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In the recent time, considerable interest has grown concerning the presence of the emerging industrial chemicals, EmIC. They are contaminants that have possible pathway to enter to the environment and they are dominantly released by industrial and anthropogenic activities. EmIC are applied in different fields using as industrial chemicals (new and recently recognized), global organic contaminants (flame retardant chemicals), pharmaceuticals (for both human and animal uses), endocrine-modulating compounds, biological metabolites, personal care products, household chemicals, nanomaterial (energy storage products, lubricants), anticorrosive and agriculture chemicals and others that are applied to a wide variety of everyday items such as clothing, upholstery, electronics and automobile interiors. NORMAN (Network of reference laboratories for monitoring of emerging environmental pollutants) has established an open, dynamic, list of emerging substances and pollutants. EmIC have been recently detected in the environment due to their long-term presence, pseudo-persistence and increased use. Improvements in sophisticated analytical methods and time integrative passive sampling have enabled the identification and quantification of EmIC, in very low concentrations (ppb, ppt and lower), which likely have been present in all environmental mediums for decades. Passive technology is an innovative technique for the time-integrated measurement of emerging contaminants in water, sediment, soil and air. Passive samplers are simple handling cost-effective tool that could be used in environmental monitoring programmes. These devices are now being considered as a part of an emerging strategy for monitoring a range of emerging industrial chemicals and priority pollutants in the aquatic environment. EmIC are substances that are not included in the routine monitoring programmes and whose fate, behaviour and (eco)toxicological effects are still not well understood. Emerging pollutants have no regulatory standards based on peer-reviewed science. EmIC might jeopardize aquatic environment. The first screening analyses of emerging industrial and priority organic contaminants in the Danube surface water, in the vicinity of Novi Sad, have been done and approximately more than 140 compounds have been registered. The new sampling campaign, screening and target analyses are in progress. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46009]

Data on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air accessed at selected locations in the vicinity of the industrial zone of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, have been presented and analyzed in order to determine seasonal and spatial variations and to identify emission sources of particle-bound PAHs. Previous studies have demonstrated that the major contributors of PAHs in urban areas are the emissions from vehicle exhaust, and emissions releases from industrial processes like aluminium production, creosote and wood preservation, waste incineration, cement manufacture, petrochemical and related industries, commercial heat/power production etc. The sampling campaigns have been conducted at three sampling sites, during the two 14-day periods. The first site was situated near industrial area, with a refinery, power plant and heavy-traffic road in the vicinity. The second site was located nearby the heavy traffic area, especially busy during the rush hour. The third site was residential district. Summer sampling period lasted from June 26th to July 10th 2008, while sampling of ambient air during the winter was undertaken from January 22nd to February 5th 2009. Eighty-four (84) air samples were collected using a high volume air sampler TCR Tecora H0649010/ECHO. 16 US EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in all samples using a gas chromatographer with a mass spectrometer as a detector (Shimatzu MDGC/GCMS-2010). The total average concentrations of PAHs ranged from 1.21 to 1.77 ng/m3 during the summer period and from 6.31 to 7.25 ng/m3 in the winter. Various techniques, including diagnostic ratio (DR) and principal component analysis (PCA), have been used to define and evaluate potential emission sources of PAHs. Diagnostic ratio analysis indicated that vehicles, diesel or/and gasoline, industrial and combustion emissions were sources of PAHs in the vicinity of the industrial zone. Additionally, principal component analysis was used to constrain the potential sources. The results showed that vehicles are the predominant source of particle-bound PAHs during the whole year, and stationary sources (thermal power and heating plant, oil refinery, individual furnaces) during the winter period.

Results of partial or total destruction of industrial plants, military targets, infrastructure, uncontrolled fires and explosions during the conflict period from 1991 to 1999, at the area of Western Balkans, were large amounts of hazardous organic matter that have been generated and emitted in the environment. In order to assess gas/particle partition of seven EPA polychlorinated biphenyls and sixteen EPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, twenty air samples have been collected at six urban, industrial and highly contaminated localities in Vojvodina. Hi-Vol methodology has been used for collecting ambiental air samples, that simultaneously collects gaseous and particulate phase with polyurethane foam filters (PUF) and glass fiber filters (GFF). PUF and GFF filters have been analyzed, and concentration levels of gaseous PCBs and PAHs molecules in gaseous and particulate phase were obtained, converted and expressed through fraction of individual compounds sorbed onto particulate phase of the sample, in total detected quantity. Experimentally gained gas/particle partitioning values of PCBs and PAHs molecules have been compared with PP-LFER model estimated values. Significant deviation has been noticed during comparative analysis of estimated polyparameter model values for complete set of seven PCBs congeners. Much better agreement of experimental and estimated values is for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, especially for molecules with four rings. These results are in a good correlation with literature data where polyparameter model has been used for predicting gas/particle partition of studied group of organic molecules.

