Animal and human health is unlikely to be at risk when generations of sheep graze bauxite residue (Alkaloam®)-amended pastures

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 2074 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Laurence ◽  
N. Stephens ◽  
G. Megirian
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Bauxite Residue ◽  
Fertile Soil ◽  
Copper Manganese ◽  
Cobalt Iron

Bauxite residue (Alkaloam®) applied to pasture has been shown significantly to improve pasture production on sub-fertile soil, such as those found in south-west Western Australia, because it increases soil pH. There are concerns that animals grazing Alkaloam-amended pasture may suffer ill health through heavy metal accumulation in tissues, and that this effect could be amplified over generations. There are additional concerns that eating exposed animals, or direct exposure to Alkaloam, may be detrimental to human health. Although some literature exists there are no studies that address these issues when the application of Alkaloam occurred several years (20) before grazing. This investigation examined the heavy metal and trace element accumulation in the tissues of Dorper lambs (1 year old) and their dams, Dorper ewes (4–5 years old) grazing Alkaloam-amended pasture. The experiment was conducted on two sites grazed in the Peel region of Western Australia: one site in Coolup, the Control site (Site C), that had had no application of Alkaloam and one site in Wagerup, the Treatment site (Site T), that had had 20 tonnes per hectare of Alkaloam applied in 1993. Both sites had uniform soil and pasture type during the growing season. Samples of soil and pasture were collected at each site. Differences in trace element concentrations, pH and conductivity between sites were determined. Ten ewes and 10 lambs were randomly selected at each site, removed and killed on the same day for gross examination of the kidney, liver and lung tissue. Samples of the tissues were collected for histopathological examination and chemical analysis to determine concentrations of trace elements. Depending on the concentration of trace elements in each sample, a logistical regression with binomial regression or an ANOVA was performed to determine differences in concentrations between ages, sites and any interactions between age and site. Sheep from Site T had significantly higher concentrations of copper, manganese and molybdenum, whereas sheep from Site C had significantly higher concentrations of cobalt, iron, lead, nickel, selenium, strontium and zinc in tissues. Ewes had significantly higher concentrations of barium, cadmium, cobalt, iron and strontium whereas lambs had significantly higher concentrations of copper, manganese and molybdenum in tissues. Ewes had higher concentrations of cadmium in the kidney compared with lambs, and ewes from Site C had significantly higher concentrations than ewes from Site T. Ewes and lambs from Site C had significantly higher concentrations of selenium in the liver compared with ewes and lambs from Site T. Concentrations of heavy metals (As, Hg, Pb, Th and U) were low in tissues of all sheep. The results show that whereas there were different elemental tissue concentrations between sites and between ages of sheep, there were no detrimental trace element imbalances or accumulation of heavy metals that would cause ill health in any of the sheep that could be associated with the application of Alkaloam to pasture. It is unlikely that humans will suffer any ill effects as a consequence of eating exposed animals. This result supports the premise that bauxite residue can be safely applied to pasture to significantly improve pasture and animal production where animals graze pasture growing on sub-fertile soil.

scholarly journals A review: Analytical methods for heavy metals determination in environment and human samples

2019 ◽  
pp. 97-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Arjomandi ◽  
*Hamid Shirkhanloo
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Clinical Chemistry ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Soil And Water

Heavy metals are vital and necessary in our daily lives. Moreover, if the amounts of heavy metals are more than the acceptable amounts (mentioned by WHO) in soil, water, and air, indeed, they cause a lot of diseases in human bodies. Therefore, monitoring and measuring the amounts of heavy metals that are arduous and difficult are so important. In this review paper, a lot of studies that have been carried out on the determination and quantification of heavy metals in human bodies, soil, and water are considered. Moreover, the effect of toxicity of each heavy metal on human health is assessed. According to WHO, EPA, NIOSH, ACGIH, and clinical chemistry, the determination of heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cu, Mn is very important in the human body and Environmental matrixes. 

A review of heavy metals in indoor dust and its human health-risk implications

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sock Yin Tan ◽  
Sarva Mangala Praveena ◽  
Emilia Zainal Abidin ◽  
Manraj Singh Cheema
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Metal Concentration ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Heavy Metal Concentration ◽  
Indoor Dust

