Benzophenone-3 sunscreen causes phytotoxicity and cytogenotoxicity in higher plants.

The benzophenone-3 (BP-3) sunscreen is recurrently released into the environment from different sources, however, evaluations of its adverse effects on plants do not exist in the literature. In this study, BP-3 was evaluated, at concentrations 2; 20, and 200 µg/L, regarding phytotoxicity, based on germination and root elongation in seeds, in Lactuca sativa L., Cucumis sativus L. and Allium cepa L., and phytotoxicity, cytogenotoxicity and oxidative stress in A. cepa bulb roots. The BP-3 concentrations, except for the 200 µg/L concentration in L. sativa, caused no significant reduction in seed germination. All concentrations tested significantly reduced the elongation of roots from seeds and roots from bulbs. The 20 and 200 µg/L concentrations caused oxidation in cells, disturbances in the cell cycle, and alterations in prophase and metaphase, as well as the induction of micronuclei, in A. cepa root meristems. Furthermore, the three concentrations induced a high number of prophases in root tips. Such disorders were caused by excess H2O2 and superoxide produced in cells due to exposure to BP-3, which triggered significant phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in root meristems. Thus, the recurrent contamination of agricultural and non-agricultural soils with BP-3, even at a concentration of 2 µg/L, represents an environmental risk for plants. These results point to the impending need to set limits for the disposal of this sunscreen into the environment since BP-3 has been used in industry for several decades.

Medical Household Waste as a Potential Environmental Hazard: An Ecological and Epidemiological Approach.

Nowadays, the contamination caused by emerging pollutants is a global concern due to the lack of scientific evidence to demonstrate the risk or toxicity to humans due to the presence of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. This study aimed to identify and describe the disposal practices of unused and unwanted medications, as well as to analyze and identify the most frequent drugs determined on water bodies adjacent to the biggest urban population in Mexico. A two-phase study with an epidemiological and an ecological assessment was performed. The epidemiological phase was carried out with a descriptive cross-sectional study among citizens from Mexico City and the metropolitan area using an electronic survey applied to 719 subjects aimed to assess practices in which pharmaceutical products are disposed. The ecological phase included a review of scientific reports. The results show that nearly 83.5% of those surveyed use inappropriate practices for disposal medicines, the main ones are through the municipal dump or directly in the drain. The ecological approach was carried out by a systematic literature review of original reports published between 2013 to 2023; information about the class of drugs, active substance, environmental compartments, location, and concentration was extracted and presented. Fifty-one different types of pharmaceutical residues were detected in wastewater in Mexico City in the last decade. The results of this study can contribute to the application of public policies for waste management authorities to mitigate the socio-environmental risks due to the inappropriate disposal of medicines.

Toxicity of antifouling biocides on planktonic and benthic neotropical species.

Organotin-based (OTs: TBT and TPT) antifouling paints have been banned worldwide, but recent inputs have been detected in tropical coastal areas. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating the toxicity of both legacy and their substitute antifouling booster biocides (e.g., Irgarol and diuron) on neotropical species. Therefore, the acute toxicity of four antifouling biocides (TBT, TPT, Irgarol, and diuron) was investigated using the marine planktonic organisms Acartia tonsa and Mysidopsis juniae, the estuarine tanaid Monokalliapseudes schubarti (water exposure), and the burrowing amphipod Tiburonella viscana (spiked sediment exposure). Results confirmed the high toxicity of the OTs, especially to planktonic species, being about two orders of magnitude higher than Irgarol and diuron. Toxic effects of antifouling compounds were observed at levels currently found in tropical coastal zones, representing a threat to planktonic and benthic invertebrates. Furthermore, deterministic PNECmarine sediment values suggest that environmental hazards in tropical regions may be higher due to the higher sensitivity of tropical organisms. Since regulations on antifouling biocides are still restricted to a few countries, more ecotoxicological studies are needed to derivate environmental quality standards based on realistic scenarios. The present study brings essential contributions regarding the ecological risks of these substances in tropical and subtropical zones.

Gully erosion prediction method from geoenvironmental data and supervised machine learning techniques.

