Eco-Toxicological Risk Assessment of HCH, DDT and their Possible Sources by Isomeric Ratio Distribution in Sediments from Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem in Bay of Bengal, India

Persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) like hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), their isomeric ratios and ecotoxicological risks assessment was studied in sediments from Sundarbans in India. These levels significantly moved up to 10 km offshore and decline offshore (22.5 km). Isomeric ratios of DDT and HCH reflects the recent input of HCH and DDT. Keywords: Pesticides, HCH, DDT, Sediments, Mangrove ecosystem, Bay of Bengal, Indi

Assessment of Human Health Risk for Arsenic, Copper, Nickel, Mercury and Zinc in Fish Collected from Tropical Wetlands in India

Fishes are constantly exposed to aquatic system and exposure of metals through ï¬sh consumption may lead to health risks, especially for high-ï¬sh consumption populations. This study determined levels of As, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn in muscle tissues of ï¬sh from Kolkata wetland and estimated the health risk posed by ï¬sh ingestion. The levels of heavy metals were below the permissible limits issued by JECFA of FAO/WHO. The tolerable intake of As, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn as PTWI (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake) and PTDI (Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake) was calculated and presented. To estimate the human health risk, the target hazard quotient (THQs), was calculated and discussed, THQs for individual metals were lower than USEPA guideline value of 1. However, the hazard index of arsenic, copper, mercury, nickel and zinc mixture for Catla catla was marginally high. The target cancer risk (TR) of arsenic and nickel for intake of the Catla catla, Oreochromis nilotica and Labeo rohita was 1.5x10-4 and 5.8x10-4, 7.7x10-5 and 3.0x10-4, 4.7x10-5 and 5.4x10-4, respectively, with the average of 8.6 x 10-5 and 4.7 x 10-4, respectively. More intensive study is needed in order to determine the toxic metals in fish, and not only to report levels of contaminants but also important to compare them with health criteria values.  Copyright © www.iiste.org Keywords: Fish muscle, arsenic, copper, mercury, nickel, zinc, health risk, tolerable intake, HI, THQs, T

Assessment of Arsenic, Cadmium and Mercury Level in Commonly Consumed Coastal Fishes from Bay of Bengal, India

Toxic heavy metal concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg) and Arsenic (As) were determined in muscle tissue of six marine fish species collected from north eastern Bay of Bengal, India. The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium and mercury were in range of 0.02-2.34 µg g-1, 0.01-2.10 µg g-1 and 0.07-1.60 µg g-1 dry wt., respectively. Arsenic was the higher in average concentration followed by mercury and cadmium and their average concentrations were 0.66±0.09 µg g-1, 0.62±0.05 µg g-1 and 0.47±0.07 µg g-1 dry wt., respectively. The concentration of heavy metals was species specific and metal specific significantly varied. The estimated intake values of these metals through human consumption were calculated (µg kg-1 body wt. day-1 and weekly-1) and were compared with those of  Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) per kg body weight as stipulated by  the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The Estimated Tolerable daily intake TDI(Estimated) and Estimated Tolerable weekly intake TWI(Estimated) were lower than stipulated guidelines and therefore, were not considered to pose adverse effects to the humans. The Pearson product moment correlation was calculated and found that cadmium was positively correlated with mercury. Since there is a bioaccumulation of toxic heavy metals in fish tissues, therefore, a regular monitoring of heavy metals and other toxic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dioxins, and furans is proposed for fishes from northern Bay of Bengal. Copyright © www.iiste.org Keywords: Heavy Metal, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, Coastal Fish, PTDI, PTWI, Bay of Bengal, Indi

Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Surface Waters of Various Sources from National Capital Region Delhi India

This paper presents the concentration of twenty eight polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) including twelve dioxin-like PCBs (dl-PCBs) congeners in surface water of rivers canals lakes ponds and drains from National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi (India). The total concentrations of 28 PCBs were ranged between 14-1768 ng L-1 with a mean of 332±42 ng L-1. The concentration of dl-PCBs was ranged between <1-146 ng L-1 with the mean of 40±4 ng L-1 and accounted 12% for total 28 PCBs. The toxicity equivalent calculated using WHO toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) was presented and discussed.  In terms of the homolog distribution it was dominated by 3–5 chlorinated biphenyls. The tetra-PCBs (65%) dominate the PCB homolog followed by tri-PCB (47%) and penta-PCB (21%). The concentrations were lower than the guideline values; however levels at some locations were higher. Further in-depth study is proposed to determine PCBs its bioavailability and bioaccumulation through tissues of aquatic biota to assess the risk of these contaminants on the ecosystems and human health more thoroughly. Keywords: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dioxin-like PCBs surface water Delhi Indi

Distribution, Composition Profiles and Source Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Roadside Soil of Delhi, India

Distribution, composition profiles and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in roadside soils from Delhi, India. PAH determination was made by Sonication extraction and chromatographic clean-up with final analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-diode array detector (HPLC-UV-DAD).The average concentration of ∑PAHs was 6838.6±3528.4 µg kg-1 and ranged between 81.6 to 45017.4 µg kg-1. Seven possible carcinogenic PAHs (7c-PAHs) accounted 67.4% to the total PAHs. Diagnostic ratios of individual PAHs and LMWPAHs to HMWPAHs ratio were calculated and applied to assess the possible sources of PAHs which, indicates the mixed pyrogenic activities such as petroleum, biomass and coal combustion are the main contributors. Although, concentrations of individual PAHs were lower than the guideline values but, the concentrations of some high molecular weight PAHs were higher at the locations in the vicinity of industrial areas and there is probable some risk to human health. Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), HPLC-UV, roadside soil, diagnostic ratio, Indi

