Article
Engineering, Environmental
Quang Tri Ho, Sylvia Frantzen, Bente M. Nilsen, Ole Jakob Nostbakken, Atabak M. Azad, Arne Duinker, Lise Madsen, Michael S. Bank
Summary: This study investigated the bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine fish from the North-East Atlantic Ocean (NEAO). It was found that POPs congener composition profiles were mainly influenced by fish species rather than geographical location. The study also revealed that factors such as fat content, fish size, trophic position, and latitude had an impact on POPs concentrations in fish. Additionally, a non-linear relationship between POPs concentrations and fat content was observed, with concentrations reaching saturation when fat content exceeded 10%.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mehmet Ferhat Sari, Fatma Esen, Yucel Tasdemir
Summary: This study compared the concentrations of PCBs measured by PASs and biomonitoring methods, finding similar distribution results. High molecular weight PCBs moved from air to pollen media, while low molecular weight PCB congeners passed from pollen media to air in both sampling areas.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Maxime Jeanjean, Sylvaine Goix, Marine Periot, Khaled Douib, Julien Dron, Marie-Pierre Etienne, Philippe Marchand, Annabelle Austruy, Gautier Revenko, Philippe Chamaret
Summary: Residents living near the core of an industrial zone in Fos-sur-Mer, France were found to have higher serum levels of organochlorine indicators, which was linked to behaviors involving environmental exposures. Additionally, spatial and temporal variations of pollutants were observed in the area.
EXPOSURE AND HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Inaki Lacomba, Antonio Lopez, Raquel Hervas-Ayala, Clara Coscolla
Summary: An analytical strategy was used to study the presence of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dl-PCBs in newborn meconium samples. The methodology involved SPLE extraction, multicolumn clean-up, and analysis using GC-HRMS. The study found various congeners in the samples, with some being detected in all samples. The levels of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs ranged from 0.19 to 0.31 pg TEQ g(-1) ww.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Orazio Valerio Giannico, Simona Baldacci, Fabrizio Cosimo Basile, Angelo Pellegrino, Francesco Desiante, Ettore Franco, Gianfranco Diletti, Michele Conversano
Summary: This study analyzed and reported the levels of contaminants in hen eggs sampled near the industrial area of Taranto in Southern Italy. The results showed a certain degree of contamination in the eggs, with some exceedances attributed to farmers' wrong habits. The study emphasizes the importance of monitoring potential contaminant levels and improving management practices on farms.
FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS PART A-CHEMISTRY ANALYSIS CONTROL EXPOSURE & RISK ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Orazio Valerio Giannico, Simona Baldacci, Francesco Desiante, Fabrizio Cosimo Basile, Ettore Franco, Grazia Rita Fragnelli, Gianfranco Diletti, Michele Conversano
Summary: This study examined the role of mussel size, temperature, and other meteorological factors in determining the concentrations of organic contaminants in mussels. The results showed that the concentrations of these contaminants in mussels were influenced by mussel size and meteorological conditions, which is essential for guiding public health strategies and mussel sampling.
FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS PART A-CHEMISTRY ANALYSIS CONTROL EXPOSURE & RISK ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuanjie Lin, Chao Feng, Sunyang Le, Xinlei Qiu, Qian Xu, Shuping Jin, Yamin Fang, Yu'e Jin, Yimin Wen, Guoquan Wang, Dasheng Lu
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the exposure of breast-fed infants in Shanghai to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The results showed that the distribution pattern of POPs in human milk differed from that in infant hair, but they had stable concentration ratios and similar distribution patterns between internal and external hair samples. Infant hair can be an ideal biomatrix for estimating exposure to POPs from exogenous sources like house dust.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kate Crawford
Summary: The pandemic is being used as a pretext to introduce unproven artificial intelligence tools into workplaces and schools.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Binay Kumar, Jandeep Singh, Sunil Mittal, Harminder Singh
Summary: This study analyzed hazardous substances in 5 different brands of sanitary napkins being used in India using gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GCMS). The concentration of chemicals such as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), persistent organic pollutant, phthalates, and total chlorine were reported. The study also calculated the amount of plastic present in each sanitary napkin and the total plastic waste generation potential. Data analysis revealed that Indian sanitary pads have higher concentrations of hazardous chemicals compared to similar products in developed countries.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lies Teunen, Maarten De Jonge, Govindan Malarvannan, Adrian Covaci, Claude Belpaire, Jean-Francois Focant, Ronny Blust, Lieven Bervoets
Summary: This study measured compound concentrations in water samples from Flanders, Belgium and compared them with existing biota quality standards. The results suggest that the current standards may be too low for certain compounds and should be revised and adjusted.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Seo Young Jang, Youngae Jung, Duk-Hee Lee, Geum-Sook Hwang
Summary: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulated in the body may be associated with the incidence of certain diseases. This study investigated the association between the concentration of POPs and circulating metabolites in human blood samples. The findings suggest that metabolites related to short-chain fatty acids and creatine can be useful risk indicators for estimating the effect of PCB exposure.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cristian Rial-Berriel, Alvaro Ramos-Luzardo, Andrea Acosta-Dacal, Ana Macias-Montes, Pilar Fernandez-Valeron, Luis Alberto Henriquez-Hernandez, Manuel Zumbado, Luis D. D. Boada, Octavio P. P. Luzardo
Summary: This study applied and validated a method for detecting several hundred toxins in serum samples. It could detect and quantify up to 353 compounds, including persistent organic pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and rodenticides, using just 250 μL of serum. The method has great potential for biomonitoring.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuai Sun, Baoqin Zhang, Yun Luo, Xindong Ma, Rong Cao, Yichi Zhang, Yuan Gao, Jiping Chen, Haijun Zhang
Summary: This study collected breast milk samples from 51 mothers in Dalian, China, and found that they had higher exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to their higher consumption of seafood. The study also observed differences in the accumulation potentials of different PCDD/F and PCB congeners in breast milk and highlighted the higher exposure risk of infants to these chemicals.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefania Cavallo, Sara Lambiase, Francesco Paolo Serpe, Roberta Pellicano, Antonio Di Stasio, Pasquale Maglio, Alfonso Gallo, Antonio Pizzolante, Diletta Mandato, Guido Rosato, Loredana Baldi, Pellegrino Cerino, Pasquale Gallo, Mauro Esposito, Gianfranco Brambilla
Summary: This study investigated the contamination of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs in buffalo milk from rural areas of the Campania region from 2008 to 2018, revealing a significant decreasing trend from 2008 to 2010 and no significant variation from 2010 to 2018. The baseline contamination levels were found to be well below the EU regulatory limit, indicating a relatively low risk in terms of food safety and food security.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Szczepan Mikolajczyk, Malgorzata Warenik-Bany, Marek Pajurek
Summary: The study found that levels of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in Baltic fish have decreased, but there is still potential risk for frequent consumers. The average intake for children and adults exceeded the TWI, indicating that Baltic fish are still not safe for fish consumers.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anran Cai, Lutzen Portengen, Eva Govarts, Laura Rodriguez Martin, Greet Schoeters, Juliette Legler, Roel Vermeulen, Virissa Lenters, Sylvie Remy
