The comprehensive sources of particulate matter (PM) require air purification materials to possess both high filtration efficiencies and low air resistances in an effort to provide healthcare. However, the assembly of multiple-layered filters with different functions leads to high pressure drop and high operating cost. Therefore, a multifunctional air filter that can provide excellent air filtration capacity and healthcare is highly desired. Here, a novel bifunctional polyacrylonitrile/attapulgite hierarchical-structured filter with low air resistance and high adsorption capacity was designed and fabricated by embedding attapulgite nanorods during a facile electrospinning process. The hierarchical polyacrylonitrile/attapulgite membranes showed only a ∼64 Pa resistance for 0.1 μm PM. Another benefit of using the attapulgite nanorods is an adsorption effect for hazardous heavy metal ions that accompany airborne ultrafine PMs. Thereby this hierarchical membrane simultaneously exhibits an enhanced filtration performance and hazardous protection ability. Furthermore, due to the electret effect of the attapulgite nanorods, the surface potential of the membrane remains at above 2.2 kV after 600 min of continuous use, which could improve the air filtration efficiency and ensure the long-term service life of the filters. This work may provide a new approach for the design and development of multifunctional air filters for simultaneously capturing ultrafine PMs and any other accompanying hazardous chemicals.

Accurately predicting the accumulation and toxicity of metals in organisms is a challenging work in ecotoxicology. Here, we developed and validated a physiologically based toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic (PBTK-TD) model for adult zebrafish exposed to Cd and Pb. The model included the gill, liver, intestine, gonad, carcass, and brain, which were linked by blood circulation in the PBTK process and by dynamic relationships between the target organ concentrations and mortality in the TD process. Results showed that the PBTK sub-model can accurately describe and predict the uptake, distribution and disposition kinetics of Cd and Pb in zebrafish. The exchange rates and the accumulation of the metals in the organs were significantly different. For Cd, the highest exchange rate was between blood and liver, and the greatest accumulation of Cd occurred in the liver. For Pb, the greatest accumulation occurred in the gill. The TD sub-model further indicated that metal concentrations in the gill may effectively act as more suitable indicator of Cd and Pb toxic effect than whole body or other organs. The proposed PBTK-TD model is helpful to understanding the fundamental processes by which zebrafish regulate the uptake and disposition of metal and to quantitatively predicting metal toxicity.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in aquatic ecosystems are toxic to aquatic organisms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the toxicities and molecular mechanisms of AgNPs with different surface coatings (sodium citrate and polyvinylpyrrolidone) and particle sizes (20 nm and 100 nm) in the gills, intestines, and muscles of zebrafish after 96 h of exposure. Our results indicated that the contribution of particle size to AgNP toxicity was greater than that of the surface coating. Citrate-coated AgNPs were more toxic than polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated AgNPs, and 20-nm AgNPs were more toxic than 100-nm AgNPs. The toxic effects of AgNPs to the tissues were in the order intestines > gills > muscles. Differential expression of genes with the different AgNPs confirmed that they had toxic effects in the zebrafish tissues at the molecular level. Our comprehensive comparison of the toxicities of different AgNPs to aquatic ecosystems will be helpful for further risk assessments of AgNPs.

This work aimed to determine the concentrations of parabens and triclosan (TCS) in shellfish from coastal waters of Shenzhen, South China. A method of isotope dilution with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to determine TCS and five paraben analogues, including methyl paraben (MeP), ethyl paraben (EtP), propyl paraben (PrP), butyl paraben (BuP), and benzyl paraben (BeP), in 186 shellfish samples covering eight species. Concentrations of parabens and TCS were 0.13–25.5 ng/g wet weight (ww) and <LOQ–6.51 ng/g ww, respectively, indicating their ubiquitous contamination in Shenzhen coastal waters. MeP was the most predominant paraben, followed by EtP and PrP. These three analogues accounted for more than 95% of the total concentrations of parabens. The “high” estimated daily intakes of parabens and TCS with the 95th percentage concentrations were estimated to be 2.15–26.1 and 0.41–10.3 ng/kg bw/day, respectively, much lower than the acceptable dietary intakes of parabens (1 × 10⁷ ng/kg bw/day) and TCS (200 ng/kg bw/day), indicating no significant human health risks from shellfish consumption in the studied region. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrences of parabens and TCS in shellfish products from Shenzhen coastal waters.

