Antibiotic resistance genes may be considered as environmental pollutants if anthropogenic emission and manipulations increase their prevalence above usually occurring background levels. The prevalence of aph(3′)-IIa/nptII and aph(3′)-IIIa/nptIII – frequent marker genes in plant biotechnology conferring resistance to certain aminoglycosides – was determined in Austrian soils from 100 maize and potato fields not yet exposed to but eligible for GMO crop cultivation. Total soil DNA extracts were analysed by nptII/nptIII-specific TaqMan real time PCR. Of all fields 6% were positive for nptII (median: 150 copies/g soil; range: 31–856) and 85% for nptIII (1190 copies/g soil; 13–61600). The copy-number deduced prevalence of nptIII carriers was 14-fold higher compared to nptII. Of the cultivable kanamycin-resistant soil bacteria 1.8% (95% confidence interval: 0–3.3%) were positive for nptIII, none for nptII (0–0.8%). The nptII-load of the studied soils was low rendering nptII a typical candidate as environmental pollutant upon anthropogenic release into these ecosystems.

The EU-FP7-funded BioSHaRE project is using individual-level data pooled from several national cohort studies in Europe to investigate the relationship of road traffic noise and health. The detailed input data (land cover and traffic characteristics) required for noise exposure modelling are not always available over whole countries while data that are comparable in spatial resolution between different countries is needed for harmonised exposure assessment. Here, we assess the feasibility using the CNOSSOS-EU road traffic noise prediction model with coarser input data in terms of model performance. Starting with a model using the highest resolution datasets, we progressively introduced lower resolution data over five further model runs and compared noise level estimates to measurements. We conclude that a low resolution noise model should provide adequate performance for exposure ranking (Spearman's rank = 0.75; p < 0.001), but with relatively large errors in predicted noise levels (RMSE = 4.46 dB(A)).

Fourteen metal/metalloid elements and sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within biochars were quantified to investigate how heat treatment temperatures (HTTs) and feedstocks affect their concentration and composition. Concentrations and composition of metals/metalloids were strongly dependent upon feedstocks rather than HTTs. HTTs significantly affected concentrations and composition of PAHs. The highest concentration of PAHs was observed for plant residue-derived biochars (PLABs) produced at 450 °C and the opposite result was for animal waste-derived bichars. High mineral content was responsible for depolymerization of organic matter (OM), which facilitated high production of PAHs. High HTTs pyrolysis or combustion PAHs (COMB) of PLABs possibly blocks their micropores derived from other components within OM and leads to a decline of CO2-surface areas (CO2-SAs). Concentration of ∑COMB or individual PAH was affected by biochar properties, including composition and contents of functional groups, ash content, and CO2-SAs. PLABs produced at 600 °C were recommended for low toxicity.

This is the longest continuous experiment where ethylenediurea (EDU) was used to protect plants from ozone (O3). Effects of long-term ambient O3 exposure (23 ppm h AOT40) on biomass of an O3 sensitive poplar clone (Oxford) were examined after six years from in-ground planting. Trees were irrigated with either water or 450 ppm EDU. Above (−51%) and below-ground biomass (−47%) was reduced by O3 although the effect was significant only for stem and coarse roots. Ambient O3 decreased diameter of the lower stem, and increased moisture content along the stem of not-protected plants (+16%). No other change in the physical wood structure was observed. A comparison with a previous assessment in the same experiment suggested that O3 effects on biomass partitioning to above-ground organs depend on the tree ontogenetic stage. The root/shoot ratios did not change, suggesting that previous short-term observations of reduced allocation to tree roots may be overestimated.

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy that burns moxa floss which produces a substantial amount of PM10 into the environment, thus spawning safety concerns about health impacts of the smoke. We compared the oxidative capacity and elemental composition of moxibustion-derived and ambient PM10 in summer and winter to provide a source-, spatial- and temporal-comparison of PM10 biological responses. The PM10 oxidative capacity was 2.04 and 1.45 fold lower, and dose-dependent slope gradient was 2.36 and 1.76 fold lower in moxibustion environment than indoor or outdoor. Oxidative damage was highly correlated with iron, cesium, aluminum and cobalt in indoor, but moxibustion environment displayed low associations. The total elemental concentration was also lower in moxibustion environment than indoor (2.28 fold) or outdoor (2.79 fold). The source-to-dose modeling and slope gradient analysis in this study can be used as a model for future source-, spatial- and temporal-related moxibustion safety evaluation studies.

The objective of this research was to assess factors controlling peat and plant chemistry, and vegetation composition in 18 peatlands surrounding Sudbury after more than 30 years of large (>95%) pollution emission reductions. Sites closer to the main Copper Cliff smelter had more humified peat and the surface horizons were greatly enriched in copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni). Copper and Ni concentrations in peat were significantly correlated with that in the plant tissue of Chamaedaphne calyculata. The pH of peat was the strongest determining factor for species richness, diversity, and community composition, although percent vascular plant cover was strongly negatively correlated with surface Cu and Ni concentrations in peat. Sphagnum frequency was also negatively related to peat Cu and Ni concentrations indicating sites close to Copper Cliff smelter remain adversely impacted by industrial activities.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as the free estrogens 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1) and the conjugated estrogen estrone-sulfate (E1-3S) are found at low concentration levels in the environment. This is somehow contradictory to the strong sorption and high degradation potentials found in laboratory experiments. In particular, the fate and transport behavior of conjugated estrogens is poorly understood, and the importance of enzymes triggering the transformation pathways has received little attention. To address these deficiencies, the present research uses packed laboratory soil columns with pulse injections of free estrogens, either E2 or E1, or E1-3S, to provide sound evidence of the transformation pathways. It is further shown that (i) transport of free estrogens is subject to strong retardation and degradation, (ii) the transport of conjugated estrogens is less retarded and only to a minor degree affected by degradation, and (iii) arylsulfotransferase is the enzyme triggering the transformation reaction.

One of the fundamentals in the ecotoxicological studies is the need of data comparison, which can be easily reached with the help of a standardized biological model. In this context, any biological model has been still proposed for the biomonitoring and risk evaluation of freshwaters until now. The aim of this review is to illustrate the ecotoxicological studies carried out with the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha in order to suggest this bivalve species as possible reference organism for inland waters. In detail, we showed its application in biomonitoring, as well as for the evaluation of adverse effects induced by several pollutants, using both in vitro and in vivo experiments. We discussed the advantages by the use of D. polymorpha for ecotoxicological studies, but also the possible limitations due to its invasive nature.

Allocation of recent photoassimilates of juvenile beech and spruce in response to twice-ambient ozone (2 × O3) and plant competition (i.e. intra vs. inter-specific) was examined in a phytotron study. To this end, we employed continuous 13CO2/12CO2 labeling during late summer and pursued tracer kinetics in CO2 released from stems. In beech, allocation of recent photoassimilates to stems was significantly lowered under 2 × O3 and increased in spruce when grown in mixed culture. As total tree biomass was not yet affected by the treatments, C allocation reflected incipient tree responses providing the mechanistic basis for biomass partitioning as observed in longer experiments. Compartmental modeling characterized functional properties of substrate pools supplying respiratory C demand. Respiration of spruce appeared to be exclusively supplied by recent photoassimilates. In beech, older C, putatively located in stem parenchyma cells, was a major source of respiratory substrate, reflecting the fundamental anatomical disparity between angiosperm beech and gymnosperm spruce.