Liver and kidney concentrations of vanadium in oiled seabirds after the Erika wreck

Pelagic and estuarine birds as sentinels of metal(loid)s in the South Atlantic Ocean: Ecological niches as main factors acting on bioaccumulation

Activities related to the offshore exploration and production of oil and natural gas provide economic development and an essential energy source. However, besides the risk of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination, these activities can also be sources of metals and metalloids for marine organism contamination. In this research, we evaluated the potential use of two pelagic (black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and yellow-nosed albatross T. chlororhynchos) and one estuarine bird species (neotropical cormorant Nannopterum brasilianus) as sentinels of contamination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Zn, Ni, Ba, V, and Hg in an area under influence of oil and gas activities. The analyses were carried out in samples collected from 2015 to 2022 from 97 individuals. A factor alert; an adaptation from the contamination factor is proposed to identify individuals with high concentrations that possibly suffered contamination by anthropogenic origin. Grouping all species, the metal(loid)s with the highest concentrations were in decreasing order: Zn > Cu > Mn > Hg > As > Cd > Mo > V > Cr > Ba > Ni > Pb. Similar concentrations were observed for V, Mn, Cr and Pb among the three species. Pelagic birds showed higher levels of concentrations for Hg, As and Cd. Based on the correlations and multivariate analysis performed, the results indicate that the ecological niche factor has greater relevance in the bioaccumulation of these elements compared to the habitat. Although some individuals showed high concentrations in part of the trace elements, suggesting exposure to anthropic sources, the direct influence of oil production and exploration activities was not observed, suggesting that activities on the continent are the primary contamination source. The results of this work highlight the role of seabirds as sentinels for metal(loid)s, contributing to the knowledge of the occurrence of contaminants in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Combination of an Asphalt Stabilizer and a Cellulose-Chitosan Composite Aerogel Used for the Separation of Oil-Water Mixtures Containing Asphalt

In this paper, cellulose chitosan composite aerogels were prepared through sol-gel and freeze-drying processes. The porous morphology of the aerogels was controlled by adjusting the cellulose concentration. Within a certain range, as the concentration of cellulose increases, the pore diameter of the composite aerogel becomes smaller and the pore structure becomes denser. The cellulose-chitosan composite aerogel can successfully separate the oil-water mixture without asphalt and showed stable filtration performance. The filtration speed is basically unchanged after a slight decrease and can be maintained at about 90% of the initial filtration speed within 30 min. The filtration speed can reach up to 9315 kg·h-1·m-2. When filtering bituminous oil-water mixtures, the filtration rate decreased significantly, with a 50% drop in 30 min. After adding the asphalt stabilizer poly(styrene-alt-octadecyl maleimide) (SNODMI), which is made in our laboratory, the effect of aerogel filtering the asphalt-containing oil-water mixture is obviously improved, and the downward trend of filtration speed is obviously improved. The combination of SNODMI and cellulose-chitosan has great application potential in the field of asphalt-containing oil-water separation.

Effects of petroleum exposure on birds: A review

Birds are vulnerable to petroleum pollution, and exposure has a range of negative effects resulting from plumage fouling, systemic toxicity, and embryotoxicity. Recent research has not been synthesized since Leighton's 1993 review despite the continued discharge of conventional petroleum, including high-volume oil spills and chronic oil pollution, as well as the emergence of understudied unconventional crude oil types. To address this, we reviewed the individual-level effects of crude oil and refined fuel exposure in avifauna with peer-reviewed articles published 1993-2020 to provide a critical synthesis of the state of the science. We also sought to answer how unconventional crude petroleum effects compare with conventional crude oil. Relevant knowledge gaps and research challenges were identified. The resulting review examines avian exposure to petroleum and synthesizes advances regarding the physical effects of oil hydrocarbons on feather structure and function, as well the toxic effects of inhaled or ingested oil, embryotoxicity, and how exposure affects broader scale endpoints related to behavior, reproduction, and survival. Another outcome of the review was the knowledge gaps and challenges identified. The first finding was a paucity of oil ingestion rate estimates in birds. Characterizing environmentally realistic exposure and ingestion rates is a higher research priority than additional conventional oral dosing experiments. Second, there is an absence of toxicity data for unconventional crude petroleum. Although the effects of air and water contamination in the Canadian oil sands region have received attention, toxicity data for direct exposure to unrefined bitumen produced there in high volumes and other such unconventional oil types are needed. Third, we encountered barriers to the interpretation, replication, broad relevance, and comparability of studies. We therefore propose best practices and promising technological advancements for researchers. This review consolidates our understanding of petroleum's effects on birds and points a way forward for researchers and resource managers.