Concerns have been raised regarding the ecotoxicity of ionic liquids (ILs) owing to their wide usage in numerous fields. Three imidazolium chloride ILs with different numbers of methyl substituents, 1-decyl-imidazolium chloride ([C10IM]Cl), 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C10MIM]Cl), and 1-decyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride ([C10DMIM]Cl), were examined to assess their effects on growth, photosynthesis pigments content, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic and respiration rate, and cellular ultrastructure of Scenedesmus obliquus. The results showed that algal growth was significantly inhibited by ILs treatments. The observed IC50,48h doses were 0.10 mg/L [C10IM]Cl, 0.01 mg/L [C10MIM]Cl, and 0.02 mg/L [C10DMIM]Cl. The chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content declined, and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, minimal fluorescence yield (F0), maximal fluorescence yield (Fm), maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), effective quantum yield of PSII [Y(II)], non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and non-photosynthetic losses yield [Y(NO)] were notably affected by ILs in a dose-dependent manner. ILs affected the primary photosynthetic reaction, impaired heat dissipation capability, and diminished photosynthetic efficiency, indicating negative effects on photosystem II. The photosynthetic and respiration rates of algal cells were also reduced due to the ILs treatments. The adverse effects of ILs on plasmolysis and chloroplast deformation were examined using ultrastructural analyses; chloroplast swelling and lamellar structure almost disappeared after the [C10MIM]Cl treatment, and an increased number of starch grains and vacuoles was observed after all ILs treatments. The results indicated that one-methyl-substituted ILs were more toxic than non-methyl-substituted ILs, which were also more toxic than di-methyl-substituted ILs. The toxicity of the examined ILs showed the following order: [C10IM]Cl < [C10DMIM]Cl ≤ [C10MIM]Cl.

Air pollution has been identified as a major cause of environmental and human health damage. O₃ is an oxidative pollutant that causes leaf symptoms in sensitive plants. This study aims to adjust a multilinear model for the monitoring of O₃ in subtropical climatic conditions by associating O₃ concentrations with measurements of morphological leaf traits in tobacco plants and different environmental variables. The plants were distributed into five areas (residential, urban or industrial) in the southern region of Brazil and exposed during 14 periods, of 14 days each, during the years of 2014 and 2015. The environmental variables and leaf traits during the exposure periods were described by mean, median, standard deviation and minimum and maximum values. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were applied on data from exposure periods. Leaf injury index, leaf area, leaf dry mass, temperature, relative humidity, global solar radiation and accumulated rainfall were used in the regression analyses to select the best models for predicting O₃ concentrations. Leaf injury characteristically caused by O₃ was verified in all areas and periods of plant exposure. Higher values of leaf injury (24.5% and 27.7%) were registered in the 13th and 12th exposure periods during spring and in areas influenced by urban and industrial clutches. The VPD, temperature, global solar radiation and O₃ were correlated to leaf injury. Environmental variables [leaf area, leaf dry mass, global solar radiation and accumulated rainfall] and primarily the VPD were fundamental to improve the adjustments done in the bioindicator model (R² ≥ 0.73). Our research shows that biomonitoring employing the tobacco “Bel-W3” can be improved by measuring morphological leaf traits and meteorological parameters. Additionally, O₃ fumigation experiment should be performed with biomonitoring as conducted in this study, which are useful in understanding the role of other environmental factors.

Groundwater with elevated As concentrations is a global concern, and low-cost, high-efficiency removal technologies are necessary. Therefore, we have prepared three adsorbent FeMnLa-impregnated biochar composites (FMLBCs) for the efficient removal of As(III) from aqueous solutions and characterized them using a variety of techniques. We found that the efficiency of As(III) removal increased with increasing La content and that the removal mainly occurred via adsorption and oxidation. Moreover, the removal of As(III) by FMLBCs was rapid and was best fitted to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Langmuir equation, and the maximum As(III) adsorption capacity was 15.34 mg g⁻¹. These results highlight the significant potential of FMLBCs as adsorbents for As(III) removal from aqueous solutions.

