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Among the most renowned Ethiopian food crops, teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.)Trotter) is the most nutritious and gluten-free cereal. Because of the increase in demand for teff, it is necessary to establish geographic origin authentication of traditional teff brands based on multi-element fingerprint. For this purpose, a total of 60 teff samples were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Accuracy of the laboratory procedure was verified by the analysis of rice flour standard reference material (NIST SRM 1568b). In this context, four traditional teff brands (Ada’a, Ginchi, Gojam and Tulu Bolo) were analytically characterized using multi-element fingerprint and further treated statistically using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Due to obvious extrinsic Fe, Al and V contamination, these elements were excluded from the discriminant model. Five elements (Cu, Mo, Se, Sr, and Zn) significantly contributed to discriminate the geographical origin of white teff. On the other hand, Mn, Mo, Se and Sr were used as discriminant variables for brown teff. LDA revealed 90 and 100% correct classifications for white and brown teff, respectively. Overall, multi-element fingerprint coupled with LDA can be considered a suitable tool for geographic origin discrimination of traditional teff brands.

Concentrations of metal(loid)s, Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Se, Sr, V and Zn, were determined in rice on sale in Las Vegas. The rice samples were grown in five different countries, the USA, Thailand, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The elemental concentrations in rice grain were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following hot block-assisted digestion. The accuracy of the laboratory procedure was verified by the analysis of rice flour standard reference material (NIST SRM 1568b). The mean metal(loid) contents in rice of various geographic origins were 3.18–5.91 mg kg−1 for Al, 0.05–0.12 mg kg−1 for As, 3.64–41 μg kg−1 for Cd, 5.11–12 μg kg−1 for Co, 0.12–0.14 mg kg−1 for Cr, 1.5–1.91 mg kg−1 for Cu, 3.04–4.98 mg kg−1 for Fe, 4.2–10.4 mg kg−1 for Mn, 0.21–0.41 mg kg−1 for Ni, 0.02–0.07 mg kg−1 for Se, 0.68–0.88 mg kg−1 for Sr, 3.64–5.26 μg kg−1 for V, and 16.6–19.9 mg kg−1 for Zn. respectively. The mean concentration of As in US rice was significantly higher than in Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi rice. On the other hand, it was found a significantly low mean level of Cd in US-grown rice. It was also found that the concentrations of metal(loid)s in black and brown rice on sale in Las Vegas were statistically similar, except for Mn and Se. The geographic origin traceability of rice grain involved the use of ICP-MS analysis coupled with chemometrics that allowed their differentiation based on the rice metal(loid) profile, thus confirming their origins. Data were processed by linear discriminant analysis, and US and Thai rice samples were cross-validated with higher accuracy (100%). This authentication quickly discriminates US rice from the other regions and adds verifiable food safety measures for consumers.

The dam failure of the Córrego do Feijão Mine (CFM) located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, killed at least 278 people. In addition, large extensions of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems were destroyed, directly compromising the environmental and socioeconomic quality of the region. This study assessed the pollution and human health risks of soils impacted by the tailing spill of the CFM dam, along a sample perimeter of approximately 200 km. Based on potential ecological risk and pollution load indices, the enrichments of Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Pb and Ni in soils indicated that the Brumadinho, Mário Campos, Betim and São Joaquim de Bicas municipalities were the most affected areas by the broken dam. Restorative and reparative actions must be urgently carried out in these areas. For all contaminated areas, the children’s group indicated an exacerbated propensity to the development of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic diseases, mainly through the ingestion pathway. Toxicological risk assessments, including acute, chronic and genotoxic effects, on people living and working in mining areas should be a priority for public management and mining companies to ensure effective environmental measures that do not harm human health and well-being over time.

Trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ba, Fe, Al, Mn and Ba) were uptaken by the leaves of the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville) in Nelson, Nevada, although at low concentrations. Samples were collected up-gradient of the mine tailings, the tailings, and down gradient from the source to measure spatial distribution. Data show that trace elements (As, Ba, Cr, Hg, Se) enter L. tridentata through root tissues, migrating to leaf tissue, but at significantly lower levels than that of the source sediments. Metalloid (As and Se) concentrations in the leaf tissues ranged from non-detect to greater than 44 mg kg−1 As and non-detect to over 34 mg kg−1 Se. For trace metals, Hg ranged from non-detect to 0.14 mg kg−1; Ba from 1.74 to 4.12 mg kg−1; and Cr from non-detect to 6.18 mg kg−1 while Ag, Cd, and Pb were not detected in the plant leaves. When comparing the ratio of sediment metal concentration to plant metal concentrations, the Techatticup Wash contained the highest levels of trace elements in the leaves of the L. tridentata, followed by the Carnation Wash, with the Eagle Wash containing the lowest concentrations of trace elements.

