Elemental composition of vegetables cultivated over coal-mining waste

ABSTRACT We assessed elemental composition of the liver in mice subjected to one-time or chronic consumption of the juice of vegetables cultivated in a vegetable garden built over deposits of coal waste. Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce), Beta vulgaris L. (beet), Brassica oleracea L. var. italica (broccoli) and Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala (kale) were collected from the coal-mining area and from a certified organic farm (control). Elemental composition was analyzed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method. Concentrations of Mg, S, and Ca of mice subjected to one-time consumption of broccoli and concentrations of these same elements plus Si of mice receiving kale were higher in the coal-mining area. Concentrations of P, K, and Cu were increase after chronic consumption of lettuce from the coal-mining area, whereas the levels of Si, P, K, Fe, and Zn were higher in the group consuming kale from the coal-mining area. Our data suggests that people consuming vegetables grown over coal wastes may ingest significant amounts of chemical elements that pose a risk to health, since these plants contain both essential and toxic metals in a wide range of concentrations, which can do more harm than good

Evaluation in situ of genotoxicity and stress in South American common toad Rhinella arenarum in environments related to fluorite mine

Little attention has been paid to the impact of wastewater generated by mining activities on fluoride. In this study, we evaluated the hematology responses of common South American toad Rhinella arenarum inhabiting natural and artificial environments associated with a fluorite mine from central Argentina. We analyzed three sampling stations associated with the fluorite mine: (I) Los Cerros Negros stream (CN), which runs on granitic rock with a high fluorite content; (II) Los Vallecitos stream (LV), which runs on metamorphic rock with low fluorite content; and (III) artificial decantation ponds (DP) containing sediments produced by fluorite flotation process. We calculated frequencies of micronuclei, erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities, mitosis, and immature erythrocytes. In addition, we performed a differential leukocyte count and determined neutrophils/lymphocyte ratio as a stress response estimator. We found high micronucleus (MN) and erythrocyte nuclear abnormality (ENA) frequencies in DP and CN but low frequencies in LV. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was different among sites, with a significant increase in individuals from DP. Values registered in DP could be caused by exposure to mixture of compounds registered in dams that hold wastewater, while high values registered in CN stream might be due to natural concentrations of fluoride. Our results suggest that blood is an effective and non-destructive sensitive indicator for monitoring genotoxic agents in freshwater ecosystems.Fil: Pollo, Favio Ezequiel. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Grenat, Pablo Raúl. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; ArgentinaFil: Salinas, Zulma Anahí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; ArgentinaFil: Otero, Manuel Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; ArgentinaFil: Salas, Nancy Edith. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; ArgentinaFil: Martino, Adolfo Ludovico. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Cátedra de Ecología; Argentin