Contamination of the Environmental Matrices in Agricultural Areas Produced by Industrial Discharges: The Case Study of the Land of the City of Statte (Taranto, Southern Italy)

First Attempt to Couple Proteomics with the AhR Reporter Gene Bioassay in Soil Pollution Monitoring and Assessment

A topsoil sample obtained from a highly industrialized area (Taranto, Italy) was tested on the DR-CALUX^® cell line and the exposed cells processed with proteomic and bioinformatics analyses. The presence of polyhalogenated compounds in the topsoil extracts was confirmed by GC-MS/MS analysis. Proteomic analysis of the cells exposed to the topsoil extracts identified 43 differential proteins. Enrichment analysis highlighted biological processes, such as the cellular response to a chemical stimulus, stress, and inorganic substances; regulation of translation; regulation of apoptotic process; and the response to organonitrogen compounds in light of particular drugs and compounds, extrapolated by bioinformatics all linked to the identified protein modifications. Our results confirm and reflect the complex epidemiological situation occurring among Taranto inhabitants and underline the need to further investigate the presence and sources of inferred chemicals in soils. The combination of bioassays and proteomics reveals a more complex scenario of chemicals able to affect cellular pathways and leading to toxicities rather than those identified by only bioassays and related chemical analysis. This combined approach turns out to be a promising tool for soil risk assessment and deserves further investigation and developments for soil monitoring and risk assessment.

Occurrence and spatial distribution of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in topsoil of Taranto (Apulia, Italy) by GC-MS analysis and DR-CALUX® bioassay

The aim of the present study was to assess the occurrence and spatial distribution of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like compounds in topsoils of Taranto (Apulia Region), one of the most heavily industrialized and contaminated area of Southern Italy. A combined approach of chemical analysis by GC-MS/MS and AhR reporter gene bioassay was applied in a subset of topsoil samples (n = 20) collected in 2017-18 from ten sites embracing three levels of risk (from high to low) in the framework of a large survey inside Taranto municipality. TCDD-BEQs and GC-MS/MS TEQ_WHO and TEQ_THEORETICAL revealed a decreasing trend with the distance from main industrial settings and landfill areas. A strong correlation between TCDD-BEQs and TEQ_WHO values (R² = 0.85) and TEQ_THEORETICAL (R² = 0.88) was also found. In 3 out of 10 topsoil investigated, BEQs and TEQ_{WHO/THEORETICAL} resulted above Italian National Regulatory Limits for ∑PCDD/Fs in green, private and recreational used soils (10 ng TEQ/kg d.w. D.Lgs 152/2006) and for ∑PCDD/F/dl-PCBs in agricultural and farming soil (6 ng TEQ/kg d.w. D.M. 46/2019). GC-MS/MS pattern revealed the highest prevalence of dl-PCBs in 6 out of 10 sites, followed by PCDFs and PCDDs. Those sites are all located in proximity of main industrial steel and iron ore sinter plant, steel plant's landfills and illegal dumping sites. An update on occurrence and spatial distribution of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs contamination of Taranto urban soils was obtained and the DR-CALUX® bioassay was further recommended as a suitable screening tool for environmental and human risk assessment.

A Comparative Assessment of Analytical Fate and Transport Models of Organic Contaminants in Unsaturated Soils

Analytical models for the simulation of contaminants’ fate and transport in the unsaturated zone are used in many engineering applications concerning groundwater resource management and risk assessment. As a consequence, several scientific studies dealing with the development and application of analytical solutions have been carried out. Six models have been selected and compared based on common characteristics to identify pros and cons as well as to highlight any difference in the final output. The analyzed models have been clustered into three groups according to the assumptions on contaminant source and physico-chemical mechanisms occurring during the transport. Comparative simulations were carried out with five target contaminants (Benzene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Vinyl Chloride, Trichloroethylene and Aldrin) with different decay’s coefficient, three types of soil (sand, loam and clay) and three different thicknesses of the contaminant source. The calculated concentration at a given depth in the soil for the same contamination scenario varied greatly among the models. A significant variability of the concentrations was shown due to the variation of contaminant and soil characteristics. As a general finding, the more advanced is the model, the lower the predicted concentrations; thus, models that are too simplified could lead to outcomes of some orders of magnitude greater than the advanced one.

The Effects of Chronic Lifelong Activation of the AHR Pathway by Industrial Chemical Pollutants on Female Human Reproduction

Environmental chemicals, such as heavy metals, affect female reproductive function. A biological sensor of the signals of many toxic chemical compounds seems to be the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Previous studies demonstrated the environmental of heavy metals in Taranto city (Italy), an area that has been influenced by anthropogenic factors such as industrial activities and waste treatments since 1986. However, the impact of these elements on female fertility in this geographic area has never been analyzed. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the AHR pathway, sex steroid receptor pattern and apoptotic process in granulosa cells (GCs) retrieved from 30 women, born and living in Taranto, and 30 women who are living in non-contaminated areas (control group), who were undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocol. In follicular fluids (FFs) of both groups the toxic and essential heavy metals, such as chromiun (Cr), Manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), were also analyzed. Higher levels of Cr, Fe, Zn and Pb were found in the FFs of the women from Taranto as compared to the control group, as were the levels of AHR and AHR-dependent cytochrome P450 1A1 and 1B1; while CYP19A1 expression was decreased. The anti-apoptotic process found in the GCs of women fromTaranto was associated with the highest levels of progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1), a novel progesterone receptor, the expression of which is subjected to AHR activated by its highest affinity ligands (e.g., dioxins) or indirectly by other environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals. In conclusion, decreased production of estradiol and decreased number of retrieved mature oocytes found in women from Taranto could be due to chronic exposure to heavy metals, in particular to Cr and Pb.