Triclocarban (TCC) is used as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, the intensive detection of TCC in aquatic environments and its potential risks to aquatic organisms are concerned worldwide. In this study, 8 Chinese resident aquatic organisms from 3 phyla and 8 families were used for the toxicity tests, and four methods were employed to derive the aquatic life criteria (ALC). A criterion maximum concentration (CMC) of 1.46 μg/L and a criterion continuous concentration (CCC) of 0.21 μg/L were derived according to the USEPA guidelines. The acute predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) derived by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) methods based on log-normal, log-logistic and Burr Type Ⅲ models were 2.64, 1.88 and 3.09 μg/L, respectively. The comparisons of ALCs derived with resident and non-resident species showed that the CMC and CCC of TCC derived with Chinese resident species could provide a sufficient protection for non-resident species. The higher toxicity of TCC on aquatic organisms was found compared with other antimicrobial agents (except for Clotrimazole) in aquatic environment. The strong positive linear correlation was observed between the TCC and TCS concentrations in aquatic environment with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.8104, it is of great significance in environmental monitoring and risk assessment for TCC and TCS. Finally, the ecological risk assessment showed that the TCC in Yellow River basin and Pearl River basin had higher risk with the mean potential affected fractions (PAFs) of 9.27% and 7.09%, and 22.10% and 15.00% waters may pose potential risk for 5% aquatic organisms, respectively. In general, the risk of TCC in Asian waters was higher than that in Europe and North America.

The concentrations, congener profiles and spatial distribution of 13 phthalate esters (PAEs) in the freshwater fish ponds in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region were investigated in water and sediment samples collect from 22 sites during Jul. 2016–Sept. 2017. The di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was the predominant compounds in both water and sediment samples, accounting for 70.1% and 66.1% of ∑PAEs, respectively. The DEHP concentrations in the water samples collected from the sites of Zhongshan (35.7 μg/L), Jingmen (17.3 μg/L) and Nanhai (14.2 μg/L) were higher than that collected from other sampling sites (p <0.05), and exceed the Chinese environmental quality standards for surface water (DEHP, 8.00 μg/L). The concentrations of ΣPAEs (mean and median were 11.8 mg/kg dw and 7.95 mg/kg dw) in sediment was higher than that in sediment of river and estuary in the PRD region (p <0.05). The median concentrations of DEHP and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) exceeded recommend environmental risk limit (ERL) that posed a potential risk to the aquaculture fish pond environment in the PRD.

In order to evaluate the effect of mining activity on the environment of the Qhorveh mining area in the west of Iran, the geological, ecological and environmental data, related to social development and regional economic status, were used. The geological data included seven sub-indices, such as vegetation coverage, land utilization type, and fault activity; ecological data, with two sub-indices, such as degree of ecological environment recovery; and finally, environmental data, with three sub-indices, such as soil and dust pollutions. These were selected based on the literature and expert opinion which were utilized for environmental pollution and geo-ecological (EPGE) risk assessment of the study site. Remote sensing (RS) image, field sampling, digital elevation map, and data retrieved from different government agencies were used to generate layers for the sub-indices in the geographic information system (GIS) environment. In addition, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to determine the weight of sub-indices. Five levels consisting of best, good, middle, poor and worst were used to describe the EPGE risk assessment of the Qhorveh mining area. Results showed that worst and poor levels of EPGE risk are in the east and northeast of the study area where the gold and pumice mines are located while best and good levels of EPGE risk are in its center where the stone mines are located. According to the results of this research, the EPGE risk assessment of the Qhorveh mining area is affected by the environmental pollution index with its highest weight (0.3908). It can be concluded that the integration of the RS, GIS and AHP methods proposed in this study improved the evaluation quality of EPGE risk assessment.

