Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from two sampling sites (HB and XB) in a power station centralized area, in Shuozhou city, China, were sampled by stainless steel canisters and measured by gas chromatography-mass selective detection/flame ionization detection (GC-MSD/FID) in the spring and autumn of 2014. The concentration of VOCs was higher in the autumn (HB, 96.87 μg/m3; XB, 58.94 μg/m3) than in the spring (HB, 41.49 μg/m3; XB, 43.46 μg/m3), as lower wind speed in the autumn could lead to pollutant accumulation, especially at HB, which is a new urban area surrounded by residential areas and a transportation hub. Alkanes were the dominant group at both HB and XB in both sampling periods, but the contribution of aromatic pollutants at HB in the autumn was much higher than that of the other alkanes (11.16–19.55%). Compared to other cities, BTEX pollution in Shuozhou was among the lowest levels in the world. Because of the high levels of aromatic pollutants, the ozone formation potential increased significantly at HB in the autumn. Using the ratio analyses to identify the age of the air masses and analyze the sources, the results showed that the atmospheric VOCs at XB were strongly influenced by the remote sources of coal combustion, while at HB in the spring and autumn were affected by the remote sources of coal combustion and local sources of vehicle emission, respectively. Source analysis conducted using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model at Shuozhou showed that coal combustion and vehicle emissions made the two largest contributions (29.98% and 21.25%, respectively) to atmospheric VOCs. With further economic restructuring, the influence of vehicle emissions on the air quality should become more significant, indicating that controlling vehicle emissions is key to reducing the air pollution.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on formation of free radicals at ambient temperature and pressure are effective for treating endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in waters. In this study, we systematically investigated the degradation kinetics of bisphenol A (BPA), a representative EDC by hydroxyl radical (OH) with a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. The second–order rate constant (k) of BPA with OH was experimentally determined to be 7.2 ± 0.34 × 109 M−1 s−1 at pH 7.55. We also calculated the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors for the bimolecular reactions by density functional theory (DFT) using the M05–2X method with 6–311++G** basis set and solvation model based on density (SMD). The results revealed that H–abstraction on the phenol group is the most favorable pathway for OH. The theoretical k value corrected by the Collins–Kimball approach was determined to be 1.03 × 1010 M−1 s−1, which is in reasonable agreement with the experimental observation. These results are of fundamental and practical importance in understanding the chemical interactions between OH and BPA, and aid further AOPs design in treating EDCs during wastewater treatment processes.

A systematic grid sampling method and geostatistics were employed to investigate the spatial distribution, inventory, and potential ecological and human health risks of the residues of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and chlorinated cyclodiene pesticides in soils of the Campanian Plain, Italy, and explore their relationship with the soils properties. The geometric mean (Gmean) concentrations of HCB and cyclodiene compounds followed the order CHLs (heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, trans-chlordane, and cis-chlordane) > DRINs (aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin) > SULPHs (α-endosulfan, β-endosulfan, and endosulfan sulfate) > HCB. The residual levels of most cyclodienes in agricultural soils were generally higher than those of corresponding counterparts in the other land uses. Significant differences in the concentration of HCB and cyclodienes in the soils across the region are observed, and the Acerra-Marigliano conurbation (AMC) and Sarno River Basin (SRB) areas exhibit particularly high residual concentrations. Some legacy cyclodienes in the Campanian Plain may be attributed to a secondary distribution. The Gmean inventory of HCB, SULPHs, CHLs, and DRINs in the soil is estimated to be 0.081, 0.41, 0.36, and 0.41 metric tons, respectively. The non-cancer and cancer risks of HCB and cyclodienes for exposed populations are deemed essentially negligible, however, endosulfan poses significant ecological risks to some terrestrial species.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) collected at Mt. Tai in summer 2014 were analysed and the data were used to identify the contribution of biogenic and anthropogenic hydrocarbons to secondary organic aerosols (SOA) and their sources and potential source areas in high mountain regions. Compared with those in 2006, the 2014 anthropogenic SOA tracers in PM2.5 aerosols and VOC species related to vehicular emissions exhibited higher concentrations, whereas the levels of biogenic SOA tracers were lower, possibly due to decreased biomass burning. Using the SOA tracer and parameterisation method, we estimated the contributions from biogenic and anthropogenic VOCs, respectively. The results showed that the average concentration of biogenic SOA was 1.08 ± 0.51 μg m−3, among which isoprene SOA tracers were dominant. The anthropogenic VOC-derived SOA were 7.03 ± 1.21 μg m−3 and 1.92 ± 1.34 μg m−3 under low- and high-NOx conditions, respectively, and aromatics made the greatest contribution. However, the sum of biogenic and anthropogenic SOA only contributed 18.1–49.1% of the total SOA. Source apportionment by positive matrix factorisation (PMF) revealed that secondary oxidation and biomass burning were the major sources of biogenic SOA tracers. Anthropogenic aromatics mainly came from solvent use, fuel and plastics combustion and vehicular emissions. However, for > C6 alkanes and cycloalkanes, vehicular emissions and fuel and plastics combustion were the most important contributors. The potential source contribution function (PSCF) identified the Bohai Sea Region (BSR) as the major source area for organic aerosol compounds and VOC species at Mt. Tai.

