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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 Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 March 2023) | Viewed by 11908

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Dr. Silvia Díaz

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Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), C/José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: stress caused by exposure to heavy metals; arsenic and other toxic environmental pollutants in eukaryotic microorganisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metals and metalloids, such as arsenic, are highly toxic and persistent environmental pollutants. They are present in the atmosphere, the Earth's crust and water masses, and can also accumulate in biological systems. As a direct consequence, environmental pollutants cause a serious hazard to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and are a major problem for all living beings. In recent years, exposure to these pollutants has been of increasing importance and has become a major public health and environmental pollution problem. Chronic exposure to heavy metals in humans through food, water, inhalation of contaminated air or direct contact exposure in an occupational context is increasingly common.

For this Special Issue of IJERPH, we invite submissions that examine the problems caused by heavy metal pollution, its impact on living beings and its environmental consequences, including manuscripts that focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity, as well as studies that describe strategies of resistance to these environmental pollutants and their potential biotechnological interest.

Dr. Silvia Díaz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

heavy metal
metalloid
environmental pollutants
arsenic
essential and non-essential heavy metals

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hair Toxic Trace Elements of Residents across the Caspian Oil and Gas Region of Kazakhstan: Cross-Sectional Study

by Gulnara Batyrova, Zhenisgul Tlegenova, Victoria Kononets, Gulmira Umarova, Khatimya Kudabayeva, Yerlan Bazargaliyev, Ainur Amanzholkyzy and Yeskendir Umarov

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811158 - 6 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2222

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the relationship between the content of toxic trace elements, such as aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb), in the hair of the adult population of western Kazakhstan and the distance of their residence from oil and gas fields. The cross-sectional study included 850 adults aged 18–60 years. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure the level of Al, As, Be, Cd, Hg, and Pb in hair. The relationship between the concentration of toxic trace elements in the hair and the distance from oil and gas fields was assessed in three groups (<16 km, 16–110 km, and >110 km), using multiple linear regression analysis. The highest concentration of Hg = 0.338 μg/g was determined in the group living near oil and gas fields (0–16 km), whereas the lowest concentration of Al = 3.127 μg/g and As = 0.028 μg/g was determined in participants living at a long distance (more than 110 km) (p < 0.001). The concentration of Al (−0.126 (CI: −0.174; −0.077)), Hg (−0.065 (CI: −0.129; −0.001)), and Pb (0.111 (CI: 0.045; 0.177)) is associated with the distance to oil and gas fields. The obtained data indicate a change in the toxic trace element content in the hair of residents in the Caspian region of western Kazakhstan, a change that is most pronounced in residents living in the zone of oil and gas pollution. The distance to the oil and gas fields affects the content of toxic elements in scalp hair. In particular, the concentration of Al and Hg is associated with a decrease in the distance to oil and gas fields, while the concentration of Pb is associated with an increase in the distance to these fields. The lowest content of Al and As was determined in the hair of study participants living in the most remote areas (more than 110 km from oil and gas fields). Our results demonstrate the need for the biomonitoring of toxic elements to determine long-term temporal trends in the impact of chemicals on public health in western Kazakhstan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution)

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18 pages, 3483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy-Metal Speciation Distribution and Adsorption Characteristics of Cr (VI) in the Soil within Sewage Irrigation Areas

by Songtao Liu, Furong Yu and Jianuo Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106309 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2230

