Variations in Microbiological Water Quality of the Munzur and Pulumur River, Tunceli, Turkey at Spring and Summer Seasons

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial contamination of the Munzur and Pulumur River in Tunceli. For this purpose, presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coliforms, faecal Escherichia coli, enterococci was investigated in four water sampling stations on Munzur and Pulumur River during spring and summer seasons. Varying levels of microbial contamination were recorded in samples from four stations. The bacteriological analyses showed that E. coli, total coliform , P. aerugionosa and enterococci reached to above 300, 200, 200 and 300 CFU/mL, respectively at summer season. However, minimum contamination level was recorded during spring season. The level of contamination in station 4 was higher than other stations, and it seems to occur mainly in summer season. Results of this study indicated that water quality has deteriorated in Munzur and Pulumur River, Tunceli

Toxic Elements in Animal Products and Environmental Health

In the higher organisms, the intake of trace elements occurs mainly through the respiratory system or through the food chain. Particularly, many dangerous elements or compounds, such as metals accumulate along the food chain. In this way, the food chain becomes the main gateway for persistent toxicants to enter higher organisms. Furthermore, these toxic elements generally have an anthropogenic origin and thus their concentrations in the environment grow with the increase of urban, agricultural and industrial emissions. With increasing environmental pollution, a toxic metal exposure assessment study is necessary. Toxic elements are not metabolized at all. Some metals irreversibly are bound to body tissues, e.g., lead to bone or cadmium to kidneys. This review updates the information on carry-over of toxic substances from feed to food of animal origin (meat, organs, milk and eggs). The control of environmental contaminants that may cause residues in food of animal origin is sometimes quite difficult and expensive and is addressed with special attention in this review

Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Drinking Water Samples of Tunceli, Turkey

The drinking water quality is associated with the conditions of the water supply networks, the pollution and the contamination of groundwater with pollutants of both anthropogenic and natural origin. In this study, water samples were taken from four different waterworks in Tunceli, Turkey and heavy metals concentrations (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni and Hg) were measured. Four sampling sites were pre-defined in different locations of the city. The obtained results showed that, the heavy metals concentrations in water samples did not exceed the values of WHO (World Health Organization), EC (Europe Community), EPA (Environment Protection Agency) and TSE-266 (Turkish Standard) guidelines

Antioxidant Properties of Wild Edible Mushroom Pleurotus eryngii Collected from Tunceli Province of Turkey

Antioxidants are our first line of defense against free radical damage, and are critical for maintaining health. The need for antioxidants becomes even more critical with increased exposure to free radicals. In the past few years there has been an increasing interest in determining relevant dietary sources of antioxidant phenolics. Mushrooms have been not only used as food materials with their unique flavor and texture, but also recognized as an important source of biologically active compound of medicinal value. In our study, to determine the antioxidant properties of the methanolic extracts of Pleurotus eryngii strains collected from different region of Tunceli, radical scavenging activity, total phenolic contents, reducing power, metal chelating activity and total antioxidant status (TAS) were analyzed. The analysis of phenolic compounds was performed by HPLC. In particular, the methanolic extract of P. eryngii collected from city center revealed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power, while the highest total phenolics and total antioxidant status was determined in P. eryngii collected from Pülümür. P. eryngii collected from Ovacık showed the highest chelating effects. Concentration of phenolic compounds found in three wild edible mushrooms. Kaempferol and catechin were not determined in musrooms species. The highest rutin levels were determined in ovacık. Resveratrol was determined only in Pulumur. The studied wild mushrooms might be beneficial to protect human body against oxidative damage

Levels of copper in liver, muscle and gill tissues in Capoeta trutta (Heckel, 1843) from Munzur River, Turkey

Heavy metal pollution of waters is a major environmental problem. Due to their toxicity, long persistence, bioaccumulative and nonbiodegradable properties in the food chain, heavy metals constitute a core group of aquatic pollutants. Capoeta trutta is an economically important fish and the object of significant commercial fishery in the Munzur River. Levels of Cu were measured in samples of the muscle, gill and liver tissues of C. trutta from Munzur River. In liver copper levels were higher at Station I (6.15 mg kg-1) polluted by domestic waste than Station II (5.48 mg kg-1) (P<0.05). The highest copper level (7.25 mg kg-1) was measured in muscle tissue at Station II. There was found no statically differences between stations in gill and muscle (P>0.05). It is suggested that ecological condition of freshwater fish and contamination levels in Munzur River must be regularly monitored

