Bondi Gevao - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bondi Gevao

Environment International, 2019

A total of 20 organophosphate triesters (OPEs), including seven alkyl-OPEs, three chlorinated (Cl... more A total of 20 organophosphate triesters (OPEs), including seven alkyl-OPEs, three chlorinated (Cl)-OPEs, seven aryl-OPEs, and three oligomeric-OPEs were measured in 341 house dust samples collected from 12 countries during the period 2010-2014. OPEs were ubiquitous in indoor dust, and the total concentrations of OPEs (∑OPEs; sum of 20 OPEs) ranged from 49.4 to 249,000 ng/g dry weight (dw). Generally, Cl-OPEs were the predominant compounds (51% of total) in indoor dust samples, with a median concentration of 800 ng/g, followed by alkyl-OPEs (31%), aryl-OPEs (17%), and oligomeric-OPEs (1%), with median concentrations of 480, 270, and 21.9 ng/g, respectively. ∑OPE concentrations in indoor dust from more industrialized countries (South Korea: median, 31,300; Japan: 29,800; and the United States: 26,500 ng/g dw) were one or two orders of magnitude higher than those from less industrialized countries (Greece: 7140,

Marine pollution bulletin, Jan 20, 2016

The historical record of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofur... more The historical record of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) deposition was reconstructed from the analysis of a dated sediment core collected from a remote area in the northwestern Arabian Gulf not influenced by any point sources of contamination. The sedimentary record showed that PCDD/F concentrations started to increase above pre-industrial background levels in the mid-1960s. This was followed by an exponential increase in concentrations attaining a maximum of 7.5pg/g (dry wt) in the early 1980s and stayed fairly constant thereafter. The homolog profiles in sediments remained fairly consistent throughout the core with PCDD contributing 75% of the ΣPCDD/F concentrations. The homolog profile was dominated by OCDD which contributed approximately 55% of the total dioxins throughout the core. The consistency in the homolog patterns throughout the core suggests that the source of dioxins have remained fairly unchanged throughout the sedi...

Environmental science & technology, Jan 2, 2015

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs), including 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ga... more Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs), including 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT) and gallic acid esters (gallates), are extensively used in food, cosmetic and plastic industries. Nevertheless, limited information is available on human exposures, other than the dietary sources, to SPAs. In this study, occurrence of nine SPAs and their metabolites/degradation products was determined in 339 indoor dust collected from 12 countries. BHT was found in 99.5% of indoor dust samples from homes and microenvironments at concentrations that ranged from <LOQ to 118 µg/g and 0.10 to 3460 µg/g, respectively. This is the first study to measure BHT metabolites in house dust (0.01-35.1 µg/g) and their concentrations accounted for 9.2% to 58% of the sum concentrations (∑SPA). 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (BHT-CHO), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(hydroxymethyl)phenol (BHT-OH), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone (BHT-Q) were the major derivatives of BHT found in dust samples. The concentrat...

Environment International, 2015

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and eight bisphenol analogues (BPs) including bisphenol A (BPA) wer... more Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and eight bisphenol analogues (BPs) including bisphenol A (BPA) were determined in 388 indoor (including homes and microenvironments) dust samples collected from 12 countries (

Environment international, Jan 4, 2015

Siloxanes are used widely in a variety of consumer products, including cosmetics, personal care p... more Siloxanes are used widely in a variety of consumer products, including cosmetics, personal care products, medical and electrical devices, cookware, and building materials. Nevertheless, little is known on the occurrence of siloxanes in indoor dust. In this survey, five cyclic (D3-D7) and 11 linear (L4-L14) siloxanes were determined in 310 indoor dust samples collected from 12 countries. Dust samples collected from Greece contained the highest concentrations of total cyclic siloxanes (TCSi), ranging from 118 to 25,100ng/g (median: 1380), and total linear siloxanes (TLSi), ranging from 129 to 4990ng/g (median: 772). The median total siloxane (TSi) concentrations in dust samples from 12 countries were in the following decreasing order: Greece (2970ng/g), Kuwait (2400), South Korea (1810), Japan (1500), the USA (1220), China (1070), Romania (538), Colombia (230), Vietnam (206), Saudi Arabia (132), India (116), and Pakistan (68.3). TLSi concentrations as high as 42,800ng/g (Kuwait) and T...

