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Aderibigbe AD, Stewart AG, Hursthouse AS. Seeking evidence of multidisciplinarity in environmental geochemistry and health: an analysis of arsenic in drinking water research. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2018; 40:395-413. [PMID: 28236208 PMCID: PMC5797562 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-017-9919-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
A multidisciplinary approach to research affords the opportunity of objectivity, creation of new knowledge and potentially a more generally acceptable solution to problems that informed the research in the first place. It increasingly features in national programmes supporting basic and applied research, but for over 40 years, has been the arena for many research teams in environmental geochemistry and health. This study explores the nature of multidisciplinary research in the earth and health sciences using a sample selected from co-authored articles reporting research on arsenic (As) in drinking water from 1979 to 2013. A total of 889 relevant articles were sourced using the online version of the science citation index-expanded (SCI-expanded). The articles were classified according to author affiliation and later by author discipline/research interests using the Revised Field of Science and Technology Frascati manual DSTI/EAS/STP/NESTI (2006) 19/FINAL and a decision algorithm. Few articles were published on the topic until 2000. More articles were published across all affiliations in the last 10 years of the review period (2004-2013) than in the first 10 years (1979-1988). Only 84 (~9%) articles fell within the "earth and health" only and "earth, health and other" categories when classification was undertaken by author affiliation alone. This suggests that level of collaboration between earth and health scientists in arsenic in drinking water research may be very low. By refining the classification further using author discipline/research interests, only 28 of the 84 articles appear to be co-authored by earth and health scientists alongside professionals in other fields. More than half of these 28 articles involved descriptive non-experimental, observational study designs, limited in direct causal hypotheses and mechanistic investigation. If collaborative research is to lead to the increased multidisciplinary research, early interaction should be encouraged between students from different disciplines. In order to achieve multidisciplinarity in practise, it is imperative that scientific communities and research agencies do more to encourage interaction and integration between researchers from different disciplines. This must develop from educational institutions seeing opportunities to improve graduate skills in an increasingly diverse research landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiodun D. Aderibigbe
- Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Science and Sport, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE UK
- Present Address: Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure, P.M.B. 704 Ondo state Nigeria
| | - Alex G. Stewart
- Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health England Centre, Liverpool, L1 1JF UK
- Present Address: College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Andrew S. Hursthouse
- Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Science and Sport, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE UK
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Guidi P, Corsolini S, Bernardeschi M, Rocco L, Nigro M, Baroni D, Mottola F, Scarcelli V, Santonastaso M, Falleni A, Della Torre C, Corsi I, Pozo K, Frenzilli G. Dioxin-like compounds bioavailability and genotoxicity assessment in the Gulf of Follonica, Tuscany (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 126:467-472. [PMID: 29421127 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Gulf of Follonica (Italy) is impacted by the chemical pollution from ancient mining activity and present industrial processes. This study was aimed to determine the bioavailability of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) in coastal marine environment and to assess the genotoxic potential of waste waters entering the sea from an industrial canal. Moderately high levels of DCLs compounds (∑ PCDDs + PCDFs 2.18–29.00 pg/g dry wt) were detected in Mytilus galloprovincialis transplanted near the waste waters canal and their corresponding Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) calculated. In situ exposed mussels did not show any genotoxic effect (by Comet and Micronucleus assay). Otherwise, laboratory exposure to canal waters exhibited a reduced genomic template stability (by RAPD-PCR assay) but not DNA or chromosomal damage. Our data reveal the need to focus on the levels and distribution of DLCs in edible species from the study area considering their potential transfer to humans through the consumption of sea food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Guidi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Simonetta Corsolini
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Margherita Bernardeschi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lucia Rocco
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical, Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marco Nigro
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Davide Baroni
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Filomena Mottola
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical, Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy
| | - Vittoria Scarcelli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marianna Santonastaso
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical, Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Falleni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Camilla Della Torre
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Corsi
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Karla Pozo
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy; Masaryk University, Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Brno, Czech Republic; Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Giada Frenzilli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Section of Applied Biology and Genetics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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