Diplopods are components of the edaphic fauna, which makes them suitable bioindicators of soil quality. Some characteristics of the fat body of diplopods make it suitable for ecotoxicological studies. This organ, composed of diffuse tissue, fills the body cavity; it presents intense metabolic activity associated with lipid, glycogen, protein, and uric acid storage, being also responsible for storage, neutralization, and excretion of substances that are not useful to the organism. The present study aimed to investigate whether the perivisceral fat body of Rhinocricus padbergi can be used as a target organ in ecotoxicological studies and to identify possible histological and histochemical biomarkers in this organ. Upon examining the perivisceral fat body of individuals of R. padbergi exposed to different concentrations of industrial soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (∑ 2,749.0 mg/kg) and metals (∑ 40,355.8 mg/kg), we have found evidence that this organ is sensitive to environmental pollutants present in the soil. The loss of integrity of the cell boundary associated with cytoplasmatic disorganization and depletion in total proteins, neutral polysaccharides, calcium, and lipids can be considered stress biomarkers for R. padbergi.

Air quality levels vary over regions due to meteorological factors, proximity to sources, and local conditions (i.e., topography). The Northeast USA is subjected to pollution inputs from both local sources and those from the upwind Midwest USA that are transported by prevailing meteorological patterns. With the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the establishment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), national levels of air pollutants have declined significantly. Our study compared air quality time trends between five of the largest cities within New York State (Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, and Syracuse) and statewide means to national trends. Data were obtained from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Bureau of Air Quality Surveillance for six criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), particulate matter (PM₂.₅), and lead (Pb). Regional Kendall tests found significant downward trends for each pollutant statewide from 1980 to 2007, while trends by city varied by decade and pollutant. The evaluation of historical trends of pollution in industrialized nations is useful in showing recent air quality improvements and also in the understanding what can be the result in air pollutant controls in those developing nations currently experiencing high levels of pollution.

Eutrophication of surface water bodies is a worldwide concern. In the USA alone, excessive nutrients are blamed for nearly 5,700 impairments of surface water bodies. Innovative measures, such as maximizing drainage ditch nutrient retention, are being examined to decrease the amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) running off agricultural lands and into aquatic receiving systems. The goal of this experiment was to measure the nutrient mitigation ability of six aquatic plants typically found in agricultural drainage ditches in the lower Mississippi River Basin. Experimental mesocosms (1.25 × 0.6 × 0.8 m) were filled with sediment and planted with monocultures of one of six obligate wetland plant species (Typha latifolia (broadleaf cattail), Panicum hemitomon (maidencane), Thalia dealbata (powdery alligator-flag), Echinodorus cordifolia (creeping burhead), Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil), and Saururus cernuus (lizard’s tail)), while three replicates were left non-vegetated to serve as controls. Mesocosms were amended with 5 mg L−1 (each) of nitrate, ammonia, dissolved inorganic phosphorus, and total inorganic phosphorus, while nitrite amendments (1 mg L−1) were also made over a 4-h hydraulic retention time. Following the 4-h exposure, “clean” (non-amended) water was flushed through mesocosms for an additional 8 h to assess residual leaching of nutrients. Outflow water concentrations and loads decreased for all examined forms of N and P. In certain cases, there were significant differences between plant species; however, for the majority, there was no statistical difference in percent decrease between plant species. While native aquatic vegetation shows promise for mitigation of nutrient runoff, further studies altering the hydraulic retention time for improved efficiency should be conducted.

