To meet the increasing global energy demand, expanding exploration for oil and gas reserves as well as associated drilling activities are expected in the Arctic-boreal region where sponge aggregations contribute to up to 90% of benthic biomass. These deep-water sponges along with their microbial endobionts play key roles in the nitrogen cycling in Arctic-boreal ecosystems. This study aimed to investigate the effects of drilling discharges and associated sediment resuspension events on net fluxes of oxygen, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite in three common deep-water sponge species in the form of explants. Sponges were exposed to suspended bentonite and barite, the primary particulate compounds in drilling waste, as well as suspended natural sediment particles for a period of 33 days (on average 10 mg L−1 for 12 h day−1). The exposure period was followed by a pollution abatement period for a further 33 days. No sponge mortality was observed during the experiment. However, exposure to these particles, especially to barite, led to reduced oxygen consumption by up to 33% that was linearly correlated with reduced nitrite/nitrate release by the sponges. The changes in net fluxes were accompanied by decreased tissue oxygenation by up to 54% within the sponges. These findings reveal the effects of fine particles on sponge metabolic processes by reducing aerobic respiration and microbial nitrification, and possibly by favouring anaerobic processes such as microbial denitrification. Most of the sponge responses recovered to their control levels upon the pollution abatement period, but the effects caused by barite may not be reversible. Our findings provide the first insight into the ecological consequences of oil and gas drilling activities on sponge-mediated nitrogen cycling in the Arctic-boreal region.

The potential hazards of acrylamide (AA) have been proposed due to its lifelong exposure. However, the association between AA exposure and mortality remains unclear.We evaluated the prospective association of AA hemoglobin adducts (HbAA and HbGA) with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in U.S. population from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006.We followed 5504 participants who were ≥25 years of age for an average of 6.7 years at the baseline examination with annual linkage to the NHANES statistics database. Using AA hemoglobin biomarkers [HbAA, HbGA, sum of HbAA and HbGA (HbAA + HbGA), and ratio of HbGA to HbAA (HbGA/HbAA)], we determined mortality from all-causes and CVD through Cox proportional hazard regression analysis with multivariable adjustments both in non-smoker group and smoker group. In addition, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were further conducted.After adjusting for sociodemographic, life behavioral and cardiovascular risk factors in non-smoker group, HbAA was positively associated with all-cause mortality (p for trend = 0.0197) and non-CVD mortality (p for trend = 0.0124). HbGA and HbGA/HbAA were inversely associated with all-cause mortality (p for trend = 0.0117 and 0.0098, respectively) and CVD mortality (p for trend=0.0009 and 0.0036, respectively). The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] of the upper three quartiles were 0.472 (95% CI: 0.283–0.786), 0.517 (95% CI: 0.299–0.894) and 0.470 (95% CI: 0.288–0.766) between HbGA/HbAA and all-cause mortality comparing with the lowest quartile, respectively. No significant associations were found between HbAA + HbGA and mortality in non-smoker group, and between all AA hemoglobin biomarkers and mortality in smoker group.Hemoglobin biomarker levels of AA were strongly associated with mortality in general U.S. non-smoker adults. These findings proposed a continuous public health concern in relation to environmental and dietary exposure to AA.

Contamination of aquatic habitats with pharmaceuticals is a major environmental concern. Recent studies have detected pharmaceutical pollutants in a wide array of ecosystems and organisms, with many of these contaminants being highly resistant to biodegradation and capable of eliciting sub-lethal effects in non-target species. One such pollutant is fluoxetine, a widely prescribed antidepressant, which is frequently detected in surface waters globally and can alter physiology and behaviour in aquatic organisms. Despite this, relatively little is known about the potential for fluoxetine to disrupt mechanisms of sexual selection. Here, we investigate the impacts of 30-day exposure to two environmentally realistic levels of fluoxetine (low and high) on mechanisms of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). We tested 1) male mating behaviour in the absence or presence of a competitor male, and 2) sperm quality and quantity. We found that high-fluoxetine exposure increased male copulatory behaviour in the absence of a competitor, while no effect was detected under male-male competition. Further, fluoxetine exposure at both concentrations increased total sperm count relative to males from the control group, while no significant change in sperm quality was observed. Lastly, low-fluoxetine males showed a significant reduction in condition index (mass relative to length). Our study is the first to show altered mechanisms of both pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in an aquatic species resulting from environmentally realistic fluoxetine exposure, highlighting the capacity of pharmaceutical pollution to interfere with sensitive reproductive processes in wildlife.

Irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) and application of biosolids to arable land expose the agro-environment to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which can be taken up by crops. In this project, we studied the effect of a carrier medium (e.g., biosolids and TWW) on plant (tomato, wheat and lettuce) uptake, translocation and metabolism of carbamazepine as a model for non-ionic PPCPs. Plant uptake and bioconcentration factors were significantly lower in soils amended with biosolids compared to soils irrigated with TWW. In soils amended with biosolids and irrigated with TWW, the bioavailability of carbamazepine for plant uptake was moderately decreased as compared to plants grown in soils irrigated with TWW alone. While TWW acts as a continuous source of PPCPs, biosolids act both as a source and a sink for these compounds. Moreover, it appears that decomposition of the biosolids in the soil after amendment enhances their adsorptive properties, which in turn reduces the bioavailability of PPCPs in the soil environment. In-plant metabolism of carbamazepine was found to be independent of environmental factors, such as soil type, carrier medium, and absolute amount implemented to the soil, but was controlled by the total amount taken up by the plant.

The aim of this study was to investigate the key landscape structures of migratory bird habitats that affect abundance of migratory birds to promote resilient coastal green infrastructure planning on the Yellow Sea coast. We classified coastal areas into four watersheds of South Korea and conducted multivariate regression analysis between migratory bird populations and landscape structures including total class area (CA), patch area distribution (MN), patch density (PD), and edge density (ED). At the national level, sandbank MN, sandbank CA, water ED, and grasslands were derived as key landscape structures affecting the abundance of migratory birds. At the watershed level, key landscape structures were determined as follows: Urban area_MN for the Han River watershed, rice paddy MN for the Asan watershed, rice paddy CA for Saemangeum, and grassland MN for the Youngsan River watershed. Considering the multifunctionality, redundancy, and connectivity of the resilience strategy, we provide specific coastal infrastructure planning recommendations at the national and watershed scales.

Biochar has been used for immobilizing heavy metals in soils due to its abundant surface functional groups and mineral components. However, as carbonaceous material, biochar in soils is susceptible to natural aging, which could alter its structural properties and ability to retain heavy metals. In this study, the impacts of pre- and post-application aging on the properties of dairy manure and sawdust biochars and the significance of different mechanisms of complexation with surface functional groups and mineral precipitation for Cd immobilization in soils were investigated. The simulated natural aging including 25 dry-wet cycles and 25 freeze-thaw cycles decreased the pH of biochar from 8.2 to 10.7 to 7.5–9.7 while increased the release of dissolved organic carbon from 4.1 to 10.9 to 5.9–21.3 mg L⁻¹, O/C ratios from 0.09 to 0.30 to 0.17–0.33, and O-containing functional groups, especially -OH and -C=O groups. New minerals such as CaC₂O₄ and MgO·MgCO₃ were formed during freeze-thaw cycles. The capacity of pre-aged biochars to immobilize Cd in soils decreased from 57-70% to 53–63%, compared to that of fresh biochar, which was mainly due to decrease of CdCO₃ or Cd₃(PO₄)₂ precipitation as evidenced by XRD and MINTEQ modeling. By contrast, post-aging of biochar application in soil with dry-wet and freeze-thaw cycling had little effect on the biochar's alkalinity while increased the O/C ratios from 0.10 to 0.24 to 0.15–0.27 and intensity of O-containing functional groups. The immobilization capacity of biochars for Cd in soil increased from 44-68% to 59–73% due to the enhanced surface complexation with O-containing groups. In short, biochar subjected to pre-aging had a reduced capacity to immobilize Cd, while biochars with post-aging in soil increased its Cd immobilization capacity as a soil amendment.

This paper analyses sources of sixteen PAHs – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urbanized areas by using selected diagnostic ratios. Simultaneously, an attempt was made to determine how sewage sludge changes PAHs content in urbanized areas soils. In the experiment three lawns along the main roads in Bialystok with different traffic intensity, three doses of sewage sludge and two years of study were considered. There was no effect of fertilization with sewage sludge on the sum of 16 PAHs in urban soil samples, nevertheless, the sum of 16 PAHs was reduced from 2.6 in 2011 to 2.3 mg/kg in 2012. Among 16 tested PAHs compounds, benzo[a]pyrene was the most dominant compound in samples collected in both years – about 15% of all PAHs. The results suggest that application of sludge into the soil did not influence the concentration of 2-3-ring, 4-ring and 5-6-ring PAHs. For the objects fertilized with a dose 150.0 Mg/ha, of sludge the total sum of potentially carcinogenic PAHs in the urban soil lowered by approximately 68% in comparison with the control plots. PAHs contamination of the urban soil samples resulted from the influence of coal, petroleum and biomass combustion. Moreover, PAHs can enter soil via at mospheric deposition.

