Anthropogenic contaminants can be transported in the atmospheric. Passive air sampling is increasingly being recognized as an e?ective approach for measuring the atmospheric contamintants including the relative concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs):  organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyls ethers (PBDEs). Pine needles accumulate POPs in their tissues and integrate contaminants over a long time. POPs are able to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), but the organisms have evolved systems of antioxidant defense. This project seeks to study the combined effects of environmental pollutants on oxidative stress biomarker systems to determine whether some of those changes could be used as reliable biomarkers to assess the end results of exposure to POPs. Pine needles were used to evaluate longitudinal and latitudinal POPs levels in the atmosphere of Patagonia, Argentina. Levels of lipid peroxidation, GST activity, and total antioxidant capacity (ACAP) were also evaluated. HCHs, endosulfans, DDTs, PCBs, and PBDEs congeners were determined. The Rio Negro watershed, characterized by an intensive fruit production, showed the highest POPs levels with a predominance of endosulfans (51-90%) as result of its unrestricted use, followed by DDE and low proportion of PCBs and PBDE; concomitantly high ACAP and GST activity were quantified. A decrease gradient in POPs and biomarkers levels from west to east was observed, indicating a direct relation between both parameters. An increasing latitudinal gradient (20-440 ng/g lipid weight) tothe southeast station (Rio Gallegos) with a predominance of DDTs (30%), PCBs (35%) and PBDEs was observed but the non-direct relationship with biomarkers would be influenced by other factors, both biochemicals or environmental conditions in biomarker responses to POPs. Thus, the biomarkers selected would be a useful tool in the atmospheric pollution assessment by POPs, but more studies considering pine needle lipid classes and a range of temperature among stations should be performed.

Can the oxidative stress responses in pine needles be used as reliable biomarkers to assess exposure to POPs?

246th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.