This study investigated the extent of arsenic (As) contamination in five common species of freshwater fish (northern snakehead [Channa argus], mandrarin fish [Siniperca chuatsi], largemouth bass [Lepomis macrochirous], bighead carp [Aristichthys nobilis] and grass carp [Ctenopharyngodon idellus]) and their associated fish pond sediments collected from 18 freshwater fish ponds around the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The total As concentrations detected in fish muscle and sediment in freshwater ponds around the PRD were 0.05–3.01 mg kg⁻¹wet weight (w. wt) and 8.41–22.76 mg kg⁻¹dry weight (d. wt), respectively. In addition, the As content was positively correlated (p < 0.05) to total organic carbon (TOC) contents in sediments. Biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) showed that omnivorous fish and zooplankton accumulated higher concentrations of heavy metals from the sediment than carnivorous fish. In addition, feeding habits of fish also influence As accumulation in different fish species. In this study, two typical food chains of the aquaculture ponds were selected for investigation: (1) omnivorous food chain (zooplankton, grass carp and bighead carp) and (2) predatory food chain (zooplankton, mud carp and mandarin fish). Significant linear relationships were obtained between log As and δ¹⁵N. The slope of the regression (−0.066 and −0.078) of the log transformed As concentrations and δ¹⁵N values, as biomagnifications power, indicated there was no magnification or diminution of As from lower trophic levels (zooplankton) to fish in the aquaculture ponds. Consumption of largemouth bass, northern snakehead and bighead carp might impose health risks of Hong Kong residents consuming these fish to the local population, due to the fact that its cancer risk (CR) value exceeded the upper limit of the acceptable risk levels (10⁻⁴) stipulated by the USEPA.

The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of environmental parameters and the phytoplankton community were investigated in October 2010 and January 2011 in the Qinhuai River, Nanjing, China. Results showed that the water quality in the study area was generally poor, and the main parameters exceeding standards (level V) were nitrogen and phosphorus. The observed average concentrations of the total nitrogen (TN) were 4.90 mg L⁻¹in autumn and 9.29 mg L⁻¹in winter, and those of the total phosphorus (TP) were 0.24 mg L⁻¹in autumn and 0.88 mg L⁻¹in winter, respectively. Thirty-seven species, 30 genera, and four phyla of phytoplankton were detected in the river. Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta were the dominant phyla in autumn, with average abundance and biomass of 221.5 × 10⁴ cells L⁻¹and 4.41 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The dominant population in winter was Bacillariophyta, and the average abundance and biomass were 153.4 × 10⁴ cells L⁻¹and 6.58 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) between environmental parameters and phytoplankton communities showed that Chlorophyta could tolerate the higher concentrations of the permanganate index, nitrogen, and phosphorus in eutrophic water; Bacillariophyta could adapt well to changing water environments; and the TN/TP ratio had obvious impacts on the distributions of Cyanophyta, Euglenophyta, and some species of Chlorophyta. CCA analyses for autumn and winter data revealed that the main environmental parameters influencing phytoplankton distribution were water temperature, conductivity, and total nitrogen, and the secondary factors were dissolved oxygen, NH₄⁺–N, NO₃–N, TN, CODMₙ, TN/TP ratio, and oxidation-reduction potential.

In order to screen dioxin pollution in sediment of Three Gorges Dam (TGD) area, three sediment cores were obtained from two sites in 2010~2011; each core was divided into different samples with every 10 cm depth. Sediment dating determined by radiometry (¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb) and concentrations of dioxins were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results indicated: Sediment dating showed no significant difference among all the samples from the same core and the two locations (ANOVA, p > 0.05). The total amount of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD)/Fs in all sample ranged from 30.7 to 371 pg/g dry weight (d.w.), with the mean value of 66.2 pg/g d.w. PCDDs occupied 60.33~85.22 % of dioxins in each sample, and PCDFs contributed to a very small extend. There was no significant difference in the dioxin concentration between 2010 and 2011 and in the two locations (t test, p > 0.05), but the vertical distribution of dioxins showed significant different in different depths. Toxic equivalent (TEQ) (WHO 2005, Humans) of samples ranged from 0.15 to 1.60 pg/g d.w.; the mean was 0.41 pg/g d.w. No significant difference was found in TEQ between 2010 and 2011(t test, p > 0.05). It could be concluded that the distribution of dioxins showed the spatial heterogeneous which resulted from the strong mixing and sediment deposition characteristics. Dioxin concentration in sediment cores was low with very low environmental risk potential. Dioxins at the two sites had the same origin, and exogenous input was the main source. It is the first report on the dioxins concentrations in sediment cores in the TGD area.

