• Title/Summary/Keyword: Toxic Metals

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Effects of Heavy Metals on Plant Growths and Pigment Contents in Arabidopsis thaliana

  • Baek, Seung-A;Han, Taejun;Ahn, Soon-Kil;Kang, Hara;Cho, Myung Rae;Lee, Suk-Chan;Im, Kyung-Hoan
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.446-452
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    • 2012
  • The effect of heavy metals on seedling growth and pigment levels was studied in Arabidopsis using essential (Cu, Mn, and Zn) and non-essential metals (Pb and Hg). Generally increasing the concentrations of the metals resulted in a gradual decrease in root and shoot lengths, a decrease in chlorophylls, an increase in anthocyanins and a fluctuation in carotenoid content depending on the metal types. The toxicity of the metals decreased in the following order: Cu > Hg > Pb > Zn > Mn. Among the five metals, Cu was exceptionally toxic and the most potent inducer of anthocyanins. Pb induced the smallest quantity of anthocyanins but it was the strongest inducer of carotenoids. It suggests that the Cu-stressed Arabidopsis may use anthocyanins as its main antioxidants while the Pb-stressed Arabidopsis use carotenoids as its main protectants. All of the five metals induced an accumulation of anthocyanins. The consistent increase in anthocyanin content in the metal-stressed Arabidpsis indicates that anthocyanins play a major role in the protection against metal stresses.

Health Risk Assessment of Airborne Volatile Organic Compounds in Ulsan Industrial Complex (울산공단지역의 대기중 휘발성 유기화합물에 대한 인체 위해도 평가)

  • 이진홍;남병현;윤미정
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Industrial Safety Conference
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    • 1999.06a
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    • pp.271-276
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    • 1999
  • 미국을 비롯한 선진국들은 이미 휘발성 유기화합물(volatile organic compounds) 과 독성 중금속(toxic metals)을 비롯한 유해 대기오염물(hazardous air pollutants)에 대해 ATEOS (Airborne Toxic Element and Organic Species), TEAM(Total Exposure Assessment Measurement) 연구등의 대규모 연구를 통하여 인체에 미치는 영향이 가장 큰 물질군이 휘발성 유기화합물임을 밝혀낸 바 있다. (중략)

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형질전환 식물을 이용한 phytoremediation

  • Kim, Hyang-Mi;Gwon, Tae-Ho;Yang, Mun-Sik
    • 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2001.11a
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    • pp.177-180
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    • 2001
  • Tobacco plants were transformed by A. tumefaciens harboring human ferritin gene and they were subjected to investigate for the expression of transformed gene as well as heavy metal accumulation. Seed from self-fertilized transgenic plants was germinated on media containing toxic level of Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and scored for tolerance to this heavy metals. There is difference in growth rate between transgenic and control plants, especially Cd, Cu. And transgenic plants accumulated more heavy metals than control plants.

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Microbial Metal Transformations

  • Gadd, Geoffrey M.
    • Journal of Microbiology
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    • v.39 no.2
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    • pp.83-88
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    • 2001
  • There is considerable interest in how microbiological processes can affect the behaviour of metal contaminants in natural and engineered environments and their potential for bioremediation. The extent to which microorganisms can affect metal contaminants is dependent on the identity and chemical form of the metal and the physical and chemical nature of the contaminated site or substance. In general terms, microbial processes which solubilize metals increase their bioavailability and potential toxicity, whereas those that immobilize them reduce bioavailability. The balance between mobilization and immobilization varies depending on the metal, the organisms, their environment and physico-chemical conditions.

