Biogas slurry (BS) and bio-waste hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase (HP) are nutrient-rich wastewater. To prevent environment contamination, transforming BS and HP into synthetic fertilizers in the agricultural field can potentially realize resource utilization. We hypothesized that acidic HP could neutralize alkaline BS, adjusting floodwater pH from 6.88 to 8.00 and mitigating ammonia (NH₃) volatilization from the paddy soil. In this soil column study, the mixture of BS and HP was applied to paddy soil to substitute 50%, 75%, and 100% to urea. With a low (L) or high (H) ratio of HP, treatments were labeled as BCL50, BCL75, BCL100, BCH50, BCH75, and BCH100. Results showed that microbial byproduct- and fulvic acid-like substance were the main components in BS and HP using 3D-EEM analysis, respectively. Co-application of BS and HP mitigated the NH₃ volatilization by 4.2%–65.5% compared with CKU. BCL100 and BCH100 treatments significantly (P < 0.05) mitigated NH₃ volatilization by 65.5% and 56.8%, which also significantly (P < 0.05) mitigated the yield-scale NH₃ volatilization by 49.6% and 42.3%, compared with CKU. The low NH₄⁺-N concentration and pH value in floodwater were the main reason explained the NH₃ mitigation. Therefore, this study demonstrated that BS and HP co-application can substitute the urea as a valuable N fertilizer in a rational rate and meanwhile mitigate the NH₃ volatilization. This study will provide new ideas for the utilization of BS and HP resources in the context of ammonia mitigation.

Calcium peroxide (CaO₂) has been proven to oxidize various organic pollutants when they exist as a single class of compounds. However, there is a lack of research on the potential of unactivated CaO₂ to treat mixed chlorinated organic pollutants in soils. This study examined the potential of CaO₂ in treating soils co-contaminated with p-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) and p-chloromethane cresol (PCMC). The effects of CaO₂ dosage and treatment duration on the rate of degradation were investigated. Furthermore, the collateral effects of the treatment on treated soil characteristics were studied. The result showed that unactivated CaO₂ could oxidize mixed chlorinated organic compounds in wet soils. More than 69% of the pollutants in the wet soil were mineralized following 21 days of treatment with 3% (w/w) CaO₂. The hydroxyl radicals played a significant role in the degradation process among the other decomposition products of hydrogen peroxide. Following the oxidation process, the treated soil pH was increased due to the formation of calcium hydroxide. Soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and certain soil enzyme activities of the treated soil were decreased. However, the collateral effects of the system on electrical conductivity, available phosphorus, and particle size distribution of the treated soil were not significant. Likewise, since no significant release of heavy metals was seen in the treated soil matrix, the likelihood of metal ions as co-pollutants after treatment was low. Therefore, CaO₂ can be a better alternative for treating industrial sites co-contaminated with chlorinated organic compounds.

Chloropicrin (CP) controls soil-borne plant diseases caused by pathogenic microbes, increases crop yield, but has a long-term inhibitory effect on beneficial soil microorganisms. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of biofumigation material fresh chicken manure (FCM) on soil microorganisms, and the duration of those effects in this experiment. Our results showed that in the laboratory, FCM significantly increased substrate-induced respiration (SIR) of soil microorganisms by 2.2–3.2 times at 80 d compared to the control, however, CP significantly inhibited the SIR of soil microorganisms. FCM and CP increased NH4+-N concentration within 40 days which then returned to the control level. FCM increased NO3--N by 2.82–5.78 times by 80 days, compared with the control, while the concentration of NO3--N in the CP treatment was not significantly different from the control at the 80 day. Although in the laboratory FCM inhibited the relative abundance of 16 S rRNA and the nitrogen cycle functional genes AOA amoA, AOB amoA, nirK and nosZ over a 40-day period, the taxonomic diversity of soil bacteria and fungi in the FCM treatment were restored to unfumigated level within 90 days in the field. However, CP treatment has a strong inhibitory effect on soil microorganisms after 90 days. Importantly, the relative abundance of some beneficial microorganisms that control soil-borne pathogenic microbes or degrade pollutants increased significantly in FCM, including Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Streptomyces bacterial genera and Chaetomium and Mycothermus fungal genera. Noteworthy, like CP, FCM still had a strong inhibitory effect on Fusarium at 90 d. Our results indicated that FCM not only increased the content of inorganic nitrogen and improved the respiration rate of soil microorganisms, but it also shortened the recovery time of beneficial soil microorganisms and increased taxonomic diversity. Our previous reports showed that FCM and CP treatments had the same effect in disease control and crop growth. Combined with the results of this experiment, we believe that FCM has the potential to replace CP, which would eliminate CP's detrimental environmental impact, improve farmer safety and promote sustainable crop production.

