Although macrophytes are known to play vital roles in aquatic ecosystems, most quantitative aquatic toxicity data focus on fishes, water fleas, or algae, with limited ecotoxicity data published on macrophytes. Salvinia natans is a fast-growing plant commonly found in freshwater habitats. In this study, we verified a suitable disinfectant for preventing foreign contamination and formulated a culture medium for ensuring high productivity of S. natans. Finally, we established methodology for S. natans to be used in ecotoxicity testing of heavy metals and pesticides. As global regulations are being developed to harmonize guidelines and laboratory test species, S. natans is emerging as a potential candidate. The toxicity data publicly available for S. natans are very limited; hence, this study reports an advantageous culturing technique to optimize healthy growth of this species in the laboratory and presents optimal toxicity results, achieved by modifying the currently available test guidelines for Lemna. Our findings expand the currently limited range of test species for aquatic toxicity assays. We conclude that S. natans could serve as a valuable test species for aquatic toxicity assays.

Mycotoxins are toxic fungal metabolites, contaminating cereal grains in field or during processing and storage periods. These environmental contaminants pose great threats to humans and animals’ health due to their toxic effects. Type A trichothecenes, fumonisins and fusaric acid (FA) are commonly detected mycotoxins produced by various Fusarium species. Trichoderma spp. are promising antagonists in agriculture for their activities against plant pathogens, and also regarded as potential candidates for bioremediation of environmental contaminants. Managing toxigenic fungi by antagonistic Trichoderma is regarded as a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy for mycotoxin control. However, the metabolic activities of Trichoderma on natural occurring mycotoxins were less investigated. Our current work comprehensively explored the activities of Trichoderma against type A trichothecenes, fumonisins and FA producing Fusarium species via co-culture competition and indirect volatile assays. Furthermore, we investigated metabolism of type A trichothecenes and FA in Trichoderma isolates. Results indicated that Trichoderma were capable of bio-transforming T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol and neosolaniol into their glycosylated forms and one Trichoderma strain could bio transform FA into low toxic fusarinol. These findings proved that Trichoderma isolates could manage toxigenic Fusarium via direct competition and volatile-mediated indirect inhibition. In addition, these antagonists possess defensive systems against mycotoxins for self-protection, which enriches our understanding on the interaction mechanism of Trichoderma spp. on toxigenic fungus.

Lindane, a lipophilic pollutant, may be toxic to organisms. To explore the toxic effects of lindane and the underlying mechanisms of this toxicity, the animal model Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was exposed to lindane for 3 d at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.01–100 ng/L) and the physiological, biochemical, and molecular indices were evaluated. Subacute exposure to 10–100 ng/L of lindane caused adverse physiological effects on the development, reproduction, and locomotion behaviors in C. elegans. Exposure to 1–100 ng/L of lindane increased the accumulation of Nile red and blue food dye, which suggested high permeability of the intestine in nematodes. Lindane exposure also significantly influenced the expression of genes related to intestinal development (e.g., mtm-6 and opt-2). Moreover, reactive oxygen species production, lipofuscin accumulation, and expression of oxidation resistance genes (e.g., sod-5 and isp-1) were significantly increased in C. elegans exposed to 10–100 ng/L of lindane, which indicated that lindane exposure induced oxidative stress. According to Pearson correlation analyses, oxidative stress and intestinal damage were significantly correlated with the adverse physiological effects of lindane. Therefore, the adverse effects of lindane may have been induced by intestinal damage and oxidative stress, and mtm-6, opt-2, sod-5, isp-1, and mev-1 might play important roles in the toxicity of lindane.

Significant efforts have been directed towards addressing the adverse health effects of atmospheric particles, emphasizing the relevance of indoor exposure. Homes represent an indoor environment where human spend the majority of their time. Thus, the objective of this work was to concurrently assess different matrix of indoor particles considering both mass (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅) and number (N₂₀₋₁₀₀₀) concentrations in indoor and outdoor air of homes (n = 65). Real-time measurements (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, UFP) were conducted simultaneously during 48 h in dwellings situated in Oporto, Portugal. In 75% of homes, indoor PM₂.₅ (mean = 53 μg m⁻³) exceeded limit of 25 μg m⁻³, for PM₁₀ (mean = 57 μg m⁻³) 41% of homes demonstrated average levels higher than 50 μg m⁻³, thus indicating potential risks. Indoor PM₁₀ was mostly (82–99%) composed of PM₂.₅, both PM were highly correlated (|rs|>0.9655), thus suggesting the similar origin. Indoor PM originated from infiltrations of outdoor emissions; ∼70% of homes exhibited indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratio < 1. On the contrary, UFP indoors (mean = 13.3 × 10³ # cm⁻³) were higher than outdoors (mean = 10.0 × 10³ # cm⁻³). Indoor UFP spatially varied as follows: kitchens > living rooms > bedrooms. UFP indoors were poorly correlated (|rs| = 0.456) with outdoor concentrations, I/O ratios showed that indoor UFP predominantly originated from indoor emission sources (combustions). Therefore, in order to reduce exposure to UFP and protect public health, the primary concerns should be focused on controlling emissions from indoor sources.

