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Human Exposure to Multiple Environmental Contaminants: From Chemical to Biological Studies

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (19 April 2023) | Viewed by 6255

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bruno Alves Rocha

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Science, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 01000-000, Brazil
Interests: human biomonitoring; sample preparation methods; chromatography; mass spectrometry

Prof. Dr. Fernando Barbosa Júnior

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Science, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 01000-000, Brazil
Interests: human biomonitoring; toxicology; potentially toxic elements; emerging contaminants; ICP-MS

Dr. Maria Fernanda Hornos Carneiro

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Guest Editor

Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7550000, Chile
Interests: risk assessment; emergent contaminants; endocrine disruptors; alternative methods in toxicology; reprotoxicity

Dr. Joseph A. Adeyemi

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Guest Editor

Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure 23434, Nigeria
Interests: ecotoxicology; ecophysiology; risk assessments of toxicants; emerging contaminants

Dr. Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Clinical Analyses, Toxicology and Food Science, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 01000-000, Brazil
2. Centre for Environmental, Food, and Toxicological Technology, Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgilli, 43001 Tarragona, Spain
Interests: human biomonitoring; emerging contaminants; environmental chemistry; human exposure; exposure sources; food safety; food contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Humans and the environment are exposed to a wide range of chemical combinations through air, food, consumer products, water, and other sources. This raises concerns about their impacts of these contaminants on public and environmental health. The evaluation of levels of different classes of contaminants in food and environmental matrices, and the subsequent determination of exposure biomarkers in biological samples allow a thorough risk assessment of this exposure. A key question in the risk assessment of exposures to multiple chemicals is whether mixture effects may occur when chemicals are combined at low doses which individually do not induce observable effects. In recent years, regulatory authorities and researchers across the world have made considerable progress towards developing tools to deal with combined exposure to multiple chemicals for risk assessment purposes. These approaches require a high level of information about chemical exposures and toxicities, information that often is lacking. Because humans are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals the application of specific analytical methods for each of the chemical classes can be costly and time-consuming. In addition, the main concern is whether some chemicals can enhance the effect of other chemicals, so that they jointly exert a larger effect than predicted. Therefore, analytical methods capable of measuring a wide range of chemical classes and toxicological studies aiming to understand the underlying mechanisms of toxicity of chemical mixture are critically needed. Those will pave the way for predicting the adverse effects of multiple chemical exposures. This Special Issue is an interesting opportunity for publishing original research articles as well as reviews that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand human exposure to multiple organic and inorganic contaminants.

Dr. Bruno Alves Rocha
Prof. Dr. Fernando Barbosa Júnior
Dr. Maria Fernanda Hornos Carneiro
Dr. Joseph A. Adeyemi
Dr. Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

human exposure
environmental contaminant
cumulative risk assessment
combined exposure
chemical interactions
multiple chemicals
mixture toxicity
combined toxicity
multi-residue method
multi-class method

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3789 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chromium Speciation by HPLC-DAD/ICP-MS: Simultaneous Hyphenation of Analytical Techniques for Studies of Biomolecules

by Vitória Aparecida Procópio, Rodrigo Mendes Pereira, Camila Neves Lange, Bruna Moreira Freire and Bruno Lemos Batista

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064912 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1714

Abstract

The first element legislated adopting chemical speciation was chromium (Cr) for differentiation between the highly toxic Cr(VI) from the micronutrient Cr(III). Therefore, this work aimed to develop a new analytical method through the coupling of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection (HPLC-DAD) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to obtain molecular and elemental information simultaneously from a single sample injection. In the first step, a low-cost flow split made of acrylic was developed aiming at optimally directing the sample to the detectors, enabling the HPLC-DAD/ICP-MS coupling. After the extraction of Certified Reference Materials (CRM of natural water NIST1640a and sugar cane leaf agro FC_012017), the recoveries determined by ICP-MS were 99.7% and 85.4%, respectively. Then, the method of HPLC-DAD/ICP-MS was applied for real samples of the CRMs. The presence of possible biomolecules associated with Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species was evaluated, with the simultaneous response detection of molecular (DAD) and elementary (ICP-MS) detectors. Potential biomolecules were observed during the monitoring of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in sugar cane leaves, water samples and a supplement of Cr picolinate. Finally, the article also discusses the potential of the technique applied to biomolecules containing other associated elements and the need of more bioanalytical methods to understand the presence of trace elements in biomolecules. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Exposure to Multiple Environmental Contaminants: From Chemical to Biological Studies)

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9 pages, 827 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Influence of Agaricus bisporus Mushroom on Pb Toxicokinetic in Pregnant Rats

by Érika Leão Ajala Caetano, Tatiana Pedron, Bruna Moreira Freire, Camila Neves Lange, Bruno Lemos Batista and Denise Grotto

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3114; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043114 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1040

