Mercury is a widespread contaminant in marine food webs, and identifying uptake pathways of mercury species, CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+), into low trophic level organisms is important to understanding its entry into marine food webs. Enriched stable isotope tracers were used to study benthic vs. pelagic pathways of CH3Hg(+) and Hg(2+) uptake via food to the infaunal estuarine amphipod, Leptocheirus plu...

Food contamination from natural or anthropogenic sources poses severe risks to human health. It is now largely accepted that continuous exposure to low doses of food Toxins such as mycotoxins, phycotoxins can be related to several chronic diseases, including some type of cancer and serious hormonal dysfunctions. Contemporary analytical methods have the sensitivity required for contamination det...

Aflatoxins contamination of maize exhibits a serious threat to human and animal health over the past few decades. To protect the safety of food commodities, regular monitoring for afltoxins in food is necessary. In the proposed study, we have followed a rapid and sensitive biosensor approach as well as thin layer chromatography method for quantification of aflatoxins. Our data demonstrate that ...

OBJECTIVES To determine inorganic nutrient and contaminant concentrations in subsistence foods consumed by Alaska Natives, concentration changes related to common preparation methods and provide a basic risk-benefit analysis for these foods. STUDY DESIGN Eleven essential and six non-essential elements were measured in foods derived from spotted seals and sheefish. METHODS Essential nutrient...

A food web bioaccumulation model was used to compare transport and fate of polychorinated biphenyls (PCB) congeners in three food webs in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America. The model was used to quantify the contribution of sediment-derived and freely dissolved PCBs to the body burden of aquatic biota. In eastern Lake Erie (OH, USA), almost 100% of the chemical body burden of biota or...

A computer controlled contaminant detection systems based on high-Tc Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) for food and drink have been designed and constructed. The systems we have developed are the High-Tc SQUID based systems, which are covered with waterproof stainless steel plates and acceptable to HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) program. One system is for f...

We performed dynamic linear modeling analysis on fish contaminant data collected from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canada to examine long-term trends of total mercury (THg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Lake Erie. Several sport fish species (walleye, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout) with differences in their diet habits, food competition strategies and foragi...

BACKGROUND The reproductive consequences and mechanisms of action of chronic exposure to low-dose endocrine disruptors are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effects of a continuous, low-dose exposure to a phytoestrogen (genistein) and/or an antiandrogenic food contaminant (vinclozolin) on the male reproductive tract and fertility. METHODS Male rats were exposed by gavage to genis...

Current wheat yield and consumption is considered in the context of the historical development of wheat, from early domestication through to modern plant breeding, the Green Revolution and wheat's place as one of the world's most productive and important crops in the 21st Century. The need for further improvement in the yield potential of wheat in order to meet current and impending challenges ...

The ivory gull is a high-Arctic species considered endangered in most parts of its breeding range. Ivory gulls must cope with both the reduction of sea ice cover triggered by climate change and increasing contaminant loads due to changes in global contaminant pathways. The objective of this study was to assess the concentration of 14 essential and nonessential trace elements at four colonies of...