Wildlife lead exposure is an increasing conservation threat that is being widely investigated. However, for some areas of the world (e.g., South America) and certain species, research on this subject is still scarce or only local information is available. We analyzed the extent and intensity of lead exposure for a widely distributed threatened species, the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). We conducted the study at two different scales: 1) sampling of birds received for rehabilitation or necropsy in Argentina, and 2) bibliographic review and extensive survey considering exposure event for the species' distribution in South America. Wild condors from Argentina (n = 76) presented high lead levels consistent with both recent and previous exposure (up to 104 μg/dL blood level, mean 15.47 ± 21.21 μg/dL and up to 148.20 ppm bone level, mean 23.08 ± 31.39 ppm). In contrast, captive bred individuals -not exposed to lead contamination- had much lower lead levels (mean blood level 5.63 ± 3.08 μg/dL, and mean bone level 2.76 ± 3.06 ppm). Condors were exposed to lead throughout their entire range in continental Argentina, which represents almost sixty percent (>4000 km) of their geographical distribution. We also present evidence of lead exposure events in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Lead poisoning is a widespread major conservation threat for the Andean Condor, and probably other sympatric carnivores from South America. The high number and wide range of Andean Condors with lead values complement the results for the California Condor and other scavengers in North America suggesting lead poisoning is a continental threat. Urgent actions are needed to reduce this poison in the wild.

In China, over 1.3 billion people have high health risks associated with exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (AQG). The PM2.5 mass concentrations from 1382 national air quality monitoring stations in 367 cities, between January 2014 and December 2016, were analyzed to estimate the health burden attributable to ambient PM2.5 across China. The integrated exposure-response model was applied to estimate the relative risks of disease-specific mortality. Disease-specific mortality baselines in province-level administrative units were adjusted by the national mortality baseline to better reveal the spatial inequality of the health burden associated with PM2.5. Our study suggested that PM2.5 in 2015 contributed as much as 40.3% to total stroke deaths, 33.1% to acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI, <5yr) deaths, 26.8% to ischemic heart disease (IHD) deaths, 23.9% to lung cancer (LC) deaths, 18.7% to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) deaths, 30.2% to total deaths combining IHD, stroke, COPD, and LC, 15.5% to all cause deaths. The population weighted average (PWA) attributable mortality rates (10−5 y−1) were 112.0 in current year analysis, and 124.3 in 10-year time lag analysis. The Mortality attributable to PM2.5 in 10-year time lag analysis (1.7 million) was 12% higher than the current year analysis (1.5 million). Our study also estimated site-specific annual PM2.5 concentrations in scenarios of achieving WHO interim targets (ITs) and AQG. The mortality benefits will be 24.0%, 44.8%, 70.8%, and 85.2% of the total current mortalities (1.5 million) when the PWA PM2.5 concentrations in China meets the WHO IT-1, IT-2, IT-3, and AQG, respectively. We expect air quality modeling and cost-benefits analysis of emission reduction scenarios and corresponding health benefits in meeting the site-specific annual PM2.5 concentrations (WHO IT-1, IT-2, IT-3, and AQG) this study raised.

