Environmental pollution analysis should be present in scientific research. The more organized the environmental laws of a particular place, the smaller the risks imputed to the ecosystem. The environmental damages that irregular waste from industrial effluents can cause are notorious. However, Brazil lacks extensive legal regulation, which is an embryonic legal matter. There is no specific law regulating a National Industrial Effluent Policy, dealing with the treatment and final disposal of these chemical compounds. Until a solid legal structure has been formalized on the treatment and final disposal of industrial effluents in Brazil, it is necessary that scientific researches optimize techniques capable of causing lower environmental impacts, so as to avoid possible pollution to the bodies of water. This article defends the argument that it is possible to elaborate legislation on the treatment and final disposal of industrial effluents in Brazil, through the application of engineering techniques, specifically through numerical simulation, by using the discrete elements method or particles method. The present case study is the Camaçari Petrochemical Pole, state of Bahia, which is the largest integrated industrial complex in the Southern Hemisphere, composed of more than 90 companies in the chemical and petrochemical areas. All the effluents from this locality are treated by CETREL (Liquid Effluent Treatment Plant). Particle analysis was performed in CETREL tanks to illustrate how numerical simulations can be applied to investigate the treatment of industrial effluents and, consequently, to affirm the importance of developing procedures and norms for this matter. It is believed that this article brings relevant information to support a future law that regulates a Brazilian National Policy of Industrial Effluents.

This study examined the effect of short-term changes in ambient temperature on hospital admissions among children aged less than 5 years old in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data on daily hospital admissions from January 2010 to June 2014 were collected from two hospitals. Daily meteorological data were obtained for the same period. We applied time series analysis to evaluate the risk of hospitalisation related to hot and cold weather by age and causes. We found that a 1 °C decrease in minimum temperature during the cold weather months was associated with 2.2% increase in hospital admission for respiratory infection among children 3–5 years old. A 1 °C increase in diurnal temperature range (DTR) in cold weather was associated with an increase of 1.9% and 1.7% in hospitalisation for all causes and respiratory infection, respectively, among children < 3 years old and an increase of 1.8% and 3.4% in hospitalisation for all causes and respiratory infection, respectively, among children of 3–5 years old. Negative associations between hot weather and hospital admissions were demonstrated. These findings suggested that low temperature and DTRs in winter are important risk factors for hospital admissions among children aged < 5 years old in Hanoi. Other factors may have modified the effect of high temperature on hospital admissions of children in Hanoi.

The removal of Acid Orange 51 (AO 51) dye in aqueous solution by microscale zero-valent iron (m-ZVI) was investigated. The m-ZVI powder was characterized granulometrically by laser particle sizer and morphologically by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of pH, m-ZVI concentration, H₂O₂ addition, and dye concentration on the decolorization of AO 51 were experimentally investigated. Results indicate that the removal efficiency is independent from pH values, increases with increasing ZVI dosage, and decreases with dye concentration. With 1 g/L of m-ZVI, AO 51 was effectively removed without and with addition of 25 mM H₂O₂, yielding a decolorization efficiency of around 70% and 98%, respectively, at pH 3 within 60 min of reaction time. The involvement of ˙OH in oxidizing AO 51 was examined by measuring the removal rates based on ˙OH scavenging molecule. Finally, the disappearance of AO 51 was estimated by monitoring the UV–Vis spectral evolution after 120 min of treatment while the Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was performed to verify the occurrence of organic sorption on m-ZVI surface. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images before and after the reaction illustrated morphological changes on m-ZVI surface. The detoxification of the treated solution was demonstrated using phytotoxicity test.

