Toxic trace element contents in gluten-free cereal bars marketed in Argentina

Celiac disease is a food intolerance triggered by the ingestion of gluten-containing cereals; the only therapy is a strict gluten-free diet for life. In recent years, gluten-free cereal bars has achieved considerable attention as an interesting alternative food considering its several advantages, such as functional properties, nutritional contents, variety of presentations and flavors. The aim of this study was to determine the contents of three toxic trace elements (arsenic, cadmium and lead) in commercial gluten-free cereal bars marketed in Argentina by ICP-MS and assess the dietary intake of the three toxic elements compared with reference values. The results obtained indicated that the highest total concentration of arsenic is provided by the gluten-free cereal bars with green apple pomace (28.2 μg/kg) and the levels of cadmium were lower than 10 μg/kg or even below MDL in all samples. The lead contents in all bars with honey samples were exceptionally higher than in the other samples (levels greater than 130 μg/kg). The intake of available gluten-free cereal bars are generally safe for consumers, but particular attention should be paid to monitor the content of arsenic and lead gluten-free cereal bars to ensure the quality of the product. Further studies are necessary to achieve an exact risk evaluation, concerning the bioavailability of trace elements in gluten-free food sources.Fil: Hidalgo, Melisa Jazmin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Villafañe, Roxana Noelia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Sgroppo, Sonia Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Marchevsky, Eduardo Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Pellerano, Roberto Gerardo. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Review of trace toxic elements (Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Sb, Bi, Se, Te) and their deportment in gold processing. Part 1: Mineralogy, aqueous chemistry and toxicity

A literature review on the deportment of trace toxic elements (Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Sb, Bi, Se, and Te) in gold processing by cyanidation is presented which compiles the current knowledge in this area and highlights the gaps. This review, together with further research on the gaps in the thermodynamics and kinetics of these systems, aims to support the development of computer models to predict the chemical speciation and deportment of these elements through the various stages of the gold cyanidation process. The first part of this review is a collation of the relevant information on trace element mineralogy, aqueous chemistry and toxicity, together with a comparison of two available software packages (JESS and OLI) for thermodynamic modelling. Chemical speciation modelling can assist in understanding the chemistry of the trace toxic elements in gold cyanidation solutions which remains largely unexplored. Many significant differences exist between the predicted speciation of these trace elements for different types of modelling software due to differences in the thermodynamic data used, the paucity of data that exists under appropriate non-ideal conditions, and the methods used by the software packages to estimate thermodynamic parameters under these conditions. The toxicity and environmental guidelines of the chosen trace element species that exist in aqueous solutions are discussed to better understand the health and environmental risks associated with the presence of these elements in gold ores

Trace Element Estimation – Methods & Clinical Context

Understanding the effects of trace metals on human health is as complex as it is fascinating. As mentioned earlier, the high concentrations may prove toxic, as also, depletion in the concentration of the essential trace elements may cause various metabolic instabilities due to enzyme dysfunction. In the era of rapid industrialization and technological advances, it is imperative to watch keenly for contamination of the environment and its vital composition from heavy metal wastes emanating out of industries. Many metabolic disorders in man are accompanied by alterations in the concentration of one or more trace elements in some body fluid, especially blood serum or plasma It is thus important to update ourselves with various techniques available for such determinations, their operational aspects, advantages / disadvantages etc. More recently, element analysis from hair and nail has been stated as the best indices of such contamination and has also been discussed in this article

Contaminant trends in US National Estuarine Research Reserves

Inputs of toxic chemicals provide one of the major types of anthropogenic stress threatening our Nation's coastal and estuarine waters. To assess this threat, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA’s) National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program Mussel Watch Project monitors the concentrations of more than 70 toxic chemicals in sediments and on the whole soft-parts of mussels and oysters at over 300 sites around the U.S. Twenty of the 25 designated areas that comprise NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) have one or more Mussel Watch monitoring sites. Trace elements and organic contaminants were quantified including As, Ag, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn, ΣPCBs, ΣPAHs, DDT and its metabolites, and butyltins. The Mussel Watch sites located in or near the 20 Reserves provide for both status and trends. Generally the Reserves have trace element and organic contaminant concentrations that are at or below the median concentration determined for all NS&T Mussel Watch monitoring data. Trends were derived using the Spearman-rank correlation coefficient. It was possible to determine if trends exist for sites at which six or more years of data are available. Generally no trends were found for trace elements but when trends were found they were usually decreasing. The same general conclusion holds for organic contaminants but more decreasing trends were found than for trace elements. The greatest number of decreasing trends were found for tributyltin and its metabolites. (PDF contains 203 pages