Aerogels for the separation of asphalt-containing oil-water mixtures and the effect of asphalt stabilizer

In order to separate the asphalt-containing oil–water mixture, an aerogel film was produced through supercritical drying of a polymer gel synthesized using the ring opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD). The polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD)-based aerogels have a porous structure, super-lipophilicity and super-hydrophobicity which resulted in successful separation of the simple oil–water mixture, oil–water emulsion and asphalt-containing toluene–water mixture. However, the presence of asphalt decreases the separation efficiency by blocking the pores and acting as an emulsifier. An asphalt stabilizer was then employed to reduce the asphalt particle size and weaken the flow passage blockage, consequently improving the filtration speed and the asphalt content in the filtrate. The combination of PDCPD aerogel film with an asphalt stabilizer has great application prospects for separating asphalt-containing oil–water mixtures.

In order to separate the asphalt-containing oil–water mixture, an aerogel film was produced through supercritical drying of a polymer gel synthesized using the ring opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD).

A review of cryogels synthesis, characterization and applications on the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions

The physical and chemical attributes of cryogels, such as the macroporosity, elasticity, water permeability and ease of chemical modification have attracted strong research interest in a variety of areas, such as water purification, catalysis, regenerative medicine, biotechnology, bioremediation and biosensors. Cryogels have shown high removal efficiency and selectivity for heavy metals, nutrients, and toxic dyes from aqueous solutions but there are challenges when scaling up from lab to commercial scale applications. This paper represents an overview of the most recent advances in the use of cryogels for the removal of heavy metals from water and attempts to fill the gap in the literature by deepening the understanding on the mechanisms involved, which strongly depend on the initial monomer composition and post-modification agent precursors used in synthesis. The review also describes the advantages of cryogels over other adsorbents and covers synthesis and characterization methods such as SEM/EDS, TEM, FTIR, zeta potential measurements, porosimetry, swelling and mechanical properties.

A Robust Cotton Textile-Based Material for High-Flux Oil-Water Separation

PDMS-based materials have been extensively studied in oil-water separation. However, their successful application is commonly limited by low efficiency, vulnerability to acid/alkali, complex processing procedures, incapability for emulsion separation, etc. Here, a highly durable and robust separation material is developed by coating PDMS-based copolymers on cotton textiles with a facile sol-gel approach. Solely driven by gravity, this new material not only can enable effective separation of oil-water mixture with a flux as high as ∼7500 L m^-2 h^-1 but also can separate surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsion. Moreover, it remains fully functional even in the environments with high concentrations of acid, alkali, or salt. This novel and versatile strategy holds great promise to be widely used in practical applications of oil-water separation, including oil/chemical spill accidents and industrial sewage emission.

Environmental remediation of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution through hydrogel adsorption: a critical review

Heavy metal ions such as Cd(2+), Pb(2+), Cu(2+), Mg(2+), and Hg(2+) from industrial waste water constitute a major cause of pollution for ground water sources. These ions are toxic to man and aquatic life as well, and should be removed from wastewater before disposal. Various treatment technologies have been reported to remediate the potential toxic elements from aqueous media, such as adsorption, precipitation and coagulation. Most of these technologies are associated with some shortcomings, and challenges in terms of applicability, effectiveness and cost. However, adsorption techniques have the capability of effectively removing heavy metals at very low concentration (1-100 mg/L). Various adsorbents have been reported in the literature for this purpose, including, to a lesser extent, the use of hydrogel adsorbents for heavy metal removal in aqueous phase. Here, we provide an in-depth perspective on the design, application and efficiency of hydrogel systems as adsorbents.

