Chapters authored
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) as Emerging Environmental Pollutants: Advances in Sample Preparation and Detection Techniques
Environmental pollution has been a challenging phenomenon in most developing countries, due to the weak enforcement of environmental regulations. As a result, humans and animals are exposed to different environmental pollutants, which threaten their very existence. Some of the emerging pollutants of great concern are polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) since they are categorized as probable human carcinogens and are also known to bioaccumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans, reaching toxic levels upon continued exposure. Monitoring of these pollutants is therefore paramount as it contributes to addressing the problem of human exposure and environmental pollution. Their monitoring involves sample preparation methods followed by quantification with various detection techniques. Sample preparation methods that aim at reducing matrix interferences, enriching analytes and transfer of analytes to a desirable solvent, have evolved from conventional methods to advanced methods that facilitate the detection of these chemicals at very low concentrations. Likewise, detection techniques have advanced from chromatographic detection techniques to miniaturized systems that involve sensors. This chapter discusses PBDEs as emerging pollutants, their sources, and toxicological implications on humans, as well as advances in sample preparation methods and detection techniques in the determination of PBDEs.
Part of the book: Emerging Contaminants
Fluoridated Water, Effects and Green Removal Techniques
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral released by rocks into water, soil and air. It elicits dual effects to organisms. Its beneficial effects are effected through water fluoridation to adjust fluoride content in drinking water to acceptable levels that are deemed to prevent tooth decay. Moreover, fluoride itself may be dangerous at high levels. Excessive fluoride causes dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis or even severe form of fluorosis known as “crippling skeletal fluorosis,” characterized by muscle wasting, immobility and neurological problems. Studies on fluoride levels are important so as to protect organisms from the adverse effect of high fluoride exposure. Various conventional and sensor-based technologies have been applied, leading to the detection of fluoride in water systems across the globe, with some regions reporting levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) limits. This necessitates interventions to reduce the levels of fluoride in drinking water. Green technologies are emerging as viable options for fluoride remediation since they are associated with minimal environmental contamination. Knowledge on fluoride in the environment is a key and therefore, this chapter provides an overview of fluorides, their monitoring in the environment, benefits as well as health effects and removal technologies that range from conventional to green technologies.
Part of the book: Water Quality