In Silico Taste – Toxicological Study of Chlorfenvinphos, Dichlofluanid, Fonofos, or Methacrifos Partial Degradation Products

Toxicity is important factor to human and environment and can be tested in lab and by computerized models. ProTox-II is in Silico method to assess safety of chemicals to minimize risk health threating to human and other living organisms in nature. Taste of material is another character can be calculated in Silico model like virtualtaste. Here, first attempt of using two computerized methods and hypothetical partial degradation products of four toxics materials used to control agricultural productivity was carried out to predicate taste and toxicity characters. LD50, Toxicity Class, organ and end point toxicities, Tox21-Nuclear receptor signaling and stress response pathways of Chlorfenvinphos, Dichlofluanid, Fonofos, and Methacrifos with their hypothetical degradation products were calculated. Hypothetical degradation products were a results of (C-C, C-O, C-N, C-S, C-P, P-O, P-S, or N-S) bond breakage. The hypothesized degradation chemicals showed that most of them were with sour taste and their toxicity were less class compared to the parent compound but not to non-toxic material (Class 6, LD50 more than 5000 mg/kg). Also, they were structurally toxics and could be interact with molecular cellular target resulting than parent compound if they presented in required concentration.

Analysis of Effectiveness in the Utilization and Control of Electronic Waste (E-Waste) in Indonesia

In Indonesia, E-waste continues to grow rapidly, along with the increasing use of electronic goods such as telecommunications devices, households, offices, etc. Although it can be recycled, only a small portion can be done, and the recycling process is still under minimal control. Most E-waste is categorized as hazardous and toxic material waste. E-waste has a very high hazard impact if it is not recycled properly and correctly, such as polluting, damaging, and endangering the environment. This article uses forecasting of e-waste growth and canalization e-waste in Indonesia. The first data was obtained from EWasteRJ, a social community engaged in e-waste collection. The second data is obtained from questionnaires distributed to 110 respondents, focusing on knowledge and ways of handling E-waste. Using statistical analysis on both data shows that the amount of E-waste in Indonesia continues to increase every year, and public awareness of the dangers of E-waste is increasing.

PERKEMBANGAN DAN SISTEM PENGANGKUTAN LIMBAH BAHAN BERBAHAYA DAN BERACUN (B3) DI INDONESIA

Industrial development besides having a positive impact on the economy, also has a negative impact such as the waste industry. Non-hazardous and non-toxic material waste no to be handled as strictly as hazardous and toxic material waste, although the waste industry. This issues (1) How is the development of hazardous and toxic waste transportation?; and (2) How is the hazardous and toxic waste transportation system? The response to the issues are the aims of this research. The method used is a literature study and analyzed descriptively. The results of the search for hazardous and toxic waste transportation data for the 2015–19 period and analysis shows: (1) The amount of hazardous and toxic waste in Indonesia decreasing, but the waste transportation companies increase by 40.98% (3650 waste transportation service companies) from 2589 in 2018; (2) the number of permits increased by an average of 23.58%/year; (3) the number of vehicles hazardous transporting is 8,984 vehicles or 4 times from 2015; and (5) the contributing sectors for hazardous are Mining, Energy and Oil and Gas; Manufacture; Infrastructure and Services; and Agro Industry.

Chitosan Covalently Functionalized with Peptides Mapped on Vitronectin and BMP-2 for Bone Tissue Engineering

Worldwide, over 20 million patients suffer from bone disorders annually. Bone scaffolds are designed to integrate into host tissue without causing adverse reactions. Recently, chitosan, an easily available natural polymer, has been considered a suitable scaffold for bone tissue growth as it is a biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic material with antimicrobial activity and osteoinductive capacity. In this work, chitosan was covalently and selectively biofunctionalized with two suitably designed bioactive synthetic peptides: a Vitronectin sequence (HVP) and a BMP-2 peptide (GBMP1a). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) investigations highlighted the presence of the peptides grafted to chitosan (named Chit-HVP and Chit-GBMP1a). Chit-HVP and Chit-GBMP1a porous scaffolds promoted human osteoblasts adhesion, proliferation, calcium deposition, and gene expression of three crucial osteoblast proteins. In particular, Chit-HVP highly promoted adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts, while Chit-GBMP1a guided cell differentiation towards osteoblastic phenotype.

A REVIEW ON TOXICITY OF SNUHI (EUPHORBIA NERIFOLIA LINN.)

Snuhi (Euphorbia nerifolia Linn.) is a widely known poisonous medicinal plant in Ayurveda. It is categorized un- der Sthavara Upavisha. In Ayurveda, Upavisha is the group of drugs that are less toxic and not so lethal but pro- duces certain toxic symptoms on consumption or administration. Snuhi is one among the Upavisha and a well- known plant in the Indian system of medicine. In the Ayurveda concept, it is believed that toxic material may be useful in various diseases if it is administered properly and similarly even a drug if not administered properly be- comes an acute poison. The present review article highlights overall information about the plant Snuhi, its toxico- logical aspect, management, medico-legal aspect. Keywords: Snuhi, Upavisha, Toxicological aspect

