Open Access

Perspective

Article ID: 1970

Risk assessments of contaminants of environmental concern need to address future scenarios to effectively protect human health and ecosystems

by Denis Moledo de Souza Abessa

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 51 Views

This article intends to discuss some limitations of the current approaches used to assess human health and environmental risks caused by contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Human health and environmental risk assessments of CECs are normally based on a relationship between measured and predicted environmental concentrations (MECs and PECs, respectively) often estimated based on past conditions, and the respective predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs). However, for most of chemicals, emissions continue to increase following the population growth and increasing polluting activities, resulting in a continuous rise of contaminants concentrations in the environmental compartments and the consequent increase of risks associated with them. Therefore, risk predictions based on past data may be unreliable and ineffective to support actions aimed to protect the environment, particularly in developing countries where pollutants monitoring are lacking or regulations are based on few academic studies. In this context, new tools need to be incorporated to improve the risk assessment protocols. Projections of future scenarios may predict the environmental concentrations of chemicals, allowing decision makers to establish appropriate actions to control the emissions and avoid the emergence of risks to human health and ecosystems before critical conditions are achieved. Thus, effective policies to control pollution and its effects would be taken.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1660

Physico-chemical characterization of a low cost biosorbent for efficient sequestration of heavy metals

by Vimala Kumari Nagendra Prasad Meena Devi

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 15 Views

Heavy metal pollution from industrial effluents poses significant environmental and public health challenges, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. Traditional wastewater treatment methods, are effective but often expensive, labor-intensive, and generate hazardous waste. Biosorption, using biological materials, presents a cost-effective and environment friendly alternative for heavy metal removal. The present study investigates the potential of Madhuca indica oil cake, a by-product of oil extraction can be used as a biosorbent for heavy metal sequestration. The oil cake was characterized by its physicochemical properties, including specific gravity (1.298 g/cm 3 ), bulk density (0.66184 kg/m 3 ), moisture content (11.34%), and dry matter content (88.66%). These properties suggest the oil cake is dense, nutrient-rich, and easy to handle and store. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the functional groups in the oil cake before and after drying at 105 °C. The results showed minimal changes in the chemical composition, with a slight shift in peak intensities indicating concentration effects due to drying. This stability is crucial for applications requiring intact bioactive compounds. The study highlights the versatility of Madhuca indica oil cake for multiple uses, including animal feed, fertilizer, and biomass for bioenergy. Furthermore, its potential as a biosorbent for heavy metal removal underscores its promise for environmental remediation. The study concludes that further research could optimize the utilization of Madhuca indica oil cake in agriculture and pollution control, contributing to sustainable environmental management.

Open Access

Review

Article ID: 1990

Facts of the main rigorous heavy metals affecting Waterfowls health, genetics, and migration habits

by Humaira Aslam, Manel Mansour, Shehla Honey, Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf, Aman Ullah, Ali Umar, Nazia Nusrat, Misbah Ullah Khan, Jehanzaib Sohail, Muhammad Mudassar Hashim, Muhammad waseem Aslam, Mustansar Abbas

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 234 Views

Swans, geese, and ducklings falling under the Anatedae group are important waterfowls to water systems. In this study, migratory birds that cover long distances are affected by some environmental stressors, especially heavy metal contamination. Al, Pb, Hg, Cd, Ni, and other similar metals are received by water structures and are natural in water, but these metals in high concentrations negatively affect the quality of water. Birds drink the polluted water and feed on polluted food, which results in the bioaccumulation of these metals in their body tissues. It leads to several diseases in body organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain, respiratory disorders, oxidative stress, and alterations in metabolism activities. Some heavy metals known include lead and mercury, which poison the enzymes, which are crucial in the energy metabolism, hence survival. Effects of long-term exposure are DNA change, hereditary disorders, and reproductive problems such as eggshell hardness and fertility. Birds and waterfowl in particular, which may act as bioassays of the ecosystem, have experienced falls in their population because of contamination from heavy metals, which affects food chains through migration. This can only be done through concerted efforts among nations, constant monitoring of the quality of water in these habitats, and controlling water pollution with a view to preserving these birds and their habitats.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1794

