Ricerc@Sapienza

Urinary mercury (Hg) levels are suitable to assess long-term exposure to both elemental and inorganic Hg. In this study, the urinary Hg levels of 250 children (aged 6–11 years) from three areas with different anthropogenic impacts in the Rieti province, central Italy, were assessed.

Children’s development and health may be affected by toxic heavy metal exposure or suboptimal essential element intake. This study aimed to provide updated information regarding the concentrations of 41 elements in children’s hair (aged under 18) living in a rural area of the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia.

The levels of 30 elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Se, Si,
Sn, Sr, Ti, Tl, U, V, Zn) and some typical quality parameters were measured in 40 honey samples from the Lazio
region (Italy). The main purpose of this study was to enhance the information variety. The mean values for the
quality parameters were: pH, 4.0; sugar, 80.9 °brix; moisture, 17.4%; electrical conductivity 0.63 mS cm⁠-1. Mineral
elements were quantified by ICP-OES and ICP-MS and compared with literature data. The most abundant

Over the last decades, various scientific studies had underlined the potential of biomonitoring to assess environmental quality. The utilization of organisms as bioindicators have been widely described. Biomonitoring often results to be a low-cost and efficient method for the evaluation of environmental quality in comparison to the definition of a traditional monitoring network. In this study we describe the application of two biomonitoring approaches to assess the air quality of Terni (Central Italy).

Lichen transplants Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. and recently available low-cost PM10samplers were placed side-by-side for one year at twenty-three sites located in an urban-industrial hot-spot of Central Italy, thus enablingthe construction of an extensive and dense air quality monitoring network. Accumulation levels of the elementsin lichens afterfive months and thirteen months of exposure were compared with the means of the elementconcentrations determined in the PM10sampled during the same monitoring periods.

Bee health and beehive products’ quality are compromised by complex interactions between multiple stressors, among which toxic elements play an important role. The aim of this study is to optimize and validate sensible and reliable analytical methods for biomonitoring studies and the quality control of beehive products.

Mycotoxins exposure by inhalation and/or dermal contact is possible in different branches of industry especially where heavily dusty settings are present and the handling of dusty commodities is performed. This study aims to explore the validity of the biomonitoring as a tool to investigate the intake of mycotoxins in a population of workers operating in an Italian feed plant. Serum samples were collected for the determination of aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), AFB1-Lysine adduct and ochratoxin A (OTA).

The study was aimed to evaluate the ability of native lichen Xanthoria (X.) parietina to biomonitor and bioaccumulate some heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb), PAHs, PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs and PBDEs and to evaluate the use of the native X. parietina as a multi-tracer tool for scenarios characterized by different anthropogenic pressures. Samples of native X. parietina were collected in six different sites (two green, two residential and two industrial areas, respectively) and analyzed for the target compounds. The results show that X.

Potential exposure to toxic elements initially occurs during gestation and after birth via breast milk, which is the principal source of nutrients for infants during the first months of life. In this study, we evaluated whether maternal oral supplementation with a multi-strain probiotic product can protect infants from exposure to arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) via breast milk.

Washed and unwashed Arundo donax L. (A. donax) leaves were analyzed for elements, and results were compared with element concentrations detected in river water and particulate matter (PM) Samples were collected along a river in an urban and industrial hot spot of Central Italy, where element concentrations show relevant spatial gradients both in air and river water. The aim of this study is to identify the role of the two environmental matrices on leaves composition.