This work evaluated the photo-Fenton degradation of two pharmaceuticals extensively used in human medicine, ciprofloxacin (CIP), and fluoxetine (FLU) when present in an anaerobic pre-treated hospital effluent (HE) at low concentration (100 μg L⁻¹). Operational parameters such as concentration of hydrogen peroxide, iron, and initial pH as well as the effect of iron citrate complex were evaluated considering the degradation of the pharmaceuticals. Iron citrate complex (Fecit) influenced significantly FLU degradation at pH 4.5 achieving 80 % after 20 min, while with iron nitrate only 36 % degradation was obtained after the same time. However, only a slight effect was observed on CIP degradation, achieving 86 % with Fecit and 75 % with Fe(NO₃)₃, after 20 min. Samples of HE used in this work were previously treated in an anaerobic reactor followed by sand filtration; however, the presence of pharmaceuticals was detected. Degradation of both FLU and CIP was significantly hindered when present in HE, due to the relatively high content of organic (39.6 mg L⁻¹) and inorganic (12.5 mg L⁻¹) carbon, which may have consumed ·OH in side reactions. However, the iron cycle reduction was not affected by the matrix in the presence of citrate. Despite the recalcitrance of the matrix (no total organic carbon removal), it was possible to achieve over 50 % degradation of both pharmaceuticals after 90 min.

In order to illuminate the mechanism of the interaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with different benzene rings and arsenic (As) in As hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata L., the uptakes of PAHs were investigated using hydroponics simulation and localizations of PAHs in the plant were determined using two-photon laser scanning confocal microscopy (TPLSCM). The results showed that the total As concentration in different parts of P. vittata decreased in the presence of PAHs with increased numbers of benzene rings: 38.0–47.4% for benzo(a)pyrene (BaP, five rings), 20.5–35.9% for pyrene (PYR, four rings), and 13.7–16.6% for fluorine (FLU, three rings). BaP and PYR concentrations increased, while FLU concentration decreased in the presence of As. The results of TPLSCM revealed that PAHs distributed in epidermal cells of roots, xylem, and endothelial cells of rachis, epidermis, and stomatal cells of pinnae; however, the fluorescence intensity of BaP and PYR were higher than FLU significantly in plant. This study provided important basis to further research on interactive effects of PAHs and As in the P. vittata. These findings were important to understand the mechanisms of PAH and As translocation and distribution by P. vittata.

Visible light-induced photocatalysis is potentially advantageous and could be an efficient approach to degrade contaminants because it can be used to selectively target specific wavelength for decomposition of organic contaminants in water and wastewater. This study demonstrates the photodegradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) using [Pt(3,3′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bpy)(1,2-benzenedithiolate)] (Complex 1)-sensitized and [Pt(4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bpy)(1,2-benzenedithiolate)] (Complex 2)-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO₂) under blue or yellow light (420 or 580 nm, respectively) irradiation in water. The Complex 1-sensitized TiO₂ photocatalytic oxidation of SMX reached almost 100 % removal under 420 nm irradiation for 3 h in water. In addition, the formation of hydroxyl radicals can be facilitated by bubbling O₂ during the photodegradation in which an effective decomposition of SMX was observed. Based on HPLC and UV-Vis studies of the decomposed products, it was found that SMX underwent cleavage of aromatic rings during the photodegradation process.

Arsenic is a contaminant that occurs naturally in the environment, and it is related to several diseases, such as cancer and severe metabolic diseases. Sodium arsenite effects on testes rats are not fully understood regarding morphology and stereology; thus, it becomes necessary to evaluate possible changes in these parameters under low concentrations and simulating occupational exposure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the morphometrical and stereological changes on rat testis treated with sodium arsenite. The treatment was accomplished using 5 mg/kg of sodium arsenite by gastric gavage in Wistar rats, which experiment lasted 8 weeks. Organs were weighed and gonadosomatic index (GSI) was calculated. Using the software Image Pro Plus, seminiferous tubule diameter was measured, and the volume densities of testicular parenchymal components were obtained. It was counted 200 hundred spermatozoa and classified as normal or abnormal. The parameters means of control (N = 5) and treated (N = 7) groups were compared by U Mann-Whitney’s test, and the results were considered significant for P < 0.05. We observed a decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter, as well as testis weight. These finds may be related with disorders of testosterone metabolism due to activation of immunological responses of macrophage, which inhibit the steroidogenesis. Thus, we conclude that sodium arsenic does not impair the animal’s general health, but its exposure induces biochemical and tissue changes.

In the present work, several building materials suffering from black crusts and soiled surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The goal was to examine the elemental and molecular composition, the distribution on the samples, and the morphology of endogenous and exogenous compounds on those black crusts and soiled surfaces. The black crusts were deposited over different building materials such as limestone, sandstone, and brick that constitute a small construction called “malacate” as well as over a limestone substrate of a cemetery gate. Both constructions are dated back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The samples of soiling were taken from the façade of a building constructed in the 1980s. The analytical evaluation allowed in a first stage the determination of the composition and the observation of the morphology of soiling and black crusts. In addition, the evaluation of the compositions of the soiling and black crusts of different grade and formation allowed the assessment of the main weathering phenomena that the buildings have suffered, which were found to be sulfate impact, marine aerosol impact, depositions of metallic particles, crustal particulate matter depositions, carbonaceous particles, biodeterioration, and vandalism.

