Color, origen botánico y composición del polen apícola

El polen es conocido por el hombre desde la antigüedad como alimento potencial (SAENZ, 1978). Por su contenido en proteínas, hidratos de carbono, lípidos, minerales y vitaminas, representa la fuente insustituible de la alimentación de las larvas y abejas jóvenes, siendo indispensable para su crecimiento. Esta interesante composición permite. asegurar su uso en la alimentación humana ya que además de lo mencionado anteriormente posee 20 de los 22 aminoácidos de nuestras proteínas (PERIS, 1984). En la actualidad existe una tendencia generalizada hacia el uso de productos naturales, por lo que el polen es cada vez más apreciado con objeto de paliar las carencias de nuestra alimentación actual. Este producto no se menciona en el Código Alimentario Español (1967) citándose desde 1976 dentro de la Reglamentación Técnico Sanitaria sobre preparados alimenticios para regímenes dietéticos y jo especiales (BOE, 1976). Figura registrado, por una parte como polen de flores en productos de parafarmacia en el apartado de regímenes tradicionales y por otra, como especialidad farmacéutica (desde 1987) dentro de los urológicos en forma de comprimidos, conteniendo las fracciones oleosoluble e hidrosoluble del polen

Comparison of microplastic type, size, and composition in atmospheric and foliage samples in an urban scenario

The rising trend of plastic production in last years and the inadequate disposal of related waste has raised concerns regarding microplastic-related environmental issues. Microplastic particles disperse by means of transport and deposition processes to different ecosystems and enter food chains. In this paper, atmospheric deposition and foliage samples of two species (i.e., Hedera helix and Photinia glabra) were collected and analysed for the quantity and identity of microplastics (MPs). A preliminary methodology to treat foliage samples and subsequently identify MPs using a quantum cascade laser IR spectrophotometer is presented. The treatment of airborne samples involved filtration, mild digestion, concentration, and transfer onto reflective slides whereas that for foliage involved washing, concentration, and transference of putative MPs onto reflective slides. Fibers and fragments were differentiated according to their physical features (size, width, height, etc.) and calculating derived characteristics (namely, circularity and solidity). The preliminary results obtained suggest a good agreement between atmospheric-deposited and foliage-retained MPs, showing the capability of leaves to act as passive samplers for environmental monitoring

Filtration of biopolymer PHB particles loaded with synthetic musks does not cause significant bioaccumulation in marine mussels

The role of the biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, <250 µm) as a vehicle of a synthetic musks mixture (celestolide, galaxolide, tonalide, musk xylene, musk moskene and musk ketone) to Mytilus galloprovincialis was investigated. For 30 days, virgin PHB, virgin PHB+musks (6.82 µg g-1) and weathered PHB+musks, were daily spiked into tanks containing mussels, followed by a 10-day depuration period. Water and tissues samples were collected to measure exposure concentrations and accumulation in tissues. Mussels were able to actively filter microplastics in suspension but the concentration of the musks found in tissues (celestolide, galaxolide, tonalide) were markedly lower than the spiked concentration. Estimated Trophic Transfer Factors suggest that PHB will only play a minor role on musks accumulation in marine mussels, even if our results suggest a slightly extended persistence in tissues of musks loaded to weathered PHB.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019–108857RB-C32Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. CTM2016–77945-C

Occurrence of organotin compounds in waters of the spanish coast under the European Water Framework Directive

