Occurrence of Textile Dyes and Metals in Tunisian Textile Dyeing Effluent: Effects on Oxidative Stress Status and Histological Changes in Balb/c Mice

Hues of risk: investigating genotoxicity and environmental impacts of azo textile dyes

The textile industry, with its extensive use of dyes and chemicals, stands out as a significant source of water pollution. Exposure to certain textile dyes, such as azo dyes and their breakdown products like aromatic amines, has been associated with health concerns like skin sensitization, allergic reactions, and even cancer in humans. Annually, the worldwide production of synthetic dyes approximates 7 × 107 tons, of which the textile industry accounts for over 10,000 tons. Inefficient dyeing procedures result in the discharge of 15-50% of azo dyes, which do not adequately bind to fibers, into wastewater. This review delves into the genotoxic impact of azo dyes, prevalent in the textile industry, on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Examining different families of textile dye which contain azo group in their structure such as Sudan I and Sudan III Sudan IV, Basic Red 51, Basic Violet 14, Disperse Yellow 7, Congo Red, Acid Red 26, and Acid Blue 113 reveals their carcinogenic potential, which may affect both industrial workers and aquatic life. Genotoxic and carcinogenic characteristics, chromosomal abnormalities, induced physiological and neurobehavioral changes, and disruptions to spermatogenesis are evident, underscoring the harmful effects of these dyes. The review calls for comprehensive investigations into the toxic profile of azo dyes, providing essential insights to safeguard the aquatic ecosystem and human well-being. The importance of effective effluent treatment systems is underscored to mitigate adverse impacts on agricultural lands, water resources, and the environment, particularly in regions heavily reliant on wastewater irrigation for food production.

Contamination of textile dyes in aquatic environment: Adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystem and human health, and its management using bioremediation

Textile dyes are the burgeoning environmental contaminants across the world. They might be directly disposed of from textile industries into the aquatic bodies, which act as the direct source for the entire ecosystem, ultimately impacting the human beings. Hence, it is essential to dissect the potential adverse outcomes of textile dye exposure on aquatic plants, aquatic fauna, terrestrial entities, and humans. Analysis of appropriate literature has revealed that textile dye effluents could affect the aquatic biota by disrupting their growth and reproduction. Various aquatic organisms are targeted by textile dye effluents. In such organisms, these chemicals affect their development, behavior, and induce oxidative stress. General populations of humans are exposed to textile dyes via the food chain and drinking contaminated water. In humans, textile dyes are biotransformed into electrophilic intermediates and aromatic amines by the enzymes of the cytochrome family. Textile dyes and their biotransformed products form the DNA and protein adducts at sub-cellular moiety. Moreover, these compounds catalyze the production of free radicals and oxidative stress, and trigger the apoptotic cascades to produce lesions in multiple organs. In addition, textile dyes modulate epigenetic factors like DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase to promote carcinogenesis. Several bioremediation approaches involving algae, fungi, bacteria, biomembrane filtration techniques, etc., have been tested and some other hybrid systems are currently under investigation to treat textile dye effluents. However, many such approaches are at the trial stage and require further research to develop more efficient, cost-effective, and easy-to-handle techniques.

AfuPmV-1-Infected Aspergillus fumigatus Is More Susceptible to Stress Than Virus-Free Fungus

Infection with Aspergillus fumigatus polymycovirus 1 (AfuPmV-1) affects Aspergillus fumigatus Af293's growth in vitro, iron metabolism, resistance in intermicrobial competition with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resistance to osmotic stress, and resistance to the chitin synthase inhibitor nikkomycin Z. Here, we show that response to high temperature, Congo Red-induced stress, and hydrogen peroxide are also dependent on the viral infection status of A. fumigatus. AfuPmV-1- infected Af293 was more susceptible than virus-free Af293 to growth inhibition by high temperature, hydrogen peroxide, Congo Red exposure, and nutrient restriction. Increased resistance of virus-free fungus was observed when cultures were started from conidia but, in the case of high temperature and hydrogen peroxide, not when cultures were started from hyphae. This indicates that the virus impairs the stress response during the growth phase of germination of conidia and development into hyphae. In conclusion, our work indicates that AfuPmV-1 infection in A. fumigatus impairs host responses to stress, as shown by exposure to high temperature, oxidative stress such as hydrogen peroxide, and some cell wall stresses, as shown by exposure to Congo Red (in agreement with our previous observations using nikkomycin Z) and nutrient restriction.

Biodegradation of Pollutants in the Environment: Omics Approaches

This special edition intends to highlight how omics approaches have been used in biodegradation studies to understand the mechanisms involved and improve biodegradation processes [...].

Occurrence and ecotoxicological risk assessment of pharmacologically active dyes in the environmental water of Poland

The interest in the fate of pharmacologically active substances (PASs) in the aquatic environment continually increases. However, little is known about pharmacologically active dyes (PADs) as contaminants of water bodies. PADs are used in medicine, but due to their colouring properties are also applied in the textile, cosmetic and food industries. Their large-scale production and widespread applications have caused these dyes permeate to the aquatic environment. The pharmacological activity and toxicological properties of some of these dyes, caused their occurrence in water should be monitored. Up to now, PADs such as crystal violet, malachite green, methylene blue, rhodamine B, have been determined in the water of Greater China and Iran. However, there is no data on whether PADs pose an environmental problem for water bodies in Poland. Thus, different water samples were collected and analysed by the UPLC-MS/MS method allowing the determination of 20 PADs. The tests showed that dyes such as crystal violet, methyl violet 2 B and rhodamine B were found in 2 out of 36 water reservoirs (0.0122-0.0594 μgL^-1). The environmental risk assessment indicated that determined dyes for most model organisms did not pose a risk. Only the presence of methyl violet 2 B (0.0571 μgL^-1) was related to a low risk for rohu carp, and crystal violet (0.0122-0.0209 μgL^-1) showed a moderate risk for medaka fish. The occurrence of PADs was tested on a larger scale in the water samples collected from different water reservoirs in Poland. Based on obtained results, 96.3% of water samples collected from different water bodies (94.5%) were free from dyes. Thus, it could be stated that generally environmental water of Poland is contaminated with PADs at a low level. On the other hand, the presence of dyes in two samples indicates that PADs permeate the water environment, and their occurrence should be monitored.