Given extensive use of pesticides in agriculture, there is concern for unintended consequences to non-target species. The non-target freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca has been found to show resistance to the organophosphate (OP) pesticide, chlorpyrifos, resulting from an amino acid substitution in acetylcholinesterase (AChE), suggesting a selective pressure of unintended pesticide exposure. Since resistant organisms can survive in contaminated habitats, there is potential for them to accumulate higher concentrations of insecticides, increasing the risk for trophic transfer. In the present study, we estimated the uptake and elimination of chlorpyrifos in non-resistant US Lab, and resistant Ulatis Creek (ULC Resistant), H. azteca populations by conducting 24-h uptake and 48-h elimination toxicokinetic experiments with ¹⁴C-chlorpyrifos. Our results indicated that non-resistant H. azteca had a larger uptake clearance coefficient (1467 mL g⁻¹ h⁻¹) than resistant animals (557 mL g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The half-life derived from the toxicokinetic models also estimated that steady state conditions were reached at 13.5 and 32.5 h for US Lab and ULC, respectively. Bioaccumulation was compared between non-resistant and resistant H. azteca by exposing animals to six different environmentally relevant concentrations for 28 h. Detection of chlorpyrifos in animal tissues indicated that resistant animals exposed to high concentrations of chlorpyrifos were capable of accumulating the insecticide up to 10-fold higher compared to non-resistant animals. Metabolite analysis from the 28-h concentration experiments showed that between 20 and 50 % parent compound was detected in H. azteca. These results imply that bioaccumulation potential can be more significant in chlorpyrifos resistant H. azteca and may be an essential factor in assessing the full impacts of toxicants on critical food webs, especially in the face of increasing pesticide and chemical runoff.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of geo-climatic parameters and other potential risk factors on the prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis (CT) in pregnant women. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and SciELO databases for seroepidemiological studies published between January 1988, and February 2021. We performed meta-analysis and meta-regression by using a random effect model to synthesize data. A total of 360 eligible datasets, including 1,289,605 pregnant women from 94 countries, were included in this study. The highest and lowest prevalence rates were estimated for latitudes of 0–10° (49.4%) and ≥50° (26.8%); and for the longitude of 80–90° (44.2%) and 110–120° (7.8%), respectively. Concerning climatic parameters, the highest and lowest prevalence rates were estimated in regions with the mean relative humidities of >80% (46.6%) and <40% (27.0); annual precipitation between 1000 and 1500 mm (39.2%) and 250–500 mm (26.8%); and mean annual temperature of 20–30 °C (36.5%), and <7 °C (24.9%), respectively. Meta-regression analyses indicated significant increasing trends in prevalence of CT in pregnant women with decrease in geographical latitude (coefficient, = −0.0035), and geographical longitudes (C = −0.0017). While it was positively associated (P < 0.01) with the mean environmental temperature (C = 0.0047), annual precipitation (C = 0.000064), and mean relative humidity (C = 0.002). Our results highlighted various effects of environmental parameters on the prevalence of CT. Therefore, different regions in the world may benefit from different types of interventions, and thus, novel preventive measures in a region should be developed according to local climate, agricultural activities and people culture.

Nitrogen (N) pollution and the resulting eutrophication can have deleterious consequences on estuaries, such as hypoxia, fish kills, and loss of biotic diversity. An understanding of N sources and cycling in estuaries is fundamental to determining how to effectively manage these ecologically and commercially important areas. We applied a multiple-isotopic approach to examine the transformations and sources of the N pools in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) during winter. The surface water in the West PRE was characterized by low salinity and high NO₃⁻, while that in the east had high salinity and low NO₃⁻. The NO₃⁻ in the West PRE was largely regulated by a conservative mixing process. In contrast, assimilation and nitrification dominated in the East PRE, which was attributed to the long water-residence time. For the first time, the source contributions of NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ were estimated by isotope mixing models. Our results suggest that river discharge and nitrification contributed 81% and 12% to the NO₃⁻ pool, respectively. A major portion (68%) of the NH₄⁺ was from river discharge, with the remainder likely from sewage and the aquitard-aquifer system. Our study demonstrates that internal nitrification can potentially be of pivotal importance in determining the NO₃⁻ level in an estuary and its export to coastal waters.

Land use regression model (LUR) is a widespread method for predicting air pollution exposure. Few studies have explored the performance of independently developed daytime/nighttime LUR models. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations were measured by mobile monitoring during non-heating and heating seasons in Taiyuan. Pollutant concentrations were higher in the nighttime than the daytime, and higher in the heating season than the non-heating season. Daytime/nighttime and full-day LUR models were developed and validated for each pollutant to examine variations in model performance. Adjusted coefficients of determination (adjusted R²) for the LUR models ranged from 0.53–0.87 (PM₂.₅), 0.53–0.85 (PM₁₀), and 0.33–0.67 (NO₂). The performance of the daytime/nighttime LUR models for PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ was better than that of the full-day models according to the results of model adjusted R² and validation R². Consistent results were confirmed in the non-heating and heating seasons. Effectiveness of developing independent daytime/nighttime models for NO₂ to improve performance was limited. Surfaces based on the daytime/nighttime models revealed variations in concentrations and spatial distribution. In conclusion, the independent development of daytime/nighttime LUR models for PM₂.₅/PM₁₀ has the potential to replace full-day models for better model performance. The modeling strategy is consistent with the residential activity patterns and contributes to achieving reliable exposure predictions for PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀. Nighttime could be a critical exposure period, due to high pollutant concentrations.