Residues of Pesticides and Herbicides in Soils from Agriculture Areas of Delhi Region, India

This paper presents the residue levels of organochlorine, organophosphate pesticides and herbicides in agricultural soils from Delhi region. Among OCPs, HCH, DDT endosulphan and dieldrin ranged between <0.01-104.14 ng g-1, <0.01-15.79 ng g-1, <0.01-7.57 ng g-1 and <0.01-2.38 ng g-1, respectively. The concentration of OPPs ranged from <0.01-20.95 ng g-1, ND-3.92 ng g-1, ND-31.73 ng g-1, ND-6.46 ng g-1 and ND-6.46 ng g-1 for phosphomidon, monocrotophos, chlorpyriphos, quinolphos and ethion, respectively. Pendimethalin (0.27 ng g-1) was the dominant herbicides followed by butachlor (0.19 ng g-1), and fluchloralin (0.05 ng g-1). Data showed the region was contaminated by technical DDT and technical HCH mixture. The study reveals that the level of some organochlorine pesticides in agricultural soils is a matter of concern for future food chain accumulation and human health so; regular investigation of pesticide residues is recommended on soil health and contamination levels. Keywords: pesticides, herbicides, agricultural soil, Delhi, Indi

Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from NCR, Delhi, India

ABSTRACT Twenty eight polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners including twelve dioxin-lik

Quick and Easy Method for Determination of Priority Phenolic Compounds in Water and Wastewater

Phenols and phenolic compounds are ubiquitous contaminants in the environment. Due to toxic potential, some phenolic compounds mainly chlorophenols and nitrophenols have been classified as priority pollutants. They enter into the environment through various sources such as industrial, domestic and vehicular emissions. For compliance of national and international regulations, various analytical methods have been developed for assessment in the environmental matrices. This paper presents quick, easy and reliable method for simultaneous determination of eleven priority phenolic compounds in wastewater using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detector. Liquid-liquid extraction technique with dichloromethane in acidic condition was used for the extraction, and chromatographic separation of compounds was carried out on a C18 column with water and methanol as the mobile phase. The following parameters like selectivity/ specificity, linearity (R2), range, limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ), precision (repeatability) and accuracy (recovery) were validated for consistent and reliable results. Calibration curves for all compounds were linear (R2, 0.998-0.999) within the concentration range of 5-125 (μg/mL). The LOD and LOQ of the method ranged between 0.11- 0.61 μg/L and 0.37-2.04 μg/L, respectively. This method was applied to quantify phenolic compounds in wastewater samples from urban drain with good separated peaks, precision and accuracy

On Solvability for Some Classes of System of Non-Linear Integral Equations in Two Dimensions via Measure of Non-Compactness

In this paper, we present some results of coupled fixed points for the system of non-linear integral equations in Banach space. Our results enlarge the results of newer papers. Additionally, we prove the applicability of those results to the solvability of the system of non-linear integral equations. Finally, we give an example to validate the applicability of our results

Congener specific distribution and health risk assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls in urban soils

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were primarily used in transformers and capacitors, lubricants, flame retardants, plasticizers, paint, carbonless papers, etc. These are capable of long-range atmospheric transport and have been designated as persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention. Due to their characteristic properties, PCBs are found worldwide in all environmental matrices (including human) and biota. Soils are usually considered to be the source as well as sink for environmental pollutants, with cumulative effects of long-range atmospheric transport and local sources. Around the world, comparatively higher concentrations of PCBs have been reported in urban soils than suburban or rural soils. Higher amount of PCBs in urban soils may cause toxicological health risks to urban residents through ingestion, inhalation and skin contact. This paper presents the PCB distribution in soils from Delhi, India, and exposure risk estimates for human health through soil ingestion. The concentration of ΣPCBs ranged between 1.08-100.67 ng g<sup>–1</sup> (mean 21.16 ng g<sup>–1</sup>±5.24 ng g<sup>–1</sup>), which was much lower than the Canadian soil quality guideline value of 1.3 mg/kg or 1300 ng g<sup>–1</sup>. Human health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway were made in terms of lifetime average daily dose (LADD), incremental lifetime cancer risks and non-carcinogenic hazard quotient (HQ). The LADD for Delhi adults and children was 3.02x10<sup>–8</sup> mg kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup> and 1.57x10<sup>–7</sup> mg kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup>, respectively, which corresponds to toxic equivalent quotients (TEQ) intake of 0.105 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup> (0.735 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> week<sup>–1</sup>) and 0.543 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup> (3.801 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> week<sup>–1</sup>), respectively. The estimated LADD for Delhi residents was lower than the acceptable intake values recommended by the World Health Organization (1 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup>), the European Commission (14 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup>;1 week<sup>–1</sup>) and by the Japanese government (4 pg TEQ kg<sup>–1</sup> d<sup>–1</sup>). The probability of cancer risk ranges from 6.04x10<sup>–8</sup> (ΣPCBs) to 1.57x10<sup>–5</sup> (ΣTEQ) and 3.13x10–7 (ΣPCBs) to 8.15x10–5 (ΣTEQ) for adults and children, respectively, and was within acceptable ranges of 10<sup>–6</sup> to 10<sup>–4</sup>. The non-carcinogenic risk in terms of health HQ was 0.105 and 0.330 for adults and children, respectively, which was lower than the acceptable limit of 1. The study found lower concentrations of PCBs than guideline values and low health risk estimates through the soil ingestion pathway within acceptable levels, indicating a minimum risk for Delhi residents