Predictive models are statistical representations that indicate, based on the historical data analysis, the probability of triggering a given phenomenon in the future. In geosciences, such models have been essential to predict the occurrence of adverse phenomena commonly associated with environmental disasters, such as gully erosion. Therefore, this paper presents a method for producing gully erosion predictive models based on geoenvironmental data and machine learning techniques. The method's effectiveness test was produced in a region of approximately 40,000 km² in southeastern Brazil and compared the predictive performance of four models designed with different machine learning algorithms. The results demonstrated that the technique is capable of producing models with high predictive ability, with emphasis on the random forest algorithm, which, in addition to having achieved the highest levels of accuracy, also produced highly realistic maps for the study area.•The method is straightforward and may be applied to predict other geological processes.•The application of the method does not require knowledge of programming language.•The models produced achieved high predictive performance.

A preliminary study on multi-level biomarkers response of the tropical oyster Crassostrea brasiliana to exposure to the antifouling biocide DCOIT.

This study investigated the sublethal effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of DCOIT on the neotropical oyster Crassostrea brasiliana. Gills and digestive glands of animals exposed to increasing concentrations of DCOIT were analyzed for biochemical, cellular, and histopathological responses. Exposure to DCOIT (0.2 to 151 µg L-1) for 120 h triggered oxidative stress in both tissues (through the modulation of GPX, GST, GSH and GR), which led to damage of membrane lipids (increase of LPO and reduction of the NRRT). DCOIT increased histopathological pathologies in gills, such as necrosis, lymphocyte infiltration and epithelial desquamation. This study showed that short term exposure to environmental concentrations of DCOIT causes negative effects on C. brasiliana at biochemical, physiological, and histological levels. Therefore, the use of DCOIT as a booster biocide in antifouling paints should be further assessed, as it may cause environmental hazards to marine organisms.

Environmental risk in Northeast Brazil: estimation of burning areas in Coreaú River Basin, Ceará, Brazil.

This work aims to estimate the burned areas in the hydrographic basin of the Coreaú River, State of Ceará, north of Northeast Brazil, which has an area of 10,633.67 km2, through the NOAA/AVHRR satellite, between the years from 2010 and 2017. The data were acquired at the base of INPE, where they were tabulated and generated a vector file of points. A density map of the fire sources was elaborated, from which the burned areas were estimated in the watershed studied over the defined period of years. There were 1786 fire outbreaks, totaling an estimated accumulated area of 1187.66 km2 of fires, which corresponds to 11.17% of the entire length of the hydrographic basin. The municipality of Mucambo presented a ratio of 40% of its territory comprised by the mapped fires. In relation to the conservation units, they mapped 795 hot spots in their perimeters.

Multivariate Geostatistical Modeling and Risk Analysis of Beach Litter: A Case Study of Playa Blanca Beach, Chile.

Beach litter is a worldwide problem that has several negative effects. A first step in preventing an environmental hazard is to determine and model the level of contamination. In this paper, geostatistical simulation is used to model two main forms of beach litter (cigarette butts and sharp items) in one of the most contaminated beaches in Antofagasta, Chile. A hundred realizations of cigarette butts and broken glass are generated to emulate their joint spatial distribution. The simulation results are used to classify the beach into different areas with respect to the risk of injury by broken glass and the level of contamination by cigarette butts. The models obtained can be used by local authorities in beach clean-up programs and by visitors to beaches in choosing the safest and cleanest areas. The results demonstrate the capability of geostatistical simulation algorithms to model different types of beach litter.

Biomarkers responses of the clam Anomalocardia flexuosa in sediment toxicity bioassays using dredged materials from a semi-arid coastal system.

Few test organisms are employed for sediment toxicity assessments in Tropical regions, including Brazil. We assessed the ability of the clam Anomalocardia flexuosa to respond to contamination in sediment bioassays using dredging materials of a semi-arid region (Ceará State, NE Brazil), with attention to sublethal responses. Sediments were collected during and after dredging (survey 1 and 2, respectively) and animals exposed in laboratory over 28 days, with responses measured at 7 days. Bioaccumulation of contaminants was determined in whole-body soft tissues as a metric of bioavailability, and biomarkers' changes were monitored in terms of enzymes of phase I and II metabolism, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and antioxidant responses, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and DNA damage (strand breaks). Clams accumulated aliphatic (AHs) and aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) compared to control conditions (day 0), with increased amounts of As, Cd, Cu, and Zn observed in some samples. The enzyme glutathione S-transferase was enhanced in animals exposed to samples, indicating activation of phase II metabolism. Changes observed in glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), LPO and strand breaks were related to oxidative stress. AChE enzymatic activity also changed, as an indicator of neurotoxicity caused by sediment exposure. The computed integrated biomarker response index (IBR) ranked sites according to the contamination status and proximity to its sources. Correlations found for biomarkers and bioaccumulation of hydrocarbons indicated the influence of harbor activities, effluent discharges, and urban runoff on the sediment pollution of Mucuripe Bay. Data also showed that SQGs are unable to predict bioaccumulation and subchronic effects. Based on our results we consider that biomarkers responses in A. flexuosa are important endpoints to be applied in sediment toxicity bioassays in tropical regions.

