Levels and tissue-dependent distribution of dioxin in Japanese domestic leafy vegetables--from the 1999 national investigation

Accumulations and temporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in olive tree components

In this study, ambient air samples, olive tree branches (1- and 2-year-old) and their leaves (particulate and dissolved phase) were collected simultaneously between January and December months at a suburban site of Bursa-Turkey. Total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations, sampled by employing passive air samplers, ranged from 0.03 to 0.08 ng/m³ in the atmosphere. The average annual total PCB concentrations belonging to the tree components were 1.14 ± 0.32 ng/g DM in dissolved phase in leaves, 0.71 ± 0.32 ng/g DM in particle phase on leaves, 1.06 ± 0.25 ng/g DM in 1-year-old branches, and 0.93 ± 0.23 ng/g DM in 2-year-old branches. It was determined that the correlation between PCB concentrations in olive tree components and the air was low. This result indicated that besides the tree-air exchange, other possible factors (such as soil-to-tree transitions, wind effect, etc.) affect the levels of PCB concentrations in the tree components. Total PCB concentrations decreased from summer to winter in all samples. The percentage ratio of PCB in the dissolved phase in the leaves was generally higher than other tree components in seasons. PCB homologous distributions indicated 5-CBs were dominant in the tree components and 3-CBs were dominant in the air samples. Highly chlorinated PCB congeners (8-CBs and 9-CBs) were found at low concentrations in both air and tree components samples. The samples indicated that the ratio of PCBs in tree components to the total (tree component+ambient air) PCBs slightly increased with increasing the chlorine number.

A Review of Soil Contaminated with Dioxins and Biodegradation Technologies: Current Status and Future Prospects

This article provides a comprehensive assessment of dioxins contaminating the soil and evaluates the bioremediation technology currently being widely used, and also offers recommendations for future prospects. Soil pollution containing dioxins is extremely toxic and hazardous to human health and the environment. Dioxin concentrations in soils around the world are caused by a variety of sources and outcomes, but the main sources are from the consequences of war and human activities. Bioremediation technology (bioaugmentation, biostimulation, and phytoremediation) is considered an optimal and environmentally friendly technology, with the goal of applying native microbial communities and using plant species with a high biomass to treat contaminated dioxins in soil. The powerful bioremediation system is the growth of microorganisms that contribute to the increased mutualistic and competitive relationships between different strains of microorganisms. Although biological treatment technology can thoroughly treat contaminated dioxins in soil with high efficiency, the amount of gas generated and Cl radicals dispersed after the treatment process remains high. Further research on the subject is required to provide stricter control over the outputs noted in this study.

Exposure assessment of PCDD/Fs for the population living in the vicinity of municipal waste incinerator: Additional exposure via local vegetable consumption

While the exposure assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) for people living in the vicinity of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) has been investigated, indirect exposure to MSWI-emitted PCDD/Fs via consumption of local foods has not been well assessed. In this study, the PCDD/F concentration in the local vegetables grown near a MSWI located in Shenzhen, South China, was determined to be 0.92 ± 0.59 pg/g wet weight (ww), significantly higher than that (0.25 ± 0.35 pg/g ww) in commercial vegetables (p < 0.05). The PCDD/F concentrations in Banyan leaf (Ficus microcarpa) samples collected from 5 sampling sites at 1 km intervals from the MSWI were found to be significantly decreased with increasing distance, suggesting that the local plants would be impacted by emissions from the MSWI. The exposure assessment of PCDD/Fs for the population living in the vicinity of MSWI was carried out by simultaneously analyzing PCDD/Fs in other food groups that were commonly consumed by the residents. If only the local vegetables were consumed and other foods were acquired commercially, the total dietary intake for a general adult was 0.94 ± 0.41 pg TEQ/kg bw/day, of which consumption of local vegetables accounted for 52.3%. If all foods consumed including vegetables were from a commercial source, the total dietary intake was 0.56 ± 0.30 pg TEQ/kg bw/day, of which consumption of commercial vegetables accounted for 20.1%. The present study for the first time reported the additional human exposure to PCDD/Fs via consumption of local vegetables impacted by emissions from MSWI.

PCDD/Fs-induced oxidative damage and antioxidant system responses in tobacco cell suspension cultures

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are ubiquitous contaminants and can be considerably accumulated by natural plants. In order to elucidate the biochemical and physiological responses of plant to PCDD/Fs, tobacco Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cells were selected as model plant and treated with time- and concentration-dependent PCDD/Fs. The toxic effect and oxidative stress caused by PCDD/Fs were evident, which could be indicted by the reduction in fresh mass, the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and the damage of tobacco cell ultrastructure. PCDD/Fs tolerance was correlated with changes in antioxidant system and hormones of tobacco cells. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) exhibited peak enzyme activities at the PCDD/Fs concentration of 1000ng WHO(98)-TEQg(-1)fresh weight. Glutathione reductase (GR) enzyme activity increased monotonically at high level PCDD/Fs, but the activity of catalase (CAT) was only slightly affected at all treatment. Meanwhile, the exposure to PCDD/Fs resulted in the changes of hormones content. With the increase of exposure concentration of PCDD/Fs, the levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) increased, whereas the concentration of jasmonates (JAs) decreased. The above results suggest that tobacco cells had the ability to cope with the oxidative stress induced by low concentration of PCDD/Fs through increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes and alternating plant hormones levels. However, oxidative stress and toxicity would burst out when plant cells were exposed to the high levels of PCDD/Fs.

