Fluoroquinolones like difloxacin (DIF) and sarafloxacin (SARA) are adsorbed in soil and enter the aquatic environment wherein they are subjected to photolytic degradation. To evaluate the fate of DIF and SARA, their photolysis was performed in water under stimulated natural sunlight conditions. DIF primarily degrades to SARA. On prolonged photodegradation, seven photoproducts were elucidated by HR-LC-MS/MS, three of which were entirely novel. The residual anti-bacterial activities of DIF, SARA and their photoproducts were studied against a group of pathogenic strains. DIF and SARA revealed potency against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. The photoproducts also exhibited varying degrees of efficacies against the tested bacteria. Even without isolating the individual photoproducts, their impact on the aquatic environment could be assessed. Therefore, the present results call for prudence in estimating the fate of these compounds in water and in avoiding emergence of resistance in bacteria caused by the photoproducts of DIF and SARA.

Soil was spiked with [9-¹⁴C]phenanthrene and [1-¹⁴C]hexadecane at 50 mg kg⁻¹ and aged for 1, 25, 50, 100 and 250 d. At each time point, the microcosms were amended with aqueous solutions of cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) at a range of concentrations (0-40 mM). Mineralisation assays and aqueous HP-β-CD extractions were performed to assess the effect of the amendments on microbial degradation. The results showed that amendments had no significant impact on the microbial degradation of either of the ¹⁴C-contaminants. Further, HP-β-CD extractions were correlated with the mineralisation of the target chemicals in each of the soil conditions. It was found that the HP-β-CD extraction was able to predict mineralisation in soils which had not been amended with cyclodextrin; however, in the soils containing the HP-β-CD, there was no predictive relationship. Under the conditions of this study, the introduction of HP-β-CD into soils did not enhance the biodegradation of the organic contaminants. The amendment of HP-β-CD to phenanthrene and hexadecane amended soils does not enhance microbial biodegradation.

This review summarizes and analyzes available data in the literature (mostly after 2000) on the occurrence of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its main metabolites, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) and chlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), in the environment of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), South China. Generally, the concentration levels of the sum of DDT, DDD, and DDE, designated as DDTs thereafter, have not significantly declined since 1983. However, the composition of DDTs residues has changed with time. DDTs in soil, freshwater sediment and freshwater fish species were mainly residues from chronological use. There is evidence that new point sources, such as dicofol and anti-fouling paint, may have contributed DDTs to various environmental compartments. Risk assessment against existing criteria indicated that the levels of DDTs in water and some fish species may pose adverse effects to humans or wildlife, and those in sediment/soil may also cause negative impacts to the eco-environment of the PRD. The occurrence, possible input sources, and biological effects of DDTs in the environment of the Pearl River Delta, South China, are reviewed.

Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) are environmental pollutants. Environmental samples and bovine tissues were collected from the areas around a lead-zinc smelter in Guizhou, China for Cd, Pb, zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) analysis. Cd in soil (10 mg/kg) and feed (6.6 mg/kg) from the polluted areas was 10 times higher than the Chinese Standards, resulting in higher Cd in bovine kidney (38 mg/kg) and liver (2.5 mg/kg). Pb in feed (132 mg/kg) from the polluted area was much higher than unpolluted areas, causing higher Pb levels in bovine tissues. Environmental Zn was elevated, but bovine tissue Zn was normal. Cu in bovine liver decreased with increased Cd and Pb. Metals in drinking water and in bovine muscle were within the Standard range. Thus, in the areas of this lead-zinc smelter, the environment has been contaminated with Cd and Pb, which has been transferred to cattle through the food chain. Cd and Pb from lead-zinc smelters contaminate the environment and accumulate in bovine tissues.

A nanocrystalline TiO₂-based adsorbent was evaluated for the simultaneous removal of As(V), As(III), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in contaminated groundwater. Batch experimental results show that As adsorption followed pseudo-second order rate kinetics. The competitive adsorption was described with the charge distribution multi-site surface complexation model (CD-MUSIC). The groundwater containing an average of 329 μg L⁻¹ As(III), 246 μg L⁻¹ As(V), 151 μg L⁻¹ MMA, and 202 μg L⁻¹ DMA was continuously passed through a TiO₂ filter at an empty bed contact time of 6 min for 4 months. Approximately 11 000, 14 000, and 9900 bed volumes of water had been treated before the As(III), As(V), and MMA concentration in the effluent increased to 10 μg L⁻¹. However, very little DMA was removed. The EXAFS results demonstrate the existence of a bidentate binuclear As(V) surface complex on spent adsorbent, indicating the oxidation of adsorbed As(III). A nanocrystalline TiO₂-based adsorbent could be used for the simultaneous removal of As(V), As(III), MMA, and DMA in contaminated groundwater.