Summary: This study used data from two Belgian cohorts and found that prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may affect infant growth, particularly in terms of changes in body mass index (BMI) during the first two years after birth. However, there were no clear effects on longer-term growth trajectories during childhood. No evidence of effect modification by child sex was found.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stephanie Chaousis, Frederic D. L. Leusch, Colin J. Limpus, Amanda Nouwens, Liesbeth J. Weijs, Antonia Weltmeyer, Adrian Covaci, Jason P. van de Merwe
Summary: All seven species of sea turtle are facing increasing pressures from human activities that are impacting their health. Changes in blood proteins can indicate adverse health outcomes. This study examines the protein abundance in sea turtle plasma, compares protein expression between different populations, and investigates markers of contaminant exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shoji F. Nakayama, Annie St-Amand, Tyler Pollock, Petra Apel, Yu Ait Bamai, Dana Boyd Barr, Jos Bessems, Antonia M. Calafat, Argelia Castano, Adrian Covaci, Radu Corneliu Duca, Sarah Faure, Karen S. Galea, Sean Hays, Nancy B. Hopf, Yuki Ito, Maryam Zare Jeddi, Marike Kolossa-Gehring, Eva Kumar, Judy S. LaKind, Marta Esteban Lopez, Henriqueta Louro, Kristin Macey, Konstantinos C. Makris, Lisa Melnyk, Aline Murawski, Josh Naiman, Julianne Nassif, Nolwenn Noisel, Devika Poddalgoda, Lesliam Quiros-Alcala, Ata Rafiee, Loic Rambaud, Maria Joao Silva, Jun Ueyama, Marc-Andre Verner, Maisarah Nasution Waras, Kate Werry
Summary: Human biomonitoring (HBM) data can be used to compare population exposures, but finding the relevant health-based biomonitoring guidance values can be time-consuming. To address this issue, an online repository called the Human Biomonitoring Health-Based Guidance Value (HB2GV) Dashboard has been created. This database provides a centralized location for researchers and decision makers to access and interpret HBM data.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jing Li, Xiaowen Zeng, Xiaolin Liang, Shuqin Tang, Adrian Covaci, Xiaofeng Ma, Yan Yang, Da Chen
Summary: This study aimed to characterize gestational exposure to plasticizers and antioxidants, and explore the associations with placental function related genes. Several chemicals showed significantly different concentrations between preterm and full-term deliveries, and were associated with mRNA expression levels of selected genes. The associations exhibited chemical-specific patterns and significantly differed between preterm and full-term deliveries.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Siebe Lievens, Evelynn Vervoort, Giulia Poma, Adrian Covaci, Mik Van Der Borght
Summary: Concerns about microplastics in the environment have grown, leading scientists to conduct thorough studies. A cryogenic grinding and wet-sieving method was developed to efficiently produce and fractionate microplastics. With this method, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics could be produced with specific particle sizes and easily separated into different size ranges. The method has the potential to be applied to other types of plastics as well.
METHODS AND PROTOCOLS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chien-chia Chen, Karabi Mondal, Philippe Vervliet, Adrian Covaci, Evan P. O'Brien, Karl J. Rockne, James L. Drummond, Luke Hanley
Summary: Compound identification by database searching is commonly used in mass spectrometric data analysis. Machine learning was applied to statistically evaluate the identification results generated by software. Logistic regression was used to assign identification probabilities for each compound, providing more confidence in identification beyond database matching.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Toxicology
Elias Iturrospe, Rani Robeyns, Katyeny Manuela da Silva, Maria van de Lavoir, Joost Boeckmans, Tamara Vanhaecke, Alexander L. N. van Nuijs, Adrian Covaci
Summary: Despite being common, alcoholic liver disease remains poorly understood, especially in its early stages. In this study, alcoholic steatohepatitis was simulated in vitro to investigate the metabolic alterations and identify affected pathways. The researchers discovered key findings, such as the influence of TNF-alpha on hepatic triglycerides and the detection of FAHFA-containing triglycerides in human hepatocytes, which may play an important role in the progression of alcoholic steatohepatitis. Additionally, ethoxylated phosphorylcholine was identified as a potential new biomarker of ethanol exposure.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shanshan Yin, Thomas J. McGrath, Adam Cseresznye, Jasper Bombeke, Giulia Poma, Adrian Covaci
