The level of phthalate esters (PAEs) alone is not considered to be a sufficient indicator of PAE pollution due to the quick metabolism of PAEs in the biota. The primary metabolites of PAEs, monoalkyl phthalate esters (MPEs), may also be an important indicator. However, PAE metabolism has scarcely been documented in wild marine organisms. We analysed five PAEs [dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP)] and their corresponding MPEs [mono-methyl phthalate (MMP), mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), and mono-n-octyl phthalate (MNOP)] in 95 wild aquatic marine samples (including fish, prawns and molluscs) collected from the Yangtze River Delta area of the East China Sea. The species-dependent distribution of these compounds was associated with the food habits, living patterns and trophic levels of the biota. Slightly higher levels of hydrophobic PAEs (DBP and DEHP, logKOW 4.27 and 7.33, respectively) were observed in fish species consuming benthic organisms or in demersal fish species, suggesting the importance of benthic organisms and sediment. Trophic dilution of both PAEs and MPEs implies further metabolic transformation at higher trophic levels. MPE tissue distributions in fish demonstrate that the highest concentrations were always observed in bile. Metabolism via the kidney and gill is a probable main way for the relatively less hydrophobic MPEs (logKOW = <4.73, from MMP to MEHP), whereas metabolism via the liver is likely the main way for the most hydrophobic MNOP (logKOW 5.22). Generally, higher detection frequencies of MPEs were observed than those of parent PAEs. Significant liner correlations were observed between the levels of short-branched (carbon atom per chain = <4) MPEs and the sum of PAEs and MPEs (n = 95, p < 0.01), demonstrating that short-branched MPEs can be used as biomarkers of exposure to quantitatively reflect parent PAE contamination in wild marine organisms.

The current study extends our previous findings concerning the sensitivity of Lymantria dispar larvae to cadmium in light of ecotoxicological risk assessment. Here we report the results of the comet assay performed for the first time on this species. We examined the chronic effects of two cadmium concentrations (50 and 100 μg Cd/g dry food) on DNA integrity and haemocyte viability, as well as on fitness-related traits (larval mass and development duration parameters). All parameters were assessed individually and then used to calculate the integrated biomarker response (IBR) index. Egg-masses of L. dispar were collected from two locations in Serbia - the uncontaminated Homolje mountains and a metal-polluted area near Bor copper mines, smelter and refinery. Distinctive patterns in the response of these populations to cadmium exposure were noticed. In haemocytes of larvae from the pollution-free location both cadmium treatments increased the level of DNA damage, although in a similar range. Haemocyte viability and larval mass were reduced, while duration of the fourth instar and total development time were prolonged in a concentration-dependent manner. Cadmium tolerance was noticeable in the population from the metal-contaminated site at all organizational levels. Nevertheless, haemocyte viability in that population was reduced by the stronger treatment. Haemocyte viability was recognized as a promising biomarker due to the evident response of both populations to dietary cadmium. Genotoxicity, fitness-related traits and the IBR index could be used for biomonitoring of sensitive populations not previously exposed to metals.

The formaldehyde (FA) is a crosslinking agent that reacts with cellular macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and molecules with low molecular weight such as amino acids, and it has been linked to inflammatory processes and oxidative stress. This study aimed to analyze the oxidative effects on pulmonary inflammatory response in Fischer rats exposed to different concentrations of FA. Twenty-eight Fischer rats were divided into 4 groups (N = 7). The control group (CG) was exposed to ambient air and three groups were exposed to different concentrations of FA: 1% (FA1%), 5% (FA5%) and 10% (FA10%). In the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF), the exposure to a concentration of 10% promoted the increase of inflammatory cells compared to CG. There was also an increase of macrophages and lymphocytes in FA10% and lymphocytes in FA5% compared to CG. The activity of NADPH oxidase in the blood had been higher in FA5% and FA10% compared to CG. The activity of superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD) had an increase in FA5% and the activity of the catalase enzyme (CAT) showed an increase in FA1% compared to CG. As for the glutathione system, there was an increase in total glutathione (tGSH), reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in FA5% compared to CG. The reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) had a decrease in FA5% compared to CG. There was an increase in lipid peroxidation compared to all groups and the protein carbonyl formation in FA10% compared to CG. We also observed an increase in CCL2 and CCL5 chemokines in the treatment groups compared to CG and in serum there was an increase in CCL2, CCL3 and CCL5 compared to CG. Our results point out to the potential of formaldehyde in promoting airway injury by increasing the inflammatory process as well as by the redox imbalance.