Nitrogen (N) plays an important role in agriculture crop production but the increasing application of nitrogen increases the possibilities of groundwater contamination through nitrate leaching. Nitrate leaching is the inevitable part of agriculture production which occurs during nitrogen fertilization. Hence, the quantification of nitrogen fertilizer is required to reduce nitrate leaching. In this study, nitrogen transformation and transport such as ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO3−) at different soil depths and maize crop growth stages were measured during field experiments for two sowing dates (timely and delay) and four N fertilization levels under irrigated (year 2013 and 2014) and rainfed (year 2012 and 2014) conditions for maize crop. NH₄⁺, NO3− and total nitrogen concentrations were measured using spectrophotometer at 410 nm and Kjeldahl method at varying soil depths and maize crop growth stages. Thereafter, nitrogen balance approach was used to estimate the NO3− leaching. Results indicated that NO3− leaching in irrigated condition was higher 109% in N₇₅, 179% in N₁₀₀, and 292% in N₁₂₅ level respectively in comparison to the N₀ level in timely sowing date, while in delayed sowing date, leaching was higher 54% in N₇₅, 123% in N₁₀₀, and 184% in N₁₂₅ level respectively in comparison to N₀ level. In rainfed, the NO3− leaching was higher 30% in N₆₀, 59% in N₈₀, and 99% in N₁₀₀ level respectively in comparison to N₀ level for the timely sowing date, while in delayed sowing, leaching was higher 23% in N₆₀, 44% in N₈₀, and 78% in N₁₀₀ level respectively in comparison to N₀ level. The results indicate that leaching losses were less in timely sowing dates for both rainfed and irrigated maize. The study further reveals that sowing dates combination with N levels could be an effective management strategy to reduce NO3− leaching by minimizing the N fertilization.

With the recent rapid development of urbanization, atmospheric pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted wide attention, particularly in remote regions. The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as the third pole is adjacent to areas with heavy atmospheric pollution, such as South and East Asia. However, the spatial distribution and sources of PAHs on the TP remain unclear. Thus, we investigated the sources and spatio-temporal distributions of PAHs on the TP by combining aerosol sample data from six sites, including Ngari (NG), Laohugou (LHG), Beiluhe (BLH), Nam Co (NMC), Everest (EV), and Yulong (YL), in 2014 and 2016. The average concentrations of 15 PAHs at the six sites ranged from 3.4 to 15.2 ng m⁻³, with a decreasing trend from the marginal to inner areas of the plateau. The highest concentration was that in YL in the southeastern part of the TP, with an average of 15.2 ng m⁻³. The PAH concentrations in NG, NMC, and YL were higher in autumn and winter and lower in summer. High molecular weight PAHs usually exists in the particulate phase whereas tricyclic PAHs can change from particulate to gaseous phase, therefore it can indicate long-range transport. Tricyclic PAHs were the dominant PAHs on the TP (44%–58%), indicating long-range atmospheric transport as the major source of PAHs. Principal component analysis (PCA) and diagnostic ratio analysis showed that biomass and coal combustion were the major sources of PAHs in inland areas of the TP; however, marginal plateau areas were affected by fossil fuel emissions. Compared with levels in Beijing and other urban sites, the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) was low (0.36–1.06 ng m⁻³), suggesting a low risk to human and ecosystem health.

Airborne particulate matter (PM) has become a serious health issue causing pulmonary diseases such as asthma. Due to the side effects and non-specificity of conventional drugs, there is a need to develop natural-product-based alternative treatments. Sargassum horneri is a brown alga shown to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic effects. Thus, we sought to determine whether ethanol extract of Sargassum horneri (SHE) mitigates the effect of PM exposure on asthma development. To establish a mouse model of asthma, BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA, 10 μg) and challenged with PM (5 mg/m³) for 7 days consecutively. SHE (200, 400 mg/kg), Prednisone (5 mg/kg), or PBS was daily administrated orally before PM exposure. SHE mitigated PM exacerbated dendritic cell activation. More importantly, SHE restrained Th2 polarization by attenuating transcription factors GATA3 and STAT5, which further mitigated the expression of Th2 cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the lung homogenates of PM-exacerbated asthmatic mice. SHE further attenuated PM-exacerbated eosinophil infiltration in the lung, trachea, and BALF. In addition, SHE markedly mitigated the activation of mast cells and the IgE level in serum. Concomitantly, SHE further restrained the Th17 cell response in PM-exposed allergic mice through attenuating expression of transcription factors RORγT, STAT3 and expression of relevant effector cytokines IL-17a. This resulted in mitigated neutrophil infiltration in the lung. Taken together, SHE significantly suppressed PM-exacerbated hypersecretion of mucus in asthmatic mice. These results suggest that SHE has therapeutic potential for treating PM-exacerbated allergic asthma through concomitantly inhibiting Th2/Th17 responses.

