Accumulation, Source Identification, and Cancer Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Different Jordanian Vegetables

The accumulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in plants is considered one of the most serious threats faced by mankind because of their persistence in the environment and their carcinogenic and teratogenic effect on human health. The concentrations of sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs) were determined in four types of edible vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and cucumbers), irrigation water, and agriculture soil, where samples were collected from the Jordan Valley, Jordan. The mean total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) ranged from 10.649 to 21.774 µg kg−1 in vegetables, 28.72 µg kg−1 in soil, and 0.218 µg L−1 in the water samples. The tomato samples posed the highest ∑16PAH concentration level in the vegetables, whereas the zucchini samples had the lowest. Generally, the PAHs with a high molecular weight and four or more benzene rings prevailed among the studied samples. The diagnostic ratios and the principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the PAH contamination sources in soil and vegetables mainly originated from a pyrogenic origin, traffic emission sources, and biomass combustion. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) for ∑16PAHs have been observed in the order of tomatoes > cucumbers and eggplants > zucchini. A potential cancer risk related to lifetime consumption was revealed based on calculating the incremental lifetime cancer risk of PAHs (ILCR). Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices and avoiding biomass combusting would greatly help in minimizing the potential health risk from dietary exposure to PAHs

Chemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Dry Deposition in the Surrounding of a Cement Factory in Jordan

Dry deposition samples were collected from 28 residential rooftops in Fuhais, Jordan, during the dry seasons of the year 2004. The samples were analyzed for trace and heavy metal concentrations to investigate the impact of total suspended particles emitted from the cement industry in the city of Fuhais. The cement factory has been operational for the past 50 years, and the management was evaluating the use of petcoke blending to reduce fuel costs. No baseline data on heavy metals due to the current operations existed prior to this study. The present study showed that lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) concentrations were statistically significant in the northwest sector of the city compared with the other quadrants. This significance was attributed to the heavy traffic of trucks carrying raw materials and cement in and out of the cement factory as the main route of transportation to the factory runs through this quadrant of the city. Cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and chromium (Cr) concentrations were high in all sampled areas. The overall average concentrations of all elements except Mo were found to be higher on the rooftops of the residential areas in Fuhais City in comparison with a remote reference site near Amman where no anthropogenic activity exists. The trace and heavy metal concentrations and the mineralogical composition of dry deposition samples collected from residential rooftops are representative of the current cement industry operations, which dominate the air quality of Fuhais City

The Role of Ecological Chemistry in Pollution Research and Sustainable Development

Bruce W. Berdanier (with Mufeed I. Batarseh, Anwar G. Jiries, and Anf H. Ziadat) is a contributing author, Lichens (Punctilia rudecta) as Bioindicators for Air Pollution in Ohio, USA , pp. 149-156. Book description: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on The Role of Ecological Chemistry in Pollution Research and Sustainable Development, Chisinau, Moldova, 8-11 October 2008. Series: NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security The papers presented in this book demonstrate clearly the role of the processes defining the natural environment’s composition, structure and chemical properties adequate to the biologic value of habitation, the essential impacts of human activity and other related factors on all the environmental compartments, including water, soil and air. The research in ecological chemistry contribute to elimination of these negative impacts, and promote the rational using of natural resources, their qualified management, broader application of environmentally-friendly production technologies, thus leading to pollution reduction and sustainable development.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/engineering-books/1003/thumbnail.jp

Lichens (Rhizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC) as a Biomonitor for Atmospheric Pollution in Amman City, Jordan

The lichen, Rizocarpon geographicum (L.) DC, grown on walls and roofs along the main streets in Amman city-Jordan, was used as a bioindicator for atmospheric pollution. The samples were collected from three areas representing high traffic, residential, and remote sites. The results of heavy metals concentration (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Co) showed clear variations between the investigated sites comparedto that of the remote site. The highest concentrations occurred at the busy traffic sites and the lowest at the remote site. Peak concentrations of zinc (1206 μg g-1), copper (255 μg g-1), lead (400 μg g-1), cadmium (1.8 μg g-1) and cobalt (4.1 μg g-1) were observed at the city center of Amman that characterized busy road traffic. The heavy metal concentrations of lichens at Amman city were found to be at the upper limit values reported in the literature for temperate countries. Furthermore, lichens were found to be comparable to dust deposits and tree bark in terms of heavy metals content for the metropolitan area

The distribution of heavy metals in urban street dusts of Karak City, Jordan

Street dust samples from urban and suburban areas were collected from the city of Karak, Jordan, during the summer season of 2004. Samples were analyzed for their heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cr, Cd, and Mn). The results showed that all heavy metals are higher in city urban areas than the surrounding suburbs. The distribution and concentrations of heavy metals in all areas show automobile originated sources such as emissions and wear and tear of automobiles were the main source of pollution. Despite the fact that the city of Karak and the capital Amman are under the same climatic conditions and same type of fuel used in both cities, the heavy metal concentrations of street dust samples were lower in Karak than Amman due to the lower traffic density