Summary: Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are a major environmental concern and it is essential to have an effective tool for monitoring personal exposure to CPs. In this study, silicone wristbands (SWBs) were used as a personal passive sampler, and results showed that micro-environments were key contributors to dermal exposure to CPs.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Stijn Everaert, Greet Schoeters, Karel Claes, Jean-Marie Raquez, Bart Buffel, Tamara Vanhaecke, Jonas Moens, Juha Laitinen, Nicolas Van Larebeke, Lode Godderis
Summary: Firefighters are exposed to various chemicals that may lead to health issues. Wearing nitrile butadiene rubber undergloves is a preventive measure against toxic accumulation, although its safety is questioned.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Katyeny Manuela da Silva, Michele Woelk, Palina Nepachalovich, Elias Iturrospe, Adrian Covaci, Alexander L. N. van Nuijs, Maria Fedorova
Summary: Epilipids, a subset of the lipidome, play a crucial role in regulating redox lipid metabolism and influencing cell fate decisions. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) combined with liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) can improve the peak capacity and separation ability for the analysis of oxidized complex lipids. This study demonstrates the advantages and limitations of implementing IMS in LC-HRMS workflows and provides insights into the annotation of oxidized complex lipids.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paulien Cleys, Lucas Panneel, Jasper Bombeke, Catalina Dumitrascu, Govindan Malarvannan, Giulia Poma, Antonius Mulder, Philippe G. Jorens, Adrian Covaci
Summary: This study reports metabolites of phthalate and alternative plasticizers in neonatal hair samples as biomarkers for exposure to these plasticizers. Results showed that hair sampled from premature neonates after a NICU stay contained significantly higher metabolite concentrations of both phthalates and alternative plasticizers compared to healthy control neonates. Prolonged NICU exposure to respiratory support devices and gastric tubes was correlated with increased concentrations in hair samples.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Rodriguez Martin, Liese Gilles, Emilie Helte, Agneta Akesson, Jonas Tagt, Adrian Covaci, Amrit K. Sakhi, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Andromachi Katsonouri, Anna-Maria Andersson, Arno C. Gutleb, Beata Janasik, Brice Appenzeller, Catherine Gabriel, Cathrine Thomsen, Darja Mazej, Denis Sarigiannis, Elena Anastasi, Fabio Barbone, Hanna Tolonen, Hanne Frederiksen, Jana Klanova, Jani Koponen, Janja Snoj Tratnik, Kim Pack, Koppen Gudrun, Kristin Olafsdottir, Lisbeth E. Knudsen, Loic Rambaud, Loreta Strumylaite, Lubica Palkovicova Murinova, Lucia Fabelova, Margaux Riou, Marika Berglund, Mate Szabados, Medea Imboden, Michelle Laeremans, Milada Estokova, Natasa Janev Holcer, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Nicole Vodrazkova, Nina Vogel, Pavel Piler, Phillipp Schmidt, Rosa Lange, Sonia Namorado, Szilvia Kozepesy, Tamas Szigeti, Thorhallur I. Halldorsson, Till Weber, Tina Kold Jensen, Valentina Rosolen, Vladimira Puklova, Wojciech Wasowicz, Ovnair Sepai, Lorraine Stewart, Marike Kolossa-Gehring, Marta Esteban-Lopez, Argelia Castano, Jos Bessems, Greet Schoeters, Eva Govarts
Summary: This study evaluated the exposure levels of children and women in Europe over time. The results showed that exposure levels to chemicals restricted at EU level visually decreased, while the levels for some of their substitutes increased. These findings are important for policy efficacy monitoring and highlight the role of HBM in supporting policies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Valentina Rosolen, Elisa Giordani, Marika Mariuz, Maria Parpinel, Vicente Mustieles, Liese Gilles, Eva Govarts, Laura Rodriguez Martin, Kirsten Baken, Greet Schoeters, Ovnair Sepai, Eva Sovcikova, Lucia Fabelova, Jiri Kohoutek, Tina Kold Jensen, Adrian Covaci, Maarten Roggeman, Lisa Melymuk, Jana Klanova, Argelia Castano, Marta Esteban Lopez, Fabio Barbone
Summary: The knowledge about the effects of organophosphate flame retardants on children's neurodevelopment is limited. This research aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to these flame retardants and children's neurodevelopment. The study found a small, negative trend between neurodevelopment and exposure to BDCIPP and DPHP, but the evidence is limited. Further investigations are needed to explore the timing of exposure and the effect of other metabolites.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Anran Cai, Sylvie Remy, Virissa Lenters, Bianca Cox, Greet Schoeters, Adrian Covaci, Roel Vermeulen, Lutzen Portengen
Summary: Childhood exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may affect metabolic outcomes. Our study found associations between certain chemicals and body mass index, abdominal obesity, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. Further investigation is needed for sex-specific effects.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)