Lead (Pb) both in paints and children's Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys is a major public health concern which has attracted attention of the international community. Concentrations of Pb both in lead-based paints and children's PVC toys have been assessed through various studies across the globe. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to summarize the results reported in these studies and provide some comprehension on their implications to human health for law enforcement as well as for awareness raising to the general public. Highlights on identified gaps have been provided to pave ways for further research interventions in order to establish comprehensive information on the subject.Regardless of regulatory limits on the content of lead, both in paints and children's PVC toys existing in different countries in the world, some of the reviewed articles have revealed significant levels of lead in these two items far above the permissible limits.High lead levels in paints have been recorded in China (116,200 ppm), Cameroon (500,000 ppm), South Africa (189,000 ppm), Tanzania (120,862.1 ppm), Uganda (150,000 ppm), Thailand (505,716 ppm) and Brazil (170,258.4 ppm) just to mention a few.Lead poisoning cases in children have been reported in several countries including France, Morocco, South Africa and United States. Countries where high levels of lead in children's PVC toys have been recounted include; China (860,000 ppm), South Africa (145,000 ppm), United States (22,550 ppm), Thailand (4,486.11 ppm), Palestine (6,036 ppm) and India (2,104 ppm).Awareness raising among parents is vital to impart them with knowledge on the matter so that they can take strenuous measures to protect their children from lead poisoning emanating from playing with toys and paint dust. Law enforcement on phasing out lead-based paints and control of lead content in children's PVC toys worldwide is also highly recommended.

Size-segregated ambient particles down to particles smaller than 0.1 μm (PM₀.₁) were collected during the year 2014–2015 using cascade air samplers with a PM₀.₁ stage, at two cities in Thailand, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Their characteristics and seasonal behavior were evaluated based on the thermal/optical reflectance (IMPROVE_TOR) method. Diagnostic indices for their emission sources and the black carbon (BC) concentration were assessed using an aethalometer and related to the monthly emission inventory (EI) of particle-bound BC and organic carbon (OC) in order to investigate the contribution of agricultural activities and forest fires as well as agro-industries in Thailand. Monthly provincial EIs were evaluated based on the number of agricultural crops produced corresponding to field residue burning and the use of residues as fuel in agro-industries, and also on the number of hot spots from satellite images corresponding to the areas burned by forest fires. The ratio of char-EC/soot-EC describing the relative influence of biomass combustion to diesel emission was found to be in agreement with the EI of BC from biomass burning in the size range <1 μm. This was especially true for PM₀.₁, which usually tends to be indicative of diesel exhaust particles, and was shown to be very sensitive to the EI of biomass burning. In Chiang Mai, the northern part of Thailand, the forest fires located upwind of the monitoring site were found to be the largest contributor while the carbon behavior at the site in Bangkok was better accounted for by the EI of provinces in central Thailand including Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, where the burning of crop residues and the cultivation of sugarcane for sugar production are significant factors. This suggests that the influence of transportation of polluted air masses is important on a multi-provincial scale (100–200 km) in Thailand.

Tungstate enrichment in aquatic systems may cause negative environmental and health effects. This study addresses tungstate removal from aqueous solution by nanocrystalline iowaite, an iron-bearing layered double hydroxide, which has not been used for treatment of tungstate-rich waters so far. Tungstate sorption experiments were conducted with various contact times, temperatures, initial tungstate concentrations (0.001–2 mM), and solution pH values (2–13), the results indicating that iowaite sorbed aqueous tungstate effectively and quickly, and the sorption maximum can be up to 71.9 mg/g. Moreover, the tungsten sorption capacity keeps nearly constant at a wide pH range from 3 to 11. Duo to its pH buffering effect, the alkaline conditions were generated by the addition of iowaite, which are favorable for the removal of aqueous tungstate because the polymerization of tungstate can be prohibited at alkaline pH values. Zeta potential, XRD and XPS analyses were employed to clarify the sorption mechanisms, and it was concluded that tungstate was sorbed via its exchange with the chloride originally intercalated into iowaite interlayers as well as its stronger inner-sphere complexation with the Fe atoms located in iowaite layers. Nanocrystalline iowaite is suitable for treating both tungstate-bearing natural waters with moderately high tungstate concentrations and industrial wastewaters extremely rich in tungstate.

