Variations in lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury concentrations during honeybee wax processing using casting technology

Abstract

Beeswax foundations are a necessary material in intensive modern beekeeping. Heavy metals can accumulate in these foundations for decades, as it is a common beekeeping practice to recycle wax. Beeswax samples were analysed using GFAAS for As, Cd, Pb, and Hg concentrations during the production of beeswax foundations using casting technology with a prolonged cooling and sedimentation phase. Significant differences were determined in the concentrations of As, Cd, Pb (p<0.01, all), and Hg (p<0.05) between the three levels of wax in a double-walled steel casting container and comb foundations (CF) during the processing stage. Concentrations (mg kg ) of the examined metals in comb foundations as the final product ranged as follows: As 0.01-0.88; Cd 1.26-3.55; Pb 82.5-171, and Hg 0.29-1.46. All examined element concentrations demonstrated similar distribution and ratio in different layers, ranging from the lowest concentrations in layers from which wax material is used for comb foundations as the final product, to the highest concentrations in sedimented layer, which represents waste. The obtained results suggest that the described method could effectively eliminate a significant amount of heavy metals from the initial material used for the production of new beeswax foundations. KEY WORDS: arsenic; beeswax; cadmium; comb foundations; lead; mercuryBeeswax is a natural honeybee product. It is an extremely complex mixture consisting mainly of esters of higher fatty acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, proteins, and other minor substances (1-2). Beeswax is primarily used in beekeeping to produce comb foundations but also in the chemical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. In hives, it is vital for the honeybee colony, as it is a construction material for comb cells where nectar and honey are stored (3). Successful comb management is crucial for beekeeping practice and quality, and the sensory properties of beeswax depend greatly on production methods (4). The production or processing of beeswax comb foundations has been described elsewhere (5).Wax, along with other apian products, can be a useful tool for collecting information about environmental contamination with toxic metals (6-10). Honey could be considered a primary bio-indicator of pollution and therefore used to assess the presence of metals and pesticides in soil, water, and plants (11). Beeswax combs represent a sink or an outlet for many environmental contaminants and, when in the hive for toxins as well, because of a specific lipid-based chemical composition (3).As, Cd, Pb, and Hg are the main toxic heavy metals in environmental pollution that can contaminate honeybee products, primarily nectar and honeydew. Due to the order and social activity of foragers and house bees, combs and the inside of the hives can also be contaminated (12). The presence of these metals depends on the environmental pollution of air, water, and soil (13,14) and may cause a wide range of toxic effects, including gastrointestinal, muscular, reproductive, neurological or behaviour...

Industrial-Scale Decontamination Procedure Effects on the Content of Acaricides, Heavy Metals and Antioxidant Capacity of Beeswax

“…Furthermore, the analysis of this type of elements in beeswax is infrequent due to the fact that beeswax is not consumed; however, it is important to control the concentration of these elements because beeswax is used in other areas such as biomedicine or in the cosmetic industry. Bee products are useful tools for collecting information about environmental contamination with toxic metals [23,24,25,26]. More precisely, beeswax combs behave like a sink because of the specific lipid-based chemical composition of beeswax [2].…”

“…Consistent with the results obtained in other studies, concentrations of As found in pre-filtered wax and concentrations of Zn existing in post-filtered wax were similar to those found by other authors [21], whereas the other elements studied were in the same range of magnitude, although their values were different, which could be explained by the different geographical origins. Contamination with heavy metals could affect honeybee brood development, after-emergence vitality, queen productivity or longevity of adult bees [25], so the decrease in Hg is a positive effect considering the toxicity of this element for bees and human beings. The decrease in other minerals such as Mn is also beneficial because its ingestion by bees could alter brain levels of biogenic amine, and the exposure to this metal negatively affects the foraging behavior of honeybees [32].…”

Обгрунтування Норм Максимально Допустимого Вмісту Шкідливих Речовин У Меді

“…Так, за даними роботи (Formicki et al, 2013), вміст свинцю у меді, зібраному у різних воєводствах Польщі становив 0,06-0,13 мг/кг. У Центральній Хорватії відповідні показники становили 0,09-0,36 мг/кг (Tlak Gajger et al, 2012), у Франціїдо 0,378 мг/кг (Lambert et al, 2012). У зібраному у шести регіонах Аргентини, Бразилії та Венесуели меді спектроскопічні дослідження зафіксували вміст свинцю у меді на рівні 0,11-0,33 мг/кг (Carrero et al, 2012), у Туреччині -0,05-0,48 мг/кг, у Єгипті -0,09-0,64 мг/кг (Hassan et al, 2010).…”

Effects of Disinfectants on Bacterium Paenibacillus larvae in Laboratory Conditions

“…Therefore, comprehensive disinfection of the wooden parts of the hive is possible by combining different methods of heat application, such as immersion of wooden parts in microcrystalline wax (150 • C, 10 min) or using high concentrations of disinfectants [10,11]. However, high concentrations of disinfectants are not economically and environmentally friendly, so implementing preventive zoo-hygienic measures and regularly replacing at least 25-30% of dark, old honeycombs is a very important way to mechanically remove P. larvae spores and other pathogens [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Sporicidal effects on P. larvae were determined for glutaraldehyde and sodium hypochlorite, 0.5% aqueous sodium hypochlorite solution, 1.1% caustic soda solution, and gamma radiation [18][19][20].…”