Hazardous substances (e.g., toxic elements, oxides of nitrogen, carbon and sulfur) are discharged to the environment by a number of natural and anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic air pollution commonly contains trace elements derived from contaminants and additives released into the atmosphere during fossil fuel combustion (automobiles, power generation, etc.) as well as physical processes (e.g., metal refining, vehicle brake wear, and tire and pavement wear). Analysis of pollutant chemical concentrations in lichens collected across the Las Vegas Valley allows documentation of the distribution of air pollution in the Valley. Analyses of lichen biomass (Buellia dispersa), when compared to windrose diagrams, shows pathways of airborne pollutant transport across the Las Vegas Valley. The west and north sectors of the Las Vegas Valley contained the lowest target contaminates (e.g., Cr, Cu, Co, Pb, Ni) and the highest NO3− while the east and south sectors contained the highest levels of target contaminates and lowest NO3−. Additionally, metals and NO3− detected in the east and south sectors of the valley indicate that air pollution generated in the valley is moving from the south to the north-northeast and across the valley, exiting on the north and south side of Frenchman Mountain.

Sediment samples were collected from a dry wash in Nelson, Nevada where the Techatticup Mine and Mill operated between 1850 and 1960. Samples were used to evaluate movement and behavior of certain metals and metalloids including aluminum, arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and vanadium. The data show that some metals and metalloids are more concentrated on larger particles whereas others show the opposite tendency. For example, As was greatest on silt fractions and least on coarse fractions, while Se was detected only on silts. Chromium, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn concentrations all increased with decreasing particle size (silt > sand > coarse), whereas Al, Ba, and V showed the opposite trend (silt < sands < coarse).

Environmental exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can have negative effects on the health of ecosystems and humans. While numerous studies have monitored APIs in rivers, these employ different analytical methods, measure different APIs, and have ignored many of the countries of the world. This makes it difficult to quantify the scale of the problem from a global perspective. Furthermore, comparison of the existing data, generated for different studies/regions/continents, is challenging due to the vast differences between the analytical methodologies employed. Here, we present a global-scale study of API pollution in 258 of the world’s rivers, representing the environmental influence of 471.4 million people across 137 geographic regions. Samples were obtained from 1,052 locations in 104 countries (representing all continents and 36 countries not previously studied for API contamination) and analyzed for 61 APIs. Highest cumulative API concentrations were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America. The most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The most frequently detected APIs were carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine (a compound also arising from lifestyle use), which were detected at over half of the sites monitored. Concentrations of at least one API at 25.7% of the sampling sites were greater than concentrations considered safe for aquatic organisms, or which are of concern in terms of selection for antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, pharmaceutical pollution poses a global threat to environmental and human health, as well as to delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The reclamation and redevelopment of abandoned mine sites into parks, golf courses, and residential communities in arid and hyperarid regions has been caused, in part, to rising land costs. A laboratory experiment using three columns was monitored for 273 days to evaluate trace metal and metalloid availability. The sediment from the Three Kids Mine that was used in this study is documented to contain high levels of trace metals and metalloids. The experiment simulated agricultural activities over time to assess whether fertilizers would mobilize trapped contaminants. Results indicate that irrigation and fertilizers can provide conditions for Pb, Mn, Zn, Al, Ba, Cu, and As to become mobile, though on a limited basis. There was an increase in Pb, Mn, Zn, Al, Ba, Cu, and As within the first 30 days followed by a decrease at 90 days. Concentrations of Pb, Mn, and Zn increased at 273 days due to application of fertilizer-fortified waters. This study shows the potential for mobilized trace metals and metalloids to enter the wider environment after developmental activities are finished.

This study focuses on the distribution of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in surface sediments at Three Kids Mine located in Henderson, Nevada. The mine is comprised of approximately 470 acres of desert and is situated above the large development of Lake Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valleys water supply, Lake Mead. Transport of arsenic and lead appears to have occurred within a limited range in both the eastern and western washes of Three Kids Mine. Concentrations of arsenic and lead range between 200 ppm and1130 ppm and 20 ppm and 8400 ppm, respectfully, in soils collected from washes at Three Kids Mine. Samples collected from the north side of the site indicate a mixing of the natural soils which are low in arsenic and lead with milling waste from historic mining practices, which are higher in arsenic and lead concentrations. The migration of arsenic and lead apparently resulted from the transport of sediments containing these contaminants down gradient in surface runoff during storm events. Adsorption of arsenic and lead onto the surface of soil particles is postulated to be the major source of transport during wet periods for this site. As a result, transport of arsenic and lead from historic Three Kids Mine could possibly pose a threat to Lake Las Vegas and Lake Mead if a catastrophic storm event or repeated storm events were to occur within a short period of time.

This study examines the mobilization of cyanide (CN-) and trace elements from the Eagle Milling Site situated in the Eagle Wash of Nelson, Nevada. Contaminants (CN- and mercury [Hg]) utilized for the extraction of precious metals from ores are subject to environmental release, but concentrations of other trace elements in sediments and their enrichment ratios indicate that mobilization of trace elements lead (Pb), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), and barium (Ba) has also occurred. Storage of milling wastes in Eagle Wash and subsequent storm water mobilization and transport has resulted in increases in CN-, Hg, Pb, As, Se, and Ba in wash sediments some 6,000 m from the source area. On the basis of enrichment ratios, the Eagle Wash was found to contain CN-, Hg, Pb, As, and Ba above background levels in wash sediments. Selenium increased slightly in concentration; chromium (Cr) decreased consistently; and silver (Ag) and cadmium (Cd) were not detected. Cyanide, Hg, Pb, Ba, Se, and As enrichment ratios were > 1.5, indicating anthropogenic enrichment in sediments, whereas Cr enrichment ratios were <1.5, indicating no anthropogenic enrichment.