Trophic behavior of inorganic elements in nesting sea turtles (Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Caretta caretta) in Quintana Roo: Biomagnification and biodilution effect in blood and scute tissues
The population of the Canary Islands has been exposed to high levels of persistent organic pollut... more The population of the Canary Islands has been exposed to high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Biomonitoring studies are essential to know the temporal trend in residue levels, particularly of substances banned decades ago. The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of plasma concentrations of 59 POPs in 175 participants from the PREDIMED-Plus trial (2014-2016), and to compare them with the distribution of these POPs in 343 participants in the PREDIMED trial (2006-2009). All participants had metabolic syndrome. No difference in the distribution of age, gender or BMI was observed between trials. POPs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Density plots-POP Geoffrey Rose curves-were used to represent the full population distribution of each compound. Three out of 59 POPs were detected and quantified in ≥95% of the samples (p,p′-DDE, median = 694.7 ng/g lipid; HCB, median = 57.0 ng/g lipid; and β-HCH, median = 75.7 ng/g lipid). PCB congeners 138, 153 and 180 were detected in 64.6, 40.0 and 88.0% of the samples. Females showed highest concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and those subjects who lost ˃ 5 kg showed significant higher plasma concentrations of POPs.
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Forty-seven elements in leafy green vegetables were studied to estimate the daily intakes from th... more Forty-seven elements in leafy green vegetables were studied to estimate the daily intakes from this food category in different scenarios (average and high consumers) and age groups of the Canary Islands population. The contribution of the consumption of each type of vegetable to the reference intakes of essential, toxic and potentially toxic elements was assessed and the risk–benefit ratio was evaluated. The leafy vegetables that provide the highest levels of elements are spinach, arugula, watercress and chard. While spinach, chard, arugula, lettuce sprouts and watercress were the leafy vegetables with the highest concentrations of essential elements (38,743 ng/g of Fe in spinach, 3733 ng/g of Zn in watercress), the high levels of Mn in chard, spinach and watercress are noteworthy. Among the toxic elements, Cd is the element with the highest concentration, followed by As and Pb. The vegetable with the highest concentration of potentially toxic elements (Al, Ag, Be, Cr, Ni, Sr and V)...
Due to progressive urban development along the Mexican Caribbean coastline, it is crucial to gaug... more Due to progressive urban development along the Mexican Caribbean coastline, it is crucial to gauge the impact of anthropogenic contamination of marine ecosystems through biomonitoring procedures. In the current study, we quantified the concentration of 49 inorganic elements in the blood and scute tissues of clinically healthy nesting hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). The elements were classified into four groups: Group A: essential mineral elements with toxic potential; Group B: non-essential elements with high toxicity; Group C: toxic non-essential minority elements and Trace Elements (TE); and Group D: rare-earth elements (REE) and other TE. Almost all the samples in both tissues showed perceptible levels of all the quantified elements. The only element identified with a correlation between blood and scute was arsenic (As), which could indicate a fast excretion through this type of keratinized tissue. The bio-accumulation of inorganic elements is a complex process, requiring the simultaneous examination of different tissues to evaluate the exposure. Our study reinforces the usefulness of scute tissue as a non-invasive sampling technique for the evaluation of persistent pollutants in marine turtles.
Organochlorine Pesticides Exposure and Bladder Cancer: Evaluation from a Gene-Environment Perspective in a Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in the Canary Islands (Spain)
Journal of Agromedicine, Oct 19, 2015
The incidence of bladder cancer has increased significantly since the 1950s. Pesticide exposure h... more The incidence of bladder cancer has increased significantly since the 1950s. Pesticide exposure has been linked with increasing bladder cancer incidence, although the evidence is inconclusive. However, most epidemiological studies did not evaluate the potential role played by the organochlorine pesticides, the most widely used pesticides in Western countries from the 1940s to the 1970s. Organochlorine pesticides were banned in the late 1970s because of their persistence in the environment and their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. Organochlorine pesticides were employed in huge amounts in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands; the authors, therefore, evaluated the role played by organochlorine pesticides exposure on bladder cancer. Serum levels of the most prevalent organochlorine pesticides used in the agriculture of these Islands (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [p,p'-DDT], and its metabolites dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [p,p'-DDE] and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane [p,p'-DDD], hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, α- and β-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, methoxychlor, and mirex) were measured in 140 bladder cancer cases and 206 controls. GST-M1 and GST-T1 gene polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. These results showed that serum levels of organochlorine pesticides did not increase bladder cancer risk. On the contrary, total burden of hexachlorocyclohexanes was found to be negatively associated to bladder cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 0.929, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.865-0.997; P = .041). This effect disappeared when the distribution of the gluthathione S-transferase polymorphisms was introduced in the statistical model. These results indicate that organochlorine pesticides are not a risk factor for bladder cancer. However, these findings provide additional evidence of gene-environment interactions for organochlorine pesticides and bladder cancer and reinforce the relevance of genes encoding xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in bladder cancer.