In this paper, bootstrapped wavelet neural network (BWNN) was developed for predicting monthly ammonia nitrogen (NH⁴⁺–N) and dissolved oxygen (DO) in Harbin region, northeast of China. The Morlet wavelet basis function (WBF) was employed as a nonlinear activation function of traditional three-layer artificial neural network (ANN) structure. Prediction intervals (PI) were constructed according to the calculated uncertainties from the model structure and data noise. Performance of BWNN model was also compared with four different models: traditional ANN, WNN, bootstrapped ANN, and autoregressive integrated moving average model. The results showed that BWNN could handle the severely fluctuating and non-seasonal time series data of water quality, and it produced better performance than the other four models. The uncertainty from data noise was smaller than that from the model structure for NH⁴⁺–N; conversely, the uncertainty from data noise was larger for DO series. Besides, total uncertainties in the low-flow period were the biggest due to complicated processes during the freeze-up period of the Songhua River. Further, a data missing–refilling scheme was designed, and better performances of BWNNs for structural data missing (SD) were observed than incidental data missing (ID). For both ID and SD, temporal method was satisfactory for filling NH⁴⁺–N series, whereas spatial imputation was fit for DO series. This filling BWNN forecasting method was applied to other areas suffering “real” data missing, and the results demonstrated its efficiency. Thus, the methods introduced here will help managers to obtain informed decisions.

Yessotoxins (YTXs) are polycyclic ether compounds produced by phytoplanktonic dinoflagellates and accumulated in filter-feeding shellfish. Mouse bioassay is still the official method to detect these toxins, even if it is lacking of specificity and sensitivity. Moreover, there is growing resistance against the use of animal experiments. Many efforts have been made to determine YTXs with other methods. The detection of YTX using a functional assay allows its quantification with an automated and repetitive technique at concentrations in the range of the 1 mg of YTX equivalent/kg European regulatory limit. In this study, an in vitro functional assay based on YTX treatment of MCF-7 cells and resulting in the accumulation of a 100-kDa fragment of E-cadherin was developed on samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis collected from the Adriatic Sea, Italy, along the coasts of Abruzzo, Molise, and Emilia Romagna regions. The YTX concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 1.8 mg of YTX equivalent/kg. The occurrence of levels exceeding the above mentioned limit was observed only in samples of Emilia Romagna region. This last result could represent a risk for human health, but these shellfish were not intended to consumers, because they belonged to a preventive monitoring program.

The addition of organic matter in soil can modify the bioavailability of heavy metals. A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out using an edible plant species Eruca vesicaria L. Cavalieri grown on an artificially contaminated soil with Zn (665 mg kg(-1)). In this study, the effect of compost at 20 t ha(-1) (C20) and at 60 t ha(-1) (C60), manure at 10 t ha(-1) (M10) and at 30 t ha(-1) (M30), and chemical fertilizers (NPK) on Zn fate in a soil-plant system was evaluated. At the end of the experiment, the main growth parameters and Zn content in plants were determined. In addition, Zn speciation in the soil was assessed using the original Community Bureau of Reference sequential extraction and diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid extraction. Zinc, though an essential element for plant growth, caused toxicity effects in plants grown on control and manure treatments, while in the compost treatments, plants showed no visual toxicity symptoms. The concentrations of Zn in roots were similar for all treatments, while significant differences were observed for shoots. In fact, in the compost treatments, plants showed the lowest Zn concentration in shoots. Zinc speciation seems not to be affected by the applied treatments. Indeed, Zn plant content and translocation to shoots seems to be affected. Compost amendments significantly reduced Zn content and translocation in comparison to other treatments.