Effects of flubendiamide and lead exposure on circulating thyroid hormone levels in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves

by Amita Ranjan, Vinod Kumar Dumka, Rahini Parsoya, Rakesh Ranjan

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 19 Views

The current investigation aimed to find how exposure to lead and flubendiamide affected the amounts of thyroid hormone levels in buffalo calves’ blood. For ninety days, male buffalo calves were given lead acetate orally at a rate of 9.2 mg/kg bw/day and flubendiamide orally at a rate of 0.024 mg/kg bw/day, either in combination or separately. T3 and T4 levels in blood decreased in response to both flubendiamide and lead exposure alone. When lead and flubendiamide were administered together, the animals’ T3 and T4 levels declined less than when lead and flubendiamide were administered separately. TSH activity increased markedly in rats exposed to both lead and flubendiamide, but not consistently in animals treated with flubendiamide alone. Results of the present study indicated thyrotoxic potential of flubendiamide and lead in buffalo calves. However, further study is required to elucidate the mechanism of thyrotoxic potential of flubendiamide and to understand the interactive effects of these two toxicants on thyroid function in mammals.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1658

Synergistic toxicities of binary and ternary mixtures of an anionic surfactant and divalent metals to Lysinibacillus fusiformis isolated from a vegetable farm

by Reuben N. Okechi, Oluchukwu R. Nwangwu, Christian C. Opurum, Emmanuel C. Nleonu

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 41 Views

The toxicities of the heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Co) and their ternary mixtures with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) to Lysinibacillus fusiformis isolated from Talinum fruticosum farms irrigated with Otamiri River water in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, were assessed using dehydrogenase activity (DHA) restriction as an endpoint. Fixed ratio mixtures (arbitrary concentration ratio (ABCR) and equi-effect concentration ratio (EECR) mixtures) were formulated to evaluate the combined toxicities of these toxicants. Toxicities were predicted with concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models and compared with the experimentally observed toxicities. The response of the bacterium to the toxicants’ toxicities was concentration-dependent and gradually inhibited the DHA as the concentration increased, with percentage inhibitions greater than 95% at 0.5 mM for Zn, 1 mM for Ni, 0.3 mM for Pb, 0.08 mM for Cd, 0.7 mM for Co, as well as 10 mM for SDS. The 50% effective concentrations ( EC 50 S ) of the individual toxicants differed significantly from one another ( P < 0.05). All the dose-response relationships of the ABCR and EECR mixtures and the individual toxicants could be described by a logistic function. In most binary mixtures, predicted toxicities from the CA and IA models were significantly different from the observed toxicities. In ABCR1 mixture ratio of SDS + Cd 2+ mixtures, CA and IA models correctly predicted the experimental data at different points, while the IA model correctly predicted the experimental data in the EECR50 mixture ratio of SDS + Pb 2+ mixture. In SDS + Co 2+ mixtures, EC 50 S predicted by both models were identical. The effects of the mixtures interactions showed both weak and strong synergism, as well as additive against the soil bacterium. Similarly, in all but ABCR1 and ABCR2 mixture ratios of SDS + Cd + Zn ternary mixtures, the experimentally observed EC 50 , CA- and IA-predicted EC 50 S were significantly different from one another ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, both models greatly underestimated the mixture toxicity at all tested mixture ratios and were strongly synergistic against the soil bacterium. The use of such contaminated water for irrigation could negatively affect the soil bacterial community and, by extension, soil fertility, going by the possible interaction between heavy metals and SDS.

Open Access

Review

Article ID: 1857

Gene recognition and role of foodomics in mycotoxin control: A review

by Upali Samarajeewa

Journal of Toxicological Studies, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 43 Views

Since recognition of toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins in Brazilian groundnut meal in 1960, much research has been done to prevent and detoxify aflatoxins in foods and feeds, identifying a variety of methods. The research has expanded to other mycotoxins. The biotic and abiotic factors favoring mycotoxin contaminations have been understood through experiments under laboratory conditions and analysis of field data. However, many gaps remain in the knowledge on mycotoxin control at the molecular level that may be useful in addressing mycotoxigenic hazards. Recognition of responsible genes in hosts and fungi and omics methods applying genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to understand mycotoxin biosynthesis at the molecular level may open new avenues to interact with plant-fungi-bacteria cross-talks, apply regulatory mechanisms in biosynthesis, and explore checks and controls addressing abiotic and biotic factors favoring mycotoxin biosynthesis. The new knowledge is expected to generate probable molecular biological mechanisms to eliminate mycotoxin biosynthesis on foods. The current level of omics knowledge requires application of research to achieve deeper understanding, aiming at new methods for mycotoxin controls and applying next-generation technologies. This review examines the current knowledge on the biosynthesis of aflatoxins, fusarium toxins, and patulin in foods and host-fungi interactions at a molecular level.