AbstractIndoor dust acts as a media for heavy metal deposition. Past studies have shown that heavy metal concentration in indoor dust is affected by local human activities and atmospheric transport can have harmful effects on human health. Additionally, children are more sensitive to heavy metals due to their hand-to-mouth behaviour and rapid body development. However, limited information on health risks were found in past dust studies as these studies aimed to identify heavy metal concentrations and sources of indoor dust. The objective of this review is to discuss heavy metal concentration and sources influencing its concentration in indoor dust. Accordingly, high lead (Pb) concentration (639.10 μg/g) has been reported in heavy traffic areas. In addition, this review paper aims to estimate the health risk to children from heavy metals in indoor dust via multiple exposure pathways using the health-risk assessment (HRA). Urban areas and industrial sites have revealed high heavy metal concentration in comparison to rural areas. Hazard index (HI) values found in arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and Pb were 21.30, 1.10 and 2.40, respectively, indicate that non-carcinogenic elements are found in children. Furthermore, most of the past studies have found that carcinogenic risks for As, cadmium (Cd), Cr and Pb were below the acceptable total lifetime cancer risk (TLCR) range (1×10

Heavy metal detoxification and tolerance mechanisms in plants: Implications for phytoremediation

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anamika Kushwaha ◽  
Radha Rani ◽  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Aishvarya Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Heavy Metal Stress ◽  
Heavy Metal Detoxification ◽  
Mycorrhizal Association ◽  
Copper Manganese ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Detoxification Mechanisms ◽  
Harmful Effects

Heavy metals, such as cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc, are essential in trace amounts for growth by plants and other living organisms. However, in excessive amounts these heavy metals have deleterious effects. Like other organisms, plants possess a variety of detoxification mechanisms to counter the harmful effects of heavy metals. These include the restriction of heavy metals by mycorrhizal association, binding with plant cell wall and root excretions, metal efflux from the plasma membrane, metal chelation by phytochelatins and metallothioneins, and compartmentalization within the vacuole. Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses plants and their associated rhizospheric microorganisms to remove pollutants from contaminated sites. This technology is inexpensive, efficient, and ecofriendly. This review focuses on potential cellular and molecular adaptations by plants that are necessary to tolerate heavy metal stress.

scholarly journals Assessment of heavy metal’s in Atlantic sea fish sold in Benin

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1853-1861
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Yehouenou Azehoun Pazou ◽  
Judicaël Azehoun Pazou ◽  
Mahoudjro Roméo Adamou
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Fresh Fish ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Metal Levels

Marine space is constantly threatened by various sources of pollution that may reduce its economic potential and have negative repercussions on human health. This study aims to assess heavy metals contamination of eight fish species and their impact on human health. Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, copper and zinc were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in fresh, cooked and fried fish. The results found in fresh fish (cadmium: 0.002 to 0.005 mg / kg, lead: 0 to 0.031 mg / kg, copper: 0.0045 to 0.305 mg / kg, zinc: 0.1245 to 0.6195 mg / kg), in cooked fish (cadmium: 0.0035 to 0.005 mg / kg, lead: 0 to 0.01 mg / kg, copper: 0 to 0.021 mg / kg, zinc: 0.171 to 0.327 mg / kg) and in fried fish (cadmium: 0.004 mg / kg, lead: 0 to 0.007 mg / kg, copper: 0 to 0.016 mg / kg, zinc: 0.0875 to 0.5065 mg / kg) showed that heavy metal levels are all below the standard values accepted by FAO / WHO. The consumption of these fish could therefore have no negative effect on the population’s health. Both types of cooking have both positive and negative effects on the heavy metal reduction in fish species. Although the concentrations of heavy metals are not worrying, the vigilance of the populations and a variation of the diet are important to guarantee a better health.Keywords: Heavy metals, health impact, Atlantic see fish, Cotonou.

scholarly journals Potential Harmful Effects of Heavy Metals in Milk and Milk Products on Human Health; A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 350-355
Author(s):  
Mohadeseh Pirhadi ◽  
Gholamreza Jahed Khaniki ◽  
Aliasghar Manouchehri ◽  
Mahmoud Bahmani
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Milk Products ◽  
Body Tissues ◽  
Review Study ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products

Milk and dairy products are a major source of nutrition, especially for children, because they contain almost all of the nutrients. Consumption of milk and dairy products is high in developed countries and accounts for about 10%-20% of daily calories. Heavy metal poisoning is associated with a number of diseases, but if these heavy metals are found in milk, which is the main food of the vulnerable age group, the severity of the condition becomes even greater. For this review study, keywords such as “Heavy metals”, “Milk, milk products, Safety”, and “Toxicity” were used. The databases searched for in those articles were “Google Scholar”, “SID”, “Scapus”, “PubMed”, “Science Direct”, and “ISI” search engines. The degree of heavy metal toxicity depends on their chemical form of metals. Some forms of metals are rapidly excreted and do not have the opportunity to be absorbed and stored in body tissues, accordingly they are not very toxic, while some forms of metals are highly toxic and lethal. These forms are slowly excreted from metals and can be absorbed and accumulated in fish muscles and other organs. Heavy metals cause harmful effects such as carcinogenesis, malformations, damage to the nervous system, damage to the reproductive system and infertility in men, liver failure and cardiovascular disease, and so on. Therefore, The purpose of this review study, Potential Harmful Effects of Heavy Metals in milk and milk products on Human Health.