Health of domestic mallards (Anas platyrhynchos domestica) following exposure to oil sands process-affected water

Bitumen extraction from the oil sands of northern Alberta produces large volumes of process-affected water that contains substances toxic to wildlife. Recent monitoring has shown that tens of thousands of birds land on ponds containing this water annually, creating an urgent need to understand its effects on bird health. We emulated the repeated, short-term exposures that migrating water birds are thought to experience by exposing pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domestica) to recycled oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). As indicators of health, we measured a series of physiological (electrolytes, metabolites, enzymes, hormones, and blood cells) and toxicological (metals and minerals) variables. Relative to controls, juvenile birds exposed to OSPW had higher potassium following the final exposure, and males had a higher thyroid hormone ratio (T3/T4). In adults, exposed birds had higher vanadium, and, following the final exposure, higher bicarbonate. Exposed females had higher bile acid, globulin, and molybdenum levels, and males, higher corticosterone. However, with the exception of the metals, none of these measures varied from available reference ranges for ducks, suggesting OSPW is not toxic to juvenile or adult birds after three and six weekly, 1 h exposures, but more studies are needed to know the generality of this result.

Review of oil and HNS accidental spills in Europe: identifying major environmental monitoring gaps and drawing priorities

The European Atlantic area has been the scene of a number of extensive shipping incidents with immediate and potential long-term impacts to marine ecosystems. The occurrence of accidental spills at sea requires an effective response that must include a well executed monitoring programme to assess the environmental contamination and damage of the affected marine habitats. Despite a number of conventions and protocols developed by international and national authorities that focused on the preparedness and response to oil and HNS spills, much remains to be done, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring programmes implemented after oil and HNS spills. Hence, the present study reviews the status of the environmental monitoring programmes established following the major spill incidents over the last years in European waters, aiming at identifying the key monitoring gaps and drawing priorities for an effective environmental monitoring of accidental spills.

A basic study on the biological monitoring for vanadium-effects of vanadium on Vero cells and the evaluation of intracellular vanadium contents

A high concentration of vanadium (V) has toxic effects on human and animals and is one of environmental pollutants. In the present study, we have conducted a fundamental study using cultured Vero cells from monkey kidney for the future environmental monitoring. Orthovanadate (VAN), one of V compounds, of 10(-10) and 10(-8) M did not affect the cell growth although the higher concentration of above 10(-6) M VAN inhibited the cell growth accompanied with the decrease in cell numbers and morphological changes. Given that the washing method with ice-cold Li is also effective for determination of the cellular Na content, we used this method for the determination of the V content of the Vero cells. The V distributions in Vero cell; in the 10(-3) M VAN solution, extracellular and intracellular were obtained as 1:0.564:0.036 and 1:0.662:0.098 at 60 and 120 min after the treatment of VAN. The intracellular V content was 10% of the applied concentration of VAN. Consequently, it was suggested that V concentration of 10(-7) and 10(-6) M in the tissue and environment, respectively, might become the threshold concentration; a criterion of the environmental contamination when we carry out environmental monitoring.

Animal poisoning in Europe. Part 3: Wildlife

This review article is the third in a series on animal poisoning in Europe and represents a collation of published and non-published wildlife poisoning data from Belgium, France, Greece, Italy and Spain over the last 10 years. Birds, particularly waterfowl and raptors, were more commonly reported as victims of poisoning than wild mammals. In addition to specific but important toxicological disasters, deliberate primary or secondary poisonings are of concern to all countries. Metals (particularly lead arising from sporting/hunting activities) and pesticides (mainly anticholinesterases and anticoagulants) are frequent causes of poisoning, and often have fatal consequences. A more unified and consistent approach throughout European countries to improve the reporting and the analytical confirmation of wildlife poisoning would help to reduce the number of cases of malicious or negligent animal poisoning.