Bivalves are useful bioindicators of microplastic contamination in the marine environment for several reasons, such as extensive filter feeding activity, broad geographical distribution, and limited movement capability. This study conducted a nationwide monitoring of microplastic pollution along the Korean coasts using filter-feeding bivalves (including oyster, mussel, and Manila clam) as bioindicators to identify the national contamination level and characteristics of microplastics. Seawater sample was collected from the same sampling stations of oyster and mussel for comparison. Microplastics were widely distributed in both coastal bivalves and waters with mean concentrations of 0.33 ± 0.23 n/g (1.21 ± 0.68 n/individual) in oyster/mussel, 0.43 ± 0.32 n/g (2.19 ± 1.20 n/individual) in Manila clam, and 1400 ± 560 n/m³ in seawater. Despite the lack of significant relationship in the abundance of microplastics, their dominant features such as size, shape, color and polymer type were similar between bivalves and seawater. Fragments (69% for oyster/mussel, 72% for Manila clam, and 77% for seawater), particles smaller than 300 μm (96% for oyster/mussel, 83% for Manila clam, and 84% for seawater) and colorless (79% for oyster/mussel, 85% for Manila clam, 75% for seawater) were the dominant shape, size and color, respectively. The major polymer types were polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. The microplastic level in bivalves was relatively high in urbanized areas with a wide diversity of polymer types compared with those in non-urbanized areas, and the proportion of polystyrene in the Korean samples was abundant compared with other regions due to wide use of polystyrene products in Korea. Our result suggests that microplastic contamination is widespread in the Korean coastal environment, and bivalves can reflect the microplastic pollution characteristics of the surrounding waters where they live.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are generally defined as a homogenous group of elements with similar physical-chemical properties, encompassing Y and Sc and the lanthanides elements series. Natural REEs contents in soils depend on the parent material, the soil genesis processes and can be gradually added to the soil by anthropogenic activities. The REEs have been considered emerging pollutants in several countries, so the establishment of regulatory guidelines is necessary to avoid environmental contamination. In Brazil, REE soils data are restricted to some regions, and knowledge about them in the Amazon soils is scarce, although this biome covers more than 40% of the Brazilian territory. Thus, the objectives of this study were to determine the REE content in soils of two hydrographic basins (Solimões and Rio Negro) of the Amazon biome, establish their Quality Reference Values (QRV) and to investigate the existence of enrichment of REEs in urban soils. The ΣREE(Y + Sc) content of Solimões surface samples was 109.28 mg kg⁻¹ and the ΣREE(Y + Sc) content in the subsurface samples was 94.11 mg kg⁻¹. In soils of Rio Negro basin, the ΣREE(Y + Sc) was 43.95 15 mg kg⁻¹ surface samples and 38.40 mg kg⁻¹ in subsurface samples. The ΣREE(Y + Sc) in urban topsoils samples was 38.62 mg kg⁻¹. The REEs contents pattern in three studied areas are influenced in different amplitude by natural soil properties. The REEs content in urban topsoils were slightly higher than the Rio Negro pristine soils, but the ecological risk was low. QRVs recommend for Solimões soils ranged from 0.01 (Lu) to 145.6 mg kg⁻¹ (Ce) and for Rio Negro soils ranged from 0.05 (Lu) to 15.8 mg kg⁻¹ (Ce).

Plastic pollution has been a growing concern in recent decades due to the proliferation and ease of manufacturing of single use plastic products and inadequate waste and recycling management. Microplastic, and even smaller nanoplastic, particles are persistent pollutants in aquatic and terrestrial systems and are the subject of active and urgent research. This review will explore the current research on how exposure to plastic particles occurs and the risks associated from different exposure routes: ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure. The effects of microplastics on the cardiovascular system are of particular importance due to its sensitivity and ability to transport particles to other organ systems. The effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the heart, platelet aggregation, and thrombus formation will all be explored with focus on how the particle characteristics modulate their effect. Plastic particle interactions are highly dependent on both their size and their surface chemistry and interesting research is being done with the interaction of particle characteristics and effect on thrombosis and the cardiovascular system. There is significant uncertainty surrounding some of the findings in this field as research in this area is still maturing. There are undoubtedly more physiological consequences than we are currently aware of resulting from environmental plastic exposure and more studies need to be conducted to reveal the full extent of pathologies caused by the various routes of microplastic exposure, with particular emphasis on longitudinal exposure effects. Further research will allow us to recognize the full extent of physiological impact and begin developing viable solutions to reduce plastic pollution and potentially design interventions to mitigate in-vivo plastic effects following significant or prolonged exposure.