Polyethylene (PE) is one of the major persistent plastic that is not biodegradable at considerable rates in most environments, and is the major source of unceasing environmental pollution. Recently, biodegradation of plastic wastes through waxworms and mealworms were reported. The present study focuses on the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) degradation capabilities of the larvae of Achroia grisella (lesser waxworm) and its ability to complete its life cycle when fed with HDPE. Effects of added nutrition on PE degradation were assessed, providing wax comb as co-feed (PE-WC). The egested frass of the waxworm fed on waxcomb (WC), PE, and PE-WC were studied by analyzing the changes in physiochemical properties through FTIR and ¹H NMR techniques in addition to weight loss percentage of PE and survival rates of the tested lesser waxworms. The post-degradation studies of WC and PE showed 90.5 ± 1.2% and 43.3 ± 1.6% weight loss, respectively, by a group of 100 lesser waxworms. Over an 8-day period, PE consumption increased with an ingestion of 1.83 mg of PE per day per larvae. Supplementing the PE feed of lesser waxworms with WC facilitated enhanced PE degradation showing 69.6 ± 3.2% weight loss. Twenty-eight day survival rates for lesser waxworms fed on WC, PE, and PE-WC were 91.3 ± 1.01%, 74.6 ± 2.9%, and 86 ± 1.4%, respectively. The FTIR and ¹H NMR analysis of egested frass indicated formation of new functional organic groups, supporting biodegradation of PE in lesser waxworms. The frass of the lesser waxworm fed on PE samples shows the presence of new carbonyl and alcoholic groups with increase in unsaturated hydrocarbon indicating formation of biodegraded intermediates. Lesser waxworms fed with WC, PE, and PE-WC completed all life cycle stages (larvae, pupae, moth, and egg) developing into a second generation. The second generation of PE-WC fed larvae of A. grisella efficiently degrades PE at par with first generation counterparts.

Phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil is considered to be one ecological environmental protection way that is effective and economical. The selection of suitable hyperaccumulators is a key issue for phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil. Pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of different Cd levels (0, 75, 150, 300, and 600 mg kg⁻¹ Cd) on the dry weight, antioxidant enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, Cd concentration, Cd accumulation, and soil Cd form distribution ratio (FDC) of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.). The correlations between Cd concentration in shoots and roots of alfalfa and Indian mustard and soil Cd form were also investigated. The results showed that with the increase of soil Cd levels, dry weight of shoot and root of alfalfa and Indian mustard significantly decreased, which decreased by 50.0–71.8% and 29.6–59.3% (alfalfa), 59.6–89.0% and 64.3–74.8% (India mustard), respectively, compared with the control. With the increase of soil Cd level, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in shoot of alfalfa significantly increased. Catalase (CAT) activity and malondialdehyde contents in shoots and roots of alfalfa and Indian mustard, as well as superoxide dismutase activity in the roots of alfalfa and Indian mustard increased first and then decreased with the increase of soil Cd level. With increasing Cd stress, Cd concentration in shoots and roots of alfalfa and Indian mustard significantly increased. At soil Cd level of 75 mg kg⁻¹, Cd concentrations in shoots of alfalfa and Indian mustard exceeded the critical value of Cd-hyperaccumulator (100 mg kg⁻¹), which was 356.46 mg kg⁻¹ and 308.74 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Cadmium concentrations in shoots and roots of plants were in the order of that of alfalfa > Indian mustard; total Cd accumulation in the aboveground tissues and roots of the plants was in the order of that of Indian mustard > alfalfa at the same Cd level. With increasing soil Cd level, Cd concentrations of exchangeable form (EXC-Cd), carbonate-bound form (CAB-Cd), iron-manganese oxide-bound form (FeMn-Cd), organic-bound form (OM-Cd), and residual form (RES-Cd) showed an increasing trend. The form distribution ratio of soil Cd forms in alfalfa’s rhizosphere was in the order of that of exchangeable form Cd > carbonate-bound form Cd > iron-manganese oxide-bound form Cd > residual form Cd > organic-bound form Cd. Except for organic-bound form Cd, soil Cd forms were significantly positively correlated with Cd concentration in shoot and root (P < 0.01). Comprehensively considering the biomass and Cd accumulation, Indian mustard is more suitable as remediation material for soil Cd pollution.

In this study, wastewater from municipal services, such as a port wastewater reception facility (PRF-WW) and a municipal solid waste plant (MSWP), was tested for the presence of the suspected endocrine-disrupting compounds phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA). PAEs and BPA were found in this study in high concentrations in raw wastewater obtained from passenger ships (RMT-WWs) (up to 738 μg/L and 957 μg/L, respectively) collected in the Port of Gdynia and in landfill leachates (LLs) (up to 536 μg/L and up to 2202 μg/L, respectively) from a MSWP located near Gdynia. In particular, the presence of reprotoxic di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, up to 536 μg/L in LLs and up to 738 μg/L in RMT-WWs) requires further action because if this compound, as well as other PAEs and BPA, is not degraded by activated sludge microorganisms, it may reach receiving waters and adversely impact aquatic organisms. Therefore, PAEs and BPA should be removed either during the onsite pretreatment of tested industrial wastewater or during tertiary treatment at municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs, representing end-of-pipe technology). Graphical abstract

