Study of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects after acute and chronic exposures to industrial sewage sludge on Biomphalaria glabrata hemocytes.

Industrial development has provided numerous benefits to improve quality of life in modern times, however, it has also led to the development and use of a large number of toxic chemicals which have caused damage to various ecosystems. Consequently, knowledge of techniques and organisms that can be used to monitor, identify and quantify environmental pollutants has become increasingly relevant. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata to analyze biomarker and biomonitoring parameters of industrial sewage sludge. To perform the tests, concentrations of 50, 100, 150 and 500 mg L-1 of industrial sewage sludge were standardized. All the tests were performed after the animals were exposed to the sludge in acute and chronic forms. Embryos exposure to sludge did not show a significant percentage of the animals non-viable when compared to the control group. Subsequently, hemocytes were analyzed for the presence of cytoplasmic and nuclear alterations. Finally, the comet test was performed to quantify the genotoxic damage caused by exposure to industrial sludge. Analysis hemocytes showed a significant number of cellular alterations was observed, mainly due to the high frequency of apoptosis. Moreover, during the analysis of nucleoids several degrees of nuclear damage were identified, with the groups exposed to the highest concentrations presenting the greatest genotoxic damage. Thus, we can conclude that the parameters evaluated in the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata have proven to be a good tool, along with other techniques and complementary organisms, to assist aspects related to biomonitoring of freshwater ecosystems.

Analytical quality in environmental studies: uncertainty evaluation of chemical concentrations determined by INAA

A análise por ativação neutrônica instrumental (INAA) é uma técnica analítica de alto nível metrológico para a determinação de elementos químicos. No contexto do programa BIOTA/FAPESP, folhas de árvores vêm sendo avaliadas empregando-se INAA para a biomonitoração da Mata Atlântica. Para garantir a comparabilidade dos resultados em estudos ambientais, amostra de folhas de Marlierea tomentosa, cujas concentrações de elementos químicos obtidas foram as menores, foi selecionada para a avaliação da qualidade analítica na mais desfavorável situação. Esta avaliação levou em consideração a homogeneidade das concentrações de elementos e a estimativa da repetitividade analítica. Embora a homogeneidade das concentrações tenha sido detectada em nível de 95% de confiança e a INAA tenha apresentado repetitividade estimada em 2% para Br, Co, Cs, Fe, K, Na, Rb e Sr, a incerteza pode ter sido superestimada. Para a avaliação da incerteza devido à variabilidade das concentrações químicas na amostra, os métodos Jackknife e Bootstrap foram empregados para estimar o desvio padrão máximo esperado. A estimativa de incerteza foi considerada adequada para a geração de resultados de concentrações químicas em estudos ambientais.