β-Blockers (BB) are one of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals used for treating cardiovascular and acute anxiety-related disorders. This class of drugs inhibit β-adrenoceptor signalling and given their growing, widespread use, BB are routinely detected in surface waters at nM concentrations. This is concerning as trace levels of BB impart developmental and reproductive dysfunction in non-target aquatic organisms, with potential for ecological risks. To date, environmental pharmaceutical risks to non-target animals are not part of the monitoring framework due to the lack of bioassays for assessing their biological effects. Behavioral endpoints have the advantage of a systems-level integration of multiple sensory signals and motor responses for toxicity screening; however, they are not currently used for risk assessment of environmental contaminants. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo photomotor response (zfPMR) has been used in high-throughput behavioral screenings for neuroactive drug effects at high, therapeutic concentrations. Our objective here was to examine if we could utilize the zfPMR for screening environmental levels of BB. Embryos were placed into 96-well plates, exposed to chemicals and/or municipal wastewater effluent (MWWE), and their zfPMRs were measured with video-analysis. To specifically target BB, embryos were co-treated with isoproterenol, a β-adrenergic agonist that stimulates the zfPMR, and the inhibition of isoproterenol-induced response was used as a biomarker of BB exposure. Our results reveal that the inhibition of isoproterenol-stimulated zfPMRs can be used as a biosensor capable of detecting BB in the parts-per-billion to parts-per-trillion in water samples, including diluted MWWE. The method developed detects BB in spite of the presence of other neuroactive compounds in water samples. This systems level approach of rapid screening for BB effects provides the most promising evidence to date that behavioral neuromodulation can be potentially applied for environmental effects monitoring of pharmaceuticals.

Useful information on the potential radon risk in existing buildings can be obtained by combining data from sources such as potential risk maps, the ‘Sistema de Información sobre Ocupación del Suelo de España’ (SIOSE) [information system on land occupancy in Spain], cadastral data on built property and population surveys. The present study proposes a method for identifying urban land, premises and individuals potentially subject to radon risk. The procedure draws from geographic information systems (GIS) pooled at the municipal scale and data on buildings possibly affected. The method quantifies the magnitude of the problem in the form of indicators on the buildings, number of premises and gross floor area that may be affected in each risk category. The findings are classified by type of use: residential, educational or office. That information may guide health/prevention policies by targeting areas to be measured based on risk category, or protection policies geared to the construction industry by estimating the number of buildings in need of treatment or remediation. Application of the methodology to Greater Madrid showed that 47% of the municipalities have houses located in high radon risk areas. Using cadastral data to zoom in on those at highest risk yielded information on the floor area of the vulnerable (basement, ground and first storey) premises, which could then be compared to the total. In small towns, the area affected differed only scantly from the total, given the substantial proportion of low-rise buildings in such municipalities.

A nationwide survey, including 75 sludge samples and 18 wastewater samples taken from different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from 23 cities, was carried out to investigate the occurrence and composition profiles of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in China. In total, the concentrations of ∑16PAHs in sludge ranged from 565 to 280,000 ng/g (mean: 9340 ng/g) which was at a moderate level in the world. The composition profiles of PAHs were characterized by 3- and 4-ring PAHs in textile dyeing sludge and 4- and 5-ring PAHs in domestic sludge. Significant variations in regional distribution of PAHs were observed. Both the principal components analysis and diagnostic ratios revealed that vehicle exhaust, coal and natural gas combustion were the main sources of PAHs in China. The estimated concentrations of PAHs were 3820 ng/L and 1120 ng/L in influents and effluents of the WWTPs, respectively. The high toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) values of PAHs are ascribed to the high PAH levels. Risk quotient values (RQs) in sludge indicated that there was low potential risk to soil ecosystem after sludge had been applied one year except for indeno [1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IcdP) detected in Huaibei, Anhui province.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of widespread environmental pollutants, commonly found in human blood, that have been suggested to be linked to the occurrence of sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been reported that some non-coplanar PCBs accumulate in the brains of female PD patients. To improve our understanding of the association between PCB exposure and PD risk we have applied whole transcriptome gene expression analysis in blood cells from 594 PCB-exposed subjects (369 female, 225 male).Interestingly, we observe that in females, blood levels of non-coplanar PCBs appear to be associated with expression levels of PD-specific genes. However, no such association was detected in males. Among the 131 PD-specific genes affected, 39 have been shown to display similar changes in expression levels in the substantia nigra of deceased PD patients. Especially among the down-regulated genes, transcripts of genes involved in neurotransmitter vesicle-related functions were predominant.