Feed intake, for non-smokers, is the first route of contamination to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are potentially toxic compounds via ingestion. Investigations are focused on the presence of PAHs in fruits and vegetables. Transfer of PAHs can occur from air and soil during cultivation. They can also appear prior to consumption during storage, transport or cooking processes.Rather low amounts of PAHs are usually detected in raw fruits and vegetables. Quantities are between 0.01 and 0.5 μg kg⁻¹ (wet weight) for compounds classified as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, several studies point out that concentrations of some PAHs can exceed 0.5 μg kg⁻¹ wet weight in diverse fruits and vegetables and even reach 5 μg kg⁻¹. Amounts can be very different depending on the surrounding area of the crops, the aromatic hydrocarbon, or even the product itself. PAHs content is usually higher for products grown near roadways or in urban regions than in rural areas. Trace level of compounds such as phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene have been found in quite every raw fruit and vegetable. Relative high amounts of lighter PAHs such as naphthalene, acenaphthylene, and acenaphthene have been found in some of them.

Ambient ozone is one of the most important air pollutants with respect to its impacts on human health and its increasing concentrations globally. However, studies which explored the burden of ozone pollution on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and estimated the relevant economic loss were rare.We explored the relationships between ambient ozone exposure and years of life lost (YLL) from COPD mortality and estimated the relevant economic loss in Ningbo, in the Yangtze River Delta of China, 2011–2015.A time-series study was conducted to explore the effects of ozone on YLL from COPD. Seasonal stratified analyses were performed, and the effect modification of demographic factors was estimated. In addition, the related economic loss was calculated using the method of the value per statistical life year (VSLY).Averaged daily mean maximum 8-h average ozone concentration was 40.90 ppb in Ningbo, China, 2011–2015. The effect of short term ambient ozone exposure on COPD YLL was more pronounced in the cool season than in the warm season, with 10 ppb increment of ozone corresponding to 7.09(95%CI: 3.41, 10.78) years increase in the cool season and 0.31 (95%CI: −2.15, 2.77) years change in the warm season. The effect was higher in the elderly than the young. Economic loss due to excess COPD YLL related to ozone exposure accounted for 7.30% of the total economic loss due to COPD YLL in Ningbo during the study period.Our findings highlight that ozone exposure was related to tremendous disease burden of COPD in Ningbo, China. The effects were more pronounced in the cool season, and the elderly were more susceptible populations.

Microbial methylmercury (MeHg) production in contaminated soil-rice systems and its accumulation in rice pose health risks to consumers, especially those in Asia. However, the mechanism responsible for microbial MeHg production in paddy soils is far from clear. While previous studies examined the effect of soil and microbial factors on soil MeHg levels, in this work we explored the impact of rice cultivation itself on microbial MeHg production, focusing on the root exudate organic matter as a potential source of electron donors for microbial methylators. Effects of the cultivation of two rice cultivars, Heigu246 (H-rice) and Neiwuyou8015 (N-rice), on MeHg production in soils were therefore investigated in pot and batch incubation experiments. Soil MeHg levels measured in H-rice treatment during the heading and harvest stages were 18–49% higher than in the control and 23–108% higher than in N-rice treatment. Consequently, MeHg levels in grain, straw, and root were 38%, 81%, and 40% higher in H-rice than those in N-rice, which was mainly attributed to cultivar-specific MeHg production in soils. Results of the batch experiments suggested that root exudate organic matter could be responsible for MeHg production in soils during rice cultivation, by increasing the abundances of potential microbial methylators. For instance, root exudate organic matter increased copy numbers of Hg methylation genes (hgcA) in soils 4.1-fold. Furthermore, the 211% higher concentration of acetate (a key electron donor for microbial methylators) in the root exudate of H-rice could account for the higher MeHg production under H-rice than N-rice cultivation. Our results suggest that root exudate organic matter, especially acetate, as its key component, contributes to the elevated soil MeHg concentrations during rice cultivation. The proposed mechanism provides new insights into the elevated risk of MeHg production in contaminated soil-rice systems, as well as cultivar-specific MeHg bioaccumulation.