In recent years, increasing awareness of the environmental impact of heavy metals has prompted a demand for monitoring and decontaminating industrial wastes prior to discharging into natural water bodies. This paper describes the preparation and electrochemical application of carbon paste electrode modified with nanocellulosic fibers for the determination of cadmium and lead in water samples using anodic stripping voltammetry. First, cadmium and lead were adsorbed on the carbon paste electrode surface at open circuit potential, followed by anodic stripping voltammetric scan from -1 to 0 V. Different factors affecting sensitivity and precision of the electrode, including accumulating solvent, pH of the accumulating solvent, accumulation time, supporting electrolyte, and scan rate were investigated. The proposed method was also applied to the determination of Cd (II) and Pb (II) in the presence of other interfering metal ions and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and Triton X-100 as a representative of cationic, anionic, and neutral surfactants. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration ranges of 150–650 μg L⁻¹ and 80–300 μg L⁻¹, respectively, for cadmium and lead at an accumulated time of 10 min with limits of detection 88 and 33 μg L⁻¹. Optimized working conditions are defined as acetate buffer of pH 5 as accumulating solvent, hydrochloric acid as supporting electrolyte, and scan rate 50 mV/s. This technique does not use mercury and therefore has a positive environmental benefit. The method is reasonably sensitive and selective and has been successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of Cd (II) and Pb (II) in water samples.

Pesticides are an essential tool in integrated pest management. Nanopermethrin was prepared by solvent evaporation from an oil-in-water volatile microemulsion. The efficacy of the formulated nanopermethrin was tested against Aedes aegypti and the results compared to those of regular, microparticular permethrin. The 24 h LC₅₀ for nanopermethrin and permethrin was found to be 0.0063 and 0.0199 mg/L, respectively. The formulated nanopermethrin was tested for toxicity against non-target organisms. Nanopermethrin did not show antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (ATCC 13534 and 25922) or against Bacillus subtilis. Phytotoxicity studies of nanopermethrin to the seeds of Lycopersicum esculentum, Cucumis sativus, and Zea mays showed no restraint in root length and germination percentage. In the Allium cepa test, regular microparticular permethrin treatment of 0.13 mg/L showed a mitotic index (MI) of 46.8 % and chromosomal aberration of 0.6 %, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05) compared to control. No significant differences were observed in 0.13 mg/L nanopermethrin exposure as compared to control (MI of 52.0 and 55.03 % and chromosomal aberration of 0.2 and 0 %, respectively). It was concluded that formulated nanopermethrin can be used as a safe and effectual alternative to commercially available permethrin formulation in agricultural practices.

Fluoride concentrations were determined in PM10 samples collected in the urbanized coastal area of the Baltic Sea (Gdynia) in the period between 1 August 2008 and 8 January 2010. F(-) concentrations remained within the range of 0.4-36.6 ng · m(-3). The economic transformations which have taken place in Poland increasing ecological awareness have had an excellent effect on the levels of fluoride pollution in the air of the studied region. In our measurements, fluoride concentrations increased in wintertime, when air temperature dropped, at low wind speeds (<1 m · s(-1)) and with low dispersion of pollutants originating from local sources (traffic, industry, domestic heating). At times when wind speed grew to >10 m · s(-1), fluorides were related to marine aerosols or else brought from distant sources. Apart from wind speed and air temperature, other significant meteorological parameters which determined the variability of F(-) turned out to be air humidity and precipitation volume. Aerosols were washed out effectively, even with small precipitation (h = 4 mm), and if a dry period lasted for several days, their concentrations grew rapidly to over 30.0 ng · m(-3).

The Fenton-like degradation of nalidixic acid was studied in this work. The effects of Fe³⁺ concentration and initial H₂O₂ concentration were investigated. Increasing the initial H₂O₂ concentration enhances the degradation and mineralization efficiency for nalidixic acid, while Fe³⁺ shows an optimal concentration of 0.25 mM. A complete removal of nalidixic acid and a TOC removal of 28 % were achieved in 60 min under a reaction condition of [Fe³⁺] = 0.25 mM, [H₂O₂] = 10 mM, T = 35 °C, and pH = 3. LC–MS analysis technique was used to analyze the possible degradation intermediates. The degradation pathways of nalidixic acid were proposed according to the identified intermediates and the electron density distribution of nalidixic acid. The Fenton-like degradation reaction of nalidixic acid mainly begins with the electrophilic attack of hydroxyl radical towards the C₃ position which results in the ring-opening reaction; meanwhile, hydroxyl radical attacking to the branched alkyl groups of nalidixic acid leads to the oxidation at the branched alkyl groups.