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Heavy Metals of Landfilled Biomass and Their Environmental Standard, Including CCA-treated Wood for Eco-housing Materials (방부처리 목재를 포함한 토양매립 바이오메스의 중금속 함량과 안전성 문제)

  • Lim, Kie-Pyo;Lee, Jong-Tak;Bum, Jung-Won
    • Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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    • v.34 no.4
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    • pp.37-45
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    • 2006
  • Recently, wood-framed houses has been built in the Korea for pension. Wood is good material for human healthy, while the construction lumbers are treated with preservative such as CCA (chromated copper arsenate), which contain some toxic elements for human body. However, if the waste woody biomass treated with various heavy metals, which has been collected from house construction or demolition, was fired in the field, and incinerated or landfilled after mass collection, such components will result in the toxic air pollutants in the burning or land fills, and spreaded into other areas. So the careful selection of wood and chemicals are required in advance for house construction, in particular, for environment-friendly housings. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the content of toxic heavy metals in woody materials such as domestic hinoki and imported hemlock treated with CCA for housing materials, and the post-treated wood components such as organic fertilizer, sludge, dry-distilled charcoal and carbonized charcoal, to be returned finally into soil. The results are as follows. 1) The chemical analysis of toxic trace elements in various solid biomass required accurate control and management of laboratory environment, and reagents and water used, because of the error of data due to various foreign substances added in various processing and transporting steps. So a systematic analyzers was necessary to monitor the toxic pollutants of construction materials. 2) In particular, the biomass treated with industrial biological or thermal conditions such as sludge or charcoals was not fully dissolvable after third addition of $HNO_3$ and HF. 3) The natural woody materials such as organic fertilizer, sludge. and charcoals without any treatment of preservatives or heavy metal components were nontoxic in landfill because of the standard of organic fertilizers, even after thermal or biological treatments. 4) The CC A-treated wood for making the construction wood durable should not be landfilled, because of its higher contents of toxic metals than the criterion of organic fertilizer for agriculture or of natural environment. So the demolished waste should be treated separately from municipal wastes.

Determination of safe levels and toxic levels for feed hazardous materials in broiler chickens: a review

  • Jong Hyuk Kim
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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    • v.65 no.3
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    • pp.490-510
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    • 2023
  • Feed safety is needed to produce and provide safe animal feeds for consumers, animals, and the environment. Although feed safety regulations have been set for each country, there is a lack of clear feed safety regulations for each livestock. Feed safety regulations are mainly focused on heavy metals, mycotoxins, and pesticides. Each country has different safe levels of hazardous materials in diets. Safe levels of hazardous materials in diets are mostly set for mixed diets of general livestock. Although there is a difference in the metabolism of toxic materials among animals, the safe level of feed is not specific for individual animals. Therefore, standardized animal testing methods and toxicity studies for each animal are needed to determine the correct safe and toxic levels of hazardous materials in diets. If this goal is achieved, it will be possible to improve livestock productivity, health, and product safety by establishing appropriate feed safety regulations. It will also provide an opportunity to secure consumer confidence in feed and livestock products. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a scientific feed safety evaluation system suitable for each country's environment. The chance of outbreaks of new hazardous materials is increasing. Thus, to set up appropriate toxic levels or safe levels in feed, various toxicity methods have been used to determine toxic levels of hazardous materials for humans and animals. Appropriate toxic testing methods should be developed and used to accurately set up and identify toxicity and safe levels in food and feed.

Foliar Transfer of Dust and Heavy Metals on Roadside Plants in a Subtropical Environment

  • Gajbhiye, Triratnesh;Kim, Ki-Hyun;Pandey, Sudhir Kumar;Brown, Richard J.C.
    • Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.137-145
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    • 2016
  • In this study, the contents of dust and associated heavy metals on roadside plants were investigated to assess their foliar transfer. The study was conducted at six different locations (four roadside and two industrial) near an industrial area in Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), India. Six metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Cd) were examined in this study. The concentrations of heavy metals in foliar dust were found to be in the order of Fe>Mn>Pb>Cu>Cr>Cd. However, this relative order changed in the case of leaf concentrations to Fe>Mn>Cd>Cu>Pb>Cr. The metal concentrations in the dust and leaves can be attributed mainly to industrial and vehicular emissions. In contrast to other metals, Cd showed significant accumulation in the leaves compared to the respective dust samples. This study showed different patterns in the distributions of heavy metals between the dust deposited on the leaves and the metal accumulated in the leaves. These results suggest that the dust retention and heavy metal accumulation in native plant species should be explored in an attempt to manage these hazardous metallic elements.

