A socio-scientific analysis of the environmental and health benefits as well as potential risks of cassava production and consumption

Due to its high adaptability, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the world's most cultivated and consumed plants after maize and rice. However, there are relatively few scientific studies on this important crop. The objective of this review was therefore to summarize and discuss the available information on cassava cropping in order to promote sustainable practices in terms of production and consumption. Cassava cultivation has been expanding recently at the global scale and is widely consumed in most regions of South America, Africa, and Asia. However, it is also characterized by the presence in its roots of potentially toxic hydrocyanic acid. Furthermore, cassava can also absorb pollutants as it is currently cultivated near roads or factories and generally without consideration for potential sources of soil, water, or atmospheric pollution. Careful washing, peeling, and adequate preparation before eating are therefore crucial steps for reducing human exposure to both environmental pollutants and natural hydrocyanic acid. At present, there is not enough precise data available on this staple food crop. To improve our knowledge on the nutritive benefits versus health risks associated with cassava consumption, further research is necessary to compare cassava cultivars and precisely study the influence of preparation methods.

Kinetic study of phytotoxicity induced by foliar lead uptake for vegetables exposed to fine particles and implications for sustainable urban agriculture

At the global scale, foliar metal transfer occurs for consumed vegetables cultivated in numerous urban or industrial areas with a polluted atmosphere. However, the kinetics of metal uptake, translocation and involved phytotoxicity was never jointly studied with vegetables exposed to micronic and sub-micronic particles (PM). Different leafy vegetables (lettuces and cabbages) cultivated in RHIZOtest® devices were, therefore, exposed in a greenhouse for 5, 10 and 15days to various PbO PM doses. The kinetics of transfer and phytotoxicity was assessed in relation to lead concentration and exposure duration. A significant Pb accumulation in leaves (up to 7392mg/kg dry weight (DW) in lettuce) with translocation to roots was observed. Lead foliar exposure resulted in significant phytotoxicity, lipid composition change, a decrease of plant shoot growth (up to 68.2% in lettuce) and net photosynthesis (up to 58% in lettuce). The phytotoxicity results indicated plant adaptation to Pb and a higher sensitivity of lettuce in comparison with cabbage. Air quality needs, therefore, to be considered for the health and quality of vegetables grown in polluted areas, such as certain megacities (in China, Pakistan, Europe, etc.) and furthermore, to assess the health risks associated with their consumption.

Bioaccessibility of selenium after human ingestion in relation to its chemical species and compartmentalization in maize

Selenium is a micronutrient needed by all living organisms including humans, but often present in low concentration in food with possible deficiency. From another side, at higher concentrations in soils as observed in seleniferous regions of the world, and in function of its chemical species, Se can also induce (eco)toxicity. Root Se uptake was therefore studied in function of its initial form for maize (Zea mays L.), a plant widely cultivated for human and animal food over the world. Se phytotoxicity and compartmentalization were studied in different aerial plant tissues. For the first time, Se oral human bioaccessibility after ingestion was assessed for the main Se species (Se(IV) and Se(VI)) with the BARGE ex vivo test in maize seeds (consumed by humans), and in stems and leaves consumed by animals. Corn seedlings were cultivated in hydroponic conditions supplemented with 1 mg L(-1) of selenium (Se(IV), Se(VI), Control) for 4 months. Biomass, Se concentration, and bioaccessibility were measured on harvested plants. A reduction in plant biomass was observed under Se treatments compared to control, suggesting its phytotoxicity. This plant biomass reduction was higher for selenite species than selenate, and seed was the main affected compartment compared to control. Selenium compartmentalization study showed that for selenate species, a preferential accumulation was observed in leaves, whereas selenite translocation was very limited toward maize aerial parts, except in the seeds where selenite concentrations are generally high. Selenium oral bioaccessibility after ingestion fluctuated from 49 to 89 % according to the considered plant tissue and Se species. Whatever the tissue, selenate appeared as the most human bioaccessible form. A potential Se toxicity was highlighted for people living in seleniferous regions, this risk being enhanced by the high Se bioaccessibility.

