Acid rain still poses a global problem today, exerting many adverse effects on man, animal, and materials. As its research question, the present study tries to find out whether or not acid rains exist in Akure, Nigeria. For so doing, it determines physico-chemical properties of rain water samples, namely pH, temp, Electrical Conductivity (EC), TDS, acidity, SO4-, NO2-, Cl-, and Free CO2. According to the results, the pH ranged between 6.0 and 7.8, never falling below 5.6 which is an indication of acid rain. Also, the minimum EC was 3µS/cm and the maximum, 201µS/cm. Moreover, TDS was between 1 and 100mg/L, while Free CO2 had a mean of 23.00 and Standard Deviation of 6.16. The dominant ion was SO4- (10-11%), followed by NO3-, and Cl-. Results from the first six months (July-December 2015) reveal slight correlations in the following: TDS with pH (0.532), EC and pH (0.501), Temp and Free CO2 (0.59), whereas strong correlations have been recorded in the following parameters: Acidity with pH (0.71) and Temperature (0.69), NO2- with pH (0.96) and acidity (0.96), SO4- with temp (0.68) and NO2- (0.83), and finally Cl-  with Free CO2 (0.61), NO2- (0.73), and Cl- (0.65). It can be concluded that in the environment under this study there have been no acid rain within the period.

In the present investigation, 41 soil samples were subjected to single step chemical partitioning to assess the lithogenic and non-lithogenic portions of metals in Tehran's soils. The share of various studied metals in the anthropogenic portion ranges from as low as 0.2% to as high as 85% of bulk concentration. Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) showed that Cd falls within "heavily contaminated" soils. It might be inferred that Ni, Cu, Cr, Zn, Co and Ca fall within "Deficient to minimal" class in accordance with enrichment factor (EF) classification.. Enrichment factor values (to some extents) match with the chemical partition studies results (except for Ni and Cr). The very low Ca content of soil samples could be indicative of low biological productivity in the Tehran's soil. Also the very low concentrations of Mn could be indicative of reducing environment in soils of Tehran.

The rising global demand for palm oil and its associated products has led to increased numbers of palm oil refineries with its attendant effluent discharge. Many researches have confirmed the ecological disruptive potentiality of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME), still further attention has to be directed at POME’s potential genotoxicity. The present study has made physico-chemical and genotoxicity assessments of POME from a corporate refinery in Nigeria, using the American Public Health Association (APHA) procedures along with Allium cepa root assay. Allium cepa roots were grown in graduated concentrations of POME and the roots were analyzed for chromosomal aberrations. Results suggest that POME caused growth inhibitions and chromosomal aberrations in A. cepa roots. with mitotic index of A. cepa roots dropping as POME concentrations were increased. The chromosomal aberrations induced in A. cepa were vagrant, sticky chromosomes, bi-nucleated cells, and C-mitosis. These results indicate that palm oil mill effluent is not only capable of causing ecological disruptions in the receiving environment, but is also potentially genotoxic to resident organisms. It is recommended that if effluents from palm oil mill refineries cannot be converted to other useful products and ought to be disposed of, it should first be properly treated and tested for genotoxicity.

Water is one of the most crucial substances for life. In order to maintain their public health, each and every country has defined standards of drinking water quality, beyond which the water is considered harmful for human health. The current study compares physical, chemical, and biological standards of drinking water quality for the USA, EU, Japan, India, and Bangladesh, considering 4 physical parameters (namely, color, odor, taste, and turbidity), 35 chemical parameters (such as Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Phosphate (PO43-), Sodium (Na), Phenolic compounds, Nitrite (NO2-), Arsenic (As), Aluminum (Al), etc.) and 2 biological parameters (i.e., Coliform (Fecal) and Coliform (Total)). The data has been collected from several secondary sources and since processes of data collection for water quality differ from one another, this aspect has been ignored. No variation has been found in biological water quality standards along with physical quality standards of the considered regions. In order to find out the differences in chemical parameters, standard ANOVA and pair-wise F-test have been conducted. There was no disparity among chemical parameters in ANOVA test. Moreover, thanks to the few excessive values of the standards (as in case of Bangladesh), the COD value is 4 mg/L, whereas in other countries this parameter is much less. However, the chemical parameters of water quality standards in Bangladesh vary significantly from other countries. Besides, there has been no variation among the standards of other countries, even though they are located in different continents. Most interestingly, despite being neighbors, Bangladesh and India differ significantly in this regard.

