The chemical composition and biological activity of a sample of yellow propolis from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (EEP-Y MS), were investigated for the first time and compared with green, brown, and red types of Brazilian propolis and with a sample of yellow propolis from Cuba. Overall, EEP-Y MS had different qualitative chemical profiles, as well as different cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities when compared to the other types of propolis assessed in this study and it is a different chemotype of Brazilian propolis. Absence of phenolic compounds and the presence of mixtures of aliphatic compounds in yellow propolis were determined by analysing 1H-NMR spectra and fifteen terpenes were identified by GC-MS. EEP-Y MS showed cytotoxic activity against human tumour strain OVCAR-8 but was not active against Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria. Our results confirm the difficulty of establishing a uniform quality standard for propolis from diverse geographical origins. The most appropriate pharmacological applications of yellow types of propolis must be further investigated.

Recebido em 26/11/10; aceito em 16/6/11; publicado na web em 9/8/11 LEAD AND ZINC IN WATER AND SEDIMENTS OF A METAL MINING AND METALLURGY AREA. Lead metallurgy at Adrianópolis is the largest environmental problem of Paraná, Brazil. The objective of this study was to determine Pb and Zn levels in water and sediment in two catchments by different extraction methods. The high levels of lead in water in most of samples do not allow the human use. Total Pb concentration as high as 795.3 µg L -1 was observed in Ribeira River bank, in a pluvial water stream flowering from a abandoned factory. Due to the high Pb levels in sediments from some sites (maximum of 24,300 mg kg -1 ) is recommended to avoid the water turbulence.

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In the present work a simple method was proposed for the determination of Cr(VI) in water samples using a previous separation of Cr(III) by the low cost sorbent montmorillonite, followed by separation of the solid phase and subsequent quantification of Cr(VI) employing ICP-OES. A complete Cr(III) removal was observed after only 1 minute of contact time between 25 mg of the clay mineral montmorillonite saturated with potassium ions (MTK) and the aqueous sample. On the other hand, the Cr(VI) remained in solution, yielding a suitable separation of the species. The method presented appropriate accuracy and precision in comparison with the official method of diphenylcarbazide (DPC), showing a good performance for Cr(VI) quantification in effluent water samples, with 0.20 and 0.70 mg L À1 for the Limit of Detection (LOD) and the Limit of Quantification (LOQ), respectively. Based on the experimental results, MTK showed remarkable characteristics to be used as a sorbent phase for an easy and fast separation of chromium species and consequently to provide the speciation analysis.

Particulate and dissolved metal concentrations were determined after the largest flood in the last 30 years on the east-west axis of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex (PEC) and compared to the those of the dry period at two stations. Results confirmed that the flood greatly affected riverine outflows and the behavior of metals in the PEC. In particular, a sharp decrease in salinity was followed by extremely high SPM concentrations leading to a decrease in DO concentrations at both stations. For the dissolved phase, ANOSIM analysis showed a significant dissimilarity at each station between the sampled periods, whereas for the particulate phase this dissimilarity was found only for the samplings taken at the Antonina Station. KD values suggested dissolved Cu behavior was related to the presence of organic complexes and dissolved Mn had sediment resuspension of redox sediments and or/pore water injection as sources. Metal concentrations were lower than in polluted estuaries, though high enrichment factors found after the flood pointed to the influence of anthropogenic sources. In conclusion, the flood's influence was more evident at the Antonina Station, due to its location in the upper estuary, whereas in Paranaguá a high SPM content with low metal concentration was found, following the common pattern generally found in other marine systems subject to heavy rainfall events. Com o objetivo de avaliar a influência do maior evento de enchente dos últimos 30 anos no Complexo Estuarino de Paranaguá (CEP), ocorrido em 2010, concentrações de metais na fase particulada e dissolvida foram medidas em duas estações amostrais, e comparadas ao período seco. Os resultados confirmaram a influência desse evento no aumento do fluxo dos rios e no comportamento dos metais no CEP. Uma acentuada diminuição na salinidade, concomitante ao aumento de material particulado em suspensão, gerou a diminuição das concentrações de oxigênio dissolvido nas duas estações amostradas. A análise de ANOSIM indicou ausência de similaridade entre ambas as estações e períodos amostrados, enquanto que para a fase particulada essa diferença foi evidente apenas para a estação de Antonina. Os valores do coeficiente de partição (KD) sugeriram um input de manganês dissolvido por meio de processos de oxi-redução. As concentrações de metais registradas foram menores do que as encontradas em estuários poluídos; no entanto, o aumento do Fator de Enriquecimento após o evento de inundação sugeriu a influência de fontes antrópicas. Como conclusão geral, a influência do evento de inundação foi mais evidente na estação de Antonina, principalmente devido a sua localização na parte superior do estuário, enquanto que em Paranaguá o aumento do SPM foi acompanhado de uma diminuição na concentração de metais, seguindo o comportamento de metais registrados em outros estuários após eventos de inundação. AbstrAct Marilia Lopes da Rocha resumoDescritores: Metais na fase dissolvida, Metais no particulado, eventos de inundação, coeficiente de partição.