Organic pollutants are widely detected in surface water, groundwater and irrigation sewage in farmland soil, some of which can form complexes with heavy metal ions as ligands in the environment. Acesulfame (ACE), one of the most popular artificial sweeteners, has been found in wastewater sometimes at tens of microgram per liter. However, the combined effects of heavy metals and ACE are still unclear. In the present study, the effects of ACE on cadmium (Cd) absorption and translocation in rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) under different exposure conditions were investigated using hydroponic experiments. Under the combined exposure treatments of ACE and Cd, absorption of Cd and ACE in rice significantly decreased when compared with the single exposure treatments, while the alleviation of oxidative damage in rice was also found. Under the sequential exposure treatments of Cd and ACE, the post-exposed ACE activated the pre-absorbed Cd in plant, and accelerated the release of Cd to the environment as well as its translocation from the roots to shoots. In addition, compared with the single Cd exposure, the accumulated ACE can alleviate the oxidative damage in rice shoots induced by Cd, although the Cd concentrations in shoots changed little. In summary, the combined pollution of artificial sweetener ACE was beneficial to relieve the toxicological damage and ecological risk caused by Cd.

As the frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwaves increases, emergency health serviceutilization, including ambulance service, has correspondingly increased across the world. The negative effects of air pollution on health complicate these adverse health effects. This research work is the first known study to analyze the joint effects of heatwaves and air quality on the ambulance service in Western Australia (WA). The main objective is to investigate the potential joint effects of heatwaves and air quality on the ambulance service for vulnerable populations in the Perth metropolitan area. A time series design was used. Daily data on ambulance callouts, temperature and air pollutants (CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅) were collected for the Perth metropolitan area, WA from 2006 to 2015. Poisson regression modeling was used to assess the association between heatwaves, air quality, and ambulance callouts. Risk assessments on age, gender, socio-economic status (SES), and joint effects between heatwaves and air quality on ambulance callouts were conducted. The ambulance callout rate was higher during heatwave days (14.20/100,000/day) compared to non-heatwave days (13.95/100,000/day) with a rate ratio of 1.017 (95% confidence interval 1.012, 1.023). The ambulance callout rate was higher in males, people over 60 years old, people with low SES, and those living in coastal areas during period of heatwaves. Exposure to CO, SO₂, O₃ and PM₂.₅ increased risk on ambulance callouts and exposure to NO₂ showed joint effect with heatwave and increased risk of ambulance callouts by 3% after adjustment of all other risk factors. Ambulance callouts are an important indicator for evaluating heatwave-related emergency morbidity in WA. As the median concentrations of air pollutants in WA were lower than the Australian National Standards, the interactive effects of heatwaves and air quality on ambulance service need to be further examined, especially when air pollutants exceed the standards.

The increased bioeconomy targets for the biomass share of renewable energy production across Europe should be met using land unsuitable for food production. Miscanthus breeding programs targeted the production of plants with a diverse range of traits allowing a wider utilization of land resources for biofuel production without competing with arable crops. These traits include increasing tolerances to drought, chilling, and to metal(loid)s excess. Two novel Miscanthus hybrids, GNT41 and GNT34, were compared against Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) on metal-contaminated arable land in Poland. This study aimed at evaluating their yield, biomass quality and quantifying seasonal differences in photosynthetic and transpiration parameters. A secondary objective was to identify key physiological mechanisms underlying differences in metal accumulation between the investigated plants. The new hybrids produced a similar yield to Mxg (13–15 t ha−1 yr−1), had shorter shoots, higher Leaf Area Index and stem number. Based on gas exchange measurements, GNT34 exhibited isohydric (water-conserving) behavior. The stomatal response to light of the new hybrids was at least twice as fast as that of Mxg, a trait that is often associated with increased seasonal water use efficiency. This contributed to the almost 40% reduction in shoot Pb and Cd concentrations for the new hybrids as compared to Mxg. This suggested that promoting stomatal regulation in conjunction with improved water conservation may be a target for improving plants for wider use on metals contaminated land.

