Microbe-metal interactions in aquatic environments and their exact role in transport and transformations of toxic metals are poorly understood. This paper will briefly review our understanding of these interactions. Ongoing research in Lake Chapala, Mexico, the major water source for the City of Guadalajara, provides an opportunity to study the microbiological aspects of metal-cycling in the wa...

Recently, much has been written about the extreme urgency of elaborating the regulations for engineered nanomaterials. Such regulations are needed both from lawmakers, to protect people from potentially adverse effects, and from industry representatives, to prove that nanoproducts are produced carefully and with caution to avoid possible lawsuits. However, developing regulations has proven to b...

INTRODUCTION A number of previous studies examined a possible association of toxic metals and autism, and over half of those studies suggest that toxic metal levels are different in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Additionally, several studies found that those levels correlate with the severity of ASD. METHODS In order to further investigate these points, this paper performs...

Classical experiments have demonstrated that Se compounds protect against the toxicity of several toxic metals in acute experiments with simultaneous parenteral administration of high doses of Se and the toxic metal. Blood and organ levels of the toxic metals were increased, conceivably due to formation of inert Se complexes. Less is known about effects of long-term Se status on the toxicokinet...

Recent nanotechnological advances suggest that metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have been expected to be used in various fields, ranging from catalysis and opto-electronic materials to sensors, environmental remediation, and biomedicine. However, the growing use of NPs has led to their release into environment and the toxicity of metal oxide NPs on organisms has become a concern to both the publ...

Present review paper deals with extensive literature survey in exploring the potential of microbial biomass for the sequestering of toxic heavy metals from aquatic streams. Presently more than half billion people are underprivileged and deprived of fresh water, clean air, soil and pure food. Contamination of aquatic streams due to release of toxic metal ions is a stern issue demanding global co...

ticular concern are “heavy metals,” which occur naturally in the earth’s crust and are defined in physiochemical terms as metals with a density at least 5 times as great as water. This definition translates into an approximate heavy-metal minimum density of 5, and—in addition to cadmium, lead, and mercury—the metals zinc, copper, iron, cobalt, nickel, tin, manganese, and molybdenum also qualify...

Persistent heavy metal pollution poses a major threat to all life forms in the environment due to its toxic effects. These metals are very reactive at low concentrations and can accumulate in the food web, causing severe public health concerns. Remediation using conventional physical and chemical methods is uneconomical and generates large volumes of chemical waste. Bioremediation of hazardous ...

The toxic effect of metal ions like chromium (Cr3+), cobalt (Co2+), nickel (Ni2+), copper (Cu2+), cadmium (Cd2+) and lead (Pb2+) on biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of synthetic wastewater samples has been studied at different temperatures i.e., 15 degrees C, 20 degrees C, 25 degrees C and 30 degrees C. Experiments were conducted for BOD exertion in presence (10 ppm of each metal ion) and in the...

OBJECTIVE Assessment of the bacterium L. sphaericus as a dual-action candidate for biological control of mosquito-borne diseases and bioremediation of toxic metals. METHODS Larvae of the mosquito, C. quinquefasciatus, were first evaluated for metal tolerance and then exposed to 5 ppm cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and lead in assays together with seven strains of L. sphaericus. A probit regressi...