BACKGROUND Due to pedogeochemical background and anthropogenic sources, heavy metal contamination of soil is a widespread problem in some parts of Zanjan province located in North West Iran. In this study an affected area located near National Iranian Lead and Zinc Company (NILZ) was selected for detailed study. METHODOLOGY Thirty soil samples and eighteen leaf samples were collected and anal...

In many Dutch freshwater wetlands, concentrations of sulfate in the surface water and groundwater have increased. It is especially in peaty areas that this can lead to problems, including the reduction of sulfate to toxic sulfide. Our aquarium experiments showed that even low sulfide concentrations of 50 micromol/L are toxic to the freshwater macrophyte Nitella flexilis and the freshwater oligo...

facing the world today is the contamination of the environment by inorganic, organic, and organometallic species. One area of particular interest is the detection of heavy metals and metalloids in environmental matrices and the elucidation of their pathways through various environmental compartments (1–4). Ultimately, these toxic metals are incorporated into drinking water and various food chai...

Many problems caused by bacterial biofilms can be traced back to their high resilience towards chemical perturbations and their extraordinary sturdiness towards mechanical forces. However, the molecular mechanisms that link the mechanical properties of a biofilm with the ability of bacteria to survive in different chemical environments remain enigmatic. Here, we study the erosion stability of B...

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal which can cause numerous alterations in cell functioning. Exposure to cadmium leads to generation of reactive oxygen species, disorders in membrane structure and functioning, inhibition of respiration, disturbances in ion homeostasis, perturbations in cell division, and initiation of apoptosis and necrosis. This heavy metal is considered a carcinogen by the Agency...

The main objective of this paper is to provoke and stimulate debate on the health effects of long-term, low-level exposure of human populations to toxic metals. Over one billion (10(9)) human guinea pigs are now being exposed to elevated levels of toxic metals and metalloids in the environment. The number of persons suffering from subclinical metal poisoning is believed to be several million. A...

H eavy metals, such as cadmium, copper, mercury, and arsenic, are ubiquitous components of the Earth’s crust. Most of these metals are toxic to varying degrees, and life has accordingly evolved ways to deal with them: either by developing mechanisms to detoxify them, or using them for biological functions. As humans began unearthing metals to be turned into consumer products, large amounts of h...

The ability of calcium aluminate cement (CAC) to encapsulate toxic metals (Pb, Zn and Cu) was assessed under two curing conditions. Changes in the consistency and in the setting time were found upon the addition of the nitrates of the target metals. Both Pb and Cu caused a delay in CAC hydration, while Zn accelerated the stiffening of the mortar. Compressive strengths of the metal-doped mortars...

The ability of ferritin to bind and deliver metals and metal-based drugs to human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells was studied. We used heavy chain (H) ferritin-based metal-containing nanocarriers to test whether these constructs, which are able to cross the blood-brain barrier, may be used for the delivery of toxic molecules to brain cells, and to study their effect on the viability and cellular re...