Some basic research has shown that nanomaterials can aggravate allergic asthma. However, its potential mechanism is insufficient. Based on the research that alumina nanopowder (nAl2O3) has been reported to cause lung tissue damage, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nAl2O3 and allergic asthma as well as its molecular mechanism. In this study, Balb/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) to construct the allergic asthma model while intratracheally administered 0.5, 5 or 50 mg kg−1·day−1 nAl2O3 for 3 weeks. It was observed that exposure to nAl2O3 exacerbated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway remodeling, and inflammation cell infiltration, leading to lung function damage in mice. Results revealed that nAl2O3 could increase ROS levels and decrease GSH levels in lung tissue, promote the increases of the T-IgE, TGF-β, IL-1β and IL-6 levels, stimulate the overexpression of transcription factors GATA-3 and RORγt, decrease the levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 and increase the levels of IL-4 and IL-17A, resulting in the imbalance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 immune responses. In addition, antioxidant Vitamin E (Vit E) could alleviate asthma-like symptoms through blocking oxidative stress. The study displayed that exposure of nAl2O3 deteriorated allergic asthma through promoting the imbalances of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17.

Prothioconazole (PTC) is a widely used triazolinthione fungicide with low toxicity and short residual period. However, its desulfurization metabolite, prothioconazole-desthio (PTC-d), is more persistent and has higher toxicity in terrestrial animals. In this study, the toxicokinetics (TK) and tissue distribution of PTC and PTC-d in Chinese lizards (Eremias argus) were measured following single oral dose (100 mg kg⁻¹ body weight) treatments. TK parameters indicated that PTC was more rapidly absorbed than PTC-d, as indicated by its shorter time to reach peak concentrations in most tissues. Furthermore, the relative bioavailability of PTC in lizards was lower than that of PTC-d. Compared with PTC, PTC-d preferentially accumulated in lizards, as reflected by longer half-life of PTC-d. During the distribution process, PTC-d generated in vivo was transported from other tissues and was deposited in the skin and tail, where PTC-d may be excreted by exuviation or tail detachment. Preferential enrichment of S-enantiomer of both PTC and PTC-d were observed in all tissues. Hepatic cytochrome P450 gene expression measurement revealed that cyp1a5 and cyp3a28 exhibited the strongest responses in both treatment groups. In addition, the opposite responses of cyp2k4 in different treatment groups may indicate that this enzyme caused differences in the rates of metabolism of the two chemicals. This study compared the TK profile of PTC and its desulfurization metabolite PTC-d in lizards and demonstrated that the desulfurization of PTC could increase its ecological risk due to the higher bioavailability and persistence of PTC-d.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure is associated with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases; however, there is scant research linking data on animal and human cells. The objective of this study was to investigate these associations. Vascular remodeling plays a crucial role in both pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we conducted a transcriptomic analysis using vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to identify potential regulators or markers of PM exposure. We demonstrated that fine and coarse PM increased VSMC proliferation in mice. We conducted a genome-wide cDNA microarray analysis, followed by a pathway analysis of VSMCs treated with coarse PM for durations of 24, 48, and 72 h. Sixteen genes were discovered to be time-dependently upregulated and involved in VSMC proliferation. Osteopontin (OPN) is indicated as one of the regulators of these upregulated genes. Both fine and coarse PM from industrial and urban areas significantly increased OPN expression in VSMCs and macrophages. Moreover, oropharyngeal instillation of fine and coarse PM for 8 weeks increased the VSMCs in the pulmonary arteries of mice. OPN level was consistently increased in the lung tissues, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and serum of mice. Moreover, we analyzed the plasma OPN levels of 72 healthy participants recruited from the studied metropolitan area. Each participant wore a personal PM2.5 sampler to assess their PM2.5 exposure over a 24 h period. Our results indicate that personal exposure to fine PM is positively correlated with plasma OPN level in young adults. The data obtained in this study suggest that exposure to fine and coarse PM may cause pulmonary vascular lesions in humans and that OPN level may be a biomarker of PM exposure in humans.