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Chemical composition of propolis depends on the plant source and thus on the geographic and climatic characteristics of the site of collection. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical profile of Greek and Chinese propolis extracts from different regions and suggest similarities and differences between them. Untargeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) method was developed and 22 and 23 propolis samples from Greece and China, respectively, were analyzed. The experimental data led to the observation that there is considerable variability in terms of quality of the distinctive propolis samples. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) models were constructed and allowed the identification of significant features for sample discrimination, adding relevant information for the identification of class-determining metabolites. Chinese samples overexpressed compounds that are characteristic of the poplar type propolis, whereas Greek samples overexpress the latter and the diterpenes characteristic of the Mediterranean propolis type. © 2021 by the authors. Li-censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

This deliverable provides information on the study design and dosing of the EuroMix in vivo toxicitystudies as well as descriptions of the used methods for the parameters tested and evaluated so far.Furthermore, the results of the measured parameters are described, followed by a short conclusion and outlook.

This deliverable consists of two parts and provides an instruction on the EuroMix testing strategy for testing compounds grouped based on their Mode of action (MoA) and their mixtures regarding the liver specific endpoint steatosis (Part 1) and regarding the craniofacial malformation specific endpoint following the same approach (Part 2).

Chlorophenols (CPs) are environmental pollutants that are produced through various anthropogenic activities and introduced in the environment. Living organisms, including humans, are exposed to these toxic xenobiotics and suffer from adverse health effects. More specifically, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is released in high amounts in the environment and has been listed as a priority pollutant by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Bioremediation has been proposed as a sustainable alternative to conventional remediation methods for the detoxification of phenolic compounds. In this work, we studied the potential of fungal strains isolated as symbionts of marine invertebrates from the underexplored mesophotic coral ecosystems. Hence, the unspecific metabolic pathways of these fungal strains are being explored in the present study, using the powerful analytical capabilities of a UHPLC-HRMS/MS. The newly identified 2,4-DCP metabolites add significantly to the knowledge of the transformation of such pollutants by fungi, since such reports are scarce. © 2019 by the authors.

BACKGROUND: In the present study, the rate of dermal transfer of pesticides to agricultural workers occurring via contact with sprayed hard surfaces was investigated. Cotton gloves were used as dosimeters to collect residues from hard surfaces contaminated by pesticides in greenhouses. Dosimeters, either dry or moistened, were in contact with wood, metal and plastic surfaces that had previously been sprayed. The experimental approach applied mimicked typical hand contact. Moistened cotton gloves were used to simulate hand moisture from dew/condensation or rainfall. The effect of total duration of contact on the final hand exposure via transfer was investigated. RESULTS: The higher duration contact tested (50 s) resulted in higher transfer rates for metal and plastic surfaces; no such effect was noted in the case of the wood surface. The pesticide amount transferred from the metal and plastic surfaces to wet gloves was greater than that transferred to dry gloves. Such a trend was not observed for the wood surface. Transfer rates varied from 0.46 to 77.62% and from 0.17 to 16.90% for wet and dry samples, respectively. CONCLUSION: The current study has generated new data to quantify the proportion of pesticide deposits dislodged from three different non-crop surfaces when in contact with dry or wet gloves. © 2018 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Crown copyright. Pest Management Science © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

This report gives an overview on the regulatory processes and requirements for risk assessment of chemical mixtures, identifies gaps in the European legislation and summarises potential approaches for the health risk assessment of chemical mixtures.

A dislodgeable foliar residue study was conducted in greenhouse pepper and tomato on the island of Crete, Greece, following the spray application of an SC insecticide (with active substance (a.s.) tebufenozide) and an EC fungicide (a.s. bupirimate). Furthermore, for the assessment of worker exposure to pesticides – as a result of re-entering the treated crops – a worker dermal exposure study was carried out during the tasks of tying or pruning, which allowed the transfer coefficient values for the specific tasks to be determined. Pesticide residues were analysed with an in house developed and fully validated HPLC-ESI/MS analytical method. The results from the study resulted in transfer coefficient values which were in agreement with current EFSA guideline values in most of the cases with the exception of bupirimate in a tomato greenhouse. In that case, high potential dermal exposure and low dislodgeable foliar residue values were observed, which is thought to be due to the moist leaves collected during sampling and monitoring, which led to greater than expected transfer coefficient values. © 2017. Chemicals/CAS: tebufenozide, 112410-23-8

This report describeschemical substances relevant for the EuroMix Project; that is pesticide and non‐pesticide chemicals which can be grouped into cumulative assessment groups (CAGs) for consideration in cumulative risk assessment (CRA). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has previously published an Opinion describing the approach to be followed for grouping pesticides into CAGs based on their toxicological profile. The present report takes into consideration the EFSA Opinion for pesticides and introduces a similar strategy to be considered for grouping of non‐pesticide chemicals into CAGs. For this purpose, a broad list of chemical substances was compiled into a Chemical Inventory (CI). So far, the CI contains approximately 1000 substances of different chemical categories.

