generalized estimation equations (GEEs) were used to evaluate the association of in utero and peripubertal metal exposures with sexual maturation and progression during follow-up based on Tanner staging and testicular volume.ResultsIn utero and prepubertal concentrations of some urinary metals were associated with increased concentrations of peripubertal reproductive hormones, especially non-essential metal(loid)s As and Cd (in utero), and Ba (peripubertal) as well as essential metal Mo (in utero) in association with testosterone. More advanced pubic hair developmental stage and higher testicular volume at the early teen visit was observed for boys with higher non-essential metal concentrations, including in utero Al and peripubertal Ba, and essential metal Zn concentration (peripubertal). These metals were also associated with slower pubertal progression between the two visits.ConclusionThese findings suggest that male reproductive development may be associated with both essential and non-essential metal exposure during in utero and peripubertal windows.

Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) hatch success and essential and nonessential metals in eggs and embryos from nests in St. Kitts (2015)

Northwest Atlantic leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are endangered and low hatch success limits potential for population recovery. We examined essential and nonessential metal concentrations in 43 eggs from nests on St. Kitts to determine if there was a relationship with hatch success. Whole homogenized embryos and undeveloped eggs contained detectable concentrations of arsenic, barium, copper, iron, selenium, vanadium, and zinc, but not beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, molybdenum, and thallium. Of detected metals, only vanadium concentrations negatively correlated with hatch success (P = 0.01). Manganese and vanadium were associated with pneumonia occurring in the nest, and arsenic with renal mineralization. This study adds to the knowledge regarding baseline values for environmental contaminants in sea turtles, supporting the trend that leatherback eggs have relatively low concentrations of toxic metals, lacking a strong relationship with hatch success, and normally contain the essential elements copper, iron, selenium, and zinc.

Mutagenic and genotoxic effects and metal contaminations in fish of the Amambai River, Upper Paraná River, Brazil.

The present study evaluated mutagenic and genotoxic effects and metal accumulation in the liver and musculature of Pterygoplichthys ambrosetti and Prochilodus lineatus in the Amambai River, a tributary of the Upper Paraná River in Brazil. We also evaluated the potential for these fish species as environmental bioindicators and performed risk assessment for conservation purposes. We found that P. ambrosetti had a higher frequency of micronuclei compared to P. lineatus (p<0.0001). There were no significant differences between species in other erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities (ENA) (p>0.05). For both species, the liver contained a higher concentration of metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Ni) than the musculature did (p<0.0001). Of the two species, P. ambrosetti was more suitable to evaluate mutagenic and genotoxic effects and metal accumulation in the liver and musculature, likely due to its resident behavior; hence, we highlight the potential of this species for use as an environmental bioindicator. The concentrations of non-essential metals observed in the fish confirm conditions of environmental stress in the Amambai River, possibly related to the discharge of pollutants and exacerbated by lack of native vegetation cover along the watercourse.

Assessment of essential and non-essential metals in Ethiopian traditional fermented alcoholic beverages

Evaluation of the levels of essential and non-essential metal concentrations in Ethiopian traditional fermented alcoholic beverages (Tella, Tej, Birz, Korefe, Keribo and Borde) was conducted using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after HNO3/H2O2 digestion process. A total of 10 bulk samples were collected randomly from vending houses at five different sub-cities of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia (Lideta-Kolfe, Bole-Kirkose, Yeka-Gullele, Arada-Addis Ketema and Akaki-Kaliti-Lafto) and from five nearby towns (Sebeta, Dukem, Sululta, Sendafa, and Burayu) of Oromia Regional State. The considered metals include: Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Co and Mn to ascertain their levels. With 88–96% recovery Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb and Mn were detected at varying concentrations in the beverages, while Co, Ni and Cr were below detection limits. All the beverages were rich in Ca, Mg and Zn. Among the trace metals found Zn was the first. The levels of the trace metals were generally low, and within statutory safe limits set by World Health Organization (WHO). Mineral concentrations were found to be significantly different among the beverages studied (p &lt; 0.05). The levels of metals in the Ethiopian fermented beverages were found comparable with the reported ones. KEY WORDS: Ethiopian beverages, Traditional beverages, Fermented beverages, Essential elements, Non-essential elements Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2017, 31(1), 17-30.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v31i1.2

Metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Tl, and Zn) Binding to Cytosolic Biomolecules in Field-Collected Larvae of the Insect Chaoborus.