Recently, the essentiality and fatalness of cardiovascular diseases is attracting much attention. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent environmental pollutants, which could induce the toxic effect and have been implicated in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. However, it is unclear how autophagy and apoptosis induced by BDE-209 in endothelial cells are regulated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of BDE-209 on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and elucidate the mechanisms involved. HUVECs were treated with a wide range concentration of BDE-209 for 24 h. The appearance of autophagy was tested by the testing index such as outcomes of monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and lysotracker staining, observation of autophagosomes and conversion between autophagy marker light chain 3 (LC3)-I and LC3-II. Besides, the apoptotic cell rate was detected with flow cytometry. In addition, BDE-209 induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was detected by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our data suggest that the exposure of BDE-209 could induce autophagy, which was confirmed by MDC staining, transmission electron microscopy observation, lysotracker staining and LC3-I/LC3-II conversion. Besides, the ER stress-related inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway could be activated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) to regulate autophagy. Moreover, the apoptosis of endothelial cells was alleviated when autophagy was blocked by 3-Methyladenine (3-MA). The results demonstrated that BDE-209 could induce the production of ROS and ER stress, activate autophagy through IRE1α/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and ultimately induce apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells. These findings indicate that exposure to PBDE is possible to be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Climatic stressors and chemicals should not be treated as isolated problems since they often occur simultaneously, and their combined effects must be evaluated including their possible interactive effects. In the present study we subjected springtails (Folsomia candida) to combined exposure to phenanthrene and dynamic heat cycles in a full factorial experiment. In a microcosm experiment, we studied the population growth of springtails subjected to a range of sub-lethal concentrations of phenanthrene. During the 28-day experiment we further subjected microcosms to varying numbers of repeated dynamic heat cycles (0–5 cycles) simulating repeated heat waves. We found a synergistic interaction between the effects of phenanthrene and the number of heat waves on both body mass of adults and juvenile production of F. candida showing that the negative effects of phenanthrene were intensified when animals were heat stressed, and/or vice versa. This interaction was not related to internal concentrations of phenanthrene in adult springtails, nor was it due to altered degradation of phenanthrene in soil. We argue that both phenanthrene (by its partitioning into membrane bilayers) and heat have detrimental effects on the physical conditions of cellular membranes in a dose-dependent manner, which, under extreme circumstances, can increase membrane fluidity to a level which is sub-optimal for normal membrane functioning. We discuss the possibility that the synergistic interactions subsequently reduce life-history parameters such as growth and reproduction.

Water, sediment, and wild aquatic species were collected from an electronic waste (e-waste) polluted pond in South China. This study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation, tissue distribution, and trophic transfer of organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) in these aquatic organisms. The concentrations of PFRs detected in the analyzed organisms were between 1.7 and 47 ng/g wet weight (ww). Oriental river prawn and snakehead exhibited the highest and lowest levels, respectively. Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) were dominant contaminants, accounting for approximately 86% of the total sum. The mean values of bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) and logarithmic biota-sediment accumulation factors (log BSAFs) for individual PFRs varied from 6.6 to 1109 and from −2.0 to 0.41, respectively. Both log BCFs and log BSAFs of PFRs were significantly and positively correlated with their octanol-water partitioning coefficient (log KOW). The concentrations of PFRs in tissues of large mud carp and snakehead were significantly and positively correlated with the lipid content (each p < 0.05) and the liver, kidney, and gill exhibited high PFR levels. When the concentration was expressed on a lipid basis, liver exhibited the lowest level, indicating the probable effects of metabolism. Significantly positive correlation was also found between lipid content and total PFR concentration in muscle of all aquatic organisms, given the strong correlation between lipid content and the concentration of TnBP. Trophic magnification factors (TMF) of TnBP and TPhP were lower than 1 (0.57 and 0.62), indicating that these PFRs undergo trophic dilution in this aquatic food web.

Swampy/septic odors are one of the most important odor types in drinking water. However, few studies have specifically focused on it compared to the extensive reported musty/earthy odor problems, even though the former is much more offensive. In this study, an investigation covering the odor characteristics, algal distribution and possible odorants contributing to swampy/septic odor, including dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), diisopropyl sulfide (DIPS), dipropyl sulfide (DPS), dibutyl sulfide (DBS), 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and geosmin (GSM), was performed in source and finished water of 56 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in 31 cities across China. While the musty/earthy and swampy/septic odors were dominant odor descriptors, the river source water exhibited a higher proportion of swampy/septic odor (38.5%) compared to much higher detection rate of musty/earthy odor (50.0%) in the lake/reservoir source water. The occurrence of swampy/septic odor, which was much easier to remove by conventional drinking water treatment processes compared to musty/earthy odors, was decreased by 62.9% and 46.3% in river and lake/reservoir source water respectively. Statistical analysis showed that thioethers might be responsible for the swampy/septic odor in source water (R2 = 0.75, p < 0.05). Specifically, two thioethers, DMDS and DMTS were detected, and other thioethers were not found in all water samples. DMDS was predominant with a maximum odor activity value (OAV) of 2.0 in source water and 1.3 in finished water. The distribution of the thioethers exhibited a marked regional characteristics with higher concentrations being detected in the east and south parts of China. The high concentrations of thioethers in lake/reservoir source water samples could be partly interpreted as the bloom of the cyanobacteria. This study provides basic information for swampy/septic odor occurrence in drinking water and will be helpful for further water quality management in water industry in China.