The Schiff bases (H3L), derived from 2-acetylpyrrole and carbonohydrazide, and its reactions with some transition metal ions (Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II)) afforded complexes of formulae [M(H5LA)2(H2O)x]∙2(NO3)∙(CH3CN)z∙(H2O)y-x (M= Co, Ni, Cu or Zn ; 0 ≤ x < y ≤ 3, z = 0 or 1) and {Cd(H4LA)(NO3)}n. These compounds have been characterized by means of elemental analysis, UV–Vis spec...

AIMS To investigate mortality from lung cancer in nickel-cadmium battery workers in relation to cumulative exposure to cadmium hydroxide. METHODS The mortality of a cohort of 926 male workers from a factory engaged in the manufacture of nickel-cadmium batteries in the West Midlands of England was investigated for the period 1947-2000. All subjects were first employed at the plant in the perio...

A novel biosensor based on immobilised whole cell Chlorella vulgaris microalgae as a bioreceptor and interdigitated conductometric electrodes as a transducer has been developed and tested for alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) analysis. These sensors were also used for the detection of toxic compounds, namely cadmium ions, in aquatic habitats. Algae were immobilised inside bovine serum albumin...

Due to anthropogenic activities, heavy metals still represent a threat for various trophic levels. If aquatic animals are exposed to heavy metals we can obviously observe considerable toxicity. It is well known that an organism affected by cadmium (Cd) synthesize low molecular mass thiol compounds rich in cysteine (Cys), such as metallothioneins (MT) and glutathione (GSH/GSSG). The aim of this ...

Prenatal chemical exposure has been frequently associated with reduced fetal growth by single pollutant regression models although inconsistent results have been obtained. Our study estimated the effects of exposure to single pollutants and mixtures on birth weight in 248 mother-child pairs. Arsenic, copper, lead, manganese and thallium were measured in cord blood, cadmium in maternal blood, me...

The public health impacts associated with stack emissions from hazardous waste incinerators have become a major concern in recent years. Most evaluations of incinerator stack emissions have focused on three classes of compounds: metals, semivolatile, and volatile compounds. These investigations have been complicated by the difficulty and expense of analyzing the emissions and the limited amount...

Two types of mechanisms are considered in this discussion of the interactions between compounds of selenium and those of cadmium or mercury: one based on a direct chemical reaction between compounds of these elements and the other based on metabolic changes induced by selenium administration and modifying the dose-effect relationship indirectly, without a reaction between selenium and the metal...

Due to anthropogenic activities, heavy metals still represent a threat for various trophic levels. If aquatic animals are exposed to heavy metals, we can obviously observe considerable toxicity. It is well known that organisms treated with heavy metals synthesize low molecular mass compounds rich in cysteine. In this work the effects of cadmium chloride (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 mg/L) on common...

Heme oxygenase-1 is an inducible cytoprotective gene, although its induction by environmental factors is not completely understood. This study aimed to ascertain if specific nutritive factors or related compounds influence heme oxygenase-1 expression. In HCT-116 cells, cadmium increased heme oxygenase-1 enzymatic activity. This effect of cadmium was weaker in cells made iron-deficient with the ...