Environment international, 2015

Perchlorate is a widespread environmental contaminant and potent thyroid hormone disrupting compo... more Perchlorate is a widespread environmental contaminant and potent thyroid hormone disrupting compound. Despite this, very little is known with regard to the occurrence of this compound in indoor dust and the exposure of humans to perchlorate through dust ingestion. In this study, 366 indoor dust samples were collected from 12 countries, the USA, Colombia, Greece, Romania, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam, and China, during 2010-2014. Dust samples were extracted by 1% (v/v) methylamine in water. Analyte separation was achieved by an ion exchange (AS-21) column and analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The overall concentrations of perchlorate in dust were in the range of 0.02-104μg/g (geometric mean: 0.41μg/g). The indoor dust samples from China contained the highest concentrations (geometric mean: 5.38μg/g). No remarkable differences in perchlorate concentrations in dust were found among var...

Environmental Science & Technology, Oct 13, 2010

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were quantified in four-hour integrated ... more Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were quantified in four-hour integrated air samples obtained serially over a five day period in May 2007 in Kuwait City during and after a severe dust storm. The ∑PBDE concentrations ranged from 51 to 1307 pg m-3 for the first two days of sampling and 20 to 148 pg m-3 for the rest of the sampling period. The first two days of sampling occurred during a severe dust storm episode when the total suspended particulates (TSP) in air exceeded 1000 µg/m 3 with concentrations peaking during the day and decreasing at night. During this dust episode, the peak nighttime PBDE concentration was 30 times higher than the minimum daytime concentration. Although ∑PBDE concentrations peaked at night during the first two sampling days, the fluctuations in the BDE 47:99 ratio tracked changes in ambient temperature remarkably well, following a clear diurnal pattern. The fraction of congeners in the gas phase varied inversely with solar flux and was lower on days with a high number of hours of sunshine, suggesting that photolytic degradation of gas-phase PBDEs was occurring.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Sep 30, 2005

The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in surficial sediments recei... more The concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in surficial sediments receiving industrial and municipal effluents in Kuwait. The SigmaPCB concentrations varied by two orders of magnitude ranging from 0.4 to 84 microg kg(-1) dw. The homologue distribution in the study favored the more chlorinated congeners and generally followed the order: penta-PCBs &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; hexa-PCBs &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; tetra-PCBs approximately hepta-PCBs, with the dominant congeners being 138, 101, 110, 180, 153, 132, 149, and 118. The spatial distribution revealed significant intersite difference in concentration, with high levels encountered close to a harbor and several wastewater outlets suggesting that point source input is the primary delivery mechanism of PCBs to the sediment. This study suggests that atmospheric deposition of PCBs may not be a significant delivery mechanism to sediments in Kuwait possibly due to low annual precipitation and high annual temperatures that are experienced in the Arabian Gulf. The implication of this observation is that PCBs in air are likely to remain in the gas phase long enough to be subject to long-range atmospheric transport to other regions.

Atmosphere

The Middle East is a hot spot of dust, and there are reports of as much as 1400 µg m−3 of dust in... more The Middle East is a hot spot of dust, and there are reports of as much as 1400 µg m−3 of dust in aerosols from Kuwait, which is among some of the highest dust loadings globally. A significant volume of literature has emerged on dust–air-quality–human-health, and the World Health Organization in its recent air quality guidelines has lowered the limit of annual PM2.5 exposure to 5 μg m−3 from the previous limit of 10 μg m−3. We present a mini-review based on a screening and search of the published data generated in Kuwait on contaminants associated with dust in different size fractions. We also include an unpublished study on organic contaminants in size-fractionated aerosols. The ΣPAHs concentrations in all the six size fractions range between 570 and 3350 pg m−3. The ∑PBDE concentration ranges from ~2 to 1307 pg m−3. The average 210Po activity in aerosol size classes varies between 2289 and 2581 Bq kg−1. The average 210Pb concentration varies between 352 and 412 Bq kg−1. The MP inv...