We characterized the biomolecules involved in handling cytosolic metals in larvae of the phantom midge (Chaoborus) collected from five mining-impacted lakes by determining the distribution of Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Tl, and Zn among pools of various molecular weights (HMW: high molecular weight, >670-40 kDa; MMW: medium molecular weight, 40-<1.3 kDa; LMW: low molecular weight, <1.3 kDa). Appreciable concentrations of nonessential metals were found in the potentially metal-sensitive HMW (Ag and Ni) and LMW (Tl) pools, whereas the MMW pool, which includes metallothioneins (MTs) and metallothionein-like proteins and peptides (MTLPs), appears to be involved in Ag and Cd detoxification. Higher-resolution fractionation of the heat-stable protein (HSP) fraction revealed further differences in the partitioning of nonessential metals (i.e., Ag = Cd ≠ Ni ≠ Tl). These results provide unprecedented details about the metal-handling strategies employed by a metal-tolerant, freshwater animal in a field situation.

Fur: A non-invasive approach to monitor metal exposure in bats

This paper presents a novel assessment of the use of fur as a non-invasive proxy to biomonitor metal contamination in insectivorous bats. Concentrations of metals (cadmium, copper, lead and zinc) were measured using ICP-MS in tissues (kidneys, liver, stomach and stomach content, bones and fur) obtained from 193 Pipistrellus pipistrellus/pygmaeus bats. The bats were collected across a gradient of metal pollution in England and Wales. The utility of small samples of fur as an indicator of metal exposure from the environment was demonstrated with strong relationships obtained between the concentrations of non-essential metals in fur with concentrations in stomach content, kidneys, liver and bones. Stronger relationships were observed for non-essential metals than for essential metals. Fur analyses might therefore be a useful non-invasive proxy for understanding recent, as well as long term and chronic, metal exposure of live animals. The use of fur may provide valuable information on the level of endogenous metal exposure and contamination of bat populations and communities.

A short-term laboratory and in situ sediment assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine isopod Cyathura carinata

In situ assays based on feeding depression have been proposed as sublethal assays able to assess immediate contaminant effects on key ecosystem functions, long before effects on life-history traits can be detected. The in situ peculiarities provide more realistic exposure scenarios than laboratory-controlled conditions, which is particularly relevant for estuarine ecosystems where environmental conditions are highly variable. In this context, we developed a short-term cost-effective in situ assay based on the postexposure feeding of the estuarine species, Cyathura carinata, through the following steps: i) develop a methodology to quantify feeding under laboratory conditions; ii) quantify the sensitivity of the postexposure feeding response under laboratory conditions; iii) deploy the in situ assay at various field sites covering different environmental variables in a reference estuary and degrees of contamination in a contaminated estuary to, respectively, derive a model to predict postexposure feeding rates across sites varying in environmental variables and evaluate the potential of this in situ tool to assess sediment contamination in estuaries. A quantity of 100 defrosted nauplii of Artemia franciscana per isopod given during a short period of 30min in darkness was adequate to allow estimating precise postexposure feeding rates.Laboratory toxicity tests showed the high sensitivity of postexposure feeding to Cd as a sublethal endpoint for C. carinata (7-fold lower than the corresponding 48-h LC50). However, this species appears to be able to face high concentrations of non-essential metals as Cd, with 96-h LC50 values (37mg Cd/L) higher than values reported for other isopods, and among the highest concentrations reported for saltwater invertebrates. Results of in situ deployments at reference sites indicated that sediment with size fraction between 63–125µm (very fine sand) influences feeding rates. The in situ assay across contaminated sites was able to discriminate between unpolluted and polluted estuaries, and also to detect degrees of toxicity among sampling sites within an estuary, after statistically adjusting feeding rates on the basis of the proportion of the sediment very fine sand influencing baseline feeding rates. The in situ postexposure feeding assay with C. carinata was found to be, therefore, a potential useful cost-effective tool for estuarine sediment toxicity assessments.

Clues for Regulatory Processes in Fungal Uptake and Transfer of Minerals to the Basidiospore

