IIAQBUS-Artigos
http://hdl.handle.net/10347/17436
2024-03-29T15:47:19ZRemoval of the waterborne parasite Cryptosporidium parvum from drinking water using granular activated carbon
http://hdl.handle.net/10347/33010
Removal of the waterborne parasite Cryptosporidium parvum from drinking water using granular activated carbon
Couso Pérez, Seila; Abeledo Lameiro, María Jesús; Vidal Varela, Ana Isabel; Gómez Couso, Hipólito
Cryptosporidium is a genus of apicomplexan parasites that infect the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. These enteropathogens are commonly detected in surface waters and Cryptosporidium is responsible of numerous waterborne outbreaks in industrialised countries. Filters of granular activated carbon (GAC) are mainly used to eliminate emerging micropollutants or control unpleasant odour and taste in drinking water. Recently, GAC has been also employed for removal of microorganisms from different types of water. This work evaluates the capability of GAC in the elimination of the infective forms of Cryptosporidium parvum (oocysts) from drinking water. For this, well water was spiked with oocysts of C. parvum and passed through a chromatographic column filled with fresh GAC at different bed heights (5–50 cm) and a filtration rate of 100 mL/min, approximately. By immunofluorescence microscopy, the number of oocysts in the water samples was determined. The logarithmic reduction (LR) was calculated by comparing the number of oocysts quantified in the filtered samples and the corresponding influent samples. High efficiencies of GAC in removing C. parvum oocysts from water were obtained. Thus, with a bed height of 35 cm, removal efficiencies > 2 LR were achieved. The highest LR (3.47 ± 0.31) was observed when a GAC bed height of 50 cm was used. Taking into account the results obtained, C. parvum oocysts were eliminated remarkably and, therefore, GAC adsorption filters may be considered additional barriers against this waterborne enteropathogen in drinking water at the household level in developing countries.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZOccurrence and risk assessment of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in viticulture impacted watersheds from Northwest Spain
http://hdl.handle.net/10347/32934
Occurrence and risk assessment of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in viticulture impacted watersheds from Northwest Spain
Fernández Fernández, Victoria; Ramil Criado, María; Cela Torrijos, Rafael; Rodríguez Pereiro, Isaac
An automated analytical methodology was developed, validated and applied to monitor 73 organic pollutants (pesticides and pharmaceuticals) in surface and groundwater samples obtained in watersheds from an intensive viticulture, rural region, in the Northwest of Spain. Filtered samples were concentrated using a reusable solid-phase extraction sorbent, on-line combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The analytical procedure achieved limits of quantification between 1 ng L−1 and 10 ng L−1, with a throughput of 2 samples hour−1, providing accurate recoveries for more than 90% of the 73 selected compounds, using calibration solutions prepared in ultrapure water (in presence of methanol and formic acid) as neat solvent. The distribution and the concentrations of pesticides in small streams impacted by discharges of treated municipal wastewaters were different in rural and residential areas. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals showed a similar distribution in both streams. In surface waters from viticulture impacted watersheds, with a limited influence of municipal wastewaters, pulses of pesticides were noticed, with values above 100 ng L−1 for several fungicides. Cardiovascular pharmaceuticals, psychiatric drugs and/or their transformation products were also ubiquitous in these samples, with low, but relatively stable concentrations among sampling campaigns. Within the suite of investigated compounds, maximum pesticide residues remained below their predicted-non effect concentration (PNEC) in all samples. On the other hand, the environmental concentrations of the cardiovascular drug olmesartan stayed systematically above its PNEC in fresh water samples
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessment of the occurrence and interaction between pesticides and plastic litter from vineyard plots
http://hdl.handle.net/10347/31605
Assessment of the occurrence and interaction between pesticides and plastic litter from vineyard plots
Cobo Golpe, Miguel; Blanco Camba, Pilar; Fernández Fernández, Victoria; Ramil Criado, María; Rodríguez Pereiro, Isaac
In this research, aged plastic fragments collected from vineyards were characterized in terms of composition, residues of pesticides, and their potential to exchange these compounds with the aquatic media. To this end, we employed the qualitative and quantitative information provided by complementary analytical techniques, including chromatography, organic and inorganic mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and electronic microscopy. Debris of weathered plastics were identified as polypropylene and polyethylene, containing different types of additives, from organic UV stabilizers to inorganic fillers, such as calcium salts. Regardless of polymer type, plastic litter collected from vineyards contained residues of pesticides, and particularly of fungicides, with total concentrations in the range of values from 114 ng g 1 to 76.4 μg g 1. Data obtained under different extraction conditions suggested that a fraction of these compounds was absorbed in aged polymers, penetrating inside the material. The parallel analysis of plastic litter and vineyard soils reflected higher pesticide residues in the former matrix. Furthermore, several fungicides, considered as labile in vineyard soils (i.e. zoxamide and folpet), were those showing the highest levels in plastic litter. Simulated sorption-desorption studies, with plastic debris in contact with surface water, demonstrated the higher affinity of aged materials by moderately polar pesticides than their new counterparts. For the first time, the manuscript highlights the presence of plastic litter in vineyards soils, reflecting the accumulation of several fungicides in this matrix, in some cases, with a different stability pattern to that observed in the soil from same vineyards
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZThe HL-60 human promyelocytic cell line constitutes an effective in vitro model for evaluating toxicity, oxidative stress and necrosis/apoptosis after exposure to black carbon particles and 2.45 GHz radio frequency
http://hdl.handle.net/10347/31272
The HL-60 human promyelocytic cell line constitutes an effective in vitro model for evaluating toxicity, oxidative stress and necrosis/apoptosis after exposure to black carbon particles and 2.45 GHz radio frequency
Benavides, Rosa Ana Sueiro; Leiro-Vidal, José Manuel; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, J. Antonio; Ares-Pena, Francisco J.; López-Martín, Elena
The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which atmospheric pollution from particulate matter and/or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) may prove harmful to human health have not been extensively researched. We analyzed whether the combined action of EMFs and black carbon (BC) particles induced cell damage and a pro-apoptotic response in the HL-60 promyelocytic cell line when exposed to 2.45 GHz radio frequency (RF) radiation in a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) chamber at sub-thermal specific absorption rate (SAR) levels. RF and BC induced moderately significant levels of cell damage in the first 8 or 24 h for all exposure times/doses and much greater damage after 48 h irradiation and the higher dose of BC. We observed a clear antiproliferative effect that increased with RF exposure time and BC dose. Oxidative stress or ROS production increased with time (24 or 48 h of radiation), BC dose and the combination of both. Significant differences between the proportion of damaged and healthy cells were observed in all groups. Both radiation and BC participated separately and jointly in triggering necrosis and apoptosis in a programmed way. Oxidative-antioxidant action activated mitochondrial anti-apoptotic BCL2a gene expression after 24 h irradiation and exposure to BC. After irradiation of the cells for 48 h, expression of FASR cell death receptors was activated, precipitating the onset of pro-apoptotic phenomena and expression and intracellular activity of caspase-3 in the mitochondrial pathways, all of which can lead to cell death. Our results indicate that the interaction between BC and RF modifies the immune response in the human promyelocytic cell line and that these cells had two fates mediated by different pathways: necrosis and mitochondria-caspase dependent apoptosis. The findings may be important in regard to antimicrobial, inflammatory and autoimmune responses in humans
2023-01-09T00:00:00Z