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Lead (Pb) is a poisonous metal that affects organs and the nervous system. Its presence in spices such as cinnamon has been identified as a potential human exposure pathway. In late October 2023, a safety alert was issued in the United States regarding four children with elevated Pb levels in their blood after consuming apple-cinnamon fruit puree manufactured and exported by an Ecuadorian company. Thus, this study aimed to determine the Pb content in 61 ground and stick cinnamon samples, from different commercial brands and lots sold in Ecuador. Results showed that ground cinnamon samples had almost twice the level of Pb (0.80 ± 0.75 mg/kg) than stick samples (0.36 ± 0.28 mg/kg). Three ground samples had Pb content above the maximum level established by Ecuadorian and European Union regulations (2.0 mg/kg). A Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in Pb content between ground and stick cinnamon (p < 0.05). The HQ values showed negligible non-carcinogenic effects for children and adults, even at the highest Pb content. However, the carcinogenic risk of ground cinnamon at maximum and mean Pb concentrations was found for the population. Our study highlights the deficiencies in current surveillance systems and the lack of effective national regulations for exposure to foodborne metals.

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Emerging contaminants in water bodies is an issue of concern due to their impact on the ecosystem and human health. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the implementation of protective measures such as social distancing, lockdowns, and remote work, which have affected the tourism influx. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of emerging pollutants in bodies of water in Esmeraldas, a coastal province of Ecuador, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a highly touristic region. For this purpose, surface waters from 14 beaches and ten river mouths were sampled at two-time points in November 2019 and November 2020. Compounds widely consumed in Ecuador: acetaminophen, caffeine, sodium diclofenac, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole were extracted from water samples by solid phase extraction SPE and detected with a UPLC-QTOF-MS system. We found a decrease in the occurrence of caffeine from 100 % to 4.2 % of caffeine and 25 % to 0 % of diclofenac, likely related to the decline in tourist afflux due to the lockdown measures. Most of the compounds diminished in terms of frequency and/or concentration; however, as COVID-19 treatments make use of different pharmaceutical compounds such as antivirals, antibiotics, antiparasitics, or glucocorticoids, future studies should include these to assess their environmental impact.

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The effects of emerging contaminants on environmental health are of high concern, especially those potentially induced by mixtures. We assessed single and composite mixtures of triclosan (T), 17ß-estradiol (E2), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and nicotine (N) at various concentrations, on neonates of Daphnia magna. When used in single exposure, T and N induced high toxicity (100% immobility, each one), compared to SMX and E2 (2.5% and 10% immobility, respectively). When T, E2, SMX and N were in mixture, T had the highest contribution to the overall toxicity in mixture exposures. The N toxicity lowered when in a fourfold exposure (85% immobility in fourfold exposure). Due to the high toxicity of T and N, both alone and in the mixtures, our results can serve as a warning about the use of these substances and their release in the aquatic ecosystem.

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Universal access to safe water is a major global goal, but these efforts could be at stake because drinking water sources are becoming polluted in many developing countries. Chlorine, major ions, and heavy metals were measured in rivers and drinking water of Esmeraldas because potential pollution sources raise concerns about the quality of the water supply, and because users have developed strategies to cope with water shortages including collecting river water and water distributed by tankers, storing water at home, and consuming commercial bottled water. We sampled water from the water distribution system (WDS) and the Esmeraldas and Teaone rivers including the intake to the potabilization plant, water distributed by tankers, and commercial bottled water. Most of the samples collected from the Esmeraldas and Teaone rivers, the WDS, and tankers complied with drinking water standards, but higher concentration of cadmium and other metals in the eastern part of the city is an indication of corrosion inside the WDS. Commercial bottled and WDS water showed similar heavy metal concentrations, but regular consumption of some brands may lead to higher exposure to arsenic and mineral deficiencies. Chlorine concentrations in the water supplied by the WDS were below the values required for safe disinfection, and in-house chlorination is uncommon in the city. Strengthening pollution control in the Esmeraldas river, monitoring corrosion of the WDS, and promoting point-use chlorination and better water handling practices are required to secure a safer water supply in the long term.