Atmospheric Pollution Research

Journal of Environmental Exposure Assessment

This study compared the concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air derived from... more This study compared the concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in air derived from polyurethane-based passive samplers to those of hair samples collected from humans and sheep. Human scalp hair samples were obtained from 24 healthy individuals and ten sheep (Ovis aries) during indoor and outdoor polyurethane foam plug ambient sampling. The samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). ∑PBDE concentrations ranged 0.6-50 ng·g-1 (mean, 18.6 ± 13 ng·g-1) for humans and 0.6-1.4 ng·g-1 (mean, 1.1 ± 0.25 ng·g-1) for sheep. The ∑PAH concentrations were log-normally distributed in human hair ranging 98-2529 ng·g-1 (mean, 460 ± 538 ng·g-1), whereas concentrations for sheep hair samples ranged 168-526 ng·g-1 (mean, 334 ± 117 ng·g-1). Strong correlations (P-values < 0.01) were found between concentrations of PAHs and PBDEs in human and sheep hair with concentrations measured in indoor and outdoor air, respectively...

Toxics

This study provides baseline information on the concentrations of antibiotics in influent and eff... more This study provides baseline information on the concentrations of antibiotics in influent and effluent from two wastewater treatment plants in regular operation in the State of Kuwait. Wastewater samples were collected from the influent and effluent streams of two WWTPs, over four sampling campaigns and analyzed for a broad range of antibiotics. The mean influent concentrations of sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, and cefalexin were 852 ng/L, 672 ng/L, 592 ng/L), and 491 ng/L, respectively, at Umm Al Hayman WWTP. At the Kabd WWTP, the influent concentration of clarithromycin was highest with a mean of 949 ng/L, followed by ciprofloxacin (mean, 865 ng/L), cefalexin (mean, 598 ng/L), and sulfamethoxazole (mean, 520 ng/L). The dominant compounds in the effluent from Umm Al Hayman were sulfamethoxazole (mean, 212 ng/L), ciprofloxacin (mean, 153 ng/L), ofloxacin (mean, 120 ng/L), dimetridazole (mean, 96 ng/L), and metronidazole (mean, 93 ng/L). Whereas, at the Kabd WWTP, t...

Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2022

This study provides an insight into the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) inventories in the sedim... more This study provides an insight into the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) inventories in the sediments of the northwestern Arabian/Persian Gulf. PCBs can be used as chemical markers that correlate with historical events in the region, to estimate the sedimentation rates in the northern Gulf, and to determine the sources of pollutants in the study area. The concentrations of PCBs were generally patchy in sediments. At Station 1 the ΣPCB concentrations generally fluctuated between 0.100 and 0.400 ng g-1 dw throughout the depositional history measured in a sediment core. There were four peaks in the ΣPCB profile corresponding to 1969, 1979, 1983 and 1991. Station 2 showed a prominent peak at depth of 25 cm. The concentrations of the ΣPCBs and ΣICE congeners at this depth were 28 and 12 ng g-1 dw respectively. Concentrations then dropped dramatically thereafter by a factor of 4. The ΣPCB concentrations at Station 3 were very low compared to the concentrations measured at Stations 1 and 2. The PCB concentration in Core 4 which was taken from open waters was 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than those in the other coastal cores. However, a 1990-91 peak was omnipresent in these cores. There is no record of PCB production within the Gulf region, and PCB releases into the Kuwait marine environment are likely to originate from their use in products. These maxima in early-1990s can be correlated to inputs from war-related activities, including the reported destruction of PCB-containing transformers and military equipment during the occupation of Kuwait. None of the recent sediment core sections at the four stations had a ΣPCB concentration near the effects range-median (ERM) concentration of 180 ng g-1, or permissible exposure limits (PEL) of 189 ng g-1, or were above the effect range-low (ERL) values of 22.7 ng g-1.

