Błażej Kudłak

Selected issues related to the toxicity of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents—a review

Green Chemistry plays a more and more important role in implementing rules of sustainable development to prevent environmental pollution caused by technological processes, while simultaneously increasing the production yield. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) constitute a very broad group of substances. Apart from many imperfections, ILs and DESs have been the most promising discoveries in the world of Green Chemistry in recent years. The main advantage of ILs is their unique physicochemical properties—they are very desirable from the technological point of view, but apart from these benefits, ILs appear to be highly toxic towards organisms from different trophic levels. DES areas of usage are very spread, because they cover organic synthesis, extraction processes, electrochemistry, enzymatic reactions and many others. Moreover, DESs seem to be a less toxic alternative to ionic liquids. New possibilities of applications and future development trends are sought and presented, including such important solutions of life branches as pharmaceuticals’ production and medicine.

Determination of EC50 toxicity data of selected heavy metals toward Heterocypris incongruens and their comparison to “direct-contact” and microbiotests

The sensitivity of Heterocypris incongruens to selected heavy metal ions is discussed. Although the Ostracodtoxkit

Relationship between heavy metal distribution in sediment samples and their ecotoxicity by the use of the Hasse diagram technique

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Bioassays as one of the Green Chemistry tools for assessing environmental quality: A review

has been present on the market for a few years, data on its selectivity and sensitivity to toxicants is scarce; such data is indispensable when interpreting the results of sediment toxicity. The LC50 and EC50 results with the Ostracodtoxkit

Environmental Fate of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds—Analytical Problems and Challenges

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Revision of Biological Methods for Determination of EDC Presence and Their Endocrine Potential

are compared with those obtained with other commercially available “direct-contact” tests (utilizing Hyalella azteca and Chironomus riparius) and microbiotests for assessing the toxicity of aqueous samples (Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Selenastrum capricornatum). The sensitivity of H. incongruens to metal ions (Cd2 + > >Hg2 + > Cu2 + >Cr6 + >Ni2 + ≈Mn7 + >Zn2 + >Pb2 + >Li1 + > Fe3 + ) was found to be similar to that of H. azteca and of C. riparius. The Ostracodtoxkit

N-way modelling of sediment monitoring data from Mar Menor lagoon, Spain

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Assessment of the water quality of Kłodnica River catchment using self-organizing maps

has shown itself to be an efficient and reliable element of test batteries for toxicity determination.

Modeling of pharmaceuticals mixtures toxicity with deviation ratio and best-fit functions models

Many studies assessing the quality of sediments and their pollution impact use monitoring data consisting predominantly of chemical indicators. Recently, ecotoxicity estimates have been used as very important parameters of the ecological state of sediment samples. Thus, a more complete sediment risk assessment is achieved and more reliable information on the sediment pollution history is extracted. The data interpretation could be improved if multivariate statistical techniques were applied to data classification, modelling and interpretation. The starting classification of the data was performed using self-organizing maps (SOM) approach in order to reveal specific relationship patterns for objects and for variables. The original element of the present study is the use of the Hasse diagram technique (HDT) for partial ordering in order to explain some specific relations between the chemical indicators analysed (heavy metal content in different sediment compartments) and the ecotoxicity tests for acute and chronic toxicity. In principle, a reliable estimate of the pollution impact of a large environmental object (the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain) is achieved. The specific role of each one of the five heavy metals involved (Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Cd) is interpreted in the context of the additional ecotoxicity tests.

Surface sediments pollution due to shipwreck s/s ''Stuttgart'': a multidisciplinary approach

For centuries, mankind has contributed to irreversible environmental changes, but due to the modern science of recent decades, scientists are able to assess the scale of this impact. The introduction of laws and standards to ensure environmental cleanliness requires comprehensive environmental monitoring, which should also meet the requirements of Green Chemistry. The broad spectrum of Green Chemistry principle applications should also include all of the techniques and methods of pollutant analysis and environmental monitoring. The classical methods of chemical analyses do not always match the twelve principles of Green Chemistry, and they are often expensive and employ toxic and environmentally unfriendly solvents in large quantities. These solvents can generate hazardous and toxic waste while consuming large volumes of resources. Therefore, there is a need to develop reliable techniques that would not only meet the requirements of Green Analytical Chemistry, but they could also complement and sometimes provide an alternative to conventional classical analytical methods. These alternatives may be found in bioassays. Commercially available certified bioassays often come in the form of ready-to-use toxkits, and they are easy to use and relatively inexpensive in comparison with certain conventional analytical methods. The aim of this study is to provide evidence that bioassays can be a complementary alternative to classical methods of analysis and can fulfil Green Analytical Chemistry criteria. The test organisms discussed in this work include single-celled organisms, such as cell lines, fungi (yeast), and bacteria, and multicellular organisms, such as invertebrate and vertebrate animals and plants.