The increased use of pesticides during recent years necessitates a reevaluation of the effect of those compounds by extending the range of nontarget species commonly used in risk assessment. In the present work, we thus determined the impact of the pesticides glyphosate, carbendazim, and malathion on the parasite Chordodes nobilii in both natural and reconstituted freshwater as the assay medium and tested the sensitivity of three of this species's ecologically relevant parameters—e. g., embryo nonviablity and the infective capability of larvae exposed for 48 or 96 h either in ovo or after hatching via the infection index mean abundance—to compare those parameters to data from previous trials with reconstituted freshwater. In natural-freshwater assays, at environmentally relevant concentrations, all three pesticides inhibited the preparasitic-stage endpoints; with carbendazim being the most toxic pesticide and the subsequent infectivity of larvae exposed in ovo the most sensitive endpoint. In general, the 50%-inhibitory concentrations assayed in reconstituted freshwater were higher than those obtained in natural freshwater, indicating a certain protective effect; whereas the maximal toxicity of the three pesticides in both aqueous environments was essentially similar. The sensitivity of C. nobilii to these agents demonstrated that this species is one of the most susceptible to toxicity by all three pesticides. These findings with the assay methodology provide relevant information for a future assessment of the risk of toxicity to aquatic ecosystems and furthermore underscore the need to include parasitic organisms among the nontarget species canvassed. We also recommend that in the bioassays in which the risk assessment is carried out, water from a nontarget species's natural environment be used in parallel in order to obtain more conclusive results.

Ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) concentration is often used as an exposure surrogate to estimate PM₂.₅ health effects in epidemiological studies. Ignoring the potential variations in the amount of outdoor PM₂.₅ infiltrating into indoor environments will cause exposure misclassification, especially when people spend most of their time indoors. As it is not feasible to measure the PM₂.₅ infiltration factor (Fᵢₙf) for each individual residence, we aimed to build models for residential PM₂.₅Fᵢₙf prediction and to evaluate seasonal Fᵢₙf variations among residences. We repeated collected paired indoor and outdoor PM₂.₅ filter samples for 7 continuous days in each of the three seasons (hot, cold and transitional seasons) from 48 typical homes of Shanghai, China. PM₂.₅-bound sulfur on the filters was measured by X-ray fluorescence for PM₂.₅Fᵢₙf calculation. We then used stepwise-multiple linear regression to construct season-specific models with climatic variables and questionnaire-based predictors. All models were evaluated by the coefficient of determination (R²) and root mean square error (RMSE) from a leave-one-out-cross-validation (LOOCV). The 7-day mean (±SD) of PM₂.₅Fᵢₙf across all observations was 0.83 (±0.18). Fᵢₙf was found higher and more varied in transitional season (12–25 °C) than hot (>25 °C) and cold (<12 °C) seasons. Air conditioning use and meteorological factors were the most important predictors during hot and cold seasons; Floor of residence and building age were the best transitional season predictors. The models predicted 60.0%–68.4% of the variance in 7-day averages of Fᵢₙf, The LOOCV analysis showed an R² of 0.52 and an RMSE of 0.11. Our finding of large variation in residential PM₂.₅Fᵢₙf between seasons and across residences within season indicated the important source of outdoor-generated PM₂.₅ exposure heterogeneity in epidemiologic studies. Our models based on readily available data may potentially improve the accuracy of estimates of the health effects of PM₂.₅ exposure.

Pollutant mass fluxes are rarely measured in the laboratory, especially their turbulent component. They play a major role in the dispersion of gases in urban areas and modern mathematical models often attempt some sort of parametrisation. An experimental technique to measure mean and turbulent fluxes in an idealised urban array was developed and applied to improve our understanding of how the fluxes are distributed in a dense street canyon network. As expected, horizontal advective scalar fluxes were found to be dominant compared with the turbulent components. This is an important result because it reduces the complexity in developing parametrisations for street network models. On the other hand, vertical mean and turbulent fluxes appear to be approximately of the same order of magnitude. Building height variability does not appear to affect the exchange process significantly, while the presence of isolated taller buildings upwind of the area of interest does. One of the most interesting results, again, is the fact that even very simple and regular geometries lead to complex advective patterns at intersections: parametrisations derived from measurements in simpler geometries are unlikely to capture the full complexity of a real urban area.

