Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Overarching all is this super hype is profit driven, the quest for instant profit, instant benefits from the suffering of the people. This panic making is a hundred-fold of what it’s worth. What these kingpins of the underworld, who pretend to run the upper world, perhaps miscalculated, is that in today’s globalized and vastly outsourced world the west depends massively on China’s supply chain, for consumer goods, and for intermediary merchandise – and, foremost for medication and medical equipment. At least 80% of medication or ingredients for medication, as well as for medical equipment come from China. The western China dependence for antibiotics is even higher, some 90%. The potential impacts on health are devastating. During the height of the COVID-19 epidemic China’s production apparatus for everything was almost shut-down. For deliveries that were still made, merchandise vessels were regularly and categorically turned back from many harbors all around the world. So, the west has tricked itself into a shortage-of-everything mode by waging a de facto “economic war” on China.

In recent years, with the development of the global industrialization, the content of heavy metals in the soil caused by industrial activities has
gradually increased, resulting in environmental deterioration. There is a need to provide viable option that is economical, environmental friendly and
sustainable for clean-up of environmental contamination such as phytoremediation. Series of studies conducted in the past on heavy metals content
in soil around Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) without considering the remediation technologies of such contents. This study primarily
assessed the phytoremedial potential of indigenous flora around Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited Ajaokuta, Kogi State, Nigeria. To achieve this,
top and sub soil samples along with control were collected around the vicinity of ASCL for heavy metals analysis. Four different indigenous plants
(Imperata cylindrica (Spear grass or cotton wool grass), Sida acuta (Wire weed), Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) and Chromoleana odarata (Siam
weed) grown within the vicinity of the ASCL were randomly collected for heavy metals analysis. The samples were digested and analyzed using
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) (Perkin Elmer® Analyst 100 model). The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 20 for descriptive
and inferential statistics. The metal transfer factors were also determined. The results obtained revealed that the potential of remediating Lead
by C. odarata was high compared to other plant species which uptake 10.33 mg/kg, 20.11 mg/kg, and 25.32 mg/kg in the leaves, stem and
root respectively. The bioaccumulation level of Lead in C. odarata and H. annus were recorded to be 0.91 mg/kg and 0.71 mg/kg respectively
which indicated highest bioaccumulation factor. Unlike the bioaccumulation factors, the translocation factors were high in all the heavy metals
investigated. The study revealed that C. odarata, I. cylindrica and S. acuta are good accumulators of heavy metals and they should therefore be
encouraged to be cultivated. The plant species may be regarded as hyperaccumulators, which is characterized by their ability to accumulate high
quantities of metals in their tissues.

Journal of Environmental and analytical Toxicology commemorates its
decade long service to the scientific community by consistently publishing
peer-reviewed articles and tracking the progress and significant advancements
in the field of oral health. Ever since its inception in the year 2010, in addition to
regular issue releases on a quarterly basis, this trans disciplinary journal is also
releasing special issues and conference proceedings from time to time, thus
comprehensively covering a wide range of topics and emerging challenges in
environmental related problems to explore advanced research areas within
this field. The journal focuses on application oriented research on harmful
effects of various chemical, biological, and physical agents on individual living
organisms. The Journal, Environmental & Analytical Toxicology is of highest
standards in terms of quality. In this issue some of the recent and impactful
research articles that were published by the journal will be discussed.

Across the nation lockdown because of the pandemic has
prompted an extreme decrease of NO2 discharges and diminished air
contamination levels. It's significant this is kept up considerably after the
lockdown lifts. In the midst of the overwhelming COVID-19 pandemic,
an uncommon positive has been the noteworthy worldwide decline in
air contamination levels. Basically, specialists have estimated nitrogen
dioxide (NO2), one of the six significant air poisons (notwithstanding
particulate issue, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone,
and lead). NO2 has, as most different gases, normal and human
sources.

The study was primarily aimed at determining physicochemical quality, minerals and nutrient composition of cow’s milk samples collected from different areas of Nuer Zone and Gambella town, Ethiopia. A total of 6 cow’s milk samples from farmers and vendors (dairy cooperative milk collection centers and small shops) were collected. All samples were collected using proportional random sampling method. The presence and concentration of various minerals (such as Na, Ca, Mg, P and N2 ) and heavy metals (Cd, Cr and Pb) were determined. Different physicochemical parameters of milk samples such as pH, titratable acidity and density were examined. The proximate chemical compositions of milk samples such as moisture, protein, fat, solids-not-fat (SNF), lactose, total solid and ash contents also were determined. The mean values of pH, moisture, titratable acidity, protein, fat, solids-not-fat, ash, total solid, density and lactose contents of milk samples collected from farmers are 5.22, 86.99%, 1.01%, 3.46%, 4.80%, 6.23%, 0.04%, 11.04%, 1.01 g/cm3 and 4.43%, respectively. On the other hand, the respective mean values of physicochemical parameters of vendors’ milk samples are 5.09, 88.85%, 2.10%, 3.76%, 4.88%, 7.07%, 0.591%, 11.91%, 1.02 g/cm3 and 4.70%. The results of the study showed that mineral compositions of all collected milk samples are adequate. The contents of heavy metals are below maximum permissible limit as compared with standard levels. However, Most of the milk samples have poor physiochemical quality; they have high titratable acidity values and low pH values which are beyond the permissible ranges. This indicated that milk samples, in particular, samples from vendors are not followed good milk handling practices, and they need improvement. The obtained proximate analysis results revealed that all the collected milk samples fulfilled the WHO and other national and international standards except lactose and protein contents.