Octavio P Luzardo

• MVD, PhD
• Professor at University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Adipose tissue, in addition to serving as energy storage, can store lipophilic substances, some of which may pose a health risk if massively mobilized during rapid weight loss. This study aimed to biomonitor inorganic elements in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and analyze the role of sociodemographic factors. ICP-MS was employed to qua...

Urban free-roaming cat populations (or community cats, according to the Spanish legislation) present complex challenges, including public health risks, coexistence conflicts with residents, animal welfare, and threats to biodiversity conservation. In 2020, Córdoba, Spain, initiated one of the most extensive citywide trap–neuter–return (TNR) program...

La Graciosa, a Natura 2000 site in the Canary Islands, faces substantial conservation challenges, including a large free-roaming cat population that threatens the island’s native biodiversity. In July 2024, a Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) campaign achieved an 81.4% sterilization rate within urban areas, highlighting TNR’s short-term effectiveness in red...

Animal welfare and animal abuse, although measurable, exhibit a high degree of subjectivity that conditions how they are perceived and the level of sensitivity. Both elements are influenced by individual and sociodemographic factors. To determine the perception of animal welfare among veterinary students and to study the main sociodemographic facto...

Introduction Obesity is a pathological state that involves the dysregulation of different metabolic pathways and adipose tissue cells, constituting a risk factor for the development of other diseases. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment. The study of the behavior of pollutants in situations of extreme weight loss can provide biomonito...

The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean near the Saharan coast. The extensive intricacy and multitude of variables inherent in the Canary Islands winemaking tradition have posed a substantial challenge, preventing comprehensive research on the main factors contributing to the character of local wine, th...

Simple Summary The perception of animal abuse is closely linked to each society. Because of its culture, Spain is among the European Union countries with the highest records of animal abuse. The Canary Islands, where this study was carried out, also has very high rates of intentional poisoning of wildlife and abandonment of pets. Care and responsib...

It is well known that rodenticides are widely used, and there are multiple routes by which they can reach non-target wildlife species. Specifically, in the Canary Islands, a high and concerning incidence of these compounds has been reported. However, in this scenario, reptiles remain one of the least studied taxa, despite their potential suitabilit...

Particles from tires are a major fraction of microplastic pollution. They contain a wide range of chemical additives that can leach into the water and be harmful to aquatic organisms. In this study, we investigated the acute toxicity of tire particle leachates in early life stages of three keystone echinoderm species (Paracentrotus lividus, Arbacia...

Background: The infant population is particularly sensitive, so the risk posed by their diet must be analyzed. The aims of the present study were (i) to determine the contents of 38 elements in 159 samples of ready-to-eat baby food sold in Spain and (ii) to estimate the dietary intakes and risk assessments of these elements in name brands and stor...

Inorganic elements such as heavy metals and other potentially toxic elements are frequently detected in humans. The aim of the present study was to analyze the blood concentrations of 49 inorganic elements in a cohort of 401 subjects from Cape Verde. The study was performed in the frame of the Pesticide Residues in Vegetables of the Macaronesia pro...

Several studies have examined the association between prenatal exposure to organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticides and their impact on foetal growth and newborn anthropometry; however, the available evidence is limited and inconclusive. This study examined whether prenatal organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide exposure was associated with anth...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants. Although they are not bioaccumulated in vertebrates, chronic exposures might still derive on serious toxic effects. We studied concentrations of 16 reference PAHs on blubber of two dolphin species (striped dolphin, n = 34; and bottlenose dolphin, n = 8) and one marine...

Animals and humans are exposed to various residues that can have a detrimental impact on health, including carcinogenic potential, endocrine disruption, or fatal toxicity. The toxic burden can be evaluated in several biological samples, with serum being one of the preferred and most convenient options. In this study, we have applied and validated a...

Simple Summary Homeless cats pose a significant problem in Europe as they tend to congregate in urban areas where they can find food and shelter. Over time, they may then spread out into natural habitats. Animal welfare organizations provide care to these free-roaming cats, but some stakeholders call for capturing or sacrificing them, which is ofte...

Forty-seven elements in leafy green vegetables were studied to estimate the daily intakes from this food category in different scenarios (average and high consumers) and age groups of the Canary Islands population. The contribution of the consumption of each type of vegetable to the reference intakes of essential, toxic and potentially toxic elemen...

Objective: The set of exposures to chemical substances and their role as a cause of disease gives rise to the concept of the exposome, partially made up of chemical pollutants to which an individual is exposed, which is why, unlike the genome, it is an a priori modifiable factor, its study being crucial in terms of Public Health. The population of...

Microplastic pollution and associated chemical contaminants is a topic of growing interest. In recent years, the number of publications reporting the presence of microplastics (MPs) in marine organisms has increased exponentially. However, there is a gap in knowledge about the trophic transfer of contaminants from microplastics to animal tissues, a...

