Search Results (14)

Fine particles (PM_2.5) have generally been reported as the major contributor to the adverse health effects of air pollution. Lebanon is characterized by a high density of transport, the production of electricity by generators, and a problem of uncontrolled incineration of household waste. For the purpose of this paper, the physico-chemical properties of fine (PM_2.5-0.3) and quasi-ultrafine (PM_0.3) particulate matter sampled in Southern Lebanon, were studied. Then, an evaluation and comparison of the toxicity of the different extracted fractions from PM (i.e., native PM_2.5-0.3 vs. organic extractable matter fraction (OEM_2.5-0.3), and non-extractable matter fraction (NEM_2.5-0.3)) was performed. Also, an examination of the toxicity of PM_0.3 was conducted indirectly through the evaluation of the OEM_0.3 harmfulness. The physico-chemical analysis showed that PM_0.3 was much more concentrated than PM_2.5-0.3 in organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (28-fold) and their nitrated (N-PAHs, 14-fold) and oxygenated (O-PAHs, 10-fold) derivatives. Normal human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were exposed to PM_2.5-0.3, its derived fractions (i.e., OEM_2.5-0.3 and NEM_2.5-0.3), and OEM_0.3 before evaluating the global cytotoxicity, metabolic activation of organic compounds, genotoxicity, and inflammatory response. Different responses were observed depending on the considered fraction of particles. The global cytotoxicity showed a pronounced response related to ATP and LDH activities after exposure to the quasi-ultrafine organic extractable matter fraction (OEM_0.3). There was no significant induction of the AhR cell-signaling pathway by NEM_2.5-0.3. Despite the apparent difference in the kinetics of induction of the toxicological endpoints under study, OEM_0.3 provoked a higher overall cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than OEM_2.5-0.3 and total PM_2.5-0.3. Taken together, these results clearly showed that the finest particles are more damaging to BEAS-2B cells than PM_2.5-0.3 because they are richer in organic compounds, thereby inducing more remarkable toxic effects. Full article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of highly carcinogenic compounds with a lipophilic nature. This study investigated the characterization of PAH24 contamination in twenty-one types of butter and five types of margarines using the QuEChERS pretreatment coupled with GC-QqQ-MS. Additionally, low-temperature storage experiments were conducted to explore the variations in oxidation index as well as the PAH levels. The results revealed that PAH24 concentrations in butter and margarine were 50.75–310.64 μg/kg and 47.66–118.62 μg/kg, respectively. The PAH4 level in one type of butter reached 11.24 μg/kg beyond the EU standards. Over 160 days of storage at 4 °C, acid value (AV), peroxide value (POV), and acidity significantly increased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content and carbonyl value (CGV) fluctuated. Concentrations of PAH24 and oxidized PAHs (OPAHs) experienced a notable reduction of 29.09% and 63.85%, respectively. The slow reduction in naphthalene (NaP) indicated the dynamic nature of PAHs during storage. However, the toxic equivalency quotients (TEQs) decreased slightly from a range of 0.65–1.90 to 0.39–1.77, with no significant difference. This study contributes to the understanding of variations in PAHs during storage, which is of great significance for food safety. Full article

The best possible use of natural resources and the large amounts of trash produced by industrial and human activity is necessary for sustainable development. Due to the threat of global climate change and other environmental challenges, waste management systems are changing, leading to more instances of water resource management. The waste generated must be controlled from a sustainability point of view. Typically, the conventional disposal of Agricultural Wastewater (AW) and biomass can be achieved by recycling, reusing, and converting them into a variety of green products. To improve the AW quality for the purposes of environmental sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 14, dealing with clean water, sanitation, and life below water, are very important goals. Therefore, the present investigation evaluates the effectiveness of a Bench-scale Activated Sludge Reactor (BASR) system for AW treatment. The BASR was designed to focus on getting the maximum possible utilization out of a biosorbent derived from oil palm waste activated hydrochar (OPAH). This is in accordance with SDG 9, which targets inorganic and organic waste utilization for added value. An experiment was developed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) of 1–3 days was used in the bioreactor’s setup and operation, and Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) concentrations of 4000–6000 mg/L were used. BASR was fed with AW with initial mean concentrations of 4486 ± 5.63 mg/L and 6649 ± 3.48 for the five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD₅) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) experiments, respectively. The results obtained showed that maximum reductions of 84.66% and 72.07% were recorded for BOD₅ and COD, respectively. Through RSM optimization, the greatest reductions in the amounts of organic materials were achieved with a 2-day HRT and an MLSS dosage of 5000 mg/L. Substrate elimination thresholds were assessed using the first-order, the Grau second-order, and the modified Stover–Kincannon models. The reported observations were found to be perfectly fit by the modified Stover–Kincannon model, with high R² values of 0.9908 and 0.9931 for BOD₅ and COD, respectively. As a result, the model may be used to design the BASR system and forecast how the reactor would behave. The findings from this study suggest that the developed OPAH has promising potential to be applied as eco-friendly material for the removal of BOD₅ and COD from AW. Consequently, the study findings additionally possess the ability to address SDGs 6, 9, and 14, in order to fulfil the United Nations (UN) goals through 2030. Full article