Abstract

(Pb) is a toxic metal, responsible for several damages to human health. Agaricus bisporus (Ab) is a mushroom with promising antioxidant properties to be used as an alternative chelator in Pb intoxication. The aim was to understand the Pb toxicokinetic and the potential of Ab as a protective agent. A total of 20 female Wistar rats were distributed into 4 groups (n = 5/group): Control (receiving water); Group Ab 100 mg/kg (gavage); Group Pb 100 mg/L in water; and Group Ab + Pb—100 mg/kg + 100 mg/L (gavage and water). Pb administration occurred daily until the 19th day of pregnancy. On day 19 of gestation, the rats were euthanized, and the blood and tissues were collected for Pb measurement, using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The results showed that the levels of Pb in the blood, placenta, and liver of the mothers, and in the brain of the fetuses increased significantly in the Pb group. On the other hand, the combined exposure to Pb + Ab showed a significant decrease in the metal concentration in relation to the Pb group, returning to normal levels. Kidney and bone lead levels also increased significantly in the Pb group. However, in the combined exposure group, levels did not return to the control amounts; there was protection, but the Pb concentration was still significantly higher than in the control. In the brain, no significant differences were observed. In conclusion, we suggest A. bisporus is a natural chelator, because the co-administration of the mushroom was able to interact with Pb ions, minimizing the Pb absorption and distribution. These effects are suggested since A. bisporus have antioxidants and beta glucan that interact with Pb, chelating it and, thus, reducing its toxic effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Exposure to Multiple Environmental Contaminants: From Chemical to Biological Studies)

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15 pages, 3047 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Degradation of Praguicide Disulfoton Using Nanocompost and Evaluation of Toxicological Effects

by Mayne Veronesi, Mariandry Rodriguez, Grazielle Marinho, Cleide Aparecida Bomfeti, Bruno Alves Rocha, Fernando Barbosa, Marília Cristina Oliveira Souza, Márcia Cristina da Silva Faria and Jairo Lisboa Rodrigues

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010786 - 31 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1453

Abstract

Organophosphates (OPPs) are an important element of modern agriculture; however, because they are being used excessively, their residues are leaching and accumulating in the soil and groundwater, contaminating aquatic and terrestrial food chains. An important OPP called disulfoton is frequently used to eradicate pests from a wide range of crops, including Brazil’s coffee crops. Additionally, it does not easily degrade in the environment, and as such, this compound can slowly build up in living organisms such as humans. Moreover, this compound has been classified as “extremely hazardous” by the World Health Organization. This study evaluated the degradation efficiency of disulfoton using a Fenton-like reaction catalyzed by magnetite nanoparticles and determined the toxicity of the by-products of the degradation process using the bioindicator Allium cepa. Further, the removal efficiency of disulfoton was determined to be 94% under optimal conditions. On the other hand, the Allium cepa bioassay showed different toxic, cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic outcomes even after the remediation process. In conclusion, the Fenton process catalyzed by magnetite nanoparticles presents great efficiency for the oxidation of disulfoton. However, it is important to highlight that the high degradation efficiency of the Fenton-based process was not sufficient to achieve detoxification of the samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Exposure to Multiple Environmental Contaminants: From Chemical to Biological Studies)

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10 pages, 2068 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Short-End Injection Capillary Electrophoresis and Multivariate Analysis for Simultaneous Determination of Heavy Metals in Passiflora incarnata Tea

by Aline Klassen, Rafael Ferreira Fernandes, Débora Cristina de Oliveira, Maria Patrícia do Nascimento, Marcella Matos Cordeiro Borges, Marcone Augusto Leal de Oliveira, Leandro Augusto Calixto and Keyller Bastos Borges

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15994; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315994 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1213

Abstract

An ultra-fast method for the simultaneous determination of heavy metals in Passiflora incarnata tea by capillary electrophoresis (CE) using a short-end injection combined with multivariate analysis was proposed. Separation was conducted by hydrodynamic injection (5 s at 0.5 psi) using the short-end injection procedure in a fused uncoated silica capillary (50 cm total length, 10.2 cm effective length, 50 µm i.d.) with separation time less than 2 min. An indirect UV detection at 214 nm was employed by using imidazole as a chromophore. The buffer used was 6 mmol/L hydroxybutyric acid (HIBA). The optimum conditions by full factorial with a central point were achieved by 18-crown-6 concentration (23.3 mmol L⁻¹), voltage (+11.4 kV), methanol concentration (3.8%), and temperature (20 °C). The method showed good linearity (R² > 0.998) for both Cd and Pb, inter-day precision of less than 14.49%, and an adequate limit of quantification only for Cd (LOQ < 0.5 µg mL⁻¹ for Cd) based on the US Pharmacopeial Convention limit requirements for elemental impurities. After method validation, the method was applied to Passiflora incarnata tea samples from a local market. Furthermore, the developed method showed great potential for the determination of metals in other samples with proper sample preparation procedures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Exposure to Multiple Environmental Contaminants: From Chemical to Biological Studies)

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