The aim of the study was to analyse relationship between PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, traffic density and meteorological factors during the week with regular traffic regime and first week of COVID-19 lockdown in Novi Sad, Serbia. During the study period, which included working days and weekends, traffic emission contributions to PM were also determined. Obtained results have shown higher PM, pressure and emission contribution values, lower temperature, relative humidity values, and lower traffic counts for all vehicle categories during the COVID-19 week. A positive correlation was detected only during the first week, between PM2.5 and passenger vehicles and lightweight trucks, as well as between PM10 and all categories of vehicles. Background PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were moderately correlated to total traffic during the first week as well. Very strong and moderate positive correlation was detected between PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and temperature during COVID-19 week. The PM concentrations increased during COVID-19 week, but total traffic decreased by 31% on workdays and 42% on weekends, proving the impact of lockdown measures on traffic regime and intensity. Since relationship between PM2.5 and PM10 with different vehicle categories was confirmed only during first week, and PM and emission contribution concentrations were higher during COVID-19 week, a secondary emission source of PM was strongly indicated. Very strong and strong positive correlations of PM2.5 and PM10 with temperature during COVID-19 week have confirmed lower temperature impact on PM concentrations and, consequently, increased impact of heating, as an emission source, due to lockdown measures and people staying at their homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of the study were to determine the aflatoxin M1 content in human milk samples in Vojvodina, Serbia, and to assess the risk of infants' exposure to aflatoxins food contamination. The growth ofAspergillus flavusand production of aflatoxin B1 in corn samples resulted in higher concentrations of AFM1 in milk and dairy products in 2013, indicating higher concentrations of AFM1 in human milk samples in 2013 and 2014 in Serbia. A total number of 60 samples of human milk (colostrum and breast milk collected 4–8 months after delivery) were analyzed for the presence of AFM1 using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay method. The estimated daily intake of AFM1 through breastfeeding was calculated for the colostrum samples using an average intake of 60 mL/kg body weight (b.w.)/day on the third day of lactation. All breast milk collected 4–8 months after delivery and 36.4% of colostrum samples were contaminated with AFM1. The greatest percentage of contaminated colostrum (85%) and all samples of breast milk collected 4–8 months after delivery had AFM1 concentration above maximum allowable concentration according to the Regulation on health safety of dietetic products. The mean daily intake of AFM1 in colostrum was 2.65 ng/kg bw/day. Results of our study indicate the high risk of infants' exposure, who are at the early stage of development and vulnerable to toxic contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations of caffeine and antibiotic concentrations were investigated along the selected sites of the Danube using solid-phase extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The potential risks on the aquatic organisms were evaluated. HPLC methods for caffeine and antibiotic determination were modified and validated showing good accuracy, repeatability, selectivity, and robustness. The obtained results confirmed the presence of caffeine at four sampling points, near the wastewater discharges. The mean caffeine concentrations for summer, autumn, winter, and spring were 24.78, 26.83, 24.61, and 86.29 ng/L, respectively. The analyzed antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, and tiamuline) were under the limit of detection in all tested samples taken from the Danube. The maximum risk indexes (MaxRIs) were calculated for caffeine at each sampling site. Four out of seven selected sampling sites showed sublethal effects on the aquatic organisms with 10 < MaxRI < 100 (class II), while the other three had no potential risk for aquatic organisms. The highest potential risk was calculated for the sampling site in the vicinity of one of the biggest wastewater discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Chemical Industry / Hemijska Industrija is the property of Association of Chemical Engineers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the thermal combustion processes of carbon-enriched organic compounds, emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into ambient air occurs. Previous studies of atmospheric distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons showed low correlation between the experimental values and Junge-Pankow theoretical adsorption model, suggesting that other approaches should be used to describe the partitioning phenomena. The paper evaluates the applicability of multivariate piece-wise-linear M5' model-tree models to the problem of gas-particle partitioning. Experimental values of particle-associated fraction, obtained for 129 ambient air samples collected at 24 background, urban, and industrial sites, were compared to the prediction results obtained using M5' and the Junge-Pankow model. The M5' approach proposed and models learned are able to achieve good correlation (cor relation coefficient >0.9) for some low-molecular-weight compounds, when the target is to predict the concentration of gas phase based on the particle-associated phase. When converted to particle-bound fraction values, the results, for selected compounds, are superior to those obtained by Junge-Pankow model by several orders of magnitude, in terms of the prediction error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]