In the Mediterranean ecosystem, wildfires are very frequent and the predicted future with a probable increase of fires could drastically modify the vegetation scenarios. Vegetation fires are an important source of gases and primary emissions of fine carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere. In this paper, we present gaseous and particulate emissions data from the combustion of different plant tissues (needles/leaves, branches and needle/leaf litter), obtained from one conifer (Pinus halepensis) and one deciduous broadleaf tree (Quercus pubescens). Both species are commonly found throughout the Mediterranean area, often subject to wildfires. Experiments were carried out in a combustion chamber continuously sampling emissions throughout the different phases of a fire (pre-ignition, flaming and smoldering). We identified and quantified 83 volatile organic compounds including important carcinogens that can affect human health. CO and CO₂ were the main gaseous species emitted, benzene and toluene were the dominant aromatic hydrocarbons, methyl-vinyl-ketone and methyl-ethyl-ketone were the most abundant measured oxygenated volatile organic compounds. CO₂ and methane emissions peaked during the flaming phase, while the peak of CO emissions occurred during the smoldering phase. Overall, needle/leaf combustion released a greater amount of volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere than the combustion of branches and litter. There were few differences between emissions from the combustion of the two tree species, except for some compounds. The combustion of P. halepensis released a great amount of monoterpenes as α-pinene, β-pinene, p-cymene, sabinene, 3-carene, terpinolene and camphene that are not emitted from the combustion of Q. pubescens. The combustion of branches showed the longest duration of flaming and peak of temperature. Data presented appear crucial for modeling with the intent of understanding the loss of C during different phases of fire and how different typologies of biomass can affect wildfires and their speciation emissions profile.

In this study, a novel biochar-supported zero valent iron (BC-nZVI) was synthesized through a green method. A high performance on the simultaneous removal of Cu²⁺ and bisphenol A (BPA) by a combination of BC-nZVI with persulfate (BC-nZVI/PS) system was successfully achieved. The simultaneous efficiencies of Cu²⁺ and BPA could reach 96 and 98% within 60 min, respectively. Both HO• and SO₄•⁻ were two major reactive species in BC-nZVI/PS system, and SO₄•⁻ was primary radical responsible for the degradation of BPA. Four kinds of Cu species, such as Cu(OH)₂, CuO, Cu₂O and Cu⁰ were generated via the adsorption and reduction of the BC-nZVI, whereas six kinds of products of BPA including p-isopropenyl phenol and 4-isopropylphenol were generated via the combined oxidation of SO₄•⁻ and HO•. The possible reaction mechanism for the simultaneous removal of Cu²⁺ and BPA by BC-nZVI/PS system contained a synergistic effect between the reduction of Cu²⁺ and the oxidation of BPA. This is the first report on the feasibility of the remediation of coexistence of heavy metal and organic compound in aquatic environment using the BC-nZVI/PS system.

Stabilizing cadmium by incorporating it into crystalline products is an effective approach to detoxify cadmium-containing wastes. In this study, two Si-rich matrices in amorphous and crystalline forms (i.e., silica fume and α-quartz, respectively) were employed to incorporate Cd. The processing parameters, namely the type of Si-rich matrix, Cd/Si molar ratio (Г) and sintering temperature, were thoroughly investigated using quantitative X-ray diffraction technique. Cd incorporation was more energetically favored when silica fume was used rather than when α-quartz was used because of the lower Gibbs free energy of formation for silica fume. The sintering temperature and Г values substantially affected the formation of three cadmium silicates, namely monoclinic CdSiO₃, orthorhombic Cd₂SiO₄, and tetragonal Cd₃SiO₅. CdSiO₃ formed only in Г = 1.0 systems. Cd₂SiO₄ was dominant in all reactive systems. In Г = 3.0 systems, Cd₃SiO₅ rather than Cd₂SiO₄ was the predominant Cd-hosting product at temperatures above 850 °C. Leaching test results demonstrated that CdSiO₃ possessed the highest acid resistance among the cadmium silicates. The leachability of Cd₂SiO₄ was very similar to that of Cd₃SiO₅. CdSiO₃ preferred incongruent dissolution, whereas Cd₂SiO₄ and Cd₃SiO₅ favored near-congruent dissolution. This study delineated the feasibility of cadmium incorporation by Si-rich matrices, identifying a promising approach for cadmium detoxification.

Microplastic pollution is apparent throughout the marine environment from deep ocean sediments to coastal habitats. Most of this is believed to originate on land, although marine activities, such as fishing and shipping, also contribute to the release and redistribution of microplastic. The relative importance of these maritime plastic sources, the manner by which they are distributed in the environment, and their effect on uptake by marine organisms are yet to be fully quantified. In this study, the relative impact of fishing activities on microplastic uptake by demersal fish and crustaceans was explored. Local fishing intensity, proximity to land and mean water velocity are compared to microplastic uptake in plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, and spider crab, Maja squinado, from the Celtic Sea. Observations were also made of microplastic contamination in ingested sand eels, Ammodytes tobianus, to establish a potential route of trophic transfer. This study is the first to identify microplastic contamination in spider crab and to document trophic transfer in the wild. Individuals were sampled from sites of varied fishing intensity in the Celtic Sea, and their stomach contents examined for the presence of microplastic. Contamination was observed in 50% of P. platessa, 42.4% of M. squinado, and 44.4% of A. tobianus. Locations of highest plastic abundance varied between P. platessa and M. squinado, indicating that different factors influence the uptake of microplastic in these two taxa. No significant link was observed between fishing effort and microplastic abundance; however, proximity to land was linked to increased abundance in M. squinado and Observations of whole prey demonstrate ongoing trophic transfer from A. tobianus to P. platessa. The lack of significant difference in microplastic abundance between predator and prey suggests that microplastic is not retained by P. platessa.