Abstract

While sewage irrigation relieves water shortages in Northern China, its excessive application triggers a series of environmental problems, such as heavy-metal pollution. Soil profile and river sediment profile samples from the sewage irrigation area (SIA) were collected by selecting the farmlands in which sewage irrigation activity has been reported since the 1960s, around Huiji River (HJR) and Huafei River (HFR) in Kaifeng, Henan Province, China, as research areas. In this study, the total amount of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, Mn, Zn, and Ni) and the heavy-metal speciation analysis using the modified BCR sequential extraction method were used to evaluate the impacts of wastewater on agricultural soils and the potential risk. Furthermore, the least contaminated Cr (VI) was selected for the study of adsorption characteristics to determine the environmental capacity of soils for heavy metals when the composition of wastewater changes under long-term effluent irrigation conditions. The results show that: (1) the concentrations of heavy metals in soil continuously decreased with depth, while the opposite was observed in sediment, reflecting the continuous improvement in water quality over the historical period; (2) In the topsoil, the mean concentrations (mg·kg⁻¹) in rank order are as follows: Mn (588.68) > Zn (284.21) > Pb (99.76) > Cr (76.84) > Ni (34.71) > Cd (3.25), where Cd exceeded the control value by 3.15 times around HFR, and sediment samples also showed higher heavy metal concentrations in HFR than in HJR; (3) Speciation distribution and risk assessment code (RAC) indicate that Mn and Cd were at medium risk and that Cd warrants attention due to its being a non-essential toxic element in humans; (4) The adsorption rates of soil in various layers in different profiles within SIAs for Cr (VI) gradually increased with the increasing initial content of Cr (VI). Among the three isothermal adsorption models, the fit result obtained by the Langmuir equation was superior to those obtained by the Freundlich equation and the linear equation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution)

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11 pages, 41992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sublethal Effects of Arsenic on Oxygen Consumption, Hematological and Gill Histopathological Indices in Chanos chanos

by Kannayiram Muthukumaravel, Kumara Perumal Pradhoshini, Natarajan Vasanthi, Venkatachalam Kanagavalli, Mohamed Ahadu Shareef, Mohamed Saiyad Musthafa, Rajakrishnan Rajagopal, Ahmed Alfarhan, Anand Thirupathi and Balasubramani Ravindran

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 12967; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182412967 - 8 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2706

Abstract

Background: The current study was performed aiming to evaluate possible changes in the effect on oxygen consumption, hematology and gill histopathological parameters in fish (Chanos chanos) upon exposure to sublethal concentration of the metalloid arsenic. Methods: Bioassay tests were conducted for determining the LC₅₀ values of arsenic for 96 h. Oxygen consumption in control and arsenic-exposed fish was estimated using Winkler’s method. Red blood corpuscular (RBC) count was examined with a Neubauer counting chamber under a phase contrast microscope. Hemoglobin (Hb) was estimated following the acid hematin method. Histopathological studies were carried by processing and staining the gill tissues with hematoxylin and eosin in accordance with standard histological techniques. They were then subjected to examination under a scanning electron microscope. Results: Chanos chanos exposed to 1/10th of LC₅₀ (24.61%) for a period of 30 days exhibited a maximum decline in the rate of respiration, followed by a decline in RBC and Hb above 45.59% and 51.60%, respectively. Significant toxic lesions encompassing fused gill lamellae, detached gill epithelium, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of respiratory epithelium became heavy handed on the 30th day. Conclusion: Information synthesized from our study serves to be useful in monitoring and managing (As) contamination in the aquatic environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution)

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Review

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22 pages, 2436 KiB

Open AccessReview

Interactions with Arsenic: Mechanisms of Toxicity and Cellular Resistance in Eukaryotic Microorganisms

by Patricia De Francisco, Ana Martín-González, Daniel Rodriguez-Martín and Silvia Díaz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 12226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212226 - 21 Nov 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3767

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is quite an abundant metalloid, with ancient origin and ubiquitous distribution, which represents a severe environmental risk and a global problem for public health. Microbial exposure to As compounds in the environment has happened since the beginning of time. Selective pressure has induced the evolution of various genetic systems conferring useful capacities in many microorganisms to detoxify and even use arsenic, as an energy source. This review summarizes the microbial impact of the As biogeochemical cycle. Moreover, the poorly known adverse effects of this element on eukaryotic microbes, as well as the As uptake and detoxification mechanisms developed by yeast and protists, are discussed. Finally, an outlook of As microbial remediation makes evident the knowledge gaps and the necessity of new approaches to mitigate this environmental challenge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Heavy Metal Pollution)

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