Colouring agents are highly present in diverse products in the human environment. We aimed to elucidate the fibrogenic cascade triggered by the food dyes tartrazine and chlorophyll. Rats were orally given distilled water, tenfold of the acceptable daily intake of tartrazine, or chlorophyll for 90 consecutive days. Tartrazine-treated rats displayed a significant rise (p < 0.05) in the mRNA levels and immunohistochemical localization of the renal and hepatic fibrotic markers collagen 1-α, TGFβ-1, and fibronectin and the apoptotic marker caspase-3. Moreover, a significant increment (p < 0.05) in the levels of AST, ALP, creatinine, and urea was evident in both experimental groups but more significant differences were noticed in the tartrazine group. Furthermore, we found a marked increment in the MDA level and significant declines (p < 0.05) in the levels of the SOD, CAT, and GSH enzymes in the kidney and liver from tartrazine-treated rats. The histological investigation reinforced the aforementioned data, revealing hepatocytes with fibrous connective tissue proliferation, apoptotic hepatocytes and periportal fibrosis with tubular necrosis, and shrunken glomeruli and interstitial fibrous tissue proliferation. We concluded that, even at the exposure to high concentrations for long durations, chlorophyll exhibited a lower propensity to induce fibrosis, apoptosis, and histopathological perturbations than tartrazine.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral illness that is considered a critical public health challenge worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that meteorological parameters are significantly related to the incidence of HFMD in children; however, few studies have focused only on female children. This study quantified the associations of HFMD incidence with meteorological parameters and PM₁₀ (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm) among female children. Data were collected on daily HFMD cases, meteorological variables, and PM₁₀ levels in Ningbo, China, from January 2012 to December 2016. Data were assessed using a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) with Poisson distribution. A total of 59,809 female children aged 0−15 years with HFMD were enrolled. The results showed that highest relative risk (RR) of HFMD for temperature was 3 °C and the lag effect was 3 days. The highest RR for PM₁₀ was 80 mg/m³ and the lag effect was 5 days. Spatial analysis showed that female HFMD incidence was mainly concentrated in the suburban of Ningbo city indicating that female children in this area should be more paid attention on avoiding this disease outbreak. Our findings suggest that HFMD prevention strategies should focus more attention on local meteorological parameters.

Organic contamination in freshwater samples has never been investigated at the western shore of Admiralty Bay. Therefore, the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in five different sites distributed along a shore running from the Arctowski Station to the Baranowski Glacier was studied. Moreover, organic compounds such as n-alkanes, toluene and ethylbenzene were also noted. Increased ΣPAHs in late Austral summer 2016 are the result of long-range atmospheric transport of air masses from South America, confirmed by 10-day backward air mass trajectories analysis. The presence of n-alkanes and other hydrocarbons, as well as the evaluation of PAH indices (e.g. ΣLMW/ΣHMW* > 1), shows the use of fuel and indicate local human activity. As a final conclusion, our analysis indicates a mixed origin of PAHs (global and local). The presence of PAHs and other hydrocarbons in the water environment may constitute a potentially negative effect on the Antarctic ecosystem and it should be investigated in detail during further research (//*ΣLMW—sum of low molecular weight PAHs (two- and three-ring PAHs); ΣHMW—sum of high molecular weight PAHs (four- and five-ring PAHs)//). Graphical abstract

The Baltic Sea is known to be severely polluted by a range of chemicals, one group of which being PCBs. Although the use and production of PCBs were limited or banned in many countries in the 1970s, their presence is still observed in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate PCBs concentration in four species of diving sea ducks, interspecies and tissues differences, and in the case of game species, comparison of the obtained results with maximal residue levels (MRLs) and tolerable weekly intake (TWI). The level of Σi-PCBs was noted in most examined samples (liver, muscle, fat tissue) at levels ranging between < LoD and 2315.45 ng/g lw. The dominant congener was PCB 153, followed by PCB 180 and 138. The mean dl-PCB-TEQ value in the muscles of the tested tufted ducks and common pochards was 0.31 and 0.71 pg-TEQ/g lw, respectively, which is 8–25 and 18–57% of the TEQ maximum limit (ML) value for farm animal muscles. The average decrease in i-ΣPCB concentration in the fat tissue of ducks wintering in the Baltic Sea southern coast was found to be 2.9–3.3%/year. The analysis of PCB residues indicates that the common pochard and tufted duck are not suitable for consumption due to high Σi-PCB concentrations. However, the regular consumption of muscle and liver of game birds does not result in an unacceptable intake of dl-PCBs, i.e., above the TWI value.