Soil microbial respiration and PICT responses to an industrial and historic lead pollution: a field study

We performed a field investigation to study the long-term impacts of Pb soil contamination on soil microbial communities and their catabolic structure in the context of an industrial site consisting of a plot of land surrounding a secondary lead smelter. Microbial biomass, catabolic profiles, and ecotoxicological responses (PICT) were monitored on soils sampled at selected locations along 110-m transects established on the site. We confirmed the high toxicity of Pb on respirations and microbial and fungal biomasses by measuring positive correlations with distance from the wall factory and negative correlation with total Pb concentrations. Pb contamination also induced changes in microbial and fungal catabolic structure (from carbohydrates to amino acids through carboxylic malic acid). Moreover, PICT measurement allowed to establish causal linkages between lead and its effect on biological communities taking into account the contamination history of the ecosystem at community level. The positive correlation between qCO2 (based on respiration and substrate use) and PICT suggested that the Pb stress-induced acquisition of tolerance came at a greater energy cost for microbial communities in order to cope with the toxicity of the metal. In this industrial context of long-term polymetallic contamination dominated by Pb in a field experiment, we confirmed impacts of this metal on soil functioning through microbial communities, as previously observed for earthworm communities.

Field isotopic study of lead fate and compartmentalization in earthworm-soil-metal particle systems for highly polluted soil near Pb recycling factory

Earthworms are important organisms in soil macrofauna and play a key role in soil functionality, and consequently in terrestrial ecotoxicological risk assessments. Because they are frequently observed in soils strongly polluted by metals, the influence of earthworm bioturbation on Pb fate could therefore be studied through the use of Pb isotopes. Total Pb concentrations and isotopic composition ((206)Pb, (207)Pb and (208)Pb) were then measured in earthworms, casts and bulk soils sampled at different distance from a lead recycling factory. Results showed decreasing Pb concentrations with the distance from the factory whatever the considered matrix (bulk soils, earthworm bodies or cast samples) with higher concentrations in bulk soils than in cast samples. The bivariate plot (208)Pb/(206)Pb ratios versus (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios showed that all samples can be considered as a linear mixing between metallic process particulate matter (PM) and geochemical Pb background. Calculated anthropogenic fraction of Pb varied between approximately 84% and 100%. Based on Pb isotopic signatures, the comparison between casts, earthworms and bulk soils allowed to conclude that earthworms preferentially ingest the anthropogenic lead fraction associated with coarse soil organic matter. Actually, soil organic matter was better correlated with Pb isotopic ratios than with Pb content in soils. The proposed hypothesis is therefore a decrease of soil organic matter turnover due to Pb pollution with consequences on Pb distribution in soils and earthworm exposure. Finally, Pb isotopes analysis constitutes an efficient tool to study the influence of earthworm bioturbation on Pb cycle in polluted soils.

Silver nanoparticles impact phototrophic biofilm communities to a considerably higher degree than ionic silver

Due to the significant increase in nanoparticle production and especially that of silver nanoparticles over the past decade, the toxicity of silver in both ionic (Ag(+)) and nanoparticulate (AgNPs) form must be studied in detail in order to understand their impact on natural ecosystems. A comparative study of the effect of AgNPs and ionic silver on two independent phototrophic biofilms was conducted in a rotating annular bioreactor (RAB) operating under constant conditions. The concentration of dissolved silver in the inlet solution was progressively increased every 4 days of exposure, from 0.1 to 100 μg L(-1). In the course of the 40-day experiment, biofilm samples were collected to determine the evolution of biomass, chlorophyll-a, as well as photosynthetic and heterotrophic enzymatic activities in response to silver addition. Analysis of both dissolved and particulate silver allowed quantification of the distribution coefficient and uptake rate constants. The presence of both AgNPs and Ag(+) produced significant changes in the biofilm structure, decreasing the relative percentage of Diatomophyceae and Cyanophyceae and increasing the relative percentage of Chlorophyceae. The accumulation capacity of the phototrophic biofilm with respect to ionic silver and the corresponding distribution coefficients were an order of magnitude higher than those of the phototrophic biofilm with respect to AgNPs. Higher levels of AgNPs decreased the biomass from 8.6 ± 0.2 mg cm(-2) for 0-10 μg L(-1) AgNPs to 6.0 ± 0.1 mg cm(-2) for 100 μg L(-1) added AgNPs, whereas ionic silver did not have any toxic effect on the biofilm growth up to 100 μg L(-1) of added Ag(+). At the same time, AgNPs did not significantly affect the photosynthetic activity of the biofilm surface communities compared to Ag(+). It can thus be hypothesized that negatively charged AgNPs may travel through the biofilm water channels, thereby affecting the whole biofilm structure. In contrast, positively charged Ag(+) is bound at the cell surfaces and EPS, thus blocking its further flux within the biofilm layers. On the whole, the phototrophic biofilm demonstrated significant capacities to accumulate silver within the surface layers. The main mechanism to avoid the toxic effects is metal complexation with exopolysaccharides and accumulation within cell walls, especially pronounced under Ag(+) stress. The significant AgNPs and Ag(+) uptake capacities of phototrophic biofilm make it a highly resistant ecosystem in silver-polluted river waters.