Seasonal and spatial character of PCBs in a chemical industrial zone of Shanghai, China

As one of China's great metropolises, Shanghai is suffering from the impact of manufacture and the use of chemical industrial products, and it faces serious pollution from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Therefore, in this study, in order to assess the seasonal and spatial character of contamination from chemical industrial zones, the concentrations of PCBs have been measured in various environmental media, including soil, leaves, and atmospheric particulate samples collected in a chemical industrial zone of Shanghai and compared with samples from presumably unpolluted sites of rural areas. In soils, the PCB concentrations ranged from 0.5 ng g(-1) (unpolluted site) to 586.85 ng g(-1) (chlor-alkali industry site). The concentrations of PCBs in evergreen leaves ranged from 0.3 ng g(-1) to 32.46 ng g(-1), and more chlorinated biphenyls congeners, such as penta-biphenyls and hexa-biphenyls, were the dominant contributors in winter and spring. Seasonal differences and the constitution patterns of congeners might be affected by the temperature and industrial activities. The PCB concentrations in the leaves of deciduous trees increase over time as the leaves grow. The PCB concentration in atmospheric particulates was in the range of 9.22-14.15 x 10(3)pg m(-3), which might be the result of influence from climate and industrial activities. The relativity of PCB contents among the environmental media was discussed. The results in this paper provide an important profile of the current contamination status of a key chemical industrial zone in China.

Effects of cooking on concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and related compounds in fish and meat

We investigated the cooking-induced changes in concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (dioxins) using mackerel and beef. The concentrations of dioxins (29 congeners) were determined by isomer specific analyses and were compared between uncooked and cooked samples. The cooking procedures examined in this study included grilling as a fillet, boiling as a fillet, and boiling as tsumire (small, hand-rolled balls) for mackerel and boiling as a slice, broiling as a slice, and broiling as a hamburger for beef. Three trials were carried out for each cooking method. Generally, concentrations of dioxins were reduced in every cooking trial. When nondetected congener concentrations were assumed to be half the limit of detection for mackerel, the maximum percentage reductions of total concentrations given as 2,3,7,8-tetraCDD equivalents (TEQ) were 31% in grilling as a slice, 14% in boiling as a slice, and 21% in boiling as tsumire under the conditions of this study. In contrast, for beef, the reductions were 42% in boiling as a slice, 42% in broiling as a slice, and 44% in broiling as a hamburger. These results suggest that ordinary cooking processes with heating undoubtedly reduce the dioxin content in animal products, and the reductions estimated should be considered when dioxin intake is evaluated using contamination data for individual food items.

Evaluation of conventionally and organically produced vegetables for high lipophilic organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues

The occurrence and distribution of highly hydrophobic organochlorine pesticide (OCP) in vegetables cultivated under organic and conventional conditions were evaluated. OCP residues in aerial and subterranean tissues of two varieties of lettuce and chard together with the soil where they grown were GC-ECD analyzed. SigmaDDTs>SigmaChlordane>SigmaHeptachlor>SigmaAldrins was the OCP distribution pattern in all samples. Conventional soils had higher OCP residues than organic one, even though levels were bellow 5 ng/g dry weight, indicative of low polluted agricultural environments. Vegetables accumulated OCP efficiently with residue levels 4x to 45x fold greater than those of soils. OCP tissue-dependent distribution was found to be upon the physicochemical characteristics of the pollutants (Koa and Kow). Lettuce showed a high variability in pesticide uptake regarding varieties and tillage practices. In spite of analyzed pesticides are banned or restricted, edible tissues of vegetables from both farms showed detectable residues of these compounds even though at levels below the allowed by the Codex Alimentarius. Thus, environmental conditions like presence or absence of trees, hedgerows or nearby to conventional farms influence on OCP occurrence and levels in vegetables organically grown.

Modification of cleanup methods for dioxin analysis in green leafy vegetables and comparison of packing methods for a multi-layer silica gel column

To determine polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) in green leafy vegetables, the cleanup method was modified, and packing methods for a multi-layer silica gel column were compared in food samples. First, the additional cleanup was examined for a mono-ortho PCBs fraction obtained by alumina column chromatography from spinach extract. Small solids such as rough crystals that remained after concentration of the mono-ortho PCBs fraction were identified as long-chain hydrocarbons from leaf epicuticular wax by GC/MS. Cleanup using an activated carbon silica gel column with n-hexane as the washing solvent was effective. Next, multi-layer silica gel columns packed by wet packing and dry packing were compared using komatsuna, salmon and butter as samples. The columns prepared by both methods gave similar values at each isomeric concentration level and showed similar efficiency with favorable recoveries.

Persistent organic pollutants in the environment: chlordane residues in compost

The half-lives of some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in environmental compartments such as soil and air can be as long as decades. In spite of the hydrophobicity of many POPs, the literature contains reports of their uptake by, and translocation through, a variety of plants. Both these observations prompt the investigation of whether a vegetation-based environmental compartment such as compost contains significant residues of POPs. Previous reports imply that residues of technical chlordane will be found in compost. Due to its physicochemical properties, technical chlordane provides insights into the fate of POPs in the environment, which are not accessible through determinations of other pollutants in this group. Accordingly, we undertook the first comprehensive examination of technical chlordane residues in a variety of composts, specifically, 13 commercial and 39 municipal compost products, to both characterize and quantify the magnitude of this point source of contamination. Using chiral gas chromatography interfaced to ion trap mass spectrometry, the concentration and the compositional and enantiomeric profiles of chlordane components were determined. Of the 13 commercial products, 9 contained detectable chlordane concentrations, ranging from 4.7 to 292 microg/kg (dry wt.), while all 39 municipal products contained chlordane residues ranging from 13.9 to 415 microg/kg (dry wt.). The residue concentrations and profiles suggest possible feedstock sources for the chlordane in the finished compost product. The data also support the conclusion that some composts contribute to anthropogenic cycling of POPs through the biosphere.