In this work, a novel analytical methodology for the extraction and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives, nitrated (NPAH) and oxygenated (OPAH), in bee honey samples was developed. The extraction approach resulted in being straightforward, sustainable, and low-cost. It was based on a salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination (SALLE-UHPLC-(+)APCI-MS/MS). The following figures of merit were obtained, linearity between 0.8 and 500 ng g⁻¹ for NPAH and between 0.1 and 750 ng g⁻¹ for OPAH compounds, coefficients of determination (r2) from 0.97 to 0.99. Limits of detection (LOD) were from 0.26 to 7.42 ng g⁻¹ for NPAH compounds and from 0.04 to 9.77 ng g⁻¹ for OPAH compounds. Recoveries ranged from 90.6% to 100.1%, and relative standard deviations (RSD) were lower than 8.9%. The green assessment of the method was calculated. Thus, the Green Certificate allowed a classification of 87 points. This methodology was reliable and suitable for application in honey samples. The results demonstrated that the levels of nitro- and oxy-PAHs were higher than those reported for unsubstituted PAHs. In this sense, the production chain sometimes transforms foods as direct carriers of contaminants to consumers, representing a concern and demonstrating the need for routine control. Full article

This study focuses on the components and levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives (MPAHs and OPAHs) in plasma samples from 19 oil workers, pre- and post-workshift, and their exposure–response relationship with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation. PAH, MPAH, OPAH, and platelet mtDNA methylation levels were determined using a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and a pyrosequencing protocol, respectively. The total plasma concentrations of PAHs in mean value were, respectively, 31.4 ng/mL and 48.6 ng/mL in pre- and post-workshift, and Phe was the most abundant (13.3 ng/mL in pre-workshift and 22.1 ng/mL in post-workshift, mean value). The mean values of total concentrations of MPAHs and OPAHs in the pre-workshift were 2.7 ng/mL and 7.2 ng/mL, while in the post-workshift, they were 4.5 ng/mL and 8.7 ng/mL, respectively. The differences in the mean MT-COX1, MT-COX2, and MT-COX3 methylation levels between pre- and post-workshift were 2.36%, 5.34%, and 0.56%. Significant (p < 0.05) exposure–response relationships were found between PAHs and mtDNA methylation in the plasma of workers; exposure to Anthracene (Ant) could induce the up-regulation of the methylation of MT-COX1 (β = 0.831, SD = 0.105, p < 0.05), and exposure to Fluorene (Flo) and Phenanthrene (Phe) could induce the up-regulation of methylation of MT-COX3 (β = 0.115, SD = 0.042, p < 0.05 and β = 0.036, SD = 0.015, p < 0.05, respectively). The results indicated that exposure to PAHs was an independent factor influencing mtDNA methylation. Full article

Lampriform fishes (Lampriformes), which primarily inhabit deep-sea environments, are large marine fishes varying from the whole-body endothermic opah to the world’s longest bony fish-giant oarfish, with species morphologies varying from long and thin to deep and compressed, making them an ideal model for studying the adaptive radiation of teleost fishes. Moreover, this group is important from a phylogenetic perspective owing to their ancient origins among teleosts. However, knowledge about the group is limited, which is, at least partially, due to the dearth of recorded molecular data. This study is the first to analyze the mitochondrial genomes of three lampriform species (Lampris incognitus, Trachipterus ishikawae, and Regalecus russelii) and infer a time-calibrated phylogeny, including 68 species among 29 orders. Our phylomitogenomic analyses support the classification of Lampriformes as monophyletic and sister to Acanthopterygii; hence, addressing the longstanding controversy regarding the phylogenetic status of Lampriformes among teleosts. Comparative mitogenomic analyses indicate that tRNA losses existed in at least five Lampriformes species, which may reveal the mitogenomic structure variation associated with adaptive radiation. However, codon usage in Lampriformes did not change significantly, and it is hypothesized that the nucleus transported the corresponding tRNA, which led to function substitutions. The positive selection analysis revealed that atp8 and cox3 were positively selected in opah, which might have co-evolved with the endothermic trait. This study provides important insights into the systematic taxonomy and adaptive evolution studies of Lampriformes species. Full article

Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) are toxic and carcinogenic compounds widely present in the natural environment, posing a serious threat to the environment and human health. However, the removal of OPAHs is mainly hindered by their low water solubility. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are frequently used to form inclusion complexes (ICs) with hydrophobic molecules to improve their solubility. In this study, we investigated the solubility enhancement ability of different CDs on 9-fluorenone, a common OPAH, through phase solubility experiments. We successfully prepared three solid ICs of 9-fluorenone with β-, hydroxypropyl-β-(HP-β-) and sulfobutylether-β-CD (SBE-β-CD) using the cooling crystallization method for the first time and characterized them via powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, etc. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the binding modes and stable configurations of the ICs in the liquid phase and to explore the factors affecting their solubility enhancement ability. The results showed that all the CDs had a solubility enhancement effect on 9-fluorenone, with SBE-β-CD displaying the strongest effect, increasing the solubility of 9-fluorenone by 146 times. HP-β-CD, β-CD, α-CD, and γ-CD followed in decreasing order. Moreover, 9-fluorenone formed a ratio of 1:1 ICs to CDs. In addition, the interaction energy between SBE-β-CD and 9-fluorenone was the lowest among the CDs, which further validated the results of the phase solubility experiments from a theoretical perspective. Overall, this study provides a green method for the removal of 9-fluorenone pollutants in the environment and is expected to be applied to the removal and environmental remediation of other OPAHs. Full article

Air pollutants from the incomplete combustion of rural solid fuels are seriously harmful to both air quality and human health. To quantify the health effects of different fuel–stove combinations, gas and particle partitioning of twenty-nine species of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from seven fuel–stove combinations were examined in this study, and the benzo (a) pyrene toxicity equivalent (BaPeq) and cancer risks were estimated accordingly. The results showed that the gas phase PAHs (accounting for 68–78% of the total PAHs) had higher emission factors (EFs) than particulate ones. For all combustion combinations, pPAHs accounted for the highest proportion (84.5% to 99.3%) in both the gas and particulate phases, followed by aPAHs (0.63–14.7%), while the proportions of nPAHs and oPAHs were much lower (2–4 orders of magnitude) than pPAHs. For BaPeq, particulate phase PAHs dominated the BaPeq rather than gas ones, which may be due to the greater abundance of 5-ring particle PAHs. Gas and particle pPAHs were both predominant in the BaPeq, with proportions of 95.2–98.6% for all combustion combinations. Cancer risk results showed a descending order of bituminous coal combustion (0.003–0.05), biomass burning (0.002–0.01), and clean briquette coal combustion (10⁻⁵–0.001), indicating that local residents caused a severe health threat by solid fuel combustion (the threshold: 10⁻⁴). The results also highlighted that clean briquette coal could reduce cancer risks by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared to bulk coal and biomass. For oPAH, BcdPQ (6H-benzo(c,d)pyrene-6-one) had the highest cancer risk, ranging from 4.83 × 10⁻⁵ to 2.45 × 10⁻⁴, which were even higher than the total of aPAHs and nPAHs. The dramatically high toxicity and cancer risk of PAHs from solid fuel combustion strengthened the necessity and urgency of clean heating innovation in Guanzhong Plain and in similar places. Full article

The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere has been continually monitored since their toxicity became known, whereas nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) and oxy-PAHs (OPAHs), which are derivatives of PAHs by primary emissions or secondary formations in the atmosphere, have gained attention more recently. In this study, a method for the quantification of 18 NPAH and OPAH congeners in the atmosphere based on combined applications of gas chromatography coupled with chemical ionization mass spectrometry is presented. A high sensitivity and selectivity for the quantification of individual NPAH and OPAH congeners without sample preparations from the extract of aerosol samples were achieved using negative chemical ionization (NCI/MS) or positive chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (PCI-MS/MS). This analytical method was validated and applied to the aerosol samples collected from three regions in Northeast Asia—namely, Noto, Seoul, and Ulaanbaatar—from 15 December 2020 to 17 January 2021. The ranges of the method detection limits (MDLs) of the NPAHs and OPAHs for the analytical method were from 0.272 to 3.494 pg/m³ and 0.977 to 13.345 pg/m³, respectively. Among the three regions, Ulaanbaatar had the highest total mean concentration of NPAHs and OPAHs at 313.803 ± 176.349 ng/m³. The contribution of individual NPAHs and OPAHs in the total concentration differed according to the regional emission characteristics. As a result of the aerosol samples when the developed method was applied, the concentrations of NPAHs and OPAHs were quantified in the ranges of 0.016~3.659 ng/m³ and 0.002~201.704 ng/m³, respectively. It was concluded that the method could be utilized for the quantification of NPAHs and OPAHs over a wide concentration range. Full article