The number of craft breweries and the volume of craft beer produced globally is growing exponentially. However , little is known about their differences with mainstream beers regarding mycotoxin profile, pesticide and pollutant residues and elemental composition. Given that beer is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide , it is important to s...

Background: There is wide, largely unexplained heterogeneity in immunological and clinical responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Numerous environmental chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and chemical elements (including some metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements, and minority elements), are immunomodulatory and ca...

Despite the Mediterranean Sea being one of the world's marine biodiversity hotspots, it is a hotspot of various environmental pollutants. This sea holds eight cetacean with resident populations whose numbers are considered to decline in the last decades and which are particularly susceptible to POPs bioaccumulation due to their peculiar characteris...

The biomagnification and biodilution of inorganic pollutants, have a close correlation on the structure and function of trophic change behavior; sea turtles represent an excellent bioindicator model to identify their impact in marine ecosystems. To understand pollution effects on marine ecosystems, we quantified the bioconcentration of 50 inorganic...

Plastic pollution constitutes an environmental problem in the Canary Islands nowadays. Nevertheless, studies evaluating the impact of plastics on its avifauna are still scarce. Gastrointestinal tracts of 88 birds belonging to 14 species were studied for the presence of plastics. Moreover, their livers were analyzed for the determination of bromodip...

Ethanol and medical psychotropics (MPs) are legal psychoactive substances widely consumed in Western countries that are routinely detected in standard toxicological analyses at compulsory autopsies, and toxicokinetic interactions between these drugs have been described. However, studies assessing the consequences of this co-consumption are scarce i...

Heavy metals have become subject of concern in the recent years because of its potency to cause cardiovascular diseases and other toxic health effects. Therefore, this research was assumed to investigate the level of toxicity in terms of heavy metals accumulation in the fish samples and its benefits and risk for human consumers health and also eval...

The surface and output of organic agriculture is growing steadily in recent years, being generally seen as a healthier, safer and more sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture. Comparisons between organic and conventional products are nonetheless scarce in the literature, especially in the case of wine. The aim of this study was to compa...

International Public Health authorities recommend biomonitoring studies to assess the exposure to chemicals in the general population. The aim of the present study was to analyze the blood concentrations of a total 360 pollutants, including 230 pesticides in current or recent use, 59 persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs), 11 anticoagulant rod...

Medical psychotropics are widely used and prescribed in developed countries. These medications may have an impairing effect on mood or perception and may induce harmful behaviors. Nevertheless, in Europe, studies on their importance from a medico-legal perspective are scarce. To fill this gap, we evaluate the determinants of these drugs in a retros...

The occurrence of organic pollutants in soil is a major environmental concern. These compounds can reach the soil in different ways. Point sources, related to pesticides that are used intentionally, can be applied directly to the soil, or reach the soil indirectly due to application to the aerial parts of crops. On the other hand, non-point sources...

Marine microplastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems we face. The growth of plastic production has not ceased since the 1950s and it is currently estimated that 368 tons of plastic were produced in 2019 (PlascticsEurope, 2020). Geyer et al. (2017) estimate that 79% of the plastic produced in the world still remains in the envi...

In 2015, the failure of the Fundão dam caused the release of 43 million m³ of tailings into the Doce River Basin, in southeast Brazil. It was considered the largest environmental disaster of the world mining industry. The tailings, composed mostly of heavy metals, caused massive destruction of the Doce River ecosystem endangering the organisms that...

The recent volcanic eruption on the island of La Palma has aroused the concern of banana producers and consumers, given that in its area of influence there are thousands of hectares of banana plantations with an annual production of about 100 million kilos for export. Since volcanoes are one of the main natural sources of heavy metal contamination,...

The organic wine market is rapidly growing worldwide, both in terms of production and consumption. However, the scientific literature is not conclusive regarding differences in the elemental composition of wines according to their production method, including both major and trace elements. Minerals can be present in wine as a result of both anthrop...

Animal poisoning is one of the greatest conservation threats facing wildlife. In a preliminary study in the oceanic archipelago of the Canary Islands, we showed that the degree of threat from this circumstance was very high-even higher than that reported in other regions of continental Europe. Consequently, a legal framework for the effective prose...

The screening of hundreds of substances belonging to multiple chemical classes in liver is required in areas such as food safety or biomonitoring. We adapted a previous QuEChERS-based method in blood to the liver matrix and applied to these fields of study. The validation of the method allowed the inclusion of 351 contaminants, 80% with a LOQ < 2 n...

Birds have historically suffered adverse effects by toxic elements, such as As, Pb, Hg, and Cd. However, reports on exposure to a wide range of elements, including rare earth elements and other minor elements of emerging concern, and the potential consequences for wildlife are still scarce. This study evaluates blood concentrations of 50 elements a...

