Environmental contamination by heavy metals is a serious problem due to their incremental accumulation in the food chain. Unlike most organic wastes and the microbial load in aquatic bodies, metal contaminants are not biodegradable, tending to accumulate in living organisms, thus becoming a permanent burden on ecosystems (Bayo, 2012). Most heavy metals are transition elements with incompletely ...

Soil plays a central role in food safety as it determines the possible composition of food and feed at the root of the food chain. However, the quality of soil resources as defined by their potential impact on human health by propagation of harmful elements through the food chain has been poorly studied in Europe due to the lack of data of adequate detail and reliability. The European Union's f...

This work deals with bioaccumulation of Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd in foliage of Scots pine, grown on mine soils. Regression models were used to describe relationships between pine elements bioavailability and biological (dehydrogenase activity) and physico-chemical properties of mine soils developed at different parental rocks. Concentration of trace elements in post-mine ecosystems did not differ from...

The spider webs of Malthonica ferruginea (Panzer, 1804) from the Agelenidae family were used for the evaluation of heavy metal contamination, and major and trace elements presence in the air of Wrocław, Poland. The concentrations of 16 elements were determined (Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, W, Pt, and Pb). Samples of webs were collected from six different locations with low,...

The effect of lead application on nutrient and Pb content and accumulation in ipê-roxo (Tabebuia impetiginosa (Mart.) Standl.) seedlings was studied in an experiment conducted under greenhouse conditions at the Soil Science Department of the Federal University of Lavras. The seedlings were cultivated in Clark nutrient solution and submitted to increasing Pb levels: 0, 48, 96, 192 and 288 μmol/l...

Copper is both an essential micronutrient and a toxic heavy metal for most living cells. The presence of high concentrations of cupric ions in the environment promotes the selection of microorganisms possessing genetic determinants for copper resistance. Several examples of chromosomal and plasmid copper-resistance systems in bacteria have been reported, and the mechanisms of resistance have st...

Consumers expect organic products to be healthier. However, limited research has been performed to study the effect of organic food on health. The present study aimed to identify biomarkers of health to enable future studies in human subjects. A feeding experiment was performed in two generations of three groups of chickens differing in immune responsiveness, which were fed identically composed...

This application note describes a robust analytical method for the determination of heavy metals and substances regulated by the EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances/End of Life Vehicles (RoHS/ELV) directives. Based on the experience of Nihon Environmental Services Co., Ltd in Japan using an Agilent Technologies 7500c ORS (Octopole Reaction System) collision/reaction cell ICP-MS, this note su...

It has long been believed that heavy metals possess many adverse health effects. Uncontrolled industrialization has released heavy metal pollution in the world. Heavy metal pollutants damage organ functions and disrupt physiological homeostasis. Diabetes mellitus is growing in prevalence worldwide. Several studies have indicated that the deficiency and efficiency of some essential trace metals ...