The effluents from wastewater treatment plants have been recognized as a significant environmental reservoir of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Reclaimed water irrigation (RWI) is increasingly used as a practical solution for combating water scarcity in arid and semiarid regions, however, impacts of RWI on the patterns of ARGs and the soil bacterial community remain unclear. Here, we used high-throughput quantitative PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques to compare the diversity, abundance and composition of a broad-spectrum of ARGs and total bacteria in 12 urban parks with and without RWI in Victoria, Australia. A total of 40 unique ARGs were detected across all park soils, with genes conferring resistance to β-lactam being the most prevalent ARG type. The total numbers and the fold changes of the detected ARGs were significantly increased by RWI, and marked shifts in ARG patterns were also observed in urban parks with RWI compared to those without RWI. The changes in ARG patterns were paralleled by a significant effect of RWI on the bacterial community structure and a co-occurrence pattern of the detected ARG types. There were significant and positive correlations between the fold changes of the integrase intI1 gene and two β-lactam resistance genes (KPC and IMP-2 groups), but no significant impacts of RWI on the abundances of intI1 and the transposase tnpA gene were found, indicating that RWI did not improve the potential for horizontal gene transfer of soil ARGs. Taken together, our findings suggested that irrigation of urban parks with reclaimed water could influence the abundance, diversity, and compositions of a wide variety of soil ARGs of clinical relevance.Irrigation of urban parks with treated wastewater significantly increased the abundance and diversity of various antibiotic resistance genes, but did not significantly enhance their potential for horizontal gene transfer.

Recently it became known that Volkswagen Group has been cheating with emission tests for diesel engines over the last six years, resulting in on-road emissions vastly exceeding legal standards for nitrogen oxides in Europe and the United States. Here, we provide an estimate of the public health consequences caused by this fraud. From 2009 to 2015, approximately nine million fraudulent Volkswagen cars, as sold in Europe and the US, emitted a cumulative amount of 526 ktonnes of nitrogen oxides more than was legally allowed. These fraudulent emissions are associated with 45 thousand disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and a value of life lost of at least 39 billion US dollars, which is approximately 5.3 times larger than the 7.3 billion US dollars that Volkswagen Group has set aside to cover worldwide costs related to the diesel emissions scandal.

Swine farm and the adjacent farmland are hot spots of ARGs. However, few studies have investigated the on-site occurrence of ARGs distributed in the process of anaerobic digestion (AD) followed by land application of swine wastewater. Two typical swine farms, in southern and northern China respectively, with AD along with land application were explored on ARG distributions. ARGs were highly abundant in raw swine wastewater, AD effectively reduced the copy number of all detected ARGs (0.21–1.34 logs removal), but the relative abundance with different resistance mechanisms showed distinctive variation trends. The reduction efficiency of ARGs was improved by stable operational temperature and longer solid retention time (SRT) of AD. ARGs in soil characterized the contamination from the irrigation of the digested liquor. The total ARGs quantity in soil fell down by 1.66 logs in idle period of winter compared to application period of summer in the northern region, whereas the total amount was steady with whole-year application in south. Some persistent (sul1 and sul2) and elevated ARGs (tetG and ereA) in AD and land application need more attention.