Effects of historic metal(loid) pollution on earthworm communities

The effects of metal(loid)s (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, As and Sb) from atmospheric fallout on earthworm communities were investigated in a fallow meadow located close to a 60-year-old lead recycling factory. We examined abundance and species diversity as well as the ratio of adult-to-juvenile earthworms, along five 140 m parallel transects. The influence of soil pollution on the earthworm community at the plot scale was put in context by measuring some physico-chemical soil characteristics (OM content, N content, pH), as well as total and bioavailable metal(loid) concentrations. Earthworms were absent in the highly polluted area (concentration from 30,000 to 5000 mg Pb·kg(-1) of dried soil), just near the factory (0-30 m area). A clear and almost linear relationship was observed between the proportion of juvenile versus mature earthworms and the pollution gradient, with a greater proportion of adults in the most polluted zones (only adult earthworms were observed from 30 to 50 m). Apporectodea longa was the main species present just near the smelter (80% of the earthworms were A. longa from 30 to 50 m). The earthworm density was found to increase progressively from five individuals·m(-2) at 30 m to 135 individuals·m(-2) at 140 m from the factory. On average, metal(loid) accumulation in earthworm tissues decreased linearly with distance from the factory. The concentration of exchangeable metal(loid)s in earthworm surface casts was higher than that of the overall soil. Finally, our field study clearly demonstrated that metal(loid) pollution has a direct impact on earthworm communities (abundance, diversity and proportion of juveniles) especially when Pb concentrations in soil were higher than 2050 mg·kg(-1).

Lead and cadmium phytoavailability and human bioaccessibility for vegetables exposed to soil or atmospheric pollution by process ultrafine particles

When plants are exposed to airborne particles, they can accumulate metals in their edible portions through root or foliar transfer. There is a lack of knowledge on the influence of plant exposure conditions on human bioaccessibility of metals, which is of particular concern with the increase in urban gardening activities. Lettuce, radish, and parsley were exposed to metal-rich ultrafine particles from a recycling factory via field atmospheric fallouts or polluted soil. Total lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in of the edible plant parts and their human bioaccessibility were measured, and Pb translocation through the plants was studied using Pb isotopic analysis. The Pb and Cd bioaccessibility measured for consumed parts of the different polluted plants was significantly higher for root exposure (70% for Pb and 89% for Cd in lettuce) in comparison to foliar exposure (40% for Pb and 69% for Cd in lettuce). The difference in metal bioaccessibility could be linked to the metal compartmentalization and speciation changes in relation to exposure conditions. Metal nature strongly influences the measured bioaccessibility: Cd presents higher bioaccessibility in comparison to Pb. In the case of foliar exposure, a significant translocation of Pb from leaves toward the roots was observed. To conclude, the type of pollutant and the method of exposure significantly influences the phytoavailability and human bioaccessibility of metals, especially in relation to the contrasting phenomena involved in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere. The conditions of plant exposure must therefore be taken into account for environmental and health risk assessment.