Background: Pregnant women may be co-exposed to multiple insecticides in regions where both pyret... more Background: Pregnant women may be co-exposed to multiple insecticides in regions where both pyrethroids and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) are used for indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria control. Despite the potential for adverse effects on offspring, there are few studies in areas where IRS is currently used and little is known about the effects of pyrethroids on children's health. Methods: We investigated the relationship between concentrations of four urinary pyrethroid metabolites in urine and organochlorine pesticide concentrations in maternal blood collected near delivery on body weight and body composition among children ≤2 years old participating in the prospective South Africa VHEMBE birth cohort (N = 708). We used measurements of length/height and weight collected at 1 and 2 years of age to calculate body mass index (BMI)-forage , weight-forage , and weight-for-height z-scores based on World Health Organization standards. We fit separate single-pollutant mixed effects models for each exposure of interest and also stratified by sex. We also fit all analyte concentrations jointly by using a Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) statistical method to assess variable importance of each analyte and to explore the potential for joint effects of the multiple exposures. Results: Single-pollutant linear mixed effects models showed that, among girls only, p,p′-DDT was associated with higher BMI-forage (adjusted [a]β = 0.22 [95% CI: 0.10, 0.35]; sex interaction p-value = 0.001), weightfor-height (aβ = 0.22 [95% CI: 0.09, 0.34]; sex interaction p-value = 0.002), and weight-forage (aβ = 0.17 [95% CI: 0.05, 0.29], sex interaction p-value = 0.01). Although single-pollutant models suggested that p,p′-DDT and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE) were also associated with these outcomes in girls, p,p′-DDE was no longer associated in multi-pollutant models with BKMR. The pyrethroid metabolites cis-(2,2-dibromovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylicacid (cis-DBCA) and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (trans-DCCA) were inversely related to BMI-forage and weight-for-height overall; however, results suggested that weight-forage and weight-for-height associations for trans-DCCA (sex interaction p-value weight-forage = 0.02; p-value weight-for-height = 0.13) and cis-DCCA (sex interaction p-value weightfor-age = 0.02; p-value weight-for-height = 0.08) were strongest and most consistent in boys relative to girls. BKMR also revealed joint effects from the chemical mixture. For instance, with increased concentrations of p,p′-DDE, the negative exposure-response relationship for cis-DBCA on BMI-forage became steeper. Conclusions: Our single-pollutant and multi-pollutant model results show that maternal serum p,p′-DDT concentration was consistently and positively associated with body composition and body weight in young girls and that maternal urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations (particularly cis-DBCA and trans-DCCA) were negatively associated with body weight and body composition in young boys. Joint effects of the insecticide exposure mixture were also apparent, underscoring the importance of using advanced statistical methods to examine the health effects of chemical mixtures.
Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organohalogenated contaminants in selected foodstuffs from Spanish market basket: Estimated intake by the population from Spain
The dataset presented in this article supports "Optimization and validation of a method for the s... more The dataset presented in this article supports "Optimization and validation of a method for the simultaneous environmental monitoring of 218 pesticide residues in clay loam soil" [1]. A method based on QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged & Safe) for the extraction of pesticide and some metabolites residues was developed. The quantification of the chemicals was performed by a combination of two complementary LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS analyses. Detailed optimization data of the QuEChERS extraction method is provided, including (1) salt combination, (2) acidification of the solvent (3) the amount of the selected acid (Formic Acid, FA) and (4) moisturization of the soil samples prior to extraction. In addition, all the validation data are presented, including
Resumen: Se determinó la presencia de residuos de rodenticidas anticoagulantes por cromatografía ... more Resumen: Se determinó la presencia de residuos de rodenticidas anticoagulantes por cromatografía de líquidos acoplada a espectrometría de masas de triple cuadrupolo en el hígado de 61 aves rapaces muertas provenientes del Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Tafira (Gran Canaria), pertenecientes a 5 especies de las 11 presentes en el archipiélago canario. Se encontraron residuos en 42 animales (69%) si bien en sólo 1 de ellos se consideró la intoxicación por rodenticidas como causa primaria de muerte, según los datos clínicos, analíticos y de necropsia. De las rapaces estudiadas, fueron las especies Tyto alba y Accipiter nisus las que más frecuentemente presentaron residuos de anticoagulantes (85% y 89% respectivamente). Se detectaron residuos de 5 anticoagulantes, todos ellos de segunda generación, siendo la bromadiolona las más frecuentemente detectada, seguida del brodifacoum y del difenacoum. Un elevado número de las muestras positivas (63%) presentó más de un residuo de anticoagulantes en su hígado, habiéndose encontrado mezclas de hasta 4 productos diferentes. Llamó la atención que la mayoría de los animales que ingresaron en el centro de recuperación por politraumatismo por colisión presentaba residuos de uno o varios anticoagulantes, así como que rapaces que se alimentan principalmente de pájaros también presentaron frecuentemente residuos de estos compuestos. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que el elevado uso de rodenticidas anticoagulantes en el medio natural implica su incorporación a la cadena trófica, viéndose afectadas especies de fauna silvestre en las que estos productos podrían producir efectos adversos. Esto implica que la aplicación de rodenticidas anticoagulantes en espacios abiertos supone una amenaza para el estado de conservación de la biodiversidad de las Islas Canarias.
Background: The infant population is particularly sensitive, so the risk posed by their diet must... more Background: The infant population is particularly sensitive, so the risk posed by their diet must be analyzed. The aims of the present study were (i) to determine the contents of 38 elements in 159 samples of ready-to-eat baby food sold in Spain and (ii) to estimate the dietary intakes and risk assessments of these elements in name brands and store brands in infants ranging between 6 and 12 months of age. Methods: A list of essential, non-essential/toxic elements, rare earth elements (REEs), and other hi-tech-related elements that are currently considered as emerging environmental pollutants were measured in ready-to-eat baby foods by ICP-MS. Results: Fish purees showed the highest concentrations of mercury (28.1 ng/g) and arsenic (346.2 ng/g). The levels of manganese, molybdenum, and chromium exceed the adequate intake, being higher in the case of store brands. The acute hazard index was above 1 for molybdenum and manganese. A risky consumption of thallium and mercury was observed,...
Human biomonitoring of persistent and non-persistent pollutants in a representative sample of the general population from Cape Verde: Results from the PERVEMAC-II study
Environmental Pollution
International Public Health authorities recommend biomonitoring studies to assess the exposure to... more International Public Health authorities recommend biomonitoring studies to assess the exposure to chemicals in the general population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the blood concentrations of a total 360 pollutants, including 230 pesticides in current or recent use, 59 persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs), 11 anticoagulant rodenticides and 60 pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs), in a cohort of 403 subjects from Cape Verde. The study was performed in the frame of the Pesticide Residues in Vegetables of the Macaronesia project (PERVEMAC-II). A total of 60 out of 360 toxic compounds (16.7%) were detected, at least, in one participant. The three most frequently detected substances were p,p'-DDE (100%), phenanthrene (94.0%) and hexachlobenzene (35.9%). 2-Phenylphenol and imidacloprid were detected in 29.0 and 14.4% of the population. The three substances with the highest serum concentrations were PhACs: naproxen (249.1 ng/mL), metronidazole (115.6 ng/mL) and acetaminophen (25.2 ng/mL). Median blood concentration of p,p'-DDE, HCB and phenanthrene were 1.87, 0.08 and 0.36 ng/mL. Blood concentrations of POPs were influenced by age, although both gender and body mass index may exert an influence in the presence of these substances. Lifestyle has an effect on the concentration of these substances, especially in terms of dietary habits. Both the frequency of detection and the concentration of the studied substances are similar to those of other biomonitored populations. This is the first biomonitoring study carried out in Cape Verde. Our results may be useful for the implementation of public health measures by the competent authorities.
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