An interdisciplinary approach to assess human health risk in an urban environment: A case study in temperate Argentina.

Unplanned urbanization increases the exposure of people to environmental hazards. Within a landscape ecology framework, this study is a diagnosis of human health risk in San Martín, an urban district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Risk was estimated by combining four hazard indexes (water and air pollution, and mosquito and rodent infestation) and a vulnerability index. Each index was obtained by integrating environmental and socio-demographic layers in a Geographic Information System. Spatial autocorrelation was assessed for each hazard, vulnerability and risk indexes using Moran's tests. Also, spatial associations between pairs of variables were addressed by means of Geographically Weighted Regressions. The robustness of hazard and vulnerability indexes was checked by a sensitivity analysis. In General San Martín district, 83.3% of the population is exposed to relatively high levels of at least one hazard; 7.4% is exposed to relatively high levels of all hazards (11.5% of the total area) and only 16.7% lives in areas of relatively low levels of all hazards (15.4% of the total area). Areas where hazard intensity was relatively high corresponded to those areas where the most vulnerable population lives, enhancing human health risk. The models for hazards and vulnerability were reasonably robust to changes in the weights of the variables considered. Our results highlight the spatially heterogeneous nature of human health risk in an urban landscape, and reveal the location of critical risk hotspots where reduction or mitigation actions should be focused.

Bioconcentrations of herbicides used in sugarcane crops in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and the risk for human consumption.

The practice of intensive herbicide use in the sugarcane industry has a high risk of compromising the quality of the water and the organisms that live there due to losses through runoff, leaching and other processes. In this work, the dynamics of four herbicides present in three different mixtures were evaluated through their incorporation and elimination in the muscle tissue of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The highest mean values of bioconcentration factors were 1.730 for ametryn, 0.891 for tebuthiuron, 0.322 for hexazinone and 4.783 for diuron. Diuron presented the highest risk regarding the consumption of tilapia fillets by the population. However, considering that the fish would reach maximum levels of diuron when exposed to extremely high concentrations, an individual weighing 70 kg would need to ingest approximately 1.5 kg of this food product to surpass the acceptable daily intake of 0.007 mg kg-1 body weight. It was concluded that the risk of injury to the population consuming tilapia fillets from fish exposed to herbicides in water arising from sugarcane activities is very low. According to the risk estimation performed in this work, which is substantiated by the assumptions of the World Health Organization and the International Life Sciences Institute, there is a low risk of injury to the population consuming tilapia fillets from fish exposed to water containing herbicides in concentrations arising from sugarcane activities. However, as the risk was estimated from laboratory conditions, caution should be taken where herbicide applications are carried out with high frequency near water bodies, as the consumption of fish from these areas is quite common.

Validez y confiabilidad de la Escala de Percepción de Riesgo de Deslave en la Ciudad de México / Validation and reliability of the Scale of Landslide Risk Perception in Mexico City

Resumen: El objetivo del estudio fue generar un instrumento confiable y válido que permita evaluar la percepción del riesgo de deslave en habitantes de asentamientos urbanos vulnerables a riesgos geológicos en la ciudad de México. Se construyó una escala conformada por 9 reactivos con 5 opciones de respuesta; para obtener las propiedades psicométricas óptimas se aplicó a 217 habitantes de entre 18 y 86 años de edad, 126 mujeres y 91 hombres. El análisis de la estructura factorial y la confiabilidad proporcionan una escala final constituida por 6 reactivos organizados en 2 factores, con apropiados índices de bondad de ajuste. Se concluye que la Escala de Percepción de Riesgo de Deslave proporciona información relevante para la toma de decisiones ante fenómenos naturales extremos en la ciudad de México.

