Impact Of Organic Contaminants Research Articles

Variations in the Physical Properties and Microbial Community of Dairy Cow Manure-Implications for Testing and Efficacy of Footbathing Products.

Footbaths containing disinfectants are used on dairy farms to reduce the spread of digital dermatitis; however, they commonly become contaminated with manure. This trial investigated the physical properties and microbial composition of dairy cow manure from two production systems and examined whether the source of manure impacted the efficacy of footbathing disinfectants. Manure was collected from eighteen dairy cows, nine housed and fed grass silage (HOUSED) and nine at pasture (PASTURE). The pH and dry matter content was determined, total DNA was extracted and the region v3-v4 of the 16s rRNA gene sequenced. The efficacy of formalin and two trial products (TP1: peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide; TP2: chlorocresol and triamine) was evaluated when mixed with manure from the two production systems. Production system differences were found in manure dry matter content, bacterial microbiome and the efficacy of both trial footbathing products but not formalin. The properties of manure affected the results of laboratory testing and therefore have the potential to influence footbathing disinfectant efficacy when footbaths are contaminated with manure. Further research into the impact of organic contaminants on the efficacy of disinfectants could facilitate the development of improved testing programmes and disinfectant products.

Impact of organic contaminants from dumpsite leachates on natural water sources in the Enugu Metropolis, southeastern Nigeria.

This study evaluates the impact of leachates from a municipal dumpsite on the quality of domestic water sources in the area for potable use. Concentrations of leachate-associated organic contaminants (such as diethyl-phthalate, total organic halogen (TOH); 2,4-dichlorophenol; nonylphenol-ethoxylate; methyl-ethyl-phthalate; borneol; total organic carbon (TOC); total Kjeldahl-nitrogen (TKN); ammonium-nitrogen (NH3-N); nitrate (NO3); nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N); and total phosphorus (TP)) in rivers and groundwater in the Enugu Metropolis in southeastern Nigeria were assessed in this study. Results of laboratory analyses indicate that the average values of diethyl-phthalate, borneol, TOH, nonylphenol-ethoxylate and TOC are 0.08 mg/l, 0.04 mg/l, 1.05 mg/l, 0.2 mg/l and 1.64 mg/l, respectively for groundwater and 0.1 mg/l, 0.03 mg/l, 0.74 mg/l, 0.19 mg/l and 1.74 mg/l, respectively, for rivers. Three (diethyl-phthalate, borneol and TOH) out of these major five contaminants, in both rivers and groundwater, exceeded the maximum permissible limits, suggesting that the domestic water sources are marginally contaminated by the leachates. ANOVA test result suggests that the data sources were significantly variable, while principal component and correlation analyses identified TOH, 2,4-dichlorophenol, TKN, NO3, NO3-N, TP and borneol, which originated most probably from degradation of plastic materials and organic wastes in the dumpsite, as the priority contaminants. Consumption of domestic water sources within the dumpsite area, in untreated state, could lead to health risks as these priority organic contaminants are mostly carcinogenic, toxic and injurious to human systems.

Soil hydrophobicity: a contribution of diuron sorption experiments

SummaryRetention processes play a major role in the fate and impact of organic contaminants in soils. The main goal of this study was to determine the influence of soil hydrophobic properties on the retention of diuron by using plots of a long‐term experiment in Versailles. We selected seven plots with pH 3.4 to 8.2 and low organic content. Sorption isotherms were obtained on soil slurries and kinetic measurements of diuron sorption were performed on undisturbed soil samples. The results showed that the Freundlich coefficient kf decreased as pH increased and that the Koc coefficient, kf/TOC, was linearly related to the contact angle measured on the clay fraction over a wide range of pH. A low initial adsorption rate and low adsorption equilibrium were observed for the plot treated with NaNO3. In this case, the structure in micro‐aggregates was assumed to limit the accessibility of adsorption sites. The CaCO3 and CaO treated plots had similar organic matter contents, pHs, CECs and bulk densities, although their < 2 μm:C ratio differed. The higher retention of diuron in the CaCO3 plot is attributed to the higher hydrophobicity of the < 2 μm fraction, probably masking part of the permanent clay negative charges. Thus, in addition to the different treatments, organic matter composition and distribution should also be included as specific soil properties. We conclude that the sorption properties of pesticides such as diuron can be a good tool to obtain greater understanding of soil properties and the degree of soil hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity in particular.

Study of the biological impact of organic contaminants on mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis L.) from the Venice Lagoon, Italy: responses of CYP1A-immunopositive protein and benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase activity

A survey to evaluate the impact of organic contaminants on the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Venice Lagoon, Italy was carried out in May 1993. M. galloprovincialis were sampled from putative moderately contaminated (Alberoni, Lio Grande, Crevan), urban (Salute) and industrial (CVE) sites in the Venice Lagoon, and from a clean reference site (Plataforma) in the adjacent Adriatic Sea. Measurements comprised (i) whole-tissue body burdens of aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organochlorines (DDTs, hexachlorocyclohexanes and hexachlorobenzene); and (ii) digestive gland microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP)-dependent monooxygenase system (i.e. total CYP and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A)-immunopositive protein levels, benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase (BPH) activity) as a specific biomarker of impact by organic contaminants. Chemical analysis identified a contaminant gradient with Plataforma as the cleanest and CVE followed by Salute as the most contaminated extremes. No elevation of total CYP content or CYP1A-immunopositive protein level was seen at any of the lagoon sites compared with Plataforma. In contrast, BPH activity and BPH turnover (i.e. BPH activity per amount total CYP) were respectively 1- and 2.5-fold higher at CVE than Plataforma (P < 0.05), and indicated to be higher (up to 1-fold) at all the other lagoon sites compared with Plataforma. Correlation was seen between BPH activity and tissue levels of total aliphatic hydrocarbons (r = 0.94-0.98), but not between the former and total PAHs or PCBs. The results are consistent with other studies in the area and indicate greatest biological impact of contaminants was at CVE followed by the other lagoon sites, with a possible genotoxic role for the elevated BPH activity in the formation of bulky DNA-adducts.