The uptake and metabolism of ibuprofen (IBU) by plants at the cellular level was investigated using a suspension culture of A. thaliana. Almost all IBU added to the medium (200 μM) was metabolized or bound to insoluble structures in 5 days. More than 300 metabolites were determined by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis, and most of these are first reported for plants here. Although hydroxylated derivatives formed by oxidation on the isobutyl side chain were the main first-step products of IBU degradation, conjugates of these products with sugar, methyl and amino acid groups were the dominant metabolites in the culture. The main portion of total added IBU (81%) was accumulated in the extractable intracellular pool, whereas the cultivation medium fraction contained only 19%. The amount of the insoluble cell-wall-bound IBU was negligible (0.005% of total IBU).

Beach environments are known to be conducive to fragmentation of plastic debris, and highly fragmented plastic particles can interact with smaller organisms. Even through stranded plastic debris may not interact directly with marine organisms, backwash processes may transport this debris back to coastal waters, where it may affect a wide range of marine life at different trophic levels. This study analysed the size distribution of stranded plastic debris (<10 mm) collected from eight coastal beaches in Guangdong Province, China. Polystyrene (PS) foams and fragments smaller than 7 mm were increasingly abundant in the smaller size classes, whereas resin pellets remained in their production sizes (∼3 mm). Microplastics (<5 mm) accounted for over 98% of the total plastic debris by abundance and 71% by weight, indicating that the plastic debris on these coastal beaches was highly fragmented and the majority of the plastic masses belonged to the microplastic size range. The observed size distributions of PS foams and fragments are believed to result from continued fragmentation. Previous studies found that the residence time of beached debris was less than one year on average, and no sign of plastic accumulation with depth in beach sediment was observed. Therefore, coastal beaches may represent a reservoir of highly fragmented and degraded microplastics that may be mobilised and returned to the sea during storm events. Further research on the dynamics and longevity of microplastics on beaches will help reveal the mass balance of microplastics on the shoreline and determine whether shorelines are sinks or sources of microplastics.

High levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are known to cause adverse effects to human health. The goal of this study was to estimate the acute health effects of short-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 by analyzing cause-specific emergency ambulance dispatches as the endpoint in Chengdu, a city in Sichuan Province in southwest China. The ambient PM2.5 concentration of Chengdu reached 63 μg/m3 in 2015. Data related to the causes of specific emergency ambulance dispatches, air pollution, and meteorological conditions were collected from 2013 to 2015 (1095 days). A generalized additive model (GAM) was constructed to control the confounding conditions and to estimate the effects of PM2.5 on human health conditions. Emergency ambulance dispatches for all causes with (RR for lag0 = 1.0010, 95%CI: 1.0002, 1.0019) or without injuries (RR for lag0 = 1.0012, 95%CI: 1.0002, 1.0022), respiratory diseases (RR for lag0 = 1.0051, 95%CI: 1.0012, 1.0089), and cardiovascular diseases (RR for lag0 = 1.0041, 95%CI: 1.0009, 1.0074) were associated with ambient PM2.5 concentrations in Chengdu. In addition, the effects of PM2.5 were not confounded by ozone.

Much effort has been made to standardise sampling procedures, laboratory analysis, data analysis, etc. for semi volatile organic contaminants (SVOCs). Yet there are some unresolved issues in regards to comparing measurements from one of the most commonly used passive samplers (PAS), the polyurethane foam (PUF) disk PAS (PUF-PAS), between monitoring networks or different studies. One such issue is that there is no universal means to derive a sampling rate (Rs) or to calculate air concentrations (Cair) from PUF-PAS measurements for SVOCs. Cair was calculated from PUF-PAS measurements from a long-term monitoring program at a site in central Europe applying current understanding of passive sampling theory coupled with a consideration for the sampling of particle associated compounds. Cair were assessed against concurrent active air sampler (AAS) measurements. Use of “site-based/sampler-specific” variables: Rs, calculated using a site calibration, provided similar results for most gas-phase SVOCs to air concentrations derived using “default” values (commonly accepted Rs). Individual monthly PUF-PAS-derived air concentrations for the majority of the target compounds were significantly different (Wilcoxon signed-rank (WSR) test; p < 0.05) to AAS regardless of the input values (site/sampler based or default) used to calculate them. However, annual average PUF-PAS-derived air concentrations were within the same order of magnitude as AAS measurements except for the particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Underestimation of PUF-derived air concentrations for particle-phase PAHs was attributed to a potential overestimation of the particle infiltration into the PUF-PAS chamber and underestimation of the particle bound fraction of PAHs.

Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, breeding off la Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) undergo large-scale seasonal migrations between summer feeding grounds near Antarctica and their reproductive winter grounds in the Indian Ocean. The main scope of the current study was to investigate chemical exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean by providing the first published data on this breeding stock concerning persistent organic pollutants (POPs), namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs). Analyses of stable isotopes δ13C and δ15N in skin resulted in further insight in their feeding ecology, which was in agreement with a diet focused mainly on low trophic level prey species, such as krill from Antarctica. POPs were measured in all humpback whales in the order of HCB > DDTs > CHLs > HCHs > PCBs > PBDEs > MeO-BDEs. HCB (median: 24 ng g−1 lw) and DDTs (median: 7.7 ng g−1 lw) were the predominant compounds in all whale biopsies. Among DDT compounds, p,p′-DDE was the major organohalogenated pollutant, reflecting its long-term accumulation in humpback whales. Significantly lower concentrations of HCB and DDTs were found in females than in males (p < 0.001). Other compounds were similar between the two genders (p > 0.05). Differences in the HCB and DDTs suggested gender-specific transfer of some compounds to the offspring. POP concentrations were lower than previously reported results for humpback whales sampled near the Antarctic Peninsula, suggesting potential influence of their nutritional status and may indicate different exposures of the whales according to their feeding zones. Further investigations are required to assess exposure of southern humpback whales throughout their feeding zones.

Although many studies have investigated organohalogenated contaminants (OHCs) in yolk, little is known about the mechanisms and timing of transfer of OHCs from the female to the egg. Vitellogenin, a yolk precursor, has been suggested to play a role in this transport.We here report for the first time the temporal changes in OHC and an index of vitellogenin concentrations in female plasma from the pre-laying period to clutch completion in free-living birds: the southern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome) breeding in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. In addition, OHC concentrations in the corresponding clutches were analysed. OHC concentrations in female plasma and in the yolk of both the first (A-) and the second (B-)eggs followed a similar pattern, with hexachlorobenzene (HCB) > Σpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) > Σdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) > Σmethoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) > Σchlordanes (CHLs) > Σpolybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) ≈ Σhexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). The higher concentrations of MeO-PBDEs compared to PBDEs indicate a diet containing naturally-produced MeO-PBDEs. All OHC compounds except for PBDEs increased from the pre-laying period to A-egg laying and subsequently declined from A-egg laying to B-egg laying, and female plasma vitellogenin showed the same pattern. For ΣPCBs and ΣMeO-PBDEs, we found positive correlations between female plasma during A-egg laying and both eggs, and for HCB between female plasma and A-eggs only. During pre-laying, only ΣMeO-PBDEs correlated between both eggs and female plasma, and no correlations between OHC concentrations in eggs and female plasma were found during B-egg laying, highlighting that maternal transfer of OHCs is time- and compound-specific. Finally, female vitellogenin concentrations did not significantly correlate with any OHC compounds in either female plasma or eggs, and our results therefore did not confirm the suggested role of vitellogenin in the maternal transfer of OHC molecules into their eggs.

Pesticides are implicated in the decline of honey bee populations. Many insecticides are neurotoxic acting by different modes of actions. Although a link between insecticide exposure and changed behaviour has been made, molecular effects underlying these effects are poorly understood. Here we elucidated molecular effects at environmental realistic concentrations of two organophosphates, chlorpyrifos, malathion, the pyrethroid cypermethrin, and the ryanodine receptor activator, chlorantraniliprole. We assessed transcriptional alterations of selected genes at three exposure times (24 h, 48 h, 72 h) in caged honey bees exposed to different concentrations of these compounds. Our targeted gene expression concept focused of several transcripts, including nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α 1 and α 2 (nAChRα1, nAChRα2) subunits, the multifunctional gene vitellogenin, immune system related genes of three immune system pathways, genes belonging to the detoxification system and ER stress genes. Our data indicate a dynamic pattern of expressional changes at different exposure times. All four insecticides induced strong alterations in the expression of immune system related genes suggesting negative implications for honey bee health, as well as cytochrome P450 enzyme transcripts suggesting an interference with metabolism. Exposure to neurotoxic chlorpyrifos, malathion and cypermethrin resulted in up-regulation of nAChRα1 and nAChRα2. Moreover, alterations in the expression of vitellogenin occurred, which suggests implications on foraging activity. Chlorantraniliprole induced ER stress which may be related to toxicity. The comparison of all transcriptional changes indicated that the expression pattern is rather compound-specific and related to its mode of action, but clusters of common transcriptional changes between different compounds occurred. As transcriptional alterations occurred at environmental concentrations our data provide a molecular basis for observed adverse effects of these insecticides to bees.

Recent efforts have been directed towards better understanding the persistency and toxicity of ionic liquids (ILs) in the context of the “benign-by-design” approach, but the assessment of their bioaccumulation potential remains neglected. This paper reports the experimental membrane partitioning of IL cations (imidazolium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium, phosphonium), anions ([C(CN)3]-, [B(CN)4]-, [FSO2)2N]-, [(C2F5)3PF3]-, [(CF3SO2)2N]-) and their combinations as a measure for estimating the bioconcentration factor (BCF). Both cations and anions can have a strong affinity for phosphatidylcholine bilayers, which is mainly driven by the hydrophobicity of the ions. This affinity is often reflected in the ecotoxicological impact. Our data revealed that the bioconcentration potential of IL cations and anions is much higher than expected from octanol-water-partitioning based estimations that have recently been presented. For some ILs, the membrane-water partition coefficient reached levels corresponding to BCFs that might become relevant in terms of the “B” (bioaccumulation potential) classification under REACH. However, this preliminary estimation need to be confirmed by in vivo bioconcentration studies.

Poor sleep quality is an important symptom of many medical or psychiatric disorders. However, the impact of cooking oil fumes (COFs) on sleep quality has not been studied. This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the association between COFs of Chinese household cooking and sleep quality. Individual sleep quality assessment was completed in 2197 participants with an average age of 37.52 years, through Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Information about their cooking practice were also collected by self-reported questionnaire. As an internal biomarker of COFs, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) (n = 562) was further measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Binary logistic regression models were performed to evaluate the association between exposure to COFs and individual sleep quality. We found that, subjective poor kitchen ventilation, preheating oil to smoking, and cooking for over 30 min were positively associated with overall poor sleep quality (global PSQI score >5) [odds ratio (OR) = 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.43–2.16; 1.25, (1.03–1.52); 1.42, (1.15–1.76), respectively]. After adjusting for potential confounders, subjective poor kitchen ventilation still tend to increase the risk of long sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction [OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.09–1.73; 1.91, (1.39–2.61); 1.54, (1.23–1.93), respectively]. Similar results were observed in participants who preheated oil to smoking [OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.08–1.72; 1.55, (1.14–2.14); 1.25, (1.02–1.55), respectively] and cooked for over 30 min [OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.05–1.72; 1.46, (1.03–2.06); 1.36, (1.08–1.72), respectively]. Furthermore, hight urinary 1-HOP level was also positively associated with overall poor sleep quality (OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.31–4.05). The results indicated that exposure to COFs from Chinese household cooking may be a risk factor for poor sleep quality among middle-aged Chinese population.

Heavy metals are the most commonly encountered toxic substances that increase susceptibility to various diseases after prolonged exposure. We have previously shown that healthy volunteers living near a mining area had significant contamination with heavy metals associated with significant changes in the expression of some detoxifying genes, xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, and DNA repair genes. However, alterations of most of the molecular target genes associated with diseases are still unknown. Thus, the aims of this study were to (a) evaluate the gene expression profile and (b) identify the toxicities and potentially relevant human disease outcomes associated with long-term human exposure to environmental heavy metals in mining area using microarray analysis. For this purpose, 40 healthy male volunteers who were residents of a heavy metal-polluted area (Mahd Al-Dhahab city, Saudi Arabia) and 20 healthy male volunteers who were residents of a non-heavy metal-polluted area were included in the study. Total RNA was isolated from whole blood using PAXgene Blood RNA tubes and then reversed transcribed and hybridized to the gene array using the Affymetrix U219 GeneChip. Microarray analysis showed about 2129 genes were identified and differentially altered, among which a shared set of 425 genes was differentially expressed in the heavy metal-exposed groups. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that the most altered gene-regulated diseases in heavy metal-exposed groups included hematological and developmental disorders and mostly renal and urological diseases. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction closely matched the microarray data for some genes tested. Importantly, changes in gene-related diseases were attributed to alterations in the genes encoded for protein synthesis. Renal and urological diseases were the diseases that were most frequently associated with the heavy metal-exposed group. Therefore, there is a need for further studies to validate these genes, which could be used as early biomarkers to prevent renal injury.