This study investigated the impact of different environmental particles at different concentrations (0.2% and 2%, w/w) on biodegradation of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in sediments with and without Cylindrotheca closterium, a marine benthic diatom. The particles included biochar pyrolyzed at 400 °C, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT), nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and polyethylene microplastic. In treatments without C. closterium, inhibition effect of the particles on degradation percentage of DBP (up to 15.7% decrement except 1.7% increment for 0.2% nZVI) increased with the increase of particle sorption ability to DBP and particle concentration in general. The results of 16s rDNA sequencing showed that C. closterium was probably the most abundant DBP-degrader, accounting for 20.0–49.3% of the total taxon read numbers. In treatments with C. closterium, inoculation of C. closterium increased the degradation percentage of DBP in all treatments with particle addition by 0.0–11.3%, which increased with the increase of chlorophyll a content in general but decreased with the increase of particle concentration from 0.2% to 2%. The increment was the highest for treatment with 0.2% nZVI addition due to its highest promotion effect on algal growth. In contrast, the increment was the lowest for treatments with MWNT addition due to its strong sorption to DBP and strong inhibition on the growth of C. closterium. Our findings suggested that the environmental particles could influence bioavailability of DBP by sorption and biomass of C. closterium, and thus degradation of DBP in sediments.

Mining activities change the chemical composition of the environment and have negative reflection on people’s health and there is no single measure to deal with adverse consequences of mining activities, as each case is specific and needs to be understood and mitigated in a unique way. In this study, the combination of compositional data analysis (CoDA), k-means algorithm, hierarchical cluster analysis applied to reveal the geochemical associations of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in soil of Alaverdi city (Armenia) (Ti, Fe, Ba, Mn, Co, V, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mo, As). Additionally, to assess PTE-induced health risk, two commonly used approaches were used. The obtained results show that the combination of CoDA and machine learning algorithms allow to identify and describe three geochemical associations of the studied elements: the natural, manmade and hybrid. Moreover, the revealed geochemical associations were linked to the natural pattern of distribution of the element concentrations including the influence of the natural mineralization of the parent rocks, as well as the emission from the copper smelter and urban management related activities. The health risk assessment using the US EPA method demonstrated that the observed contents of studied elements are posing a non-carcinogenic risk to children in the entire territory of the city. In the case of adults, the non-carcinogenic risk was identified in areas situated close to the copper smelter. The Summary pollution index (Zc) values were in line with the results of the US EPA method and indicated that the main residential part of the city was under the hazardous pollution level suggesting the possibility of increase in the overall incidence of diseases among frequently ill individuals, children with chronic diseases and functional disorders of vascular system. The obtained results indicated the need for further in-depth studies with special focus on the synergic effect of PTE.

Neonicotinoids (Neonics) have become the most widely used insecticides around the world in recent years. Due to the hydrophilic character, neonics are emerging contaminants in drinking water. In this study, we aimed to characterize and quantify the fate and transport of neonics in the drinking water treatment system and their contributions to the overall dietary risks. Seven neonics in 97 surface and drinking water samples in the city of Hangzhou, China were analyzed. The relative potency factor method was adopted in order to calculate the total neonics concentrations. We then used the Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the chronic daily intake (CDI) of total neonics from water consumption. All 16 surface water samples collected from two rivers contained at least two neonics, and more than 93% of those contained 3 or more neonics. Imidacloprid was detected in all 16 surface water samples, followed by clothianidin and acetamiprid with average concentrations of 11.9, 7.6, 17.6 ng L-1, respectively. The drinking water treatment plants removed approximately 50% of neonics from surface water. However, 68 out of 71 tap water samples that we collected from the household faucets contained at least one neonic, with the highest average concentrations of 5.8 ng L-1 for acetamiprid. The maximum of CDIs of total neonics from water consumption for adult and children were 10.2 and 12.4 ng kg-1 d-1, respectively, which are significantly lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI). The results presented here shown drinking water consumption only represented an insignificant portion of dietary risks of total neonics, mainly due to the modern drinking water treatment technologies that are capable of removing significant amount of neonics from drinking water. However, the ubiquity of neonics in the drinking water sources to kitchen faucets, should be a concern for public health.