Metals retention after weathering of a sulphide ore body: unexploited gossan versus mine tailings.

Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that the bioavailability of potentially toxic trace elements (PTTE), such as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb, is strongly related to the redox state and chemical form. Since dissolved forms of trace elements are the most bioavailable, the issue of greatest concern is to define the conditions under which these elements may be remobilized in solution up to levels higher than those recommended by National agencies as e.g. the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In order to understand and then ideally to prevent trace element mobilization, the characterisation of the contaminant sources, i.e. the solid fraction, is crucial

Atmospheric Research and Monitoring Study of Hazardous Substances

Hazardous Waste Research and Information Center Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources

Technical Guidance Sheet (TGS) on normal levels of contaminants in English soils : lead (Pb) : technical guidance sheet TGS02, July 2012

Lead (Pb) is a metallic element naturally occurring in trace amounts in the Earth’s surface environment with concentrations in rocks averaging 15 mg/kg. Generally, acid igneous rocks (e.g. granites) are higher in Pb than basic ones (e.g. basalts) and concentrations in sedimentary rocks are variable with up to 70 mg/kg in some limestones. With a low melting point, Pb ore minerals are readily smelted and the metal is easily worked. Lead therefore has a long history of use in human activities. In England there are a number of historical lead mining areas (e.g. the Derbyshire Peak District) where there is a legacy of Pb contamination caused by mining and associated activities. Biologically it is considered as a non-essential element and toxic to man and animals through the food chain and soil dust inhalation or ingestion

Trace Substances, Science and Law: Perspectives from the Social Sciences

Using advances in analytical technology as a point of departure, Dr. Short reviews what social science research reveals about perceptions, decision making processes and behaviors of organizations and individuals who try to cope with risk and uncertainty

Assessment of trace element pollution and its environmental risk to freshwater sediments influenced by anthropogenic contributions: The case study of Alqueva reservoir (Guadiana Basin)

The Guadiana Basin.(SW Iberian Peninsula) is affected by acid mine drainage (AMD), a consequence of ancient mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). Consequently, the sedimerits at the Alqueva reservoir (SE Portugal) in the Guadiana Basin are potentially contaminated by trace elements, which make important: (i) to characterize the status of trace element pollution of the sediments; (ii) to evaluate the mobility and the bioavailability of As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn; and (iii) to assess the environmental risk associated with the total and bioavailable concentrations of trace elements, using the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and the risk assessment code (RAC). Metal enrichment factors (EF) and geoaccumulation indexes (I-geo), determined taking into account the regional background levels, revealed that, among the metals analyzed, Cd contributed the highest to pollution levels followed by Pb and As. Despite the trace element contamination of the Alqueva sediments, the sequential extraction showed that Most of them are found in the oxidizable and residual fractions, which indicates that they are sparingly bioavailable, with exception of Cd (acid-labile fraction) and Pb (reducible fraction). Based on the RAC, Cd was the only metal that presented a high risk, while Pb, As and Zn showed a medium risk. Moreover, the SQGs revealed the existence of certain areas of extremely high risk, particularly related to high concentrations of total As and, in less extent, of Pb and Cd, associated with AMD, wastewater discharges and runoff of plant protection products from agricultural fields located near the reservoir. (C) 2015 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) [PTDC/AAC-AMB/103547/2008]; FEDER, through POFC (Eixo I - Programa Operacional Fatores de Competitividade) from QREN [COMPETE Re: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-008582]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio