Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy and toxic metal and easily absorbed by animals and plants; subsequently, it is an environmental risk factor with several toxic effects in humans and animals. The main pathway of human or animal exposure to Cd is through its ingestion by water or food and by particles or fume inhalation during industrial processes. With continuous exposure to small levels of cadmium, it is being deposited in different tissues day after day, causing toxic effects on the liver, kidney, and testes. Long-term exposure to this toxic metal resulted in inflammatory infiltration, necrosis of hepatocytes, degenerative changes in testis tissues, reduction in spermatocytes, degeneration in renal tubules, and hypertrophy of renal epithelium. Therefore, we need an effective treatment to overcome cadmium poisoning. Thus, in the current review, we try to provide compiled reports and summarize information about the toxicological effects of Cd in human, animals, and poultry. This review also provides updated information about the protective actions of herbs and herbal extracts and their role as an effective strategy in reducing or preventing serious health problems and tissue damage in response to Cd toxicity.

Arsenic (As) is considered as one of the most hazardous elements found in the groundwater. It is present in water in both arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) forms. On exposure for a considerable length of time to water having As concentration above the maximum permissible limit of 10 μg/L, there is a serious threat of developing various health problems including cancer. There is frequent reporting about the development of different newer methods for the removal of arsenic from water. In this present approach, a low-cost product namely modified paddy husk ash (PHA) was used as an adsorbent for the adsorption of arsenic from water. The adsorbent is important from the point of its easy availability in the tropical paddy producing countries. For improved removal efficiency and disposal of spent adsorbent, the surface of the PHA was activated with an aluminum oligomeric solution called as hydroxyl-alumina. To understand the process, various techniques such as XRD, SEM–EDS, particle size determination, and zeta potential measurements were used and the effects like variation of adsorbent dose, pH, initial arsenic concentration, and contact time were studied. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were found to be the best fitted adsorption isotherm and kinetic data models respectively thereby confirming the adsorption as a multilayer chemisorption process. Finally, the issue of disposal of the spent sludge through the successful formation of cement clinkers was studied.

The solar photocatalysis has received increasing attention in the last years due to its great potential as eco-friendly technology to detoxify wastewater polluted with estrogenic and/or androgenic chemicals. In this context, this study aims to demonstrate the photocatalyzed degradation of two fungicides (vinclozoline and fenarimol) and four insecticides (malathion, fenotrothion, quinalphos, and dimethoate) all of them with endocrine-disrupting activity, in a wastewater effluent under natural sunlight and pilot plant scale. For this, we have combined hydroxyl radical (HO•)- and sulfate radical (SO₄●⁻)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) by using of ZnO as photocatalyst and Na₂S₂O₈ as oxidant, respectively. Previously, catalyst loading, effect of electron acceptor, and pH conditions were optimized using a lab photoreactor under artificial light. As a result, 200 mg L⁻¹ of ZnO and 250 mg L⁻¹ of Na₂S₂O₈ were used in the further experiment at pilot plant scale at pH around 7. The results show that the use of the tandem ZnO/Na₂S₂O₈ strongly enhances the reaction rate of the studied pesticides as compared with the photolytic test. All pesticides followed an apparent first-order degradation curve. The necessary time for 90% degradation (DT₉₀) under sunlight irradiation ranged from 26 to 1000 min (2–75 min as normalized illumination time, t₃₀W) for malathion and fenarimol, respectively. At the end of the lighting, the remaining percentage of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was up to 92% lower than its initial content and toxicity (Vibrio fischeri) decreased from 65% of inhibition to an acceptable value of 12% at the end of the treatment. A weak increase in the electrical conductivity (EC) was observed due to the mineralization process. The findings confirm the efficacy of the treatment to remove pesticides from wastewater using natural sunlight as renewable energy source, mainly in sunny areas as Mediterranean basin.

As wood preservatives leach from exposed treated wood, they contaminate soil and water, creating an environmental problem that needs to be addressed. Treating this contamination is particularly challenging since it includes mixed compounds, such as heavy metals and trace elements, as well as xenobiotic organic pollutants like polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxin/furan congeners (PCDD/Fs) that are very toxic and are under very strict discharge regulations. Cultivating fast-growing willow shrubs, either in soil or in treatment wetlands, offers a flexible and inexpensive treatment option. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance of a frequently used willow cultivar (Salix miyabeana ‘SX67’) to irrigation with leachate contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP) and chromated chromium arsenate (CCA), two important wood preservatives. We designed a mesocosms experiment with willow grown in three different substrates and irrigated over 12 weeks with three different leachate concentrations. Willow proved to be tolerant to irrigation with the raw leachate, with only leaf area decreasing with increasing leachate concentration. However, the type of growing substrate influenced willow ecophysiological responses and overall performance, and seemed to affect contaminant dynamics in the plant-soil system. All contaminants accumulated in willow roots, and Cu and PCDD/Fs were also translocated to aerial parts. Overall, this study suggests that Salix miyabeana ‘SX67’ could be a good candidate for treating water or soil contaminated with wood preservatives.

The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as anthracene (AN) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), in water has become a problem of great concern due to the detrimental health effects caused to humans and living beings. In this work, the efficiency of the UV/H₂O₂ system for degrading the target compounds at ultra-trace levels in surface water has been evaluated. For this purpose, a previous optimization step using a face-centered central composite experimental design has been conducted, considering the effect of the UV-C irradiance and the initial concentration of H₂O₂. It was evidenced that under optimal operating conditions (11 mg L⁻¹ H₂O₂ and 0.63 mW cm⁻² irradiance), AN and BaP removal percentages were higher than 99.8%. Additionally, 69.3% of the organic matter, in terms of total organic carbon, was mineralized without the production of transformation by-products more harmful than the parent compounds. These findings demonstrate the oxidation capacity of the examined system in a natural matrix for degrading micropollutants that cannot be converted through conventional treatment processes. Consequently, new horizons are opened for the effective use of the UV/H₂O₂ system for drinking water production, providing the accomplishment of other regulated parameters related to water quality.

Chlorinated aromatic organic compounds are extremely toxic to the environment and cause cancer to the human body. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a hydrophobic and ionic organic compound that is employed as a production material in various industries. Although the Taiwanese government has banned the use of PCP for years, large PCP-contaminated areas remain in Southern Taiwan. Chemical oxidation, which has been proposed as a viable method for restoring PCP-contaminated areas, involves the use of micronanosize birnessite (δ-MnO₂), which is a type of manganese oxide and a natural mineral in soil environments. The goal of this study was to simulate the decontamination of the underlying soil of the PCP-contaminated areas, which is situated in anaerobic and lightless environment. Through the use of a self-developed gas release and absorption reaction flask, the oxidative mineral decarboxylation and dechlorination effects of δ-MnO₂ on PCP in aerobic and anaerobic (with oxygen removed through the use of nitrogen) environments without light were investigated. Results indicated that adding δ-MnO₂ facilitated the oxidative decarboxylation and dechlorination of PCP and the release of Cl⁻ in an aerobic, lightless environment without microbial activity. In the anaerobic environment, the oxidative decarboxylation effect of δ-MnO₂ on PCP decreased significantly, and the dechlorination effect was the primary reaction. Accordingly, adding δ-MnO₂ inorganically destroys aromatic benzene and releases CO₂ and Cl⁻. The molar ratio between CO₂ and Cl⁻ was calculated to assess the mechanisms of the distinct reaction systems. The parameters and data acquired from the experiment, which involved simulating the conditions of the contaminated areas, can be used in planning the on-site management of the PCP contamination; in particular, these parameters and data provide a reference for eliminating PCP from underlying soil—including groundwater-saturated layers.

In northern countries, the climate, and consequently the use of studded tyres and winter traction sanding, causes accumulation of road dust over winter and spring, resulting in high PM₁₀ concentrations during springtime dusting events. To quantify the dust at the road surface, a method—the wet dust sampler (WDS)—was developed allowing repeatable sampling also under wet and snowy conditions. The principle of operation is flushing high-pressurised water over a defined surface area and transferring the dust laden water into a container for further analyses. The WDS has been used for some time and is presented in detail to the international scientific community as reported by Jonsson et al. (2008) and Gustafsson et al. (2019), and in this paper, the latest version is presented together with an evaluation of its performance. To evaluate the WDS, the ejected water amount was measured, as well as water losses in different parts of the sampling system, together with indicative dust measurement using turbidity as a proxy for dust concentration. The results show that the WDS, when accounting for all losses, have a predictable and repeatable water performance, with no impact on performance based on the variety of asphalt surface types included in this study, given undamaged surfaces. The largest loss was found to be water retained on the surface, and the dust measurements imply that this might not have as large impact on the sampled dust as could be expected. A theoretical particle mass balance shows small particle losses, while field measurements show higher losses. Several tests are suggested to validate and improve on the mass balances. Finally, the WDS is found to perform well and is able to contribute to further knowledge regarding road dust implications for air pollution.

Annually, a great volume of sediment and suspended particulate matters (SPMs) enters into the seas through estuaries. In the estuarine zone, metals present in SPMs may undergo conservative or non-conservative changes. In the present study, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) as the most complex chemical parameter of open sea water and its relationship with the behavior of t metals in the estuarine area were investigated. Dissolved oxygen was used as a strong oxidant to increase the ORP. According to the absorption and desorption experiment, Mn and Cu are desorbed from SPMs during estuarine mixing. However, Zn and Pb are absorbed into the SPMs. In addition, the analysis results were indicative of the conservative behavior of Ni. The results of the three-step chemical partitioning of the SPMs revealed that Mn and Cu are desorbed from the SPMs physically, whereas Zn is absorbed into the SPMs chemically. Also, results showed that Pb is physically desorbed from the SPMs, while it is absorbed into SPMs chemically. All metals, except for Ni and Zn, whose reactions with the SPMs are not affected by an increase in the ORP, are affected by the escalation of this parameter.

There is insufficient evidence on the relationship between air pollution and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in northeast China. Here, we explored the short-term effects of air pollution on CVD mortality and preliminarily investigated differences in population susceptibility to air pollution in Shenyang, China. CVD mortality, air pollution, and meteorological data during 2013–2016 were obtained. Time-series analysis was applied to evaluate the association between air pollution and daily CVD mortality with different lag structures. In the single-pollutant model, each 10 μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, and O₃ concentrations and 1 mg/m³ increase in CO concentrations at lag0 (same day) was significantly associated with an increase of 0.40% (95% confidence interval, 0.22–0.59%), 0.26% (0.12–0.40%), 0.43% (0.16–0.70%), 0.90% (0.14–1.67%), 0.76% (0.21–1.32%), and 3.33% (0.97–5.75%), respectively, in overall CVD mortality. Susceptibility to air pollutants was higher among females, elderly people, and ischemic heart disease patients. Furthermore, air pollution effects on CVD mortality were 2–8 times greater during the non-heating period. In conclusion, the air pollutants PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, and CO showed significant positive effects on CVD mortality in Shenyang, China. These findings highlight the adverse effects of air pollution and suggest the need for personal protective equipment and reduction of air pollution sources.

The synthetic hormone sodium levothyroxine (LTX) is one of the most prescribed drugs in the world and the most effective in hypothyroidism treatment. The presence of LTX in the environment has become a matter of major concern due to the widespread use of this hormone and by the fact that it is only partially removed in conventional water and sewage treatment plants. However, information regarding the photochemical fate of this hormone in environmental or engineered systems is scarce in the literature. In this work, the sunlight-driven direct and indirect LTX degradation was investigated by determining the photolysis quantum yield, ΦLTX = 3.80 (± 0.02) × 10⁻⁵, as well as the second-order kinetic constants of the reactions with hydroxyl radicals, kLTX,•OH = 1.50 (± 0.01) × 10¹⁰ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ and singlet oxygen, kLTX,₁O₂ = 1.47 (± 0.66) × 10⁸ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹. Mathematical simulations indicate that LTX photodegradation is favored in shallow, nitrite-rich, and dissolved organic matter (DOM)-poor environments, with LTX half-life times varying from less than 10 days to about 80 days. LTX removals of 85 and 95% were achieved by UVC photolysis and UVC/H₂O₂ after 120 min, respectively. Three transformation products, triiodothyronine, diiodothyronine, and diiodotyrosine, were identified during LTX degradation by the UVC-based processes studied. The results herein regarding photo-induced kinetics coupled with environmental fate simulations may help evaluate LTX persistence and also the design of water and wastewater treatment processes.