Surface Activity and Emulsifying Effect of Non-Toxic Starch Nanocrystal

The purpose of this study is to investigate the surface activity of starch nanocrystals (SNC), material derived from starch, and confirm their usefulness as a surfactant. In order to evaluate the surface activity, the surface tension change of suspended SNC solution via the Wilhelmy plate method was measured and the values were compared with various synthetic surfactants. The effect of SNC as emulsifier was evaluated on emulsion formation and physical stability. The surface tension of the SNC-dispersed solution was decreased while its concentration was increased. When the 5.0% (w/v) of SNC was added, the surface tension was decreased from 70.3 to 49.5 mN/m. It was confirmed that the physical stability of the emulsion prepared by adding the SNC was improved compared to that of surface inactivity material (PEG 400). The phase separation was observed within 1 hour after preparation of the emulsion containing PEG 400, but the emulsion containing SNC was stable for 5 hours or more. To summarize this study, SNC, a natural-derived and non-toxic material, exhibits sufficient surface activity, thereby confirming the possibility of being applied to the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Recycling of waste incineration bottom ash in the production of interlocking concrete bricks

This study presents an experimental investigation on the recycling of waste incineration bottom ash (IBA) as a fine aggregate in the production of interlocking concrete bricks (ICB). Before being used, the concentration of heavy metal in IBA was determined to confirm it is a non-toxic material. In this study, the IBA was used to replace crushed sand (CSA) in the brick mixtures at different replacement levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (by volume). The ICB samples were checked for dimensions, visible defects, compressive strength, bending strength, water absorption, and surface abrasion in accordance with the related Vietnamese standards. The test results demonstrated that the IBA used in this study was a non-toxic material, which can be widely used for construction activities. All of the ICB samples prepared for this study exhibited a nice shape with consistent dimensions and without any visible defects. The incorporation of IBA in the brick mixtures affected engineering properties of the ICB samples such as a reduction in the compressive strength and bending strength and an increment in water absorption and surface abrasion of the brick samples. As a result, the compressive strength, bending strength, water absorption, and surface abrasion values of ICB samples at 28 days were in the ranges of 20.6 – 34.9 MPa, 3.95 – 6.62 MPa, 3.8 – 7.2%, and 0.132 – 0.187 g/cm2, respectively. Therefore, either partial or full replacement of CSA by IBA, the ICB with grades of M200 – M300 could be produced with satisfying the TCVN 6476:1999 standard in terms of dimensions, visible defects, compressive strength, water absorption, and surface abrasion. These results demonstrated the high applicability of the local IBA in the production of the ICB for various construction application purposes. Keywords: interlocking concrete brick; waste incineration bottom ash; visible defect; compressive strength; bending strength; water absorption; surface abrasion.

The Deposition of Titanium Dioxide Nanostructures Layer Using One-step Solution Process and Spin-coating Technique

Background: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an oxide-based material that has been recently discovered by many researchers owing to its properties such as a good absorber with excellent optical properties and the best stability compared to lead, Pb, which is not stable in the ambient air and is a toxic material. TiO2 is a non-toxic material and is not hazardous to the environment. TiO2 became a favored choice in the selection as a layer because of faster electron extraction and suitable bandgap energy. Objective: In this study, we deposited and optimized TiO2 at different TiO2 precursor molar concentrations varying between 0.005 – 0.05M. Methods: A one-step solution process and a low-temperature processing spin-coating technique were used. Results: Using the field emission scanning electron microscope, it was found that the surface morphology of the TiO2 Nanostructures Layer (NsL) was evenly distributed, presenting a homogeneous surface. An atomic force microscope showed that the TiO2 NsL appeared as a uniform, dense and compact surface close to each other. It was revealed that the surface roughness value (RMS) was 47.72nm, and the thickness of TiO2 NsL (Pmax) was 26.82nm. Besides, the surface coverage was good and uniform, while the percentage of surface roughness was found to be 11.8% using a surface profiler. The Ultra-violet visible spectroscopy showed the bandgap energy of 3.11 eV. Conclusion: The optimum result suggests that TiO2 NsL, as an electron transport layer (ETL), could be used for fabrication in the architecture engineering structure of Bi- perovskite based solar cell devices in the future.

Submicron polymer particles may mask the presence of toxicants in wastewater effluents probed by reporter gene containing bacteria

Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic systems and break down into submicron particles that can interact with aquatic toxic chemicals. These interactions may affect the detection of toxicants when using bacteria as a biomonitoring tool. This study examined the effects of model polystyrene (PS)-based submicron particles on the detection of aqueous geno- and cytotoxicity by genetically modified bioluminescent (GMB) bacteria. The toxicities were tested in three treated wastewater (TWW) effluents before and after chlorination. The PS plastics included negatively charged sulfate-coated (S-PS) and pristine (P-PS) particles of different sizes (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 µm) that were present at different concentrations. Chlorinated or not, the S-PS and P-PS particles per se were not toxic to the GMB bacteria. However, exposure of PS particles to TWW effluents can significantly reduce the measured geno- and cytotoxicity. Adsorption of toxic compounds to polymer particles can limit the ability of the bacteria to detect those compounds. This masking effect may be mitigated by TWW chlorination, possibly due to the formation of new toxic material. Due to interactions between toxic TWW constituents and the plastics particles, water samples containing particle-associated contaminants and/or their transformation products may be declared non-toxic, based on bacterial tests as a biomonitoring tool.