Marine pollution bulletin, Jan 22, 2016

Surficial sediment samples were collected from 25 locations within Kuwait Bay and outside the Bay... more Surficial sediment samples were collected from 25 locations within Kuwait Bay and outside the Bay, in the Northwestern Arabian Gulf, to access recent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in Kuwait. Time trends in the depositional history of PAHs to this portion of the Arabian Gulf was reconstructed from the analysis of a dated sediment core. Intersite differences in concentration exist although these differences were not statistically significant (p=0.08). However, organic carbon normalized concentrations within Kuwait Bay were 4 times higher than the average concentrations outside the Bay and were shown to be statistically significant (p<0.001). The sedimentary record showed that ΣPAHs concentration fluctuated between 12 and 25ngg(-1) before 1970. Concentrations then increased sharply to a maximum of 45ngg(-1) around the late 1970s and early 1980s followed by an exponential decrease in concentration to pre-1970 "background" concentrations of between 12 and 25ngg(-1).

Indoor and Built Environment, 2014

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) with a ubiquito... more Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) with a ubiquitous environmental distribution. Their presence in cars is linked to their use as flame retardants in electronic items and instrument panels, high-impact plastics, foam and fabric of car seats. The goal of this study was to investigate the occurrence and concentration of PBDEs in dust samples collected from 19 randomly selected cars in normal use in Kuwait and to assess human non-dietary ingestion exposure to these compounds. The concentrations of the total target PBDEs, Σ14PBDEs, were log normally distributed and ranged from 68 to 17,200 ng/g. BDE-209 was the dominant congener in all cars examined with concentrations ranging from 52 to 16,100 ng/g which, on average, accounted for 77% of the Σ14PBDEs measured. Using the measured concentrations the estimated human non-dietary ingestion exposure based on median PBDE concentrations ranged from 0.034 ng/kg-bw/day for adults to 0.138 ng/kg-bw/d...

Objective and Methods The objective of this study was to reconstruct detailed input chronologies ... more Objective and Methods The objective of this study was to reconstruct detailed input chronologies of Pb and other trace metals in the Kuwaiti marine environment, influenced by the Shatt-al-Arab River’s load (SaAR), using seawater, and sediment and coral cores. Pb concentrations were determined by plasma mass spectrometry using resin preconcentration and isotope dilution (ID) for seawater, a “Graney leach” extraction and ID on sediments, and cleaning, dissolution and ID on corals. Pb isotopic distributions in seawater, sediments and corals were determined using multicollector magnetic sector plasma mass spectrometry after anion exchange purification of Pb. Results and Discussion Seawater Pb concentrations are high in the northern stations, including Kuwait Bay (KB). They show combined anthropogenic and riverine sources, while waters at a coral reef near Qaruh Island (QI) show high Pb. Comparing the Pb concentration and isotopic fractionation in two sediment cores near KB and near the ...

The objective of this study was to reconstruct detailed input chronologies of trace metals in the... more The objective of this study was to reconstruct detailed input chronologies of trace metals in the Kuwaiti marine environment, influenced by the Shatt al-Arab River’s load, using water, sediment cores and corals. Pb, Cd and Cu concentrations in seawater and sediments were determined using isotope dilution and Indium internal standard by plasma mass spectrometry. Pb isotopic distribution in seawater and sediments were determined using multicollector magnetic sector plasma mass spectrometry. Pb, Cd and Cu concentrations in seawater are high in the northern stations, including Kuwait Bay, Awhah and south of Bubiyan Island. They show combined anthropogenic and riverine sources, while waters near two coral reefs near Kubar and Qaruh islands show high Pb, but low Cd and Cu. Surface sediment samples show metal enrichments in Kuwait Bay as expected for elements with anthropogenic enhancements. The 206/207Pb isotope data shows a large range, hinting to a mix of natural and leaded gasoline sou...