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This study represents the first assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination in the coastal area of the Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. MPs were quantified in 14 coastal waters in beaches with different urbanization level and in 10 rivers. The most abundant MP types were transparent fibres, brown fragments, grey fragments, transparent fragments, and black fragments, which together represented 84% of the total count. Coastal waters presented significantly higher quantities of MP than rivers. No difference in microplastic abundance was detected between beaches with higher and lower urban occupation, nor between beaches facing North or West. Our results indicate that MP contamination is widespread, and most likely transported from multiple sources. Our results can serve as a baseline for future MP monitoring in the area.

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This work is a study on the occurrence of emerging pollutants in the northeast Ecuadorian Amazon. Emerging contaminants (ECs)-caffeine, triclosan, estradiol, acetaminophen, nicotine, and ibuprofen-were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in rivers and streams of the Amazon basin near the city of Tena, Ecuador. For that, a total of 16 natural water samples were taken in 8 locations. Sampling sites included areas impacted by discharges from inefficient sewage networks in urban areas, wastes from fish farming and non-functional landfill, a stream with few threats, tap water, and treated sewage. Caffeine was found in the 38% of the samples studied while trimethoprim and acetaminophen had an occurrence of 13%. Caffeine was detected at two sites receiving untreated sewage and one site receiving treated sewage with mean concentrations that ranged between 19 and 31.5 µg L-1. Acetaminophen (50.4 µg L-1) and trimethoprim (2 µg L-1) were only detected in the river receiving treated sewage effluent. This is the first assessment of emerging contaminants in the upper Ecuadorian Amazon basin, and our observations highlight the need for better sewage treatment and water quality monitoring in Amazonian cities.

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Chemical elements, which are present in drinking water, could vary due to water sources, treatment processes or even the plumbing materials. Most of these elements do not represent a threat, while others, such as heavy metals, have been proven to cause harmful effects over human and aquatic wildlife. In this study, the quality of drinking water in three cities in Ecuador, Quito, Ibarra and Guayaquil was assessed through a multielement analysis and the heavy metal pollution index (HPI). A total of 102 drinking water samples and six natural water samples were collected and analyzed. Within the scope of analysis, results show that water quality complies with local and international guidelines. HPI did not show significant differences in the water that is supplied to the different neighborhoods of the three cities studied. However, actions should be taken to protect the sources of water, especially in Guayaquil, due to the presence of lead and chromium. For instance, lead was found in 2.8% of the samples in concentrations above World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values. Thus, we suggest to assessing the quality and age of the plumbing system within the whole country, in order to avoid drinking water contamination with heavy metals.

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Currently, several concerns have been raised over metal contamination in the upper Amazon basin. Rivers that flow from the high Andes to the lowland Amazon are threatened by anthropogenic activities, which may, in turn, lead to increased metal concentrations in both water and sediments. In the present study, the impacts of multiple metal contamination sources in these ecosystems were identified. The degree of metal contamination was assessed in water and sediment and seed phytotoxicity analyses were carried out in samples taken from 14 sites located in upper Napo River tributaries, combining geochemical and ecotoxicological techniques. These tributaries were chosen based on their degree of anthropogenic contamination and proximity to known sources of relevant pollution, such as small-scale gold mining (MI), urban pollution (UP), fish farming (FF) and non-functional municipal landfill areas (LF). Our results suggest that anthropogenic activities are introducing metals to the aquatic ecosystem, as some metals were up to 500 times above the maximum permissible limits for the preservation of aquatic life established by Ecuadorian and North American guidelines. Sites located close to small-scale gold mining and sanitary landfills presented 100 to 1000 times higher concentrations than sites classified as "few threats". In water, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Hg were mostly above the maximum permissible limits in the samples, while Cd in sediment reached concentrations 5-fold above the probable effect level (PEL). Phytotoxicity was associated through the diffuse contamination present in urban and landfill areas. Overall, metal concentrations and phytotoxicity assessments suggest anthropogenic effects to environmental contamination, even though natural sources cannot be disregarded. Anthropogenic effects in the eastern Andean Rivers need to be constantly monitored in order to build a complete picture on how pollution sources may affect this strategic Amazon basin area.