Evaluation of Antioxidant Properties, Elemental and Phenolic Contents Composition of Wild Nettle (Urtica Dioica L.) from Tunceli, Turkey,

Wild nettle (Urtica dioica L.) types were sampled from different geographical regions in Tunceli (Turkey) to determine their mineral, vitamin, phenolic contents and their antioxidant properties. The total phenol varied from 37.419±0.380 to 19.182±1.00 mg of GAEs g-1 of dry nettle. The highest radical scavenging effect was observed in Mazgirt parting of the ways 7.5 km with 33.70±0.849 mg mL-1. The highest reducing power was observed in the nettles from Mazgirt parting of the ways 7.5 km. Among the various macronutrients estimated in the plant samples, potassium was present in the highest quantity followed by calcium and phosphate. Kaempferol and resveratrol were not determined in some nettle samples but rutin levels were determined in all samples. Vitamin A concentrations were ranged between 13.64±1.90 and 5.74±1.00 (mg kg-1 dry weight). These results show that Urtica dioica L. collected from Tunceli in Turkey could be considered as a natural alternative source for food, pharmacology and medicine sectors

The determination of present and possible environmental risks in solid waste dumping site, Tunceli, Turkey

Leachate was a major cause of high risk classification. This landfill was set as one with highest possible risk classification due to high vulnerability of private water wells to contamination from leachate flows. The aim of this study is to determine the present and possible environmental risks of the leachate spreading from solid waste dumping site in Tunceli and offer solutions for those determined environmental risks. For this purpose, the characteristics of the leachate were monitored at two station points detected in the solid waste dumping site for 7 months. The characteristics of the leachate were found for pH between 7.9 and 8.7. Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) occurred between − 143 and − 48 mV while conductivity was between 2.8 and 2.6 mS. Total solid matter (TSM) and suspended solid matter (SSM) were between 1000 and 7000 mg/l, 0.2–22.5 mg/l, respectively, while total volatile solids (TVS) occurred between 300 and 1800 mg/l for the two stations.Alkalinity was approximately between 290 and 5210 mg/l, while biological oxygen demand ( BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) results were 15–606 mg/l and 60–1160 mg/l, respectively, for two stations in all sampling time. In both stations, orthophosphate, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate, sulfate, and chloride analyses stayed between 3.04 and 921.1 mg/l; 0.29–619.36 mg/l; 8.94–135.04 mg/l; 125.9–1360.9 mg/l and 99.9–1249.9 mg/l, respectively, in 6 months. As a result of the characterization studies obtained from the leachate, it was found that the amounts of water entering into the waste mass and the retention period of the water in the mass were very effective in the temporal character change of the leachate. According to the Discharge Standards for Solid Waste Assessment and Disposal Facilities and Discharge to Waste Water Infrastructure Facilities of waste management regulation, the results were found to be risky. Consequently, the site in question needs to be urgently rehabilitated when considering the environmental risks of the leachate spreading from the site

Antioxidant Response in Duckweed After Exposure to Secondary Effluent from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant, Elazığ,Turkey

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the effluent of Elazig Municipality Wastewater Treatment Plant on the oxidative defense capacity of aquatic plants (Lemna minor L. and Lemna gibba L.). For this purpose, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), vitamin A (retinol), vitamin E (α-tocopherol), and vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) levels were determined by the HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) in the control groups and the groups adapting to reactors fed with discharge water. The depletion of vitamins (A, E, and C), decrease of GSH/GSSG ratio, and increase of MDA that reflect a precarious state of the cell in L. minor L. and L. gibba L. were observed after exposure to wastewater. It can be suggested that the selected biomarkers are useful in understanding the biochemical mechanisms of the secondary effluents from wastewater treatment plant in L. minor L. and L. gibba L. as early warning indicators