scholarly journals Assessment of Pollution and Health Risks of Heavy Metals in Particulate Matter and Road Dust Along the Road Network of Dhanbad, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (29) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta Kumari ◽  
Manish Kumar Jain ◽  
Suresh Pandian Elumalai
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Source Apportionment ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Mass Concentration ◽  
Road Dust

Background. The rise in particulate matter (PM) concentrations is a serious problem for the environment. Heavy metals associated with PM10, PM2.5, and road dust adversely affect human health. Different methods have been used to assess heavy metal contamination in PM10, PM2.5, and road dust and source apportionment of these heavy metals. These assessment tools utilize pollution indices and health risk assessment models. Objectives. The present study evaluates the total mass and average concentrations of heavy metals in PM10, PM2.5, and road dust along selected road networks in Dhanbad, India, analyzes the source apportionment of heavy metals, and assesses associated human health risks. Methods. A total of 112 PM samples and 21 road dust samples were collected from six stations and one background site in Dhanbad, India from December 2015 to February 2016, and were analyzed for heavy metals (iron (Fe), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn)) using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Source apportionment was determined using principal component analysis. A health risk assessment of heavy metal concentrations in PM10, PM2.5, and road dust was also performed. Results. The average mass concentration was found to be 229.54±118.40 μg m−3 for PM10 and 129.73 ±61.74 μg m−3 for PM2.5. The average concentration of heavy metals was found to be higher in PM2.5 than PM10. The pollution load index value of PM10 and PM2.5 road dust was found to be in the deteriorating category. Vehicles were the major source of pollution. The non-carcinogenic effects on children and adults were found to be within acceptable limits. The heavy metals present in PM and road dust posed a health risk in the order of road dust> PM10> and PM2.5. Particulate matter posed higher health risks than road dust due to particle size. Conclusions. The mass concentration analysis indicates serious PM10 and PM2.5 contamination in the study area. Vehicle traffic was the major source of heavy metals in PM10, PM2.5, and road dust. In terms of non-carcinogenic risks posed by heavy metals in the present study, children were more affected than adults. The carcinogenic risk posed by the heavy metals was negligible. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests

scholarly journals Bee Pollen – Nutritional and Toxicological Aspects

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Katarína Fatrcová-Šramková ◽  
Janka Nôžková
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Polyphenolic Compounds ◽  
Nutritional Elements ◽  
Enrich Food ◽  
Important Amount

Pollen contains nutritional elements – carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements. The pollen contains also important amount of polyphenolic compounds, primarily antioxidants. Because the pollen is rich in nutrients, honeybee-collected pollen is recommended as a dietary supplement. The product can be used as dietary supplements to enrich food with valuable nutrients performing important functions in the human body. Pollen is a bee product affected by contaminants of various origins. In addition to important nutrients, it may also contain heavy metals that are harmful to human health. May be contaminated from air and soil by heavy metals and pesticides.

scholarly journals Using amphipods as bioindicators of metal pollution in the marine environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Monique Francis Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
The Body ◽  
Element Concentrations