In order to investigate the effects of canopy-dependent processes on throughfall chemistry, comparative studies on the chemical composition of throughfall were carried out in five characteristic forest types of the southeastern United States within Fort Benning Military Installation from January 2002 to August 2003. The concentrations and fluxes of and total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and total phosphorus (TP) were determined in rainfall and throughfall. Seasonal variations in chemical fluxes were also evaluated. Throughfall concentrations of TOC, TKN, and TP in matured pine stand were higher than in rainfall and other forest stands. Throughfall nutrient concentrations in wetland were lowest as compared to rainfall as well as hardwood, mixed, plantation, and pine stands. The average TOC, TKN, and TP concentrations in the matured pine stand were 17.2, 0.74, and 0.057 mg/L, respectively. In wetland stands, average concentrations of TOC, TKN, and TP were 4.0, 0.54, and 0.034 mg/L, respectively. Hardwood stand had the lowest TKN concentration of 0.53 mg/L. Nutrient fluxes were generally higher during the dormant season (November–April) as compared to the growing season (May–October). The highest and lowest TOC fluxes during dormant season were contributed from pine stand (801.7 g/ha) and wetland stand (186.2 g/ha), respectively. Rainfall was the major contributor of TKN fluxes in growing season (32.3 g/ha) as well as in dormant season (34.1 g/ha). Similarly, highest TP flux was produced in mixed stand (2.7 g/ha) during the dormant season. Enrichment ratios of nutrients reveal that, in general, forest stands used up nutrients during growing season and washed off during the dormant season.

Sediment and porewater samples from an enclosed bay receiving stormwater discharge (Skutviken) near the centre of Luleå, northern Sweden were analysed for major and trace elements and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Among the studied metals Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were enriched at Skutviken. Also, the PAH content was enriched, in particular for phenantrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene which are regarded as common constituents in stormwater. The use of trace metal ratios provided indications about pollutant sources for the sediment. Cs-137 dating was used to determine historical changes in metal and PAH fixation in the sediment. The bay Skutviken is enclosed through the construction of a road bank since 1962. The enclosure led to reduced water circulation in the bay that promotes the occurrence of anoxic conditions with sulphate reduction within the bay. As a consequence of these conditions, metals are trapped in the sediments as sulphides. This study suggests that enclosed bays with restricted water circulation may be efficient traps for urban pollutants, reducing the present-day input of pollutants to the sea. In areas with postglacial land uplift, where such bays are common, bay sediments are a potential future source of pollutants when uplift results in erosion and oxidation of the sediments.

Sulfonamides (SAs) are one of the broadly used antibiotics in domestic animal operations and have a notable potential of entering the environment through animal manure management practices. In this study, sulfamethazine (SMZ) was used as a prototype to study the sorption, fate, and transport of SAs in soil–water systems using batch and miscible-displacement experiments. Sulfamethazine was degraded to a polar metabolite (PM). The batch experiments indicated that the linear sorption partitioning coefficient (K d) values for the PM ranged from 7.5 to 206.2 L kg−1. Strong relationships between the sorption of PM and various soil fractions and organic matter were also observed. The miscible-displacement experiments showed that 33–70% of SMZ was degraded within 6 h during transport in the soil columns. Also, 69–99.7% of SMZ and PM were recovered in the effluents suggesting their high mobility. Also, the simultaneous degradation, sorption, and transport of SMZ and PM were described using a two-site chemical nonequilibrium fate and transport model, using the K d values obtained from the batch experiments. The parameters of this model were uniquely estimated using a global optimization strategy, the stochastic ranking evolutionary strategy.

Mixed microbial culture was isolated from heavy metal-contaminated ground soils located inside iron, vinyl and cement factory area. Isolated mixed microbial culture was used for the heavy metal ions (Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺) removal process in horizontal rotating tubular bioreactor (HRTB). In this research, the effect of bioreactor process parameters on the bioprocess dynamics in the HRTB was studied. Results of this research have shown that profiles of heavy metals concentration were gradually reduced along HRTB at all combinations of bioreactor process parameters [inflow rates (0.5-2.0 L h⁻¹) and rotation speed (5-30 min⁻¹)]. Hydrodynamic conditions and biomass sorption capacity have main impact on the metal ions removal efficiency that was varied in the range of 38.1% to 95.5%. Notable pH gradient (cca 0.7 pH unit) along the HRTB was only observed at the inflow rate of 2.0 L h⁻¹. On the basis of obtained results, it is clear that medium inflow rate (F) has higher impact on the heavy metal removal process than bioreactor rotation speed (n) due to the fact that increase of inflow rate was related to the reduction of equilibrium time for all examined metal ions. Furthermore, equilibrium times for all metal ions are significantly shorter than medium residence times at all examined combinations of bioreactor process parameters. The main impact on the biofilm sorption capacity has covalent index of metal ions and biofilm volumetric density. The sorption capacity of suspended microbial biomass is closely related to its concentration. Results of this research have also shown that the removal of heavy metals ion can be successfully conducted in an HRTB as a one-step process.

