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This review is a survey of recent progress in studies concerning the impact of phthalic acid esters in aquatic organisms. After introducing the classification, properties, sources, fate, and toxic effects related to phthalates, an overview of the techniques of extraction and analysis of these substances is provided. As a result, the general concepts of environmental bioindicators, biomonitoring systems, and other concepts related to phthalate contamination in the aquatic environment are presented. Recent bioaccumulation data of different phthalates are summarised in a table and organised according to the type of organism, tissue, and geographical area of sampling. Bioindicator organisms that are more representative of the different phthalates are highlighted and discussed as along with other variables that may be relevant in the assessment of the environmental pollution of these substances. The final part looks at the environmental perspectives and suggests new directions and research objectives to be achieved in the future.

This paper is the first analytical approach to the study of seven nutrients in the gluten-free foods for celiac people. The ICP-OES technique was used. One of the advantages about the use of ICP-OES for this characterization is the high selectivity and low interferences for studied elements. The concentration values of K, Li, Sr, Na, Ca, Mg and Al in seventeen gluten-free food samples are reported. Considering the average concentrations of the elements analyzed, excluding lithium, in the present study it can be concluded that they are inadequate if compared with the recommended daily intake by international organisms, providing only from 1.5 to 20% of the RDI for the essential metals. In particular, we can suppose that, many celiac people consume small quantities of potassium which contribute to regulate blood pressure and prevent hypertension. The tolerable upper level intake is exceeded by consuming more than 200 grams of gluten free bread during a day.

Gli esteri ftalici (esteri dell’acido ftalico), rappresentano una particolare classe di inquinanti organici ubiquitari, resistenzi alla bio-degradazione, capaci da fungere da distruttori endocrini e dannosi a causa del loro effetto mutageno e cancerogeno. Molti composti di questa classe di sostanze per decenni, e probabilmente ancora oggi, sono stati utilizzati come ammorbidenti nelle pitture murali superficiali utilizzate nelle comuni abitazioni domestiche. Considerando quindi che oggigiorno, le attività di demolizione e ristrutturazione rapprsentano una cospiqua fetta di mercato delle attività edilizie, e che spesso i lavoratori impiegati in queste attività sono sogetti in maniera continua e prolungata all’esposizione a questa classe di inquinanti, in questo lavoro riportiamo i risultati circa la foto degradazione dei 6 più comuni esteri ftalici utilizzati in pitture domestiche. La fotodegradazione è stata eseguita mediante irradiazione diretta utilizzando una sorgente di 254 nm, e le performance di degradazione sono state valutate mediante comparazione con il campione non irradiato. Degradazioni pari al 50 % di ogni singolo estere ftalico sono state osservate nella prima ora di irradiazione con valori massimi pari all 82% nell’arco delle 8 ore di irradiazione. Inoltre, studi sulle velocità di degradazione hanno evidenziato cinetiche del primo ordine con valori di costanti k comprese tra 0.221 e 0.737 h-1.

The proposed method involves active sampling, where a sampling pump is used to pull air through a solution and voltammetric analysis of the obtained solutions. No interferences have been observed. In addition, very little sample preparation is required. Analyses were performed in 19 indoor stations and one in outdoor. Measurements were carried out on University environments: Museum of Chemistry, Zoological Museum, libraries, laboratories, corridors, meeting rooms, photocopying room, machine shop and terrace. Formaldehyde concentrations in analyzed samples ranged from 2.6 to 85 μg m-3 (median = 32 μg m-3), while the sum of others aldehydes ranged from 2 to 25 μg m-3 (median =2.4 μg m-3). In the sample Zoological Museum 2, the sum of other aldehydes was very high (400 μg m-3). The results demonstrated that artificial ventilation is an efficient system to control indoor air pollution caused by aldehydes emissions.