Drosophila nasuta (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Brazil: a decade of invasion and occupation of more than half of the country

Abstract As a result of human activities and natural dispersal, exotic species can be brought to new areas, where they become established and spread, becoming invaders. These species are responsible for the loss of biodiversity and cause ecosystemic harm throughout the world. In this paper, we report the rapid, broad geographic expansion of the invasive fly Drosophila nasuta in Brazil. An 84% increase was found in its area of occupation in the country compared to previous studies. The present data reveal its arrival to the Pantanal wetlands in a location more than one thousand kilometers from the closest previous record in the Cerrado biome. We present the first record of D. nasuta in the Atlantic Forest in the states of Paraíba and Bahia. We report its introduction in the Amazon Forest in the state of Amazonas approximately 700 kilometers from previous records. The relative abundance of D. nasuta in this biome increased fivefold in comparison to a previous study. In the first decade of invasion in Brazil, D. nasuta has already colonized more than half of the country. The present data reveal its invasive potential and underscore the importance of following up the possible negative effects of this biological invasion

HBM4EU chromates study - Overall results and recommendations for the biomonitoring of occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium

Exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] may occur in several occupational activities, e.g., welding, Cr(VI) electroplating and other surface treatment processes. The aim of this study was to provide EU relevant data on occupational Cr(VI) exposure to support the regulatory risk assessment and decision-making. In addition, the capability and validity of different biomarkers for the assessment of Cr(VI) exposure were evaluated. The study involved nine European countries and involved 399 workers in different industry sectors with exposures to Cr(VI) such as welding, bath plating, applying or removing paint and other tasks. We also studied 203 controls to establish a background in workers with no direct exposure to Cr(VI). We applied a cross-sectional study design and used chromium in urine as the primary biomonitoring method for Cr(VI) exposure. Additionally, we studied the use of red blood cells (RBC) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for biomonitoring of exposure to Cr(VI). Personal measurements were used to study exposure to inhalable and respirable Cr(VI) by personal air sampling. Dermal exposure was studied by taking hand wipe samples. The highest internal exposures were observed in the use of Cr(VI) in electrolytic bath plating. In stainless steel welding the internal Cr exposure was clearly lower when compared to plating activities. We observed a high correlation between chromium urinary levels and air Cr(VI) or dermal total Cr exposure. Urinary chromium showed its value as a first approach for the assessment of total, internal exposure. Correlations between urinary chromium , Cr(VI) in EBC and Cr in RBC were low, probably due to differences in kinetics and indicating that these biomonitoring approaches may not be interchangeable but rather complementary. This study showed that occupational biomonitoring studies can be conducted successfully by multi-national collaboration and provide relevant information to support policy actions aiming to reduce occupational expo-sure to chemicals