Soil is one of the environmental compartments most affected by pollution. From this medium, the organic compounds can be emitted to the groundwater, the atmosphere, or the biota. Thus, having adequate methods of analysis of organic pollutants in this matrix is essential. However, the soil is a very complex matrix whose organic and inorganic compone...

Human biomonitoring is a powerful approach in assessing exposure to environmental pollutants. Flame retardants (FRs) are of particular concern due to their wide distribution in the environment and adverse health effects. This article reviews studies published in 2009-2020 on the chemical analysis of FRs in a variety of human samples and discusses t...

Dry feed for pets lacks specific legislation regarding maximum residue limits for inorganic elements. The aim of the present study was to determine the content of 43 inorganic elements in dog and cat feed, studying whether there were differences according to the supposed quality of the food and performing the risk assessment for health. Thirty-one...

Opportunities for postmortem studies on leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are infrequent due to their predominantly pelagic life history. In this study, the pathological findings and causes of mortality of 13 leatherback turtles stranded in the Canary Islands, Spain, from 1998 to 2017, are described. In addition, concentrations of Se,...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are among the most relevant and dangerous contaminants in soil, from where they can be transferred to crops. Additionally, livestock animals may inadvertently consume relatively high amounts of soil attached to the roots of the vegetables while grazing, leading to indirect exposure to humans. Therefore, periodic...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are among the most relevant and dangerous contaminants in soil, from where they can be transferred to crops. Additionally, livestock animals may inadvertently consume relatively high amounts of soil attached to the roots of the vegetables while grazing, leading to indirect exposure to humans. Therefore, periodic...

A modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) extraction was validated for the extraction of seven coumarin anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) and 36 pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) residues in soil samples using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The aim of this work was to develop a method for...

Background Few cities in the world biomonitor changes in human levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through periodic health surveys representative of the general population. Objectives To analyze changes in serum concentrations of POPs in Barcelona from 2006 to 2016, and to analyze socio-demographic correlates of concentrations of 62 POP...

The dataset presented in this article supports “Intensive livestock farming as a major determinant of the exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides in raptors of the Canary Islands (Spain)” (Rial-Berriel et al., 2020). A Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis on the influence of the influence of livestock activity on exposure to anticoagulant ro...

The nitrate content of the most consumed green leafy vegetables in the European Region of the Canary Islands was determined. The sampling included chard and watercress, which are not regulated but highly consumed in this region. The levels of nitrates in organic vegetables were significantly higher than those of conventional cultivation. However, n...

Due to progressive urban development along the Mexican Caribbean coastline, it is crucial to gauge the impact of anthropogenic contamination of marine ecosystems through biomonitoring procedures. In the current study, we quantified the concentration of 49 inorganic elements in the blood and scute tissues of clinically healthy nesting hawksbill sea...

The Canary Islands (Spain) is a biodiversity hotspot, with more than 4500 registered endemic species. However, it is subject to high anthropogenic pressure that threatens its wildlife in various ways. In the context of forensic toxicological surveys, the presence of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) has been investigated in the liver of 831 animal ca...

The major purpose of human biomonitoring is the mapping and assessment of human exposure to chemicals. The European initiative HBM4EU has prioritized seven substance groups and two metals relevant for human exposure: Phthalates and substitutes (1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester, DINCH), bisphenols, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substanc...

The population of the Canary Islands has been exposed to high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Biomonitoring studies are essential to know the temporal trend in residue levels, particularly of substances banned decades ago. The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of plasma concentrations of 59 POPs in 175 participan...

Resumen La mamografía con contraste (CEM) es una nueva y prometedora técnica de imagen basada en la neovascularización de los tumores de manera similar a la resonancia magnética de la mama. Los resultados de los estudios clínicos muestran que su rendimiento diagnóstico es significativamente mejor que el de la mamografía digital convencional, y que...

This paper explores Spanish pesticide policy with a focus on developments during the last decade. Spain is one of the greatest global consumers of conventional pesticides and leader in various related rankings among European Union countries. However, reviews of pesticide policies examining the key plans, facts, strategies and stakeholders are larg...

Background: Sensitization to methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI) is a worldwide problem. Washing machine detergents are suspected to cause cutaneous symptoms in highly sensitized patients. Little is known about the persistence of isothiazolinones in clothes that have been washed. Objective: The aim of the study was t...

The dataset presented in this article supports "Optimization and validation of a method for the simultaneous environmental monitoring of 218 pesticide residues in clay loam soil" [1]. A method based on QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged & Safe) for the extraction of pesticide and some metabolites residues was developed. The quantificat...

