Agrochemical Contamination of Honey and Bee Bread Collected in the Piedmont Region, Italy

This study shows the results of a local biomonitoring plan developed by a regional beekeeping association, Aspromiele, in several areas of Piedmont (Italy), in order to understand the status of contamination from pesticides present in the environment and eventually to evaluate their impact on apiculture. Glyphosate was the most abundant chemical found in the bee bread and honey samples. The other pesticides detected at lower concentrations and minor frequency were mandipropamid, tau-fluvalinate, metalaxil and spiroxamine. Even if in the present study the pesticides found in the bee bread and honey were limited to a few molecules, it is important to highlight that the presence of glyphosate could represent a hazard to bees. Honeybees are the main pollinators in agricultural ecosystems, and thus appropriate environmental management could lead to a reduction in the impact of these chemicals on bees and other beneficial insects

Early-life exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of triclocarban impairs ocular development in zebrafish larvae

Triclocarban (TCC), is an antimicrobial component in personal care products and it is one of the emerging contaminants since it has been detected in various environmental matrices. Its presence in human cord blood, breast milk, and maternal urine raised issues about its possible impact on development and increased concerns about the safety of daily exposure.This study aims to provide additional information about the effects of zebrafish early-life exposure to TCC on eye development and visual function. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to two concentrations of TCC (5 and 50 mu g/L) for 4 days. TCC-mediated toxicity was assessed in larvae at the end of exposure and in the long term (20 days post fertilization; dpf), through different biological end-points. The experiments showed that TCC exposure influences the retinal architecture. In 4 dpf treated larvae, we found a less organized ciliary marginal zone, a decrease in the inner nuclear and inner plexiform layers, and a decrease in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Photoreceptor and inner plexiform layers showed an increase in 20 dpf larvae at lower and both concentrations, respectively. The expression levels of two genes involved in eye development (mitfb and pax6a) were both decreased at the concentration of 5 mu g/L in 4 dpf larvae, and an increase in mitfb was observed in 5 mu g/L-exposed 20 dpf larvae. Interestingly, 20 dpf larvae failed to discriminate between visual stimuli, demonstrating notable visual perception impairments due to compound. The results prompt us to hypothesize that early-life exposure to TCC may have severe and potentially long-term effect on zebrafish visual function

Environmental impact assessment of mussels caught in the Mediterranean Sea, Italy

Human activities and atmospheric pollution impact coastal ecosystems at different rate in the world. The oceans contain a wide range of animal species that are harvested for human consumption. It is estimated that more than 2 billion people world-wide depend on protein from seas and coastal habitats, yet it is into this environment that anthropogenic pollutants often accumulate. Contamination of seafood is inevitable. The word ―mussel‖ is frequently used to name the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means of their strong byssal threads to a firm substrate. Mussels are stationary filter feeders that filter large quantities of seawater, keeping in this way large amounts of pollutants, and constitute a source of contaminants for marine organisms that feed on them. As they accumulate pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, polychlorobiphenyls, PCBs, organochlorine compounds, OCs) efficiently, they can be used in water monitoring programs. Similarly to other invertebrates mussels show a slow metabolic rate and consequently a slow xenobiotic biotransformation. Mussels filter suspended matter from the water column and deposit it as feces and pseudofeces. The food of mussels consists of particulate organic matter and other microscopic sea creatures which are free-floating in seawater. Organic matter is produced in the water column (phytoplankton) and the waves are very important for the availability of this food because they cause turbulence and keep organic matter in suspension. Mussels serve as an important food source for a wide range of organisms (e.g., starfish, eider ducks, some predatory marine gastropods and oystercatchers) and are also eaten by humans. As a matter of fact they contribute to the PCBs, PAHs and OCs intake in human being. [...