PE, PP and PS: The most abundant type of microplastics in Mediterranean coastal waters. eurekalert.org. February 28, 2019. Effects of the plastic civilization. Polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene are the most abundant microplastics in the Mediterranean coastal waters, according to a new study published by the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin -by the experts Miquel Canals, William […]

A new material capable of the adsorption of organic pollutants in water. eurekalert.org. June 05, 2018. The organomica C18-Mica-4 eliminates between 70 and 100 percent of these toxic compounds in less than 24 hours. The appearance of criteria and emerging pollutants in water is a modern theme that has caused the scientific community to research […]

Occupational exposures linked with increased risk of COPD. sciencedaily.com. May 9, 2018. 21% of COPD cases in a study with more than 3,300 participants were associated with these occupational exposures. Summary: A study with more than 3,300 participants in 12 countries has established a relationship between occupational exposure to biological dusts, gases, fumes and pesticides […]

They claim that Metro de Madrid violated Spanish, European and Argentine laws when selling the CAF 5000. tech2.org. March 02, 2018. Metro de Madrid is in the eye of the storm for the sale of the CAF 5000 to Buenos Aires: the Spanish company knew of the presence of asbestos in trains since 2003 and […]

Toxicological trivia from December 02, 2016: Senecio  is a genus of the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. The scientific Latin genus name, Senecio, means "old man."Despite the separation of many species into other genera, the genus still contains c. 1250 species and is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. The genus […]

Toxicological trivia from November 26, 2016: Jaborosa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae, the nightshades. There are about 23 species,all native to South America, where they are distributed from Peru to Patagonia. Most occur in the Andes. Most can be found in Argentina and ten are endemic to the country.Jaborosa integrifolia […]

Toxicological trivia from November 18, 2016: Ruellia tuberosa, also known as minnieroot,fever root, snapdragon root and sheep potato is a species of flowering plant in the Acanthaceae family. Its native range is in Central America but presently it has become naturalized in many countries of tropical South and Southeast Asia. Some butterfly species, like the […]

Toxicological trivia from November 12, 2016: Festuca (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family, Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of 10–200 cm (4–79 in) and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. Some fescues are used as ornamental […]

Toxicological trivia from November 04, 2016: Kava or kava-kava (Piper methysticum: Latin "pepper" + Latinized Greek "intoxicating") is a crop of the western Pacific. The roots of the plant are used to produce a drink with sedative, anesthetic, euphoriant, and entheogenic properties. Kava is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia, including Hawaii, Vanuatu, […]

Toxicological trivia from October 21, 2016: Tecoma stans is a species of flowering perennial shrub in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, that is native to the Americas.  Tecoma stans is the official flower of the United States Virgin Islands and the floral emblem of the Bahamas.Yellow trumpetbush is an attractive plant that is cultivated as […]

Toxicological trivia from October 16, 2016: Asclepias curassavica, commonly known as tropical milkweed, is a flowering plant species of the milkweed genus, Asclepias. It is native to the American tropics and has a pantropical distribution as an introduced species. Other common names include bloodflower or blood flower, cotton bush, hierba de la cucaracha, Mexican butterfly […]

Toxicological trivia from Octuber 07, 2016: Chemtrail conspiracy theory is an unproven suspicion that long-lasting trails, so-called "chemtrails", are left in the sky by high-flying aircraft and that they consist of chemical or biological agents deliberately sprayed for sinister purposes undisclosed to the general public. Believers in the theory argue that normal contrails dissipate relatively […]

Toxicological trivia from September 26, 2016: Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family (Fabaceae). Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Bitter vetch (V. ervilia) was one of the first domesticated crops. Toxicity:a)  The vetches […]

Toxicological trivia from September 16, 2016: Hippeastrum is a genus of about 90 species and over 600 hybrids and cultivars of perennial herbaceous bulbous plants. They generally have large fleshy bulbs and tall broad leaves, generally evergreen, and large red or purple flowers. The name Hippeastrum, given to it by William Herbert, means "Knight’s-star-lily", although […]

Toxicological trivia from September 02, 2016: Bauhinia forficata, commonly known as Brazilian orchid tree, Pata de Vaca,  is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Argentina, Brazil and Peru.Its flowers are white and pinkish, and is similar to an orchid. Deciduous leaves are lobed and the name "pata […]

Toxicological trivia from August 26, 2016; Cortaderia selloana, commonly known as pampas grass, is a flowering plant native to southern South America, including the Pampas region after which it is named. It is a tall grass, growing in dense tussocks that can reach a height of 3 meters. The leaves are long and slender  with […]

Toxicological trivia from August 19, 2016: The llama (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.In a previous trivia (298) we got an article on Neriun oleander poisoning in llamas in an farm in the province of Buenos Aires. In […]

Toxicoogical trivia from August 12, 2016: Borago officinalis, also known as a starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales.  It grows satisfactorily in gardens in the UK climate, remaining in the garden from year to year by […]

Toxicological trivia from August 05, 2016: Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species are recognized: one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on species, anemonefish are overall yellow, orange, […]

Toxicological trivia from July 29, 2016: Mercury is a chemical element with symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is commonly known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum.Mercury is an extremely rare element in Earth’s crust, having an average crustal abundance by mass of only 0.08 parts per million (ppm). Because it does not […]

Chemical pollution gets to Antarctic marine bird colonies. sciencedaily.com. July 21, 2016. Summary: Latitude is the main factor which determines the organic pollutant concentration in Antarctic giant petrels – emblematic species in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions – according to a new article.Latitude is the main factor which determines the organic pollutant concentration in Antarctic […]

Toxicological trivia from July 08, 2016: Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. About 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world’s oceans, from the tropics to frigid polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000 meters below the surface. […]