Synthetic musks are used in many consumer products for their pleasant odor and their binding affinity for fabrics. In the early 1990s, polycyclic musks were reported to occur in air, water, sediment, wildlife, and humans from many European countries. Concentrations of polycyclic musks, particularly 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-cyclopenta-[γ]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronapthalene (AHTN), have been reported to increase over time in the environment. In this study, concentrations of musks in water, sediment, fish, and mussel were determined from three locations along the upper Hudson River. HHCB and AHTN were detected in water (n = 5; 3.95-25.8 and 5.09-22.8 ng/L, respectively), sediment (n = 3; 72.8-388 and 113-544 ng/g, dry weight), fish (n = 30; <1-125 and <1-32.8 ng/g, lipid weight), and zebra mussel (n = 4; 10.3-19.3 and 42.2-65.9 ng/g, lipid weight) samples. Bioaccumulation factors of HHCB calculated for white perch, catfish, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass were in the range of 18 to 371, when the concentrations in fish were expressed on a wet weight basis; the factors were in the range of 261 to 12,900, when the concentrations in fish were expressed on a lipid weight basis.

In this paper, two Indian fly ashes (from Talcher and Ramagundam) were converted into zeolites and both the raw fly ash and zeolite were used to treat two British acidic mine waters. The results demonstrate that fly ash zeolites are more effective than raw fly ash for treatment of acid mine drainage. Fly ash has been found effective for removal of Pb, but with increased dosing, caused release of Ba, Cr, Sr (both fly ashes) plus Zn, Ni (Talcher), or Fe (Ramagundam) into mine water. In contrast, increased dosing with fly ash zeolite removed 100% Pb, 98.9% Cd, 98.8% Zn, 85.6% Cu, 82.8% Fe, 48.3% Ni, and 44.8% Ba from mine water. Fly ash is amorphous in nature and many metals attached on the surface of the ash particles are easily leached off when ash comes in contact with acidic mine water. However, fly ash zeolite is crystalline in nature and due to its high cation exchange properties, most of the metals present in acid mine water are retained in surface sites.

The influence of watershed land use on microzooplankton was examined. Six rivers and a shallow lake located in rural (agriculture, livestock) and urban areas were sampled during 4 weeks at low water, low temperatures and 3 weeks at high water, high temperatures. The major aim of this study was to analyze the composition, richness and abundance of the microzooplankton in relation to land use, taking into account nutrient concentration, biological oxygen demand (BOD5), conductivity, pH, transparency, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a. Redundancy analysis was used to assess microzooplankton response to environmental gradients. The composition and abundance can be considered good indicators of the land used and characteristic of the basin (broad range of conductivity water). The species composition show a gradient along the conductivity, pH and chlorophyll-a. Brachionus spp. were associated with saline waters on rural area and Keratella spp. (except Keratella tropica) were associated with urban water bodies. The microzooplankton abundance diminished by a factor of ten from the rivers in livestock–agriculture-dominated watersheds to those located in strictly urban areas. Urban rivers had low abundances of chlorophyll-a and microzooplankton despite the high concentration of nutrients. However, the effect of urbanization (mesotrophic/mesosaprobious state and lead presence) cannot be analyzed alone due to the potential effect of a filter-feeding invasive mollusk that colonizes the hard surfaces of harbor buildings and bridge pillars.