<p>Heavy metals in the marine environment are a worldwide issue due to their toxicity, non-biodegradability and their ability to accumulate and magnify in organisms. Increased human activity has caused higher inputs of heavy metals, resulting in escalated pressures on delicate coastal ecosystems. A means of assessing the natural environment and how it is changing in response to pollution and other environmental degradation is through the use of biological indicator or biomonitor species. These organisms provide information on the bioavailability of metals present in the environment. In recent years amphipods, a diverse order of small crustaceans, have been increasingly used as bioindicators of disturbed aquatic communities. They are widespread and important components of many food webs, and likely to be frequently exposed to metal contamination through both sediment and seawater. The aim of this research was two-fold: 1) to use amphipods to examine variation across sites and species in concentration of 20+ trace elements and 2) to examine whether the uptake of two metals, copper (Cu) and neodymium (Nd), is mediated by the presence of the other metal or an elevated seawater temperature.  To investigate variation of trace element concentrations across sites, the amphipod Eusiroides monoculoides was collected from three sites in the Wellington region, approximately 5 km apart: Oriental Bay, Evans Bay and Point Halswell. To investigate differences amongst species comparisons were made between Eusiroides monoculoides, Apohyale papanuiensis and Sunamphitoe mixtura when they occurred at the same site. Analysing the trace element concentrations of 36 metals was done using an Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometer (ICPMS). Overall, although these sites were not greatly distant from each other, there were differences among sites. Evans Bay in general had the highest concentration of trace elements. Further, there were also species-specific differences and S. mixtura was the species with the highest concentration of trace elements. There was also a size effect, where the average dry weight of S. mixtura was negatively related to the concentration of trace elements in the body.  To assess the effects of heavy metals Cu and Nd in both an ambient (14 °C) and elevated (20 °C) temperature, an experiment was run at Victoria University’s Coastal Ecology Lab (VUCEL). Sand hoppers, Bellorchestia quoyana, were collected from a single site in Wellington (Scorching Bay) and assigned to eight treatments: ambient and warm controls in raw seawater and ambient and warm seawater doped with Cu, Nd and Cu and Nd together. Amphipods from treatments with Cu and Nd added had significantly higher concentrations of these metals from the controls, however temperature had no effect, and neither was there an interaction between the metals. Similar to S. mixtura from the field study, dry weight of B. quoyana was negatively related to the concentration of trace elements in the body.  Results from this work demonstrate that when using amphipods as bioindicator species it is important to consider species and size specific effects. This thesis also provides baseline data for 20+ elements from three Wellington sites and demonstrates that there can be unexpected variation across relatively small spatial scales. The laboratory experiment did not yield results that coincided with the consensus of the literature. The experiment showed that at least in this case, temperature did not mediate the uptake of metals and there was a negative relationship between size and metal uptake.</p>

scholarly journals Concentration, Spatial Distribution, Contamination Degree and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Urban Soils across China between 2003 and 2019—A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuangmei Tong ◽  
Hairong Li ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Muyesaier Tudi ◽  
Linsheng Yang
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Soils ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Contamination Levels

This study provides an overview of the studies of heavy metal pollution regarding As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni in the urban soils throughout 71 cities of China, based on data from online literature, during the period 2003–2019. The concentrations, spatial distributions, contamination degrees and health risks of heavy metals in the urban soils were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the mean values of eight heavy metals all exceeded the soil background values in China, and the kriging interpolation method showed that the hot-spot cities with heavy metal contamination in urban soils were mainly concentrated in the southwest, southcentral, southeast coast, northcentral and northwest regions of China. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) indicated that Hg and Cd were at moderate contamination levels and that the levels of the other six metals did not appear contamination. The pollution index (PI) showed that Cd and Hg reached high contamination levels, and the other metals reached moderate contamination levels. The integrated pollution index (IPI) and potential ecological risk index (PRI) indicated that the integral urban soils in the study areas ranked high contamination levels and moderate ecological risk degree, respectively, and Cd and Hg should be labeled as priority metals for control in the urban soils around China. The human health risk assessments for the heavy metals indicated that ingestion was the dominant exposure pathway for having adverse effects on human health. The mean Hazard index (HI) values of eight heavy metals all showed that adverse effects on human health were unlikely, and the mean carcinogenic (CR) values of As, Cr and Ni for children and adults all suggested an acceptable carcinogenic risk to human beings. In addition, children exposed to these heavy metals faced more serious non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health threats compared to adults. The results could provide valuable information for demanding the better control of heavy metal pollution and mitigation of the adverse effects on residents by environmental regulators in national urban regions.

scholarly journals Cumulative Effect and Content Variation of Toxic Trace Elements in Human Hair around Xiaoqinling Gold Mining Area, Northwestern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 2074
Author(s):  
Min Yang ◽  
Youning Xu ◽  
Hailing Ke ◽  
Huaqing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Human Hair ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Polluted Area ◽  
Toxic Trace Elements ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Toxic Trace Element

The harm of toxic trace element polluted living environments to human health in mining areas has attracted extensive attention. In this study, human hair samples from a toxic trace element polluted area (village A) in a mineral processing area collected in 2015 and 2019 were studied in detail and the nonpolluted human hair samples from a contrast area (village B) with a relatively clean environment were also collected for comparison. The Hg and As in human hair samples were analyzed by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) and the Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu in human hair samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The single cumulative index (Pi) and the Nemerrow index (Pz) were used to evaluate the single and comprehensive cumulative pollution index. The results indicated that the average toxic trace element contents in human hair from different ages in the polluted area exhibited certain statistical significance. The average single cumulative indexes indicated a significant accumulation of Hg, Pb, and Cd in human hair of both genders and different ages from the polluted area, and the comprehensive cumulative pollution indexes revealed higher accumulation of toxic trace elements in the hair of males than in females. In general, the content of toxic trace elements in human hair from polluted area was still growing in accumulation. The high content of toxic trace elements in human hair shows a notable correlation with human health, and the environmental pollution in gold mining areas is seriously harmful to human health.

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