A Molecular Biotechnology For Removal of Toxic Heavy Metals

  • Bang Sang-Weon;Clark Douglas S.;Keasling Jay D.
    • Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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    • 2000.10a
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    • pp.128-135
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    • 2000
  • The thiosulfate reductase gene (PhsABC) from Salmonella typhimurium was expressed in Escherichia coli in order to produce sulfide from inorganic thiosulfate and precipitate metals as metal sulfide complexes. A 5.1-kb DNA fragment containing the native phsABC and a 3.7-kb DNA fragment, excluding putative promoter and regulatory regions were inserted into expression vectors pTrc99A and pJB866, respectively. Upon expression of phsABC, E. coli DH5$\alpha$ harboring the phsABC constructs showed higher thiosulfate reductase activity and produced significantly more sulfide than the control strain (E. coli DH5$\alpha$) under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Among the four constructs, E. coli DH5$\alpha$ harboring pSB74 produced the highest level of thiosulfate reductase and removed most of heavy metals from solution under anaerobic conditions. In a mixture of 100 $\mu$M each of cadmium, lead, and zinc, the strain could remove $99\%$ of the total metals from solution within 10 hours. Cadmium was removed first, lead second, and zinc last. In contrast, a negative control did not produce any measurable sulfide and removed very little metals from solution. These results have important implications for removal of metals from wastewater contaminated with several metals.

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Verification of AGB (alpha-glucosidase biosynthesis) Bacterial Bioassay of Metal Toxicity and Inhibition Effect of Fulvic Acid (EA) (박테리아(E. Coli)의 AGB (alpha-glucosidase biosynthesis)를 이용한 중금속의 독성시험과 풀빅산에 의한 독성 억제효과)

  • Kim Jae Hyoun;Kim Myung Gill;Om Ae Son
    • Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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    • v.19 no.1
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    • pp.25-32
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    • 2004
  • Aim of the present study was the development of a bioassay which enables the detection of toxic effects of heavy metal ions to a bacterium, Escherichia coli. Inhibition effects of the metals on growth rates of the bacterium were studied in the absence or presence of fulvic acid. This method does not clearly differentiate among metals, but does detect overall AGB inhibition rate (toxicity) for 5 different heavy metals. The toxicity of the metals in the absence of fulvic acid in the same testing conditions was significantly increased in following order: Hg < Pb, Zn < Cd < Cu, whereas the inhibition rate (toxicity) in the presence of FA was shown to be increased In following order: Cd < Pb, Hg < Cu < Zn. The results of the present study indicate that this simple and fast biomonitoring assay with direct exposure of E coli. might be a valuable supplement to analytical methods of contaminated media.

Catabolic Plasmid-Mediated Heavy Metal Resistance in Herbicide Diuron-Degrading Pseudomonas species

  • El-Deeb;Bahig A.
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.7-12
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    • 2001
  • Three Pseudomonas strains (Bk8, Bk9, Bk10) selected from soil for their ability to degrade herbicide diuron were tested for their heavy metal resistance. The growth of these catabolic strains on a minimal medium with various concentrations of $Cd^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ni^{2+}$, and $Hg^{2+}$ revealed a minimal effect on the carbon source for the inhibitory effect of the metals. One of these strains, namely, Bk8, exhibited a high resistance to the heavy metals as compared to the two other strains. This strain harbors plasmid pBk8 (110 kb) and contains at least fur determinants encoding heavy metal resistance. Nickel and zinc resistance are encoded by genes located on the chromosome, while cadmium and mercury resistance are on plasmid pBk8. Accordingly, the characteristics of strain Bk8 suggest that it would be useful in the bioremediation of aromatic compounds in the presence of toxic heavy metals as co-contaminants.

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