Organotin compounds (OTCs), such as tributyltin (TBT), are persistent organic pollutants that are present in water samples (surface water, river water, sea water, waste water, etc.) because of anthropogenic activities (antifouling agents in ship paints, biocides in polymers, etc.). The toxicity and endocrine disruption potential of these chemicals have been demonstrated even at very low levels (<1 ng L−1) (Devos et al. 2012). Due to the extensive presence of OTCs in all environmental media as well as their adverse effects on human health and biota, quantitative and qualitative determination of those com-pounds in complex environmental matrices has become a matter of great concern, mainly butyl and phenyl-substituted. Also, these compounds are included in the list of priority substances according to the EU Directive 2013/39/EU amending Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC as regards priority substances in the field of water policy. This directive specifies annual average environmental quality standard (AA-EQS) of 0.2 ng L−1 TBT and a maximum allowable environmental quality standard (MAC-EQS) of 1.5 ng L−1 TBT for all surface waters. Samples were collected in two semiconfined coastal areas, one of them an area with high industrial and port activities (Ría de Vigo) and the other one with high touristic and agricultural activity (Mar Menor).The sampling campaigns were performed in spring and autumn of 2015. The levels of MBT, DBT, TBT, MPhT, DPhT and TPhT in the seawater samples were analyzed by HS-SPME-GC–QqQMS/ MS method (Moscoso-Pérez et al. 2015). MPhT, DPhT and TPhT were not detected in any sample at levels higher than LOQ. For butylated compounds, MBT, DBT and TBT were detected in 100% of the analyzed samples in the Mar Menor. In the Vigo estuary, MBT has been detected in 83.3% of the samples, the DBT in 75% and the TBT in 88%. The TBT is present in 92% of the total of 39 analyzed samples, being detected in 100% of the samples of the Mar Menor and in 88% of the samples of the Ría de Vigo. These levels are similar than those detected in other locations, and lower than the detected in ports near the coast of Gijón characterized by a great maritime traffic (Centineo et al. 2004).Program of Consolidation and Structuring of Units of Competitive Investigation of the University System of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia) potentially cofinanced by ERDF in the frame of the operative Program of Galicia 2007-2013 (reference: GRC2013-047) and by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (IMPACTA, project reference: CTM2013-48194-C3-2-R, and ARPA-ACUA, project reference: CTM2016-77945-C3-3-R)

Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AECOSAN), sobre fotodepiladores domésticos

El Comité Científico (Sección Consumo) de la Agencia Española de Consumo, Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AECOSAN) ha elaborado este informe con el objeto de evaluar el riesgo de uso de los fotodepiladores domésticos. Este informe científico analiza los posibles efectos adversos (directos e indirectos) derivados de su uso, así como los aspectos sociológicos. El comité científico concluye, sobre la base de la información científico-técnica disponible, que no es posible analizar los aspectos de seguridad necesarios para el uso de estos dispositivos. Existe una falta de datos que procedan de estudios científico-técnicos que tengan en cuenta los posibles riesgos directos e indirectos de la exposición a corto y largo plazo de las diferentes clases/tipos de fotodepiladores domésticos, así como el potencial desarrollo de reacciones por fotosensibilidad y otros potenciales efectos adversos asociados a la exposición a sustancias volátiles, potencialmente peligrosas, que son liberadas durante la operación de eliminación del vello corporal. Este Comité considera conveniente que las autoridades competentes valoren la necesidad de que se lleven a cabo, por los responsables de su comercialización, estudios científico-técnicos que evalúen los riesgos directos e indirectos resultantes de la exposición a corto plazo y largo plazo, de las diferentes clases/tipos de fotodepiladores domésticos al objeto de poder evaluar su seguridad en el uso. Aunque existen distintos aspectos recogidos en las normas legales, reglamentarias y administrativas aplicables a estos dispositivos, el marco jurídico existente no es su ciente para garantizar la seguridad de estos dispositivos antes, durante y después del uso. A juicio de este Comité Científico, también existe una falta de legislación armonizada para todas las tecnologías implicadas en este grupo de dispositivos y sugiere revisar la regulación existente desarrollando una legislación específica para este tipo de dispositivos, especialmente los domésticos

Polyethylene microplastics do not increase bioaccumuation or toxicity of nonylphenol and 4-MBC to marine zooplankton