Atrazine is presently one of the most abundantly used herbicides in the United States, and a common contaminant of natural water bodies and drinking waters in high-use areas. Dysregulation of reproductive processes has been demonstrated in atrazine exposed fish, including alteration of key endocrine pathways on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, the potential for atrazine-induced transgenerational inheritance of reproductive effects in fish has not been investigated. The present study examined the effects of early developmental atrazine exposure on transgenerational reproductive dysregulation in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). F0 medaka were exposed to atrazine (ATZ, 5 or 50 μg/L), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2, 0.002 or 0.05 μg/L), or solvent control during the first twelve days of development with no subsequent exposure over three generations. This exposure overlapped with the critical developmental window for embryonic germ cell development, gonadogenesis, and sex determination. Exposed males and females of the F0 generation were bred to produce an F1 generation, and this was continued until the F2 generation. Sperm count and motility were not affected in F0 males; however, both parameters were significantly reduced in the males from F2 Low EE2 (0.002 μg/L), Low ATZ (5 μg/L), and High ATZ (50 μg/L) lineages. Fecundity was unaffected by atrazine or EE2 in F0 through F2 generations; however, fertilization rate was decreased in low atrazine and EE2 exposure lineages in the F2 generation. There were significant transgenerational differences in expression of the genes involved in steroidogenesis and DNA methylation. These results suggest that although early life exposure to atrazine did not cause significant phenotypes in the directly exposed F0 generation, subsequent generations of fish were at greater risk of reproductive dysfunction.

Global concern about floating marine debris and its fundamental role in shaping coastal biodiversity is growing, yet there is very little knowledge about debris-associated rafting communities in many areas of the world's oceans. In the present study, we examined the encrusting assemblage on different types of stranded debris (wood, plastic, glass, and metal cans) along the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. In total, 21 taxa were identified on 132 items. The average frequency of occurrence (±SE) across all sites and stranded debris showed that the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite (68.9 ± 1.1%), the oyster Saccostrea cucullata (40.9 ± 0.7%), the polychaete Spirobranchus kraussii (27.3 ± 0.5%), green algae (22 ± 0.5%) and the coral Paracyathus stokesii (14.4 ± 0.7%) occurred most frequently. Relative substratum coverage was highest for A. amphitrite (44.3 ± 2.7%), followed by green algae (14.4 ± 1.5%), Spirobranchus kraussii (9.3 ± 1.3%), Saccostrea cucullata (7.6 ± 1.3%) and the barnacle Microeuraphia permitini (5.8 ± 0.9%). Despite the significant difference in coverage of rafting species on plastic items among different sites, there was no clear and consistent trend of species richness and coverage from the eastern (Strait of Hormuz) to the western part of the Persian Gulf. Some rafting species (bryozoans and likely barnacles) were found to be non-indigenous species in the area. As floating marine debris can transport non-indigenous species and increase the risk of bio-invasions to this already naturally- and anthropogenically-stressed water body, comprehensive monitoring efforts should be made to elucidate the vectors and arrival of new invasive species to the region.

Crude oil and its constituents can have adverse effects on ecological and human health when released into the environment. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has developed remedial guidelines and a risk assessment framework for both ecological and human exposure to PHC. One of the assumptions used in the derivation of these guidelines is that plants are unable to take up PHC from contaminated soil and therefore subsequent exposure at higher trophic levels is not a concern. However, various studies suggest that plants are indeed able to take up PHC into their tissues. Consumption of plants is a potential exposure pathway in both ecological (e.g., herbivorous and omnivorous birds, and mammals) and human health risk assessments. If plants can uptake PHC, then the current approach for risk assessment of PHC may underestimate exposures to ecological and human receptors. The present review aims to assess whether or not plants are capable of PHC uptake and accumulation. Twenty-one articles were deemed relevant to the study objective and form the basis of this review. Of the 21 primary research articles, 19 reported detectable PHC and/or its constituents in plant tissues. All but five of the 21 articles were published after the publication of the CCME Canada-Wide Standards. Overall, the present literature review provides some evidence of uptake of PHC and its constituents into plant tissues. Various plant species, including some edible plants, were shown to take up PHC from contaminated soil and aqueous media in both laboratory and field studies. Based on the findings of this review, it is recommended that the soil-plant-wildlife/human pathway should be considered in risk assessments to avoid underestimating exposure and subsequent toxicological risks to humans and wildlife.