This study utilized a long-term satellite-based vegetation index, and considered culture-specific emission sources (temples and Chinese restaurants) with Land-use Regression (LUR) modelling to estimate the spatial-temporal variability of PM2.5 using data from Taipei metropolis, which exhibits typical Asian city characteristics. Annual average PM2.5 concentrations from 2006 to 2012 of 17 air quality monitoring stations established by Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan were used for model development. PM2.5 measurements from 2013 were used for external data verification. Monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images coupled with buffer analysis were used to assess the spatial-temporal variations of greenness surrounding the monitoring sites. The distribution of temples and Chinese restaurants were included to represent the emission contributions from incense and joss money burning, and gas cooking, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficient and stepwise regression were used for LUR model development, and 10-fold cross-validation and external data verification were applied to verify the model reliability. The results showed a strongly negative correlation (r: −0.71 to −0.77) between NDVI and PM2.5 while temples (r: 0.52 to 0.66) and Chinese restaurants (r: 0.31 to 0.44) were positively correlated to PM2.5 concentrations. With the adjusted model R² of 0.89, a cross-validated adj-R² of 0.90, and external validated R² of 0.83, the high explanatory power of the resultant model was confirmed. Moreover, the averaged NDVI within a 1750 m circular buffer (p < 0.01), the number of Chinese restaurants within a 1750 m buffer (p < 0.01), and the number of temples within a 750 m buffer (p = 0.06) were selected as important predictors during the stepwise selection procedures. According to the partial R², NDVI explained 66% of PM2.5 variation and was the dominant variable in the developed model. We suggest future studies consider these three factors when establishing LUR models for estimating PM2.5 in other Asian cities.

Opioid drugs, such as morphine (MO), detected in aquatic environments worldwide, may harm fish due to their semi-persistence and ability to potently interact with molecular targets conserved across vertebrates. Here, we established a waterborne bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge assay with zebrafish embryos as a model to investigate chemically-induced disruption of the innate immune system, and used it to study the effects of MO exposure. Exposure to 1 mg/L MO resulted in pronounced immunosuppression, reflected in downregulation of several inflammation-related genes, including myd88, trif, traf6, p38, nfκb2, il-1β, il-8 and ccl34a. Fish exposed to 1 mg/L MO accumulated 11.7 ng/g (wet weight) of MO, a concentration comparable to that reported in blood of chronic drug abusers subject to higher infection rates. Surprisingly, exposure to lower MO concentrations (100 ng/L–100 μg/L) led to exacerbation of LPS-induced inflammation. Two ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters known to be involved in the xenobiotic efflux - abcb4 and abcc2, also known as multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) transporters - were downregulated at 100 ng/L MO. We hypothesized that ABC/MXR transporters could modulate the severity of inflammation by being involved in efflux of LPS, thus regulating its accumulation in the organism. Indeed, we could demonstrate that blocking of ABC/MXR transporters by an inhibitor, cyclosporine A, results in stronger inflammation, coinciding with higher LPS accumulation, as visualized with fluorescently labeled LPS. Our work demonstrates that MO can disrupt fish innate immune responses at environmentally relevant concentrations. We also provide evidence for a role of ABC/MXR transporters in LPS efflux in fish. These finding may be applicable across other taxa, as ABC transporters are evolutionary conserved. Since diverse environmentally present chemicals are known to interfere with ABC/MXR transporters' expression or activity, our discovery raises concerns about potential adverse effects of such compounds on the immune system responses in aquatic organisms.

The spatial distribution, compositional profiles, and enantiomer fractions (EFs) of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), and chlordanes (CHLs), in the surface sediments in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and adjacent areas were investigated. The total concentrations of DDTs, HCHs and CHLs varied from 0.64 to 3.17 ng/g dw, 0.19–0.65 ng/g dw, and 0.03–0.16 ng/g dw, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea for most pollutants except for trans-CHL, ΣCHLs (sum of trans- and cis-chlordane) and p,p'-DDD. Concentration ratios (e.g., α-HCH/γ-HCH, o,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDT) indicated that the contamination in the studied areas may result from inputs from multiple sources (e.g., historical usage of technical HCHs as well as new input of dicofol). Chiral analysis showed great variation in the enantioselective degradation of OCPs, resulting in excess of (+)-enantiomer for α-HCH in thirty of the 32 detectable samples, preferential depletion of (−)-enantiomer for o,p'-DDT in nineteen of the 35 detectable samples, and nonracemic in most samples for trans- and cis-chlordane. The ecological risks of the individual OCPs as well as the mixture were assessed based on the calculation of toxic units (TUs), and the results showed the predominance of DDT and γ-HCH in the mixture toxicity of the sediment. Overall, the TUs of OCPs in sediments from both the Bering and Chukchi Seas are less than one, indicating low ecological risk potential.