Essential and potentially toxic elements in raw milk from different geographical regions of Croatia and their health risk assessment in the adult population

A part of the Raša Bay (western Croatia) is an estuary that is fed by the sediment load from the Raša River. The local area had been affected by the former Raša coal industry. The aim of this study was to determine levels of hazardous trace elements (HTEs) in bottom estuarine sediments, fish and mussels collected from two sites downstream of the Raša River mouth, and a wild boar’s kidney donated by hunters. The pseudo-total concentrations of 21 HTEs in sediments were obtained by the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique. The results showed that sediment collected closest to the former Raša coal separation unit Štalije was enriched in V, Sr, Ni, Cu, and Pb. Concentrations of HTEs in flathead grey mullet, wild blue mussels, and wild boar were obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results showed that Pb, Cd and Hg in fish and wild mussels were not elevated compared to the Regulation levels of contaminants in food. Lead and Cd in the kidney of a wild boar exceeded the prescribed maximum values for food. This study warrants further geochemical investigations of the Raša Bay environment.

/pdf/levels-of-hazardous-trace-elements-in-estuarine-sediments-28k0spyw.pdf

Levels of hazardous trace elements in estuarine sediments, fish, mussels and wild boar collected from the raša bay area (croatia)

The aim of this study was to determine the mass fraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of the Labin city area (west Croatia) as a consequence of the pollution caused by centuries old Raša coal mining and associated metal processing and foundry industries. Samples of topsoil down to 10-cm depth, following the removal of plant cover, were collected, air-dried, and sieved to <2 mm. Afterwards, they were extracted, and PAH levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography using a fluorescence detector with a varying wavelength of excitation and emission (HPLC/FLD). The results showed substantially elevated levels of PAHs across the study area. The soil pollution with PAHs increased in the direction towards the Raša Bay, where a former coal separation unit was in operation decades ago. The results demonstrated the presence of pyrolitic PAHs that resulted from Raša coal combustion at high temperatures in power plants, and unburnt coal-derived PAHs formed by Raša coal carbonization. This paper for the first time reports levels of PAHs in soil of the Labin city area, establishing them as higher than the values set by Croatian legislation. Therefore, this study clearly calls for immediate clean-up measures in order to solve the environmental pollution issue of the vulnerable local karst area.

/pdf/soil-pollution-of-the-labin-city-area-with-polycyclic-1651akg2.pdf

Soil pollution of the Labin city area with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons derived from Raša coal mining and associated industries

Introduction Croatian superhigh-organic-sulfur Raša coal had been mined for nearly 400 years. The release of hazardous trace elements (HTEs) and toxic organic pollutants (TOPs) into the local environment by coal mining, preparation, and combustion activities has resulted in pollution. Methods In this study, the diversity and composition of microbial communities in estuarine sediment and soil samples as well as community function responses to the pollutants were investigated. Results The results showed that PAH degradation does occur following 60 years of natural attenuation, the location is still heavily polluted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and HTEs. Microbial analyses have shown that high concentrations of PAHs have reduced the diversity and abundance of microbial communities. The pollution exerted an adverse, long-term impact on the microbial community structure and function in the brackish aquatic ecosystem. Microorganisms associated with the degradation of PAHs and sulfur-containing compounds have been enriched although the diversity and abundance of the microbial community have reduced. Fungi which are believed to be the main PAH degrader may play an important role initially, but the activity remains lower thereafter. It is the high concentrations of coal-derived PAHs, rather than HTEs, that have reduced the diversity and abundance of microbial communities and shaped the structure of the local microbiota. Discussion This study could provide a basis for the monitoring and restoration of ecosystems impacted by coal mining activities considering the expected decommission of a large number of coal plants on a global scale in the coming years due to growing global climate change concerns.

/pdf/contaminants-from-a-former-croatian-coal-sludge-dictate-the-2jiq9p0u.pdf

Contaminants from a former Croatian coal sludge dictate the structure of microbiota in the estuarine (Raša Bay) sediment and soil

Coal Occurrence and Utilization for Clean Energy Production

Selenium (Se), an essential trace element that is toxic when humans and animals are exposed to it in excess, is ubiquitous in coal. For centuries, superhigh-organic-sulfur (SHOS) Rasa coal, enriched in S, Se, U, V, and Mo, was mined and processed across the Mediterranean Rasa Bay area, located in the Istrian peninsula (in the northern Adriatic Sea, Croatia). There is concern that Rasa coal mine water is contaminating local water, soil, and crops. The aim of this monitoring study was to determine the levels of Se and selected potentially toxic trace (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Mo, Pb, U, V, and Zn), and minor (Fe and Mn) elements in Rasa coal mine water, surface water, and associated vegetables, one fruit, and wild plants. Levels of Se in coal mine water were increased (up to 12 µg/L) compared to the maximum allowed water Se (10 µg/L). Compared to an EU average soil Se (1.15 mg/kg), Rasa garden soil showed a 5-fold increase in Se.  Compared to Croatian and Greek vegetable Se levels (low to normal), Rasa vegetables showed a 20-fold, and a 50-fold increase in Se, respectively. Although approximative only, estimates of daily intake (EDI) of Se for mixed Rasa vegetables (n = 21) showed a high level (0.055 mg/day). Namely, recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of Se for females and males are 0.055 mg/day, and 0.070 mg/day, respectively. The EDI values of the analyzed vegetables contributed to average RDA levels as follows: garlic (183%), turnip (154%), parsley (147%), onion and gourd (76%), lettuce (74%), kale (62%), radicchio (51%), and potato (20%). Although the calculated EDI for the analyzed Rasa vegetables was 1/8 the toxic dose (>0.4 mg/day), these results call for further research on the dietary and nutritional status of the residents in terms of Se.

/pdf/elevated-selenium-levels-in-vegetables-fruits-and-wild-222ffyv9h4.pdf

Elevated selenium levels in vegetables, fruits, and wild plants aff ected by the raša coal mine water chemistry

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

Vanja Geng

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Elevated selenium levels in vegetables, fruits, and wild plants aff ected by the raša coal mine water chemistry