Microplastics are emerging pollutants that have recently aroused considerable concern but most toxicological studies have focused on marine biota, with little investigation of the influence of microplastics on terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we fed the soil oligochaete Enchytraeus crypticus with oatmeal containing 0, 0.025, 0.5, and 10% (dry weight basis) nano-polystyrene (0.05–0.1 μm particle size) to elucidate the impact of microplastics on the growth and gut microbiome of Enchytraeus crypticus. We observed a significant reduction of weight in the animals fed 10% polystyrene and an increase in the reproduction of those fed 0.025%. More importantly, using 16S rRNA amplification and high-throughput sequencing we found a significant shift in the microbiome of those fed 10% microplastics with significant decreases in the relative abundance of the families Rhizobiaceae, Xanthobacteraceae and Isosphaeraceae. These families contain key microbes that contribute to nitrogen cycling and organic matter decomposition.

Uranium mining is an environmental concern because of runoff and the potential for toxic effects on the biota. To investigate uranium toxicity to freshwater invertebrates, we conducted a 96-h acute toxicity test to determine lethal concentrations (testing concentrations up to 262 mg L⁻¹) for three stream invertebrates: a shredder caddisfly, Schizopelex festiva Rambur (Trichoptera, Sericostomatidae); a detritivorous isopod, Proasellus sp. (Isopoda, Asellidae); and a scraper gastropod, Theodoxus fluviatilis (Gastropoda, Neritidae). Next, we ran a chronic-toxicity test with the most tolerant species (S. festiva) to assess if uranium concentrations found in some local streams (up to 25 μg L⁻¹) affect feeding, growth and respiration rates. Finally, we investigated whether S. festiva takes up uranium from the water and/or from ingested food. In the acute test, S. festiva survived in all uranium concentrations tested. LC₅₀-96-h for Proasellus sp and T. fluviatilis were 142 mg L⁻¹ and 24 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Specimens of S. festiva exposed to 25 μg L⁻¹ had 47% reduced growth compared with specimens under control conditions (21.5 ± 2.9 vs. 40.6 ± 4.9 μg of mass increase animal⁻¹·day⁻¹). Respiration rates (0.40 ± 0.03 μg O₂·h⁻¹·mg animal⁻¹) and consumption rates (0.54 ± 0.05 μg μg animal⁻¹·day⁻¹; means ± SE) did not differ between treatments. Under laboratory conditions S. festiva accumulated uranium from both the water and the ingested food. Our results indicate that uranium can be less toxic than other metals or metalloids produced by mining activities. However, even at the low concentrations observed in streams affected by abandoned mines, uranium can impair physiological processes, is bioaccumulated, and is potentially transferred through food webs.

Energy crops are an important renewable source for energy production in future. To ensure high yields of crops, N fertilization is a common practice. However, knowledge on environmental impacts of bioenergy plantations, particularly in systems involving trees, and the effects of N fertilization is scarce. We studied the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC), which negatively affect the environment by contributing to tropospheric ozone and aerosols formation, from Miscanthus and willow plantations. Particularly, we aimed at quantifying the effect of N fertilization on VOC emission. For this purpose, we determined plant traits, photosynthetic gas exchange and VOC emission rates of the two systems as affected by N fertilization (0 and 80 kg ha−1 yr−1). Additionally, we used a modelling approach to simulate (i) the annual VOC emission rates as well as (ii) the OH. reactivity resulting from individual VOC emitted. Total VOC emissions from Salix was 1.5- and 2.5-fold higher compared to Miscanthus in non-fertilized and fertilized plantations, respectively. Isoprene was the dominating VOC in Salix (80–130 μg g−1 DW h−1), whereas it was negligible in Miscanthus. We identified twenty-eight VOC compounds, which were released by Miscanthus with the green leaf volatile hexanal as well as dimethyl benzene, dihydrofuranone, phenol, and decanal as the dominant volatiles. The pattern of VOC released from this species clearly differed to the pattern emitted by Salix. OH. reactivity from VOC released by Salix was ca. 8-times higher than that of Miscanthus. N fertilization enhanced stand level VOC emissions, mainly by promoting the leaf area index and only marginally by enhancing the basal emission capacity of leaves. Considering the higher productivity of fertilized Miscanthus compared to Salix together with the considerably lower OH. reactivity per weight unit of biomass produced, qualified the C4-perennial grass Miscanthus as a superior source of future bioenergy production.