Several fungal species are notorious for the preferential acquisition of toxicants such as AsCdHgPbU in their wild-grown basidiomes, but it is not known how, or whether at all, mineral uptake is regulated. In this study, basidiomes of Kuehneromyces mutabilis, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Hypholoma fasciculare were grown on Fagus sylvatica logs embedded in sand, uranium-overburden soil, and garden soil (SIO) at a lab scale to raise the accessible mineral resources 30 to >1,000 times over those available in the timber alone. Non-embedded logs and a field culture established on SIO served as controls. Concentrations of 22 minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry from microwave-digested samples of timber, soils, whole and dissected mushrooms, and basidiospores. It was the goal to determine whether mineral uptake rates vary simply with their concentration in the substrate or undergo selections which indicate the ability of metal sensing and optimizing/delimiting the quantity of (essential) elements on their passage from a substrate via basidiome to the basidiospores. It is shown that an underrepresented substrate mineral is up-concentrated to a more or less regulated and physiologically compatible mean, whereas a rising external mineral supply leads to uptake blockage by downregulation of the bioconcentration rate in the vicinity of an apparent mycelial saturation point. The resulting concentrations in whole K. mutabilis basidiomes of the essential metals, CaCoCuFeMgMn(Sr)Zn corresponded surprisingly with those in wheat grains which share the main metabolic pathways with fungi and whose metallome is believed to be out-regulated for an optimum and stress-free development. Concentrations of nonessential metals, too, fitted the range of those common crops, whereas KP reached the higher typical level of fungi. Minerals entering the lower stipe of the K. mutabilis basidiome were specifically enriched/diluted on a passage to the gills and once more abruptly up/down-concentrated at the basidium/sterigma/spore interface. Mineral concentrations of spores corresponded then again with those in wheat grains, with the metalloenzyme-linked CdCoCuFeMnNa(Ni) appearing moderately higher. It is concluded that the substrate/fungal interface may be the major site of metal sensing/selecting and uptake regulation. Concentration shifts obtained during the mineral transfer through the basidiome are then subject to ultimate corrections at the gill/spore interface.

Soil metals, chloroplasts, and secure crop production: a review

An increasing number of soils of poor quality with unbalanced metal concentrations are used worldwide for crop cultivation. Even though plants are able to develop strategies to cope with metal stress, either metal deficiency or excess, this unbalance affects the whole plant. Chloroplasts are key organelles for organic matter synthesis and biomass production. Under metal stress, chloroplasts suffer severe alterations of their ultrastructure, associated with profound molecular and metabolic damages. These alterations are accompanied by unbalanced metal distribution in plants, in particular in edible crop organs. Toxic metals get either accumulated or there is a deficiency of nutrients, resulting in a weak nutritional value. Nonetheless, there is more and more knowledge on the functioning and regulation of metal transporters in plants. Such knowledge will allow growing crops with well-balanced metal concentrations in edible parts even on metal unbalanced soils. This review shows that almost all vital functions of chloroplasts, such as photosynthesis, CO2 fixation, nitrogen and sulfur assimilation, and protein and nucleic acid metabolism, require metals. Therefore, the uptake of essential metals is necessary for the proper functioning of chloroplasts and, in turn, for crop productivity. We describe nutrient uptake mechanisms of plants and processes that influence essential and non-essential metal concentrations in different plant organs. We present an overview of metal transporters in chloroplasts. Several questions still need to be elucidated about the uptake and the trafficking of essential and non-essential metals into and within chloroplasts. Similarly to transporters present in other cellular compartments, the carriers are often not metal-specific. Therefore, essential and non-essential metals may compete for carriers. As a result, unbalanced soil metal concentrations can be reflected in the plants and in the chloroplasts. Metal deficiency or excess causes reduced growth and decreased productivity of crops. It can lead to human malnutrition. Several complex physiological processes can be responsible for the reduced biomass observed in plants with unbalanced metal concentration. In this review, we have focused on the structural and functional alterations of chloroplasts under metal deficiency or excess. Interestingly, besides specific differences, our data indicate several similarities in the response of chloroplasts to metal deficiency or excess. Indeed, oxidative stress and several ultrastructural alterations, e.g., increase in the number and size of plastoglobuli, disorganized grana and disturbed thylakoids, and swelling of the intrathylakoidal space, are observed in both cases. This indicates that changes in chloroplast ion homeostasis rather than the specific effect of a metal are responsible for decreased plant productivity. Therefore, sustainable agriculture has to take into consideration solutions that enable undisturbed metal and ion homeostasis in chloroplasts of crop plants grown even in soils with unbalanced metal concentrations.

Relationships between metal concentrations in great tit nestlings and their environment and food

Metal concentrations (Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) were determined in the feathers and excreta of nestling great tits ( Parus major), in their main invertebrate prey (Lepidoptera larvae) and in vegetation samples, all collected from four sites along a pollution gradient. Metal contamination in vegetation samples increased significantly towards the pollution source. The Ag, As, Hg, Ni and Pb concentrations in food samples were significantly higher at the site closest to the pollution source compared to the other three sites. Great tit nestlings from the site closest to the pollution source had significantly higher concentrations of Ag, As, Hg and Pb in their excreta than did nestlings at the other three sites. For five metals (Ag, As, Cu, Ni and Pb), we found concentrations in caterpillars to be significantly positively correlated with vegetation samples. We also found clear significant positive correlations between excreta and caterpillars for Ag, As, Hg and Pb and between feathers and caterpillars for As and Pb. Our data suggest that excreta are a good monitor for the presence and concentrations of non-essential metals in the food and the environment of passerine birds.