Abstract: The main objective of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale that assessed the risk perception in urban settlements vulnerable to geological hazards in Mexico City. The scale included 9 items with 5 optional answers. In order to obtain optimum psychometric properties, the scale was applied to 217 inhabitants between the ages of 18 and 86, from which 126 were women and 91 men. The analysis of factorial structure and the reliability provide a final scale made up from 6 items organized in 2 factors with satisfactory goodness of fit (df = 8; χ2 = 14.138; P = .078; CFI = .990; RMSEA = .060). It is concluded that the Scale of Landslide Risk Perception provides relevant information for decision-making to extreme natural phenomena in Mexico City.

The spatiotemporal characteristics of environmental hazards caused by offshore oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Marine ecosystems are home to a host of numerous species ranging from tiny planktonic organisms, fishes, and birds, to large mammals such as the whales, manatees, and seals. However, human activities such as offshore oil and gas operations increasingly threaten marine and coastal ecosystems, for which there has been little exploration into the spatial and temporal risks of offshore oil operations. Using the Gulf of Mexico, one of the world's hottest spots of offshore oil and gas mining, as the study area, we propose a spatiotemporal approach that integrates spatial statistics and geostatistics in a geographic information system environment to provide insight to environmental management and decision making for oil and gas operators, coastal communities, local governments, and the federal government. We use the records from 1995 to 2015 of twelve types of hazards caused by offshore oil and gas operations, and analyze them spatially over a five year period. The spatial clusters of these hazards are analyzed and mapped using Getis-Ord Gi and local Moran's I statistics. We then design a spatial correlation coefficient matrix for multivariate spatial correlation, which is the ratio of the cross variogram of two types of hazards to the product of the variograms of the two hazards, showing a primary understanding of the degrees of spatial correlation among the twelve types hazards. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first application of spatiotemporal analysis methods to environmental hazards caused by offshore oil and gas operations; the proposed methods can be applied to other regions for the management and monitoring of environmental hazards caused by offshore oil operations.

A influência de fatores comportamentais e ambientais domésticos nas quedas em idosos / The influence of behavior and domestic enviromental factors in elderly falls

Resumo O Brasil encontra-se entre os países da América Latina que têm experimentado maior aumento no número de pessoas da chamada terceira idade. No Brasil, aproximadamente 30% das pessoas com 65 anos e mais que moram em comunidades têm um evento de queda a cada ano. Metade dos idosos que caem repetem o evento. As lesões decorrentes dessas quedas são responsáveis pela sexta causa de morte nesta faixa etária. Tais episódios podem estar relacionados a fatores intrínsecos, bem como aos fatores extrínsecos e comportamentais. O presente estudo tem como objetivo revisar a literatura brasileira sobre fatores extrínsecos associados a quedas em idosos, descrevendo a participação de elementos físicos ambientais e comportamentais nesses eventos, além de sistematizar as principais recomendações sugeridas para prevenção das mesmas. Foram utilizados artigos publicados no período entre 1997 e 2007, acessados nas bases de dados eletrônicas; SciELO, Lilacs e Medline, os quais foram selecionados no idioma português utilizando-se os descritores: quedas, idosos. Concluiu-se, através da literatura consultada, que há conhecimento e soluções em abundância para eliminação dos fatores de risco físicos ambientais relacionados às quedas em idosos. Entretanto, os elementos comportamentais associados a estes eventos contemplados na literatura ainda são pouco estudados, o que pode dificultar tanto a elaboração, como o sucesso das estratégias de prevenção das quedas na população idosa.

Abstract Brazil is one Latin American countries that has experienced the largest increase in the number of elderly people. In Brazil, 30% of the elderly who live in communities have one occurrence of fall every year. Half of them repeat the event. The injuries due to these falls are the sixth cause of death in this population. These episodes may be related with intrinsic factors, extrinsic factors and dangerous behavior. This study aims to review the Brazilian literature om extrinsic factors associated with elderly falls, describing the environmental elements and the elderly behavior in this events, and to systematize the main directions proposed to prevent falls. We examined published articles between 1997 and 2007 from the databases: SciELO, Lilacs, and Medline, which were selected in Portuguese by using the key words: falls, elderly. Based on the literature, we concluded that there are abundant knowledge and solutions for environmental risk factors related to elderly falls. However, the behavioral elements associated to these events present in literature are insufficiently assessed, what can hinder the elaboration and the success of preventive strategies of falls among the elderly population.