Rohit Mahajan, Ph.D’s Post

ToxStrategies scientists LeeAnn Racz, PhD, PE, CIH, BCEE, Alison Gauthier, MSPH, CIH, CPPS, Jennifer Bare, Melissa Heintz, David J. Feifarek, Stephanie Kennedy (LaPlaca), PhD, and Julie Panko assessed the risk of human and environmental exposure to perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), a type of PFAS, in fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers in a newly published article. This study measured the amounts of PFCAs that may be present in the containers as well as the amounts that may migrate to products stored in the containers. The migration results were used to conservatively model potential exposures to six types of consumer and industrial products. These modeled exposures were compared to human non-cancer toxicity values and environmental screening levels as well as to aquatic and terrestrial predicted non-effect concentrations. These analyses indicated no unreasonable non-cancer risk to humans, aquatic species, and terrestrial species from PFCAs in products stored in fluorinated HDPE containers. The new publication can be found here: https://lnkd.in/etNA-UX3 .

🌿 Importance of Microbial Culture Preservation in the Industry 🌿 In the biofertilizer and biopesticide sectors, maintaining the viability of microbial cultures is crucial for product effectiveness and consistency. Proper preservation methods ensure that these valuable cultures remain active for future applications. I’ve compiled a PDF detailing various preservation methods for microbial cultures. If you’d like more information, feel free to DM me! #AgriculturalMicrobiology #CultureMaintenance #Biofertilizers #Biopesticides #MicrobialPreservation

🔬 My publication at #Chemosphere: Exciting findings from a recent study on fluorene exposure and its impacts on Tubifex tubifex! This comprehensive research delves into both acute and subchronic exposure scenarios, exploring survival analysis, behavioral responses, antioxidant enzyme reactions, #histopathology , molecular docking, and generalized read-across analysis. Key insights reveal concentration-dependent toxicity, with LC50 values decreasing over time, highlighting the time-sensitive nature of the stressor. Behavioral responses varied based on concentration and duration, showcasing the adaptability of organisms to environmental challenges. Moreover, sublethal concentrations triggered a hormetic response in antioxidant enzymes, suggesting adaptive protection at lower doses but inhibition at higher concentrations. Histopathological examinations unveiled cellular proliferation, inflammation, and tissue damage, shedding light on the physiological effects of fluorene exposure. Molecular docking studies showcased the disruption of major stress biomarker enzymes, inducing oxidative stress and interfering with cellular energy production. Generalized Read-Across analysis uncovered shared toxicity mechanisms among fluorene and its analogs, providing crucial insights into the broader consequences for aquatic ecosystem health. This study contributes valuable knowledge to our understanding of pollutant impacts and underscores the importance of assessing environmental risks comprehensively. #Research #EnvironmentalScience #AquaticEcology #ecotoxicology #ecology #environment #environmentalscience 🌊🔬

We still have some space for Non-Target Terrestrial Plant (NTTP) studies in our glass houses. We perform tests on plant protection products (PPPs) that are designed to evaluate the potential effects on emergence and vegetative vigour of plant seedlings. These include; ·   Seedling Emergence Test - OECD 208 / OCSPP 850.4100 ·   Vegetative Vigour Test - OECD 227 / OCSPP 850.4150 With an extensive array of climate controlled and monitored glasshouses (many with automated watering systems) on our research station and a team of expert agronomists skilled in growing a wide variety of different crop and weed species, and scientists to run and evaluate the tests, AgroChemex Environmental is here to help you with your Non-Target Terrestrial Plant testing If you would like to discuss your next NTTP study, or would like to arrange a visit to see our facility, then please get in touch with our Director of Business Development; John Parkes: j.parkes@agrochemex.com #ecotox #regulatory #plantprotection #herbicide #pesticide #fungicide #terrestrialecotoxicology

A DAY WITH AGROTOX In addition to ecotoxicology studies in laboratory and field, Agrotox team perform crop residue studies. Enjoy the video! ;)   #GLP #Residue #Ecotoxicology #Agrotox

Hot off the press! In a first, the effects of scrubber effluent as a mixture of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) on marine microbiota by examining multiple molecular targets is reported. Analyzing data and writting the manuscript was so much fun, but our results were also really impressive: Marine bacterial community responses to scrubber effluent with high PAHs concentrations favoured the dominance of taxonomic units closely related to PAHs degraders. This was coupled with the increased numbers of Clusters of Orthologous Genes associated with pathways of PAHs and monocyclic hydrocarbon degradation. These findings in combination with the abrupt decrease of the most abundant PAHs below the limit of detection -much faster than their known half-lives- points towards a bacterioplankton-initiated rapid ultimate biodegradation of the most abundant toxic contaminants of the scrubber effluent. 

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 I’m thrilled to share that our new article, “Photolytic Degradation of Commonly Used Pesticides Adsorbed on Silica Particles”, has been published in Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN)! Our research provides the first estimations of photolysis rates for eight commonly used pesticides frequently detected on atmospheric aerosols. These findings highlight the crucial role of photolysis in the atmospheric behavior of these pesticides and emphasize the need to integrate photolysis rates into evaluations of their environmental impact and market approval. Article Highlights: 🔬 Investigation of the heterogeneous atmospheric photolysis of pesticides. ☀️ Fipronil shows the highest reactivity to both xenon lamp and sunlight. ⚖️ Pesticide mixture can influence differently the photolysis constant rates. 💡 Pesticides in a mixture can act as a photosensitizer. 🌍 Complexity to transfer laboratory photolysis rate constants to the real atmosphere. A huge thanks to my supervisors, Henri Wortham and Etienne Quivet, as well as Amandine Durand and Joanna Socorro—your support was invaluable in bringing this research to light! Check out the full article to see all the details! #Research #EnvironmentalScience #Pesticides #Photolysis #Publication #Stoten #AtmosphericReactivity #Aerosols

The use of bioculture products has become increasingly prevalent in ETPs and STPs, however, not all bioculture products are created equal. The concentration of Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram in a bioculture product is a critical factor that significantly impacts the performance of these treatment plants. Have a look at what CFU means and how big of an impact it can have on a microbial culture product's performance and efficiency. #water #wastewater #watertreatment #microbiology #bacteria #sustainability

Our paper challenging the #OECD practice on single animal strains is out with Florian Gigl muhammad abdullahi Henner Hollert and Marianne Barnard. Read about the impact of #Phenanthrene used to make #dyes #plastics and #pesticides and #pharmaceuticals on developmental failure. University of Birmingham Goethe University Frankfurt Centre for Environmental Research and Justice (CERJ)

our very own CEO challenging ecotoxicilogy practice