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In the gold ornaments manufacturing cottage industries, the gold metal grain dust waste particles are recovered from mercury (Hg) amalgam. The results on air samples from these industries during the recovery process have shown a high prevalence of Hg vapor (42.7 mg/m(3)). The blood concentration of Hg is elevated (79.1 microg/L) among workers when their blood samples are tested. The Hg toxicity is reflected in the reduction of glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity in RBC (49.317 mg/L of RBC) when compared with the data from control subjects (68.536 mg/L of RBC). These values are statistically significant. This would suggest that the Hg poisoning in goldsmiths is due to exposure. The results are discussed with relation to preventive measures.

Fibers come from natural and fossil resources and are an essential commodity widely used by textile industries. Considering current supply and future demands, the repurposing of agricultural residues into fibers is an eco-friendly, attractive option that might mitigate environmental pollution. In this review, we have summarized multiple alternate secondary sources for fiber production, with a case study using banana plant residual biomass, a common agricultural waste in many developing countries. Specifically, in this review we have compared the different processing methods, e.g., chemical, mechanical, or biological methods, for repurposing agricultural residual biomass (including banana waste) into fibers. The development and analysis of an integrated biorefinery approach is needed to promote the fiber production from various agro-residual biomasses within the framework of circular bioeconomic concepts.

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The use of non biodegradable plastic based packaging materials has been stopped in several food industries due to their disadvantages, so bio based polymers like polysaccharides are the alternative source for the preparation of films in food packaging. Thus, the present work was aimed to prepare the carrageenan (polysaccharides) based antibiotics amended films to prevent the food borne microbial pathogen in packed foods to extend its shelf life. In this study, morphologically 25 different endophytic fungal strains were isolated from different salt marsh plants, such as, Sweda monica and S.maritima were collected from Kelambakam Coastal area, East Coast of Tamil Nadu, India and they were named as, AEF51 to AEF75. All the fungal isolates were screened for cellulase activity and the maximum cellulase producing potential strain AEF58 was mass cultured. After the partial purification of cellulase it was lyophilized and stored for further use. The red seaweed Amphiroa anceps was collected from Kootapuli Village, Valliyoor Taluk, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India. From that, the carrageenan was extracted by biological method using endophytic fungal cellulase. After the extraction of carrageenan the antibiotics such as Amoxycillin, Tetracycline, Chloroamphenical, Erythromycin, Doxycyoline, Ofloxacin, Cephalexin, Dictoxacilin and Ampicillin were amended and different films were prepared using standard protocols. All the films were tested against different seafood borne pathogens such as, E.coli, Vibrio cholerae, V.parahaemolyticus, Salmonella sp, Shigella sp and Listeria sp (Obtained from AMET Microbial Culture Collection Centre). Among them, the Cephalexin amended film was showed the maximum zone of inhibition (ZOI) against all the tested pathogens. From the results, the study concluded that, the extraction of carragenan by biological substances increase the production and antibiotic amended carrageenan based films will be used for food packaging to control the pathogenic microbes and preserve the foods from spoilage.

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