Global production of synthetic polymers, led by polyethylene (PE), rose steadily in the last decades, and marine ecosystems are considered as a global sink. Although PE is not biodegradable, in coastal areas it fragments into microplastics (MP) readily taken up by biota, and have been postulated as vectors of hydrophobic chemicals to marine organisms. We have tested this hypothesis using two organisms representative of the marine plankton, the holoplanktonic copepod Acartia clausi, and the meroplanktonic larva of the Paracentrotus lividus sea-urchin, and two model chemicals with similar hydrophobic properties, the 4-n-Nonylphenol and the 4-Methylbenzylidene-camphor used as plastic additive and UV filter in cosmetics. Both test species actively ingested the MP particles. However, the presence of MP never increased the bioaccumulation of neither model chemicals, nor their toxicity to the exposed organisms. Bioaccumulation was a linear function of waterborne chemical disregarding the level of MP. Toxicity, assessed by the threshold (EC10) and median (EC50) effect levels, was either independent of the level of MP or even in some instances significantly decreased in the presence of MPs. These consistent results challenge the assumption that MP act as vectors of hydrophobic chemicals to planktonic marine organismsThis study has received funding by the Spanish Government (MINECO/AEI) through Projects PCIN-2015-187-C03-03 (JPI Oceans EPHEMARE), PCIN-2015-170-C02-01 (JPI Oceans BASEMAN), CTM2016-77945-C3, and CTM2017-84763-C3-2-R, by Xunta de Galicia through “Program of Consolidation and structuring of competitive research groups in the University system of Galicia” (Refs GRC2013-004, ED431C 2017/28 and ED431C 2017/36), and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). N. S.-G. was granted with a postdoctoral fellowship Mod. A (2016) by Axencia Galega de Innovación (GAIN), Xunta de GaliciaS

Occurrence and size distribution study of microplastics in household water from different cities in continental Spain and the Canary Islands

9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, supplementary materials https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.120044.-- Data availability: Data will be made available on requestThe purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in drinking water in Spain by comparing tap water from different locations using common sampling and identification procedures. We sampled tap water from 24 points in 8 different locations from continental Spain and the Canary Islands by means of 25 μm opening size steel filters coupled to household connections. All particles were measured and spectroscopically characterized including not only MPs but also particles consisting of natural materials with evidence of industrial processing, such as dyed natural fibres, referred insofar as artificial particles (APs). The average concentration of MPs was 12.5 ± 4.9 MPs/m3 and that of anthropogenic particles 32.2 ± 12.5 APs/m3. The main synthetic polymers detected were polyamide, polyester, and polypropylene, with lower counts of other polymers including the biopolymer poly(lactic acid). Particle size and mass distributions were parameterized by means of power law distributions, which allowed performing estimations of the concentration of smaller particles provided the same scaling parameter of the power law applies. The calculated total mass concentration of the identified MPs was 45.5 ng/L. The observed size distribution of MPs allowed an estimation for the concentration of nanoplastics (< 1 µm) well below the ng/L range; higher concentrations are not consistent with scale invariant fractal fragmentation. Our findings showed that MPs in the drinking water sampled in this work do not represent a significant way of exposure to MPs and would probably pose a negligible risk for human healthThe authors acknowledge the financial support provided by Plastics Europe and that of the Spanish Government, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, grants PID2020-113769RB-C21/C22.With the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

Comparative study of atmospheric water-soluble organic aerosols composition in contrasting suburban environments in the Iberian Peninsula Coast

This study investigates the structural composition and major sources of water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) from PM2.5 collected, in parallel, during summer and winter, in two contrasting suburban sites at Iberian Peninsula Coast: Aveiro (Portugal) and Coruña (Spain). PM10 samples were also collected at Coruña for comparison. Ambient concentrations of PM2.5, total nitrogen (TN), and WSOM were higher in Aveiro than in Coruña, with the highest levels found in winter at both locations. In Coruña, concentrations of PM10, TN, and WSOM were higher than those from PM2.5. Regardless of the season, stable isotopic δ13C and δ15N in PM2.5 suggested important contributions of anthropogenic fresh organic aerosols (OAs) at Aveiro. In Coruña, δ13C and δ15N of PM2.5 and PM10 suggests decreased anthropogenic input during summer. Although excitation-emission fluorescence profiles were similar for all WSOM samples, multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirmed differences in their structural composition, reflecting differences in aging processes and/or local sources between the two locations. In PM2.5 WSOM in Aveiro, the relative distribution of non-exchangeable proton functional groups was in the order: H-C (40-43%) > H-C-C= (31-39%) > H-C-O (12-15%) > Ar-H (5.0-13%). However, in PM2.5 and PM10 WSOM in Coruña, the relative contribution of H-C-O groups (24-30% and 23-29%, respectively) equals and/or surpasses that of H-C-C= (25-26% and 25-29%, respectively), being also higher than those of Aveiro. In both locations, the highest aromatic contents were observed during winter due to biomass burning emissions. The structural composition of PM2.5 and PM10 WSOM in Coruña is dominated by oxygenated aliphatic compounds, reflecting the contribution of secondary OAs from biogenic, soil dust, and minor influence of anthropogenic emissions. In contrast, the composition of PM2.5 WSOM in Aveiro appears to be significantly impacted by fresh and secondary anthropogenic OAs. Marine and biomass burning OAs are important contributors, common to both sites.Xunta de Galicia ( Programa de Consolidación y Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas Refs. GRC2013-047 and ED431C 2017/28)publishe