Environmental monitoring in middle- and low-income countries is hampered by many factors which include enactment and enforcement of legislations; deficiencies in environmental data reporting and documentation; inconsistent, incomplete and unverifiable data; a lack of access to data; and technical expertise. This paper describes the processes undertaken and the major challenges encountered in the construction of the first Niger Delta Emission Inventory (NDEI) for criteria air pollutants and CO₂ released from the anthropogenic activities in the region. This study focused on using publicly available government and research data. The NDEI has been designed to provide a Geographic Information System-based component of an air quality and carbon management framework. The NDEI infrastructure was designed and constructed at 1-, 10- and 20-km grid resolutions for point, line and area sources using industry standard processes and emission factors derived from activities similar to those in the Niger Delta. Due to inadequate, incomplete, potentially inaccurate and unavailable data, the infrastructure was populated with data based on a series of best possible assumptions for key emission sources. This produces outputs with variable levels of certainty, which also highlights the critical challenges in the estimation of emissions from a developing country. However, the infrastructure is functional and has the ability to produce spatially resolved emission estimates.

As a large river connected lake, Dongting Lake is influenced by anthropogenic activities and the discharge from its upstream tributaries in the lake basin and by the water recharge via a connection to the Yangtze River (YR) outside the basin. This makes the lake phosphorous cycle more complex than that in other disconnected lakes. Here, we calculated section fluxes and ran a hydrodynamic model to investigate the phosphorus (P) variations in response to the changing interactions in the water and sediment between the YR, four tributaries, and the lake. Results show that particulate P was the dominant form with a significant linear relationship with suspended sediment (r ² = 0.906). The sediment input reduction from the YR through three water inlets, which is closely related to the Three Gorges Reservoir operation since 2003, led to a decrease in the total P (TP) concentration in the western Dongting Lake. However, the impact and range of this decrease were fairly limited. Compared with the limited effect of the YR, the raised TP flux from the Yuanjiang tributary controlled the TP concentration at the outlet of the western Dongting Lake. Apart from the influence of the YR and the tributaries, anthropogenic activities (sand dredging) in the eastern Dongting Lake also contributed to a high TP concentration around the S10 area through sediment resuspension. We suggest that, compared with the reduction in TP flux and sediment load from the connected Yangtze River outside the basin, the elements within the basin (increased TP input from tributaries and sand dredging) have a greater effect on the variations of TP in Dongting Lake.

The Northern Finland Birth Cohort program (NFBC) is the epidemiological and longitudinal prospective general population research program, which was established to promote health and wellbeing of the population in northern Finland. The aim of present study, as a part of the NFBC program, was to analyze the blood levels of arsenic (B-As), cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb), total mercury (B-Hg) and selenium (B-Se); to compare these levels with threshold limits; to study sociodemographic factors; and to correlate these levels with calcium and haemoglobin. The study was comprised of 249 NFBC subjects, of which 123 were female and 126 were male (ages 31.1 ± 0.3 and 31.1 ± 0.4, respectively). All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding diet and living habits. The geometric means (± SD) of B-As were 0.49 ± 2.80 μg/l and 0.44 ± 2.72 μg/l; B-Cd were 0.18 ± 4.02 μg/l and 0.12 ± 3.21 μg/l; B-Pb were 17.0 ± 1.8 μg/l and 9.06 ± 2.20 μg/l; B-Hg were 2.18 ± 2.02 μg/l and 1.85 ± 1.78 μg/l; and B-Se were 106.0 ± 1.3 and 94.3 ± 1.3 μg/l in males and females, respectively. Among the subjects in the present analysis, 23 % of males and 17.1 % of females had B-As levels above the ATSDR normal human levels of B-As in unexposed individuals (1.0 μg/l). The B-Pb geometric mean (12.44 μg/l) was approximately one eighth the CDC toxicological cut-off point of 100 μg/l. Twenty-one individuals (8.4 %) exceeded a B-Hg level of 5.8 μg/l. Fifty-eight females (47 %) had a B-Hg higher than 2.0 μg/l, the German Federal Environmental Agency cut-off point for women (18–69 years) who consume fish at least three times/month; therefore, their babies could be at risk of adverse effects during development.

Four populations of Rhinella arenarum from aquatic environments with different degrees of disturbance in central Argentina were compared to assess the ability of cytomorphology and cytomorphometry of blood cells as a hematological biomarker. A total of 93 specimens of R. arenarum (adults sexually mature) were captured during the spring. From the analysis of cell, no variations were found in terms of morphology, whereas in nuclear and cell areas and Price-Jones curves, we observed a smaller size in erythrocytes of individuals inhabiting the site most altered, “Villa Dalcar,” as well as for leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils for the same site. This could be caused by presence of different pollutants in the lake. Furthermore, this was confirmed by the high levels of environmental variables (conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity) show that Villa Dalcar is the site most affected by human activities.