Heating at 100 °C for 5-10 min is a common method for treating wastewater containing recombinant DNA in many bio-laboratories in China. In this experiment, plasmid pET-28b was used to investigate decay efficiency of waste recombinant DNA during thermo-treatment. The results showed that the decay half-life of the plasmid was 2.7-4.0 min during the thermo-treatment, and even heating for 30 min the plasmids still retained some transforming activity. Low pH promoted the decay of recombinant DNA, but NaCl, bovine serum albumin and EDTA, which existed in the most wastewater from bio-laboratories, protected DNA from degradation. Thus, the decay half-life of plasmid DNA may be longer than 2.7-4.0 min practically. These results suggest that the effectiveness of heating at 100 °C for treating waste recombinant DNA is low and a gene pollution risk remains when those thermo-treated recombinant DNAs are discharged into the environment. Therefore other simple and effective methods should be developed. Heating at 100 °C for 5-10 min to treat waste recombinant DNA has potential eco-risk.

Since the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, these carbon nanospheres have attracted attention regarding their physico/chemical properties. Despite little knowledge about their impact on the environment and human health, the production of fullerenes has already reached an industrial scale. However, the toxicity of C60 is still controversially discussed. The aim of this study was to clarify the biological effects of tetrahydrofuran (THF) suspended C60 fullerene in comparison to water stirred C60 fullerene suspensions. Beyond that, we analyzed the effects on the Crustacea Daphnia magna an indicator for ecotoxicological effects and the human lung epithelial cell line A549 as a simplified model for the respiratory tract. We could demonstrate that water-soluble side products which were formed in THF nC60 suspension were responsible for the observed acute toxic effects, whereas fullerenes themselves had no negative effect regardless of the preparative route on either A549 cell in vitro or D. magna in vivo. THF suspended nC60 did not show any toxic effect to Daphnia and lung cells when side products were eliminated by additional washing steps.

The stability of TiO2 nanoparticles in soil suspensions and their transport behavior through saturated homogeneous soil columns were studied. The results showed that TiO2 could remain suspended in soil suspensions even after settling for 10 days. The suspended TiO2 contents in soil suspensions after 24 h were positively correlated with the dissolved organic carbon and clay content of the soils, but were negatively correlated with ionic strength, pH and zeta potential. In soils containing soil particles of relatively large diameters and lower solution ionic strengths, a significant portion of the TiO2 (18.8-83.0%) readily passed through the soils columns, while TiO2 was significantly retained by soils with higher clay contents and salinity. TiO2 aggregate sizes in the column outflow significantly increased after passing through the soil columns. The estimated transport distances of TiO2 in some soils ranged from 41.3 to 370 cm, indicating potential environmental risk of TiO2 nanoparticles to deep soil layers. TiO2 nanoparticles could efficiently suspend in soil suspensions and potentially transport to deeper soil layers.

This paper presents a review on the implications of climate change on the monitoring, modelling and regulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Current research gaps are also identified and discussed. Long-term data sets are essential to identify relationships between climate fluctuations and changes in chemical species distribution. Reconstructing the influence of climatic changes on POPs environmental behaviour is very challenging in some local studies, and some insights can be obtained by the few available dated sediment cores or by studying POPs response to inter-annual climate fluctuations. Knowledge gaps and future projections can be studied by developing and applying various modelling tools, identifying compounds susceptibility to climate change, local and global effects, orienting international policies. Long-term monitoring strategies and modelling exercises taking into account climate change should be considered when devising new regulatory plans in chemicals management. Climate change implications on POPs are addressed here with special attention to monitoring, modelling and regulation issues.

We studied the responses of micropropagated, northern provenances of downy, mountain and silver birches to elevated ozone (O₃) and changing climate using open-top chambers (OTCs). Contrary to our hypothesis, northern birches were sensitive to O₃, i.e. O₃ levels of 31-36 ppb reduced the leaf and root biomasses by -10%, whereas wood biomass was affected to a lesser extent. The warmer and drier OTC climate enhanced growth in general, though there were differences among the species and clones, e.g. in bud burst and biomass production. Inter- and intra-specific responses to O₃ and changing climate relate to traits such as allocation patterns between the above- and belowground parts (i.e. root/shoot ratio), which further relate to nutrient and water economy. Our experiments may have mimicked future conditions quite well, but only long-term field studies can yield the information needed to forecast responses at both tree and ecosystem levels. Northern birches are responsive to ambient ozone levels.