Different acellular assays were developed to measure particulate matter’s (PM) oxidative potential (OP), a metric used to predict the ability of PM in generating oxidative stress in living organisms. However, there are still fundamental open issues regarding the complex redox equilibria among the involved species which could include reducing compounds. The aim of this study was the pilot application of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay to PM in order to evaluate the presence of reducing species. The assay, commonly applied to biological matrices, was adapted to PM and showed good analytical performances. It allowed the analysis of conventional 24 h airborne PM samples with suitable sensitivity and good repeatability of the measurements. The assay was applied to seven samples representing possible PM contributes (certified urban dust NIST1648a; brake dust; Saharan dust; coke dust; calcitic soil dust; incinerator dust; and diesel particulate matter certified material NIST1650b) and to PM2.5 field filters. The same samples were also analyzed for elements. Preliminary results indicated that the assay gave a linear response and that detectable amounts of reducing species were present in PM samples. The combined application of DPPH and conventional OP assays could then permit, in the future, to gain more knowledge about the reaction and/or competition between oxidative and reducing processes.

The microbial synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from organic wastes is a valuable process to valorize available renewable resources, such as food wastes and biological sludge. Bioplastics find many applications in various sectors, from medical field to food industry. However, persistent organic pollutants could be transferred from wastes to the final product. The present paper demonstrates that the use of municipal wastes in PHA production is safe for the environment and human health and provides a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) profile in both commercial and waste-based PHA samples. PCB analysis in several PHA samples showed very low concentrations of the target analytes. Commercial PHA samples showed a similar PCB level with respect to PHA samples from municipal waste/sludge and higher than PHA samples from fruit waste. For all analyzed PCBs, detected concentrations were consistently lower than the ones reported in regulatory framework or guidelines.

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The presence of antibiotic residue in eggs is a current issue due to the increasingly important phenomenon of antibiotic resistance. A multiclass, confirmatory method for the determination of seventy-three antimicrobial agents (amphenicols, cephalosporins, diaminopyrimidines, lincosamides, macrolides, penicillins, pleuromutilins, quinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines) with liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry was applied to 200 egg samples collected from 119 Italian farms during the years 2018–2021.

Wastewater carries different pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms that can be dispersed in the surrounding environment. Workers who frequent sewage treatment plants can therefore be exposed to aerosols that contain a high concentration of potentially dangerous biological agents, or they can come into direct contact with contaminated material. This can lead to allergies, infections and occupational health-associated diseases. A characterization of biological risk assessment of bioaerosol exposure is necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of an interdisciplinary method that combines chemical and biological approaches for the analysis of a bioaerosol derived from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) situated in Italy. Sampled filters were analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS spectroscopy that searched for different chemical biomarkers of airborne microorganisms. The analytical quantification was compared to the biological cultural method that revealed an underrated microbial concentration. Furthermore, next generation sequencing analysis was used also to identify the uncultivable species that were not detected by the culture dependent-method. Moreover, the simple animal model Caenorhabditis elegans was used to evaluate the pathogenicity of two isolates—Acinetobacter iwoffii and Micrococcus luteus—that showed multidrug-resistance. This work represents a starting point for the development of a multidisciplinary approach for the validation of bioaerosol exposure on WWTP workplaces.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contamination levels of some classes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in free-range hen eggs and to estimate the related human dietary exposure in a Site of National Interest (SNI), characterized by a serious state of environmental pollution (Bussi sul Tirino area, central Italy). For these purposes, 17 samples of free-range hen eggs collected in home-producing farms located in the SNI territory were analyzed for 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) and 6 non-dioxin-like PCBs (ndl-PCBs). Dietary exposure was assessed assuming a standard consumption of eggs per week. The concentration of ∑PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs ranged from 0.463 to 8.028 pg TEQ (Toxic Equivalent) g−1 fat, while the mean contamination level of the ∑ndl-PCBs ranged from 0.234 to 7.741 ng TEQ g−1 fat. PCDD/Fs and PCBs contamination levels were lower than maximum values established by the Commission Regulation (EU) 1259/2011, except for one sample. The estimated weekly intake (EWI), calculated in order to evaluate the contribution in terms of the monitored pollutants of the locally produced eggs to the diet, was lower than the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

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