A three-year study of the spatial and temporal variation of pesticide residues in Viotikos Kifissos basin (VKB), in central Greece, before and after the application of Low-Input Crop Management systems (LCM), was carried out between May 2009 and November 2011. A total of 253 water samples from 34 sampling points (boreholes, rivers, wells, vadose zone) were analysed for the presence of more than 200 pesticides and degradation products, using liquid and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB cartridges. Almost 70% of the samples were found positive for the presence of pesticides in amounts greater than the limit of detection. The most frequently detected pesticide was fluometuron, followed by s-metolachlor, metalaxyl-M, imidacloprid and ethalfluralin. The highest concentration was recorded for fluometuron (322 μg L−1), ethalfluralin (123 μg L−1) and s-Metolachlor (36.4 μg L−1). Results showed a reduction of the pesticides detected and quantified in water samples during 2011 compared to those measured in 2009 and 2010. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.

Chios mastic gum (CMG), a resin derived from Pistacia lentiscus var. chia, is known since ancient times for its pharmacological activities. CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 enzymes are among the most involved in the biotransformation of chemicals and the metabolic activation of pro-carcinogens. Previous studies referring to the modulation of these enzymes by CMG have revealed findings of unclear biological and toxicological significance. For this purpose, the modulation of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 enzymes in the liver of male Wistar rats following oral administration of CMG extract (CMGE), at the levels of mRNA and CYP1A1 enzyme activity, was compared to respective enzyme modulation following oral administration of a wellknown bioactive natural product, caffeine, as control compound known to involve hepatic enzymes in its metabolism. mRNA levels of Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 were measured by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction and their relative quantification was calculated. CYP1A1 enzyme induction was measured through the activity of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD). The results indicated that administration of CMGE at the recommended pharmaceutical dose does not induce significant transcriptional modulation of Cyp1a1/2 and subsequent enzyme activity induction of CYP1A1 while effects of the same order of magnitude were observed in the same test system following the administration of caffeine at the mean daily consumed levels. The outcome of this study further confirms the lack of any toxicological or biological significance of the specific findings on liver following the administration of CMGE. © 2014 Katsanou et al.

A simple and effective analytical procedure has been developed for the determination of dimethoate (DIM) residues and its metabolite, omethoate, in serum samples of pesticide operators. For the selection of the most appropriate method for sample treatment, techniques such as headspace solid phase micro extraction and solid phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction were applied. The applied method was based on toluene (2 mL) extraction of a 0.5mL serum sample. In this report, it was observed that DIM concentration level affected the ratio of the area response of DIM and one of its oxygenated metabolite, omethoate. In this context, higher concentrations favoured the predominance of DIM while lower concentrations lead to the formation of omethoate. The method was validated using human serum samples spiked with DIM. Good linearity was obtained in the range of 1-10 ng/mL co-calculating DIM and omethoate. Various concentrations of DIM were mixed with serum and stored up to five days at -20°C. Recoveries ranged from 72% to 88% at two spiking levels for six replicates. The detection and quantification limit were calculated at 0.12 and 0.36 ng/mL of serum, respectively. Finally the comparison with the Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (AOEL) of DIM revealed that the maximum exposure of the operators reached the 30% of the AOEL for only two cases. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

A simple and effective analytical procedure was developed for the determination of fenthion residues in human serum samples. The sample treatment was performed using the headspace solid-phase micro extraction with polyacrylate fiber, which has the advantage to require low amount of serum (1 mL) without tedious pre-treatment. The quantification of fenthion was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the recoveries ranged from 79 to 104% at two spiking levels for 6 replicates. Detection and quantification limits were calculated as 1.51 and 4.54 ng/mL of serum respectively. Two fenthion metabolites - fenoxon and fenthion-sulfoxide - were also identified. © 2008 by the authors.