Under solar radiation several titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) are known to be phototoxic for daphnids. We investigated the influence of primary particle size (10, 25, and 220 nm) and ionic strength (IS) of the test medium on the acute phototoxicity of anatase TiO2 particles to Daphnia magna.The intermediate sized particles (25 nm) showed the highest phototoxicity followed by the 10 nm and 220 nm sized particles (median effective concentrations (EC50): 0.53, 1.28, 3.88 mg/L). Photoactivity was specified by differentiating free OH radicals (therephthalic acid method) and on the other hand surface adsorbed, as well as free OH, electron holes, and O2− (electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, EPR). We show that the formation of free OH radicals increased with a decrease in primary particle size (terephthalic acid method), whereas the total measured ROS content was highest at an intermediate particle size of 25 nm, which consequently revealed the highest photoxicity. The photoactivities of the 10 and 220 nm particles as measured by EPR were comparable. We suggest that phototoxicity depends additionally on the particle–daphnia interaction area, which explains the higher photoxicity of the 10 nm particles compared to the 220 nm particles. Thus, phototoxicity is a function of the generation of different ROS and the particle–daphnia interaction area, both depending on particle size.Phototoxicity of the 10 nm and 25 nm sized nanoparticles decreased as IS of the test medium increased (EC50: 2.9 and 1.1 mg/L). In conformity with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory we suggest that the precipitation of nano-TiO2 was more pronounced in high than in low IS medium, causing a lower phototoxicity.In summary, primary particle size and IS of the medium were identified as factors influencing phototoxicity of anatase nano-TiO2 to D. magna.

The impact of stormwater on stream biota is well documented, but less is known about the impacts on ecosystem processes, such as the breakdown of organic matter. This study sought to establish whether the degree of urbanisation affected rates of leaf-litter breakdown within constructed wetlands. A litter bag method was used to ascertain rate of decomposition along a gradient of urbanisation (total imperviousness, TI), in constructed wetlands in western and south-eastern Melbourne. A significant positive relationship between TI and breakdown rate was found in the south-eastern wetlands. The significant reduction in rate of invertebrate-mediated breakdown with increasing concentration of certain metals was consistent with other studies. However, overall there was an increase in rate of breakdown. Studies have shown that the effects of heavy metals can be negated if nutrient levels are high. Our results suggest that other parameters besides exposure to contaminants are likely to affect leaf litter breakdown.

This paper presents a performance evaluation framework for streetscape vegetation. A performance index (PI) is conceived using the following seven traits, specific to the street environments – Pollution Flux Potential (PFP), Carbon Sequestration Potential (CSP), Thermal Comfort Potential (TCP), Noise Attenuation Potential (NAP), Biomass Energy Potential (BEP), Environmental Stress Tolerance (EST) and Crown Projection Factor (CPF). Its application is demonstrated through a case study using fifteen street vegetation species from the UK, utilising a combination of direct field measurements and inventoried literature data. Our results indicate greater preference to small-to-medium size trees and evergreen shrubs over larger trees for streetscaping. The proposed PI approach can be potentially applied two-fold: one, for evaluation of the performance of the existing street vegetation, facilitating the prospects for further improving them through management strategies and better species selection; two, for planning new streetscapes and multi-functional biomass as part of extending the green urban infrastructure.

Anticancer drugs are continuously released into hospital and urban wastewaters, where they, most commonly, undergo conventional treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Wastewaters contain complex mixtures of substances including parent compounds, their metabolites and transformation products (TPs). In this study, samples of hospital effluents and WWTP influents and effluents from Slovenia and Spain were analyzed for twenty-two selected anticancer drugs, their metabolites and transformation products. Acute and chronic toxicity tests were performed on the crustacean Ceriodaphnia dubia, genotoxicity was determined with Tradescantia and Allium cepa micronucleus (MN) assays and in vitro comet assay in zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver cell line (ZFL cells). Sixty of the two hundred-twenty determinations revealed detectable levels of anticancer drug residues. Among the targeted compounds, platinum based were most frequently detected (90%). Furthermore, erlotinib was detected in 80%, cyclophosphamide and tamoxifen in 70% and methotrexate in 60% of the samples. Seven of ten samples were toxic to C. dubia after acute exposure, whereas after chronic exposure all samples reduced reproduction of C. dubia at high sample dilutions. Allium cepa proved insensitive to the potential genotoxicity of the tested samples, while in Tradescantia increased MN frequencies were induced by a hospital effluent and WWTP influents. In ZFL comet assay all but one sample induced a significant increase of DNA strand breaks. Correlations of chemotherapeutics or their TPs were detected for all bioassays except for Allium cepa genotoxicity test, however for each test the highest correlations were found for different substances indicating differential sensitivities of the test organisms.