The genotoxicity, mutagenesis, and carcinogenic effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) derivatives may exceed the parent PAHs. However, their influence on the soil environment has not been explored to a large extent. Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are typical polar substituted compounds. We offer a review of the literature on the sources, quantification, incidence, toxicity, and transport of these compounds in soil. Although their environmental concentrations are lower than those of their parent compounds, they exert higher toxicity. Both types of substances are basically related to carcinogenesis. OPAHs are not enzymatically activated and can generate reactive oxygen species in biological cells, while NPAHs have been shown to be mutagenic, genotoxic, and cytotoxic. These compounds are largely derived from the transformation of PAHs, but they behave differently in soil because of their higher molecular weight and dissimilar adsorption mechanisms. Therefore, specialized knowledge of model derivatives is required. We also made recommendations for future directions based on existing research. It is expected that the review will trigger scientific discussions and provide a research basis for further study on PAH derivatives in the soil environment. Full article

Liquid milks are consumed worldwide in large amounts, especially by adolescents and infants. Thus, their health quality linked with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination has attracted great concern. This study developed a rapid and sensitive supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC)-MS method to determine two typical oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) and EU 15+1PAHs except for benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF) in three types of liquid milks: 10 ultra heat treated (UHT) milks, 8 pasteurized milks, and 4 extended-shelf-life pasteurized milks. The instrumental analysis was 15 min with a recovery of 67.66–118.46%, a precision of 1.45–14.68%, detection limits of 0.04–0.24 μg/kg, and quantification limits of 0.13–0.78 μg/kg. We found 9-fluorenone, anthraquinone, 15 EU priority PAHs, and benzo[a]pyrene toxic equivalent quantity (BaPeq) in the 22 milk samples, which were 0.32–1.56 μg/kg, 0.40–1.74 μg/kg, 0.57–8.48 μg/kg, and 0.01–17.42 μg/kg, respectively. The UHT milks and whole fat milks showed higher PAH concentrations than other investigated samples, where the maximum levels of BaP and PAH4 were 0.77 and 3.61 μg/kg, respectively. PAH4 dominantly contributed to the PAH8 concentration and was detected in 73% and 32% of samples at more than 1.0 and 2.0 μg/kg, respectively. The results suggest that raw milks should be strictly monitored and extensively investigated for PAH4 and BaP concentrations for future risk assessment, limitations, and dietary guidance. Full article

Nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are derivatives of PAHs and contain one or more nitro functional groups (-NO₂). Some NPAHs are classified as possible or probable human carcinogens and are more mutagenic than PAHs. Although the atmospheric cancer risk is estimated as 11% from PAHs but 17% from NPAHs, many of the atmospheric behaviors of NPAHs are unknown. There are two major NPAH formation processes. Primary formation of NPAHs occurs directly during the combustion of organic materials. The secondary formation of NPAHs occurs through the transformation of PAHs after they have been released into the environment. The fate, transport, and health effects of NPAHs are considerably different from their parent PAHs because of these differing formation processes. However, the amount of research conducted on NPAHs is comparatively low relative to PAHs. This is primarily due to a lack of effective analytical method for NPAHs, which generally exist in the environment at concentrations one to three orders of magnitude lower than PAHs. However, with the development of more sensitive analytical methods, the number of research papers published on NPAHs has recently increased. The Western Pacific region, one of the post polluted areas in the world, is the most frequently studied area for NPAHs. Many of them reported that atmospheric concentrations of NPAHs were much lower than parent PAHs and oxygenated derivatives (OPAHs). In this article, recent research on sample treatment and analysis, as well as the sources and environmental fate of NPAHs, are discussed with PAHs and OPAHs. A notable achievement using NPAHs is the development of a new emission source analysis method, the NP method, whose features are also discussed in this review. Full article

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in smoked food products. More toxic nitrated (NPAH) and oxygenated (OPAH) PAHs derivatives are found concomitantly to PAHs and are therefore believed to be found in smoked food products. However, only a few PAH analyses on food include these derivatives. We adjusted and successfully validated a GC-QTOFMS method including 13 NPAHs and 2 OPAHs as well as the 4 regulated PAHs for analysis of 14 smoked (13 fish and one bacon) and one pan fried fish samples.OPAHs were detected in the highest concentrations in 13 of 15 samples. Non-target screening revealed the presence of an additional four OPAHs and two methylated PAHs. Future food analysis should, based on these results, focus on PAH and oxygenated derivatives. Full article

We examined the absorption of balenine (Bal) in mouse blood after the administration of a high-purity Bal prepared from opah muscle. Using HPLC with phenyl isothiocyanate pre-column derivatization, we successfully isolated imidazole peptides and their constituents. We detected Bal and 3-methylhistidine (3-Me-His) in mouse blood 1 h after the administration of opah-derived Bal. The concentrations of Bal and 3-Me-His significantly increased to 128.27 and 69.09 nmol/mL in plasma, respectively, but were undetectable in control and carnosine (Car)-administrated mice. In contrast, β-alanine and histidine did not increase in mouse plasma 1 h after the administration of Car and opah-derived Bal. The present study is the first report on the absorption of food-derived Bal in mouse blood and serves as a pilot study for future clinical trials. Full article