The role of inorganic elements as risk factors for stroke has been suggested. We designed a case-control study to explore the role of 45 inorganic elements as factors associated with stroke in 92 patients and 83 controls. Nineteen elements were detected in >80% of patients and 21 were detected in >80% of controls. Blood level of lead was significan...

Until the 1990s, there were very few reports of environmental pollutants measured in reptiles. Since then, studies on contaminants in reptiles have increased, but to a lesser extent than attention to contaminants in mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians. Most research has focused on the study of pollutant levels (reviewed, among others, by de Solla...

A modified QuEChERS method was optimized, validated and verified for the extraction of 218 pesticide residues in agricultural soil samples. The 218 analytes are extracted using a single step, without clean-up, with matrix-matched calibration, and two complementary techniques: liquid and gas chromatography tandem triple quad mass spectrometry (LC-MS...

Some metals and metalloids (e.g. Pb, Hg, Cd and As) are well-known for their bioaccumulation capacity and their toxic effects on birds, but concerns on other minor elements and rare earth elements (ME and REE) are growing due to their intensive use in modern technology and potential toxicity. Vitamins and carotenoids play essential roles in nestlin...

The dataset presented in this article supports “Micro QuEChERS-based methodology for the simultaneous biomonitoring in whole blood of 360 toxicologically relevant pollutants for wildlife” (Rial-Berriel et al., 2020). The supplementary data are: (1) Detailed validation data of the LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS methods for the quantification of 360 chemicals...

This work presents the optimization, validation, and verification of a miniaturized method for the determination of 360 environmental pollutants that are of toxicological concern for wildlife. The method implies a one-step QuEChERS-based extraction of 250 μl whole blood using acidified acetonitrile, followed by two complementary analyses by LC–MS/M...

Toxic metals have been widely reported in avian tissues due to their well-known accumulation capacity and adverse effects. However, rare earth elements (REE) and other minor elements (ME) are becoming a new threat due to their use in modern technology. Presently, exposure data are limited and no studies have been reported in wildlife. The order Cap...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of chemical contaminants, predominantly produced via fossil fuel combustion. They spread easily worldwide, so they are considered as semipersistent pollutants. Many of them are considered as carcinogenic or mutagenic compounds, for example, interacting directly with DNA. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)...

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been banned over the last decades for being damaged to the environment and to the health of humans and animals. However, due to their lipophilic nature and resistance to degradation, they are frequently detected in biological samples. Its presence has been associated with the increased risk of suffering fro...

Dry feed for dogs and cats sold in Europe are mostly formulated with cereals and cereal by-products, so the contamination of this food with mycotoxins represents a potential risk for these pets. We analyzed a representation of the best-selling feed brands in Spain. The presence of Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2), Ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 toxins,...

Inorganic elements have been associated with brain tumours for long. The blood concentration of 47 elements was assessed by ICP-MS in 26 brain tumour patients and 21 healthy subjects from Bucharest (Romania). All 47 elements were detected in the brain tumour tissue, and 22 were detected in > 80% of samples; this implies that these elements can cros...

Objective To determine the usefulness of BI-RADS® MRI for the morphological description and categorization of images obtained with contrast-enhanced digital mammography in comparison with the final diagnosis. Material and methods We included patients who had palpable breast lesions, those who needed clarification regarding abnormalities identified...

Heavy metals and other toxic elements are frequently detected in humans. Rare earth elements (REE) have arisen as a novel group of substances considered as emerging pollutants due to its dependence for high tech industry. We designed a study aimed to conduct the biomonitoring a total of 45 inorganic elements in the population of Andalusia (Spain)....

Background: Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI) contact dermatitis is a severe problem. The high concentrations of these substances and other isothiazolinones such as benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and octylisothiazolinone (OIT) contained in cleaning products may cause allergic contact dermatitisin sensitized patients. Obj...

The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of ethanol in individuals (277) subjected to a mandatory medico-legal autopsy in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain) during 2016-2017, comparing the results with data published in 2015. Blood and/or vitreous humor samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. 31.8%...

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced dual-energy spectral mammography (CESM) in comparison with that of full-field digital mammography (FFDM), either alone or accompanied with breast ultrasound (BUS) in a large series of patients/breast lesions (n = 644). Patients and methods In this retrospective study, five radio...

Biomonitoring studies are important for quantifying the body burden of pollutants and their possible effects on health. Serum concentration of 42 elements was assessed by ICP-MS in 89 children (7.2 ± 3.4 years old) from Bucharest (Romania). Levels of pollutants were compared with the clinical data obtained from routine blood tests. Clinical paramet...

Resumen Objetivo Se plantea comprobar la utilidad del léxico BI-RADS® de la resonancia magnética de la mama (RMM) para la descripción morfológica y la categorización de las imágenes obtenidas mediante mamografía digital con realce de contraste (CESM) en comparación con el diagnóstico final. Material y métodos Se incluyeron pacientes con lesiones...