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Combined Effects of Pesticides and Electromagnetic-Fields on Honeybees: Multi-Stress Exposure.

ABSTRACT: Honeybee and general pollinator decline is extensively reported in many countries, adding new concern to the general biodiversity loss. Many studies were addressed to assess the causes of pollinator decline, concluding that in most cases multi-stress effects were the most probable ones. In this research, the combined effects of two possible stress sources for bees, pesticides and electromagnetic fields (multi-stress conditions), were analyzed in the field. Three experimental sites were chosen: a control one far from direct anthropogenic stress sources, a pesticide-stress site and multi-stress one, adding to the same exposure to pesticides the presence of an electromagnetic field, coming from a high-voltage electric line. Experimental apiaries were monitored weekly for one year (from April 2017 to April 2018) by means of colony survival, queen activity, storage and brood amount, parasites and pathogens, and several biomarkers in young workers and pupae. Both exposure and effect biomarkers were analysed: among the first, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS); and among the last, DNA fragmentation (DNAFRAGM) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Results showed that bee health conditions were the worst in the multi-stress site with only one colony alive out of the four ones present at the beginning. In this site, a complex picture of adverse effects was observed, such as disease appearance (American foulbrood), higher mortality in the underbaskets (common to pesticide-stress site), behavioral alterations (queen changes, excess of honey storage) and biochemical anomalies (higher ALP activity at the end of the season). The overall results clearly indicate that the multi-stress conditions were able to induce biochemical, physiological and behavioral alterations which severely threatened bee colony survival.

SUBMITTER: Lupi D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8396937 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:PurposeThis study aims to perform a classification and rigorous numerical evaluation of the risks of occupational exposure in the health environment related to the administration of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment. The study investigates the numerically estimated induced electric field that occurs in the human tissues of an operator caused by exposure to the variable magnetic field produced by TMS during treatments. This could be a useful starting point for future risk assessment studies and safety indications in this context.MethodsWe performed a review of the actual positions assumed by clinicians during TMS treatments. Three different TMS coils (two circular and one figure-of-eight) were modeled and characterized numerically. Different orientations and positions of each coil with respect to the body of the operator were investigated to evaluate the induced electric (-E) field in the body tissues. The collected data were processed to allow comparison with the safety standards for occupational exposure, as suggested by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) 2010 guidelines.ResultsUnder the investigated conditions, exposure to TMS shows some criticalities for the operator performing the treatment. Depending on the model of the TMS coil and its relative position with respect to the operator's body, the numerically estimated E-field could exceed the limits suggested by the ICNIRP 2010 guidelines. We established that the worst-case scenario for the three coils occurs when they are placed in correspondence of the abdomen, with the handle oriented parallel to the body (II orientation). Working at a maximum TMS stimulator output (MSO), the induced E-field is up to 7.32 V/m (circular coil) and up to 1.34 V/m (figure-of-eight coil). The induced E-field can be modulated by the TMS percentage of MSO (%MSO) and by the distance between the source and the operator. At %MSO equal to or below 80%, the figure-of-eight coil was compliant with the ICNIRP limit (1.13 V/m). Conversely, the circular coil causes an induced E-field above the limits, even when powered at a %MSO of 30%. Thus, in the investigated worst-case conditions, an operator working with a circular coil should keep a distance from its edge to be compliant with the guidelines limit, which depends on the selected %MSO: 38 cm at 100%, 32 cm at 80%, 26.8 cm at 50%, and 19.8 cm at 30%. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the induced E-field reached in the operator's hand as the operator typically holds the coil by hand. In fact in the hand, we estimated an induced E-field up to 10 times higher than the limits.ConclusionsOur numerical results indicate that coil positions, orientations, and distances with respect to the operator's body can determine the levels of induced E-field that exceed the ICNIRP limits. The induced E-field is also modulated by the choice of %MSO, which is related to the TMS application. Even under the best exposure conditions, attention should be paid to the exposure of the hand. These findings highlight the need for future risk assessment studies to provide more safety information for the correct and safe use of TMS devices.

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Combined Effects of Pesticides and Electromagnetic-Fields on Honeybees: Multi-Stress Exposure.

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