Fractionation and speciation of metals in lakes formed by abandoned clay pits from industrial effluents (Santa Gertrudes, São Paulo, Brazil) using the diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique.

Environmental impacts caused by mining activities (mainly tailings and effluents) are presenting serious challenges for humanity worldwide. In Brazil, clay extraction activities in the Ceramic District of Santa Gertrudes (CDSG) have led to the formation of abandoned drainage wells causing environmental and human health concerns. In the 90's, it was discovered that in one of the production areas, known as the region of the lakes of Santa Gertrudes, several ceramic industries had contaminated lakes created by abandoned clay pits with industrial effluents containing toxic metals. In the present study, analysis of total and dissolved concentrations of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in the waters of these lakes were combined with the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique to assess the lability and bioavailability of the target elements, representing one of the first studies to investigate the real environmental impact of contamination caused by ceramic production wastes to an aquatic system. Furthermore, based on the total concentrations and main physicochemical characteristics of each lake, a speciation analysis was performed using the MINTEQ software which data was compared with other surface water systems. The results indicated the presence of metals associated with ceramic residues in total, dissolved and labile fractions. It was verified that Zn, Ni and Cu were the only target metals found in labile form and according to speciation were present in the form of "free" ions, and thus may present risk in terms of bioavailability, although the majority of the total concentrations are within the limits established by the national environmental agency.

Pelagic and estuarine birds as sentinels of metal(loid)s in the South Atlantic Ocean: Ecological niches as main factors acting on bioaccumulation.

Activities related to the offshore exploration and production of oil and natural gas provide economic development and an essential energy source. However, besides the risk of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination, these activities can also be sources of metals and metalloids for marine organism contamination. In this research, we evaluated the potential use of two pelagic (black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and yellow-nosed albatross T. chlororhynchos) and one estuarine bird species (neotropical cormorant Nannopterum brasilianus) as sentinels of contamination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Zn, Ni, Ba, V, and Hg in an area under influence of oil and gas activities. The analyses were carried out in samples collected from 2015 to 2022 from 97 individuals. A factor alert; an adaptation from the contamination factor is proposed to identify individuals with high concentrations that possibly suffered contamination by anthropogenic origin. Grouping all species, the metal(loid)s with the highest concentrations were in decreasing order: Zn > Cu > Mn > Hg > As > Cd > Mo > V > Cr > Ba > Ni > Pb. Similar concentrations were observed for V, Mn, Cr and Pb among the three species. Pelagic birds showed higher levels of concentrations for Hg, As and Cd. Based on the correlations and multivariate analysis performed, the results indicate that the ecological niche factor has greater relevance in the bioaccumulation of these elements compared to the habitat. Although some individuals showed high concentrations in part of the trace elements, suggesting exposure to anthropic sources, the direct influence of oil production and exploration activities was not observed, suggesting that activities on the continent are the primary contamination source. The results of this work highlight the role of seabirds as sentinels for metal(loid)s, contributing to the knowledge of the occurrence of contaminants in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Metals and metalloids in green turtle hepatic tissue (Chelonia mydas) from Santos Basin, Brazil.

Metal and metalloid concentrations in the liver tissue of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) stranded on the Brazilian coast (n = 506) were studied using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The influences of occurrence registers (date and location) and biological characteristics (sex, age, and developmental stage) were assessed, as well as the temporal influences of oil exploration and production activities. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Hg were the highest reported for the liver of C. mydas on the Brazilian coast. The mean element concentrations followed the order: Cu > Zn > Cd > Mn > As > Hg > Mo > Pb > V > Ni > Ba > Cr. Further, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed for Hg between the sexes (males > females) and for As, Cu, Pb, Mo, and V between young individuals and older individuals (≥11 years), suggesting a relationship between the dietary shift inherent to green turtle development. These results were corroborated by the curved carapace length (CCL) data, wherein individuals residing in coastal areas (CCL > 50 cm) presented higher concentrations of Cu, Pb, Mo, Zn, Ba, and V than those in the oceanic stage (CCL < 30 cm). The opposite pattern was observed for As and Hg. The influences of spatial autocorrelation (Moran Index) at a global scale and oil production activities on the element concentrations were not observed. However, five hotspots of high metal concentrations were identified via a local spatial autocorrelation (local indicator of spatial association), existing predominantly in a region of heavy anthropic activity within the sampling area. Further, baseline element concentrations were established at the 95% confidence level. Overall, the developmental stage, which is related to feeding habits, had an expressive influence on element concentrations.

[Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in industrial solid waste: a preliminary evaluation of the potential risk of environmental and human contamination in waste disposal areas]. / Hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos em resíduos sólidos industriais: uma avaliação preliminar do risco potencial de contaminação ambiental e humana em áreas de disposição de resíduos.

Proper solid waste disposal is important to avoid human and environmental contamination. The NBR 10,004 Waste Classification lists several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and indicates that the presence of at least one PAH in a waste sample is enough to classify it as hazardous. The aim of this study was a preliminary evaluation of PAHs in solid waste samples from selected industries to obtain a preliminary overview of their potential for contamination in case of improper disposal. One or more PAHs listed in NBR 10,004 (benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, indene[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene, chrysene, or fluoranthene) were found in all samples, thus leading to their classification as hazardous waste. Our results showed that toxicologically relevant PAHs were found in all the samples, indicating that their final disposal must be performed in appropriate areas in order to minimize human health risks and environmental contamination from waste disposal areas.

Hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos em resíduos sólidos industriais: uma avaliaçäo preliminar do risco potencial de contaminaçäo ambiental e humana em áreas de disposiçäo de resíduos / Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in industrial solid waste: a preliminary evaluation of the potential risk of environmental and human contamination in waste disposal areas

A disposiçäo adequada dos resíduos sólidos é importante para evitar que os mesmos se transformem em fonte de contaminaçäo ambiental e humana. A NBR 10.004 - Classificaçäo de Resíduos - lista vários hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPAs) e indica que, a presença de pelo menos um deles na massa bruta do resíduo é suficiente para classificá-lo como resíduo perigoso. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a presença de HPAs em amostras de resíduos sólidos provenientes de alguns segmentos industriais, para se obter uma avaliaçäo preliminar do potencial de contaminaçäo que estes resíduos podem representar, caso näo recebam destino adequado. Pelo menos um dos HPAs previstos na NBR 10.004 (benzo[a]antraceno, benzo[a]pireno, benzo[b]fluoranteno, benzo[k]fluoranteno, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pireno, criseno ou fluoranteno) foi identificado em todos os resíduos estudados, classificando-os como perigosos. Nossos resultados indicam que todos os resíduos estudados continham HPAs de importância toxicológica, o que implica que sua disposiçäo final seja feita em locais adequados para minimizar os riscos à saúde humana e ambiental oriundos das áreas de disposiçäo de resíduos