Histopathological Evaluation of Tissue Specific Responses of Subacute Clothianidin Administration in Oncorhynchus mykiss

Clothianidin, one of the latest members of neonicotinoids, is a systemic insecticide of the neonicotinoid group that affects the central nervous system by acting as a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. Although it is stated that it has no dangerous potential for aquatic organisms, accumulation in water basins is important in terms of environmental toxicity. In this study, the histopathological changes caused by clothianidin applied in subacute application (7 days) form and in environmental doses (3, 15 and 30 µg/L) in the brain, kidney, muscle and gill tissue of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss were determined. Parallel to the administration of increasing doses of clothianidin, an increase in the severity of pathological lesions is observed in the brain, muscle, kidney and gill tissue. In particular, it shows that as a result of the accumulation of pesticides in aquatic organisms, lesions may develop as tissue-specific responses, thus leading to tissue dysfunction.

Toxicity, Monitoring, and Biodegradation of Cypermethrin Insecticide: A Review

Cypermethrin insecticide is widely used to prevent and control pest and crop diseases though, its residues have caused significant damage to the environment and living organisms. Microbial remediation becomes a popular approach to counter the toxicity of cypermethrin in both aquatic as well as terrestrial life. Cypermethrin can be effectively degraded to nontoxic compounds by bacterial and fungal strains. Various bacterial and fungal strains such as Ochrobactrum lupini DG-S-01, Bacillus sp. strain SG2, Azoarcus indigens strain HZ5, Streptomyces aureus strain HP-S-01, and Aspergillus oryzae M-4 are used for the cypermethrin degradation. Extensive usage of cypermethrin has caused problems such as surface water contamination, reduced fertility of the soil, detrimental effects on soil microbiota and non-targeted species. Due to environmental concerns associated with the cypermethrin in groundwater and food products, there is a crucial need to develop economical, rapid, and reliable techniques that can be used for field applications. An in-depth understanding of cypermethrin is explored in this review paper and possible solutions to mitigate its environmental toxicity are suggested.

Evaluation of the Use of Advanced Ozone Oxidative Process in Reducing the Danger of Environmental Toxicity by Endocrine Interferences of Magistral Pharmacy

The presence of emerging pollutants in the waters has been observed worldwide, resulting from improper domestic disposal, non-recommended veterinarian use, and product waste from pharmaceutical industries and magistral pharmacies. The contamination provoked, besides causing damage to the environment, remains in potable water even after passing through the treatment plants. The objective of this work was to verify the existence of environmental toxicity of raw effluents from gross pharmacy laboratories, as well as the same effluent treated with POA via ozone in the time of 1 hour, having as a risk parameter the changes that they cause in Euglena gracilis algae. Photosynthetic efficiency tests were conducted via PAM, and chlorophyll concentration and behavioral evaluation were checked via NGTOX. The results demonstrate that the hormone laboratory was considered the most impacted effluent treated, with lower production and significant chlorophyll reduction. It presented reduction in photosynthetic post-ozonation activity, due to the hormone decomposition, oxidative potential and ethylene formation. Effluents from psychotropic and solid laboratories presented different production demand, but similar follow-up, with impact on the behavior and algae’s photosynthetic activity, due to the presence of active substances on cellular action potentials. The treated effluent from dermocosmetics laboratory influenced the chlorophyll concentration, as well as the general speed and velocity of surface ascent. The behavioral differences between the laboratories and the pre and post-ozonation conditions demonstrate that the effluent treatment should be distinguished, according to the characteristics of the manipulated substances in each laboratory.

Investigation on Vanadium Chemistry in Basic-Oxygen-Furnace (BOF) Slags—A First Approach

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag accounts for the majority of all residual materials produced during steelmaking and may typically contain certain transition metals. Vanadium, in particular, came into focus in recent years because of its potential environmental toxicity as well as its economic value. This study addresses the vanadium chemistry in BOF slags to better understand its recovery and save handling of the waste stream. The experimental results from the electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) study show that vanadium is preferably incorporated in calcium orthosilicate-like compounds (COS), with two variations occurring, a low vanadium COS (COS-Si) (approx. 1 wt.%), and a high vanadium COS (COS-V) (up to 18 wt.%). Additionally, vanadium is incorporated in dicalcium ferrite-like compounds (DFS) with an average amount of 3 wt.%. Using powder x-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD), EPMA, and virtual component models, stoichiometric formulas of the main vanadium-bearing phases were postulated. The stoichiometries give an estimate of the oxidation states of vanadium in the respective hosts. According to these results, trivalent vanadium is incorporated on the Fe-position in dicalcium ferrite solid solution (DFS), and V4+ and V5+ are incorporated on the Si-position of the COS.

Larvicidal Activity of Geranylacetone Derivatives against Culex quinquefasciatus Larvae and Investigation of Environmental Toxicity and Non-Target Aquatic Species

A grindstone method based on Mannich condensation was used to synthesize geranylacetone derivatives (1a–1f). The method showed a high yield under milder reaction conditions. Analyses of the synthesized compounds were carried out by FTIR, 1H, 13C NMR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. We synthesized and evaluated the larvicidal and ichthyotoxic activities of six compounds (1a–1f) in this study. Compound 1f (5,9-dimethyl-1-phenyl-3-(2-(3-phenylallylidene)hydrazinyl)deca-4,8-dien-1-one) was more active (LD50: 14.1 µg/mL) against the second instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus than geranylacetone (67.2 µg/mL), whereas the former caused 13.9% mortality at 100 µg/mL. Geranylacetone, in an antifeedant screening test, showed 53.1% against Oreochromis mossambicus within 24 h. The compound 1f showed high larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus and was non-toxic to non-target aquatic species.

Ozonation of Amoxicillin and Ciprofloxacin in Model Hospital Wastewater to Increase Biotreatability

Amoxicillin (AMX) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) are antibiotics commonly used in human medicine with high environmental toxicity and poor biodegradability. They have been found in various hospital effluents and groundwater, and their environmental impact is still not fully understood. In this work, we investigated the possibility of treating model wastewaters containing the antibiotics AMX and CIP using ozonation, with the addition of H2O2 under various conditions, including different pH values, H2O2, and ozone dosages. The quantification of and treatment efficacy for antibiotic removal were determined via solid phase extraction followed by chromatographic separation by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). This analytical system is quite efficient for the detection of all major antibiotic classes, even if they are present at very low concentrations. The efficiency of ozonation was determined by measuring the TOC (Total Organic Carbon) changes after ozonation of the model wastewater and by measuring the concentration of the two antibiotics. In a sequential activated sludge process of ozone-treated model wastewater, almost complete TOC removal and an overwhelming decrease in antibiotic concentrations (up to 99%) were observed. Ozonation resulted in complete removal of AMX and CIP in less than 30 and 120 min, respectively. The results of this work indicate that ozonation could be a suitable pretreatment method to reduce the toxicity of contaminants (AMX and CIP) and improve the biodegradability of hospital wastewater.