A nationwide monitoring of atmospheric microplastic deposition

8 Pág.Plastic production continues to increase every year, yet it is widely acknowledged that a significant portion of this material ends up in ecosystems as microplastics (MPs). Among all the environmental compartments affected by MPs, the atmosphere remains the least well-known. Here, we conducted a one-year simultaneous monitoring of atmospheric MPs deposition in ten urban areas, each with different population sizes, economic activities, and climates. The objective was to assess the role of the atmosphere in the fate of MPs by conducting a nationwide quantification of atmospheric MP deposition. To achieve this, we deployed collectors in ten different urban areas across continental Spain and the Canary Islands. We implemented a systematic sampling methodology with rigorous quality control/quality assurance, along with particle-oriented identification and quantification of anthropogenic particle deposition, which included MPs and industrially processed natural fibres. Among the sampled MPs, polyester fibres were the most abundant, followed by acrylic polymers, polypropylene, and alkyd resins. Their equivalent sizes ranged from 22 μm to 398 μm, with a median value of 71 μm. The particle size distribution of MPs showed fewer large particles than expected from a three-dimensional fractal fragmentation pattern, which was attributed to the higher mobility of small particles, especially fibres. The atmospheric deposition rate of MPs ranged from 5.6 to 78.6 MPs m-2 day-1, with the higher values observed in densely populated areas such as Barcelona and Madrid. Additionally, we detected natural polymers, mostly cellulosic fibres with evidence of industrial processing, with a deposition rate ranging from 6.4 to 58.6 particles m-2 day-1. There was a positive correlation was found between the population of the study area and the median of atmospheric MP deposition, supporting the hypothesis that urban areas act as sources of atmospheric MPs. Our study presents a systematic methodology for monitoring atmospheric MP deposition.The authors acknowledge the support provided by Spanish Network of Plastics in the Environment, EnviroPlaNet (www.enviroplanet.net) and the financial support provided by the Spanish Government, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, grants PID2020-113769RB-C21/C22. The authors would like to thank the Interdepartmental Investigation Research Service of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (SIDI-UAM and Segainvex) for the use of their infrastructures and their technical support. J.G.S. thanks ACIISI for the contract from the Viera y Clavijo program at the University of La Laguna (85 % co-financed by the European Social Fund).Peer reviewe

Analysis and occurrence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in airborne particles

This article presents an overview of the analytical methods for the determination of target endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in airborne particles. Among EDCs, we selected four important groups of compounds (alkylphenols, bisphenol A, phthalates, and natural and synthetic sex hormones) because of their worldwide production, environmental ubiquity and toxicity. Due to their physical and chemical properties (high molecular weight, low/medium polarity and volatility), these EDCs can be present in the atmosphere mainly associated with particulate matter. EDCs linked to small particles (PM10 and PM2.5) can penetrate into the respiratory system and damage human health. We discuss aspects of analytical methodology, such as sampling, extraction, and determination. We review levels found in outdoor and indoor samples. According to the results reported, human exposure to these compounds, especially in indoor environments, should be investigated in more depth, since some compounds, such as dibutyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate, reach levels of μg/m3.Applied Analytical Chemistry Research Group (QANAP), University Institute of Research in Environmental Studies, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of A Coruña, Campus da Zapateira, Rua da Fraga 10, A Coruña, Spain Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, Spain Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Universitat de Girona, Emili Grahit, Parc Científic i Tecnològic, 101, Edifici H2O, Girona, SpainPeer reviewe