Solid-solution partitioning of Rare Earth Elements in mine-tailings and soils in China: experimental results and multi-surface modelling. Interfaces Against Pollution

International audience | Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue and metal exposure can co-select for antibiotic resistance. We examined genome sequences of three multi-drug and metal resistant bacteria: one Shewanella sp., and two Vibrio spp., isolated from the gut of the mummichog fish (Fundulus heteroclitus). Our primary goal was to understand the mechanisms of co-selection. Phenotypically, the strains showed elevated resistance to arsenate, mercury, and various types of β-lactams. The genomes contained genes of public health concern including one carbapenemase (bla OXA-48). Our analyses indicate that the co-selection phenotype is mediated by chromo-somal resistance genes and cross-resistance. No evidence of co-resistance was found; most resistance genes were chromosomally located. Moreover, the identification of many efflux pump gene homologs indicates that cross-resistance and/or co-regulation may further contribute to resistance. We suggest that the mummichog gut microbiota may be a source of clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes.

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a major cause of death in infancy and childhood. Major risk factors for most CHDs, particularly those resulting from the combination of environmental exposures with social determinants and behaviors, are still unknown. This study evaluated the main effect of maternal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and its interaction with social-demographics and environmental factors on CHDs in China. A population-based, matched case-control study of 9452 live-born infants and stillborn fetuses was conducted using the Guangdong Registry of Congenital Heart Disease data (2004–2014). The CHDs were evaluated by obstetrician, pediatrician, or cardiologist, and confirmed by cardia tomography/catheterization. Controls were randomly chosen from singleton newborns without any malformation, born in the same hospital as the cases and 1:1 matched by infant sex, time of conception, and parental residence (same city and town to ensure sufficient geographical distribution for analyses). Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect information on demographics, behavior patterns, maternal disease/medication, and environmental exposures. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ETS exposure on CHDs while controlling for all risk factors. Interactive effects were evaluated using a multivariate delta method for maternal demographics, behavior, and environmental exposures on the ETS-CHD relationship. Mothers exposed to ETS during the first trimester of pregnancy were more likely to have infants with CHD than mothers who did not (aOR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.25–1.66). We also observed a significant dose-response relationship when mothers were exposed to ETS and an increasing number of risk factors and CHDs. There were greater than additive interactions for maternal ETS and migrant status, low household income and paternal alcohol consumption on CHDs. Maternal low education also modified the ETS-CHD association on the multiplicative scale. These findings may help to identify high-risk populations for CHD, providing an opportunity for targeted preventive interventions.

At present, the majority of investigations concerning nanotoxicology in the nematode C. elegans address short-term effects. While this approach allows for the identification of uptake pathways, exposition and acute toxicity, nanoparticle-organism interactions that manifest later in the adult life of C. elegans are missed. Here we show that a microhabitat composed of liquid S-medium and live bacteria in microtiter wells prolongs C. elegans longevity and is optimally suited to monitor chronic eNP-effects over the entire life span (about 34 days) of the nematode. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles reduced C. elegans life span in concentrations ≥10 μg/mL, whereas nano ZnO and CeO₂ (1–160 μg/mL) had no effect on longevity. Monitoring of locomotion behaviors throughout the entire life span of C. elegans showed that Ag NPs accelerate the age-associated decline of swimming and increase of uncoordinated movements at concentrations of ≥10 μg/mL, whereas neuromuscular defects did not occur in response to ZnO and CeO₂ NPs. By means of a fluorescing reporter worm expressing tryptophan hydroxylase-1::DsRed Ag NP-induced behavioral defects were correlated to axonal protein aggregation and neurodegeneration in single serotonergic HSN as well as sensory ADF neurons. Notably, serotonergic ADF neurons represented a sensitive target for Ag NPs in comparison to GABAergic neurons that showed no signs of degeneration under the same conditions. We conclude that due to its analogy to the jellylike boom culture of C. elegans on microbe-rich rotting plant material liquid S-medium culture in spatially confined microtiter wells represents a relevant as well as practical tool for comparative identification of age-resolved nanoparticle effects and vulnerabilities in a significant target organism. Consistent with this, specifically middle-aged nematodes showed premature neuromuscular defects after Ag NP-exposure.

Biochemical indicators are potent tools to assess ecosystem functioning under anthropic and global pressures. Nevertheless, additional work is needed to improve the methods used for the measurement of these indicators, and for a more relevant interpretation of the obtained results. To face these challenges, the platform Biochem-Env aims at providing innovative and standardized measurement protocols, as well as database and information system favoring result interpretation and opening. Its skills and tools are also offered for expertise, consulting, training, and standardization. In addition, the platform is a service of a French Research Infrastructure for Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems, for research in environmental and agricultural sciences.

International audience | The Biological Resource Centre for the Environment BRC4Env is a network of Biological Resource Centres (BRCs) and collections whose leading objectives are to improve the visibility of genetic and biological resources maintained by its BRCs and collections and to facilitate their use by a large research community, from agriculture research to life sciences and environmental sciences. Its added value relies on sharing skills, harmonizing practices, triggering projects in comparative biology, and ultimately proposing a single-entry portal to facilitate access to documented samples, taking into account the partnership policies of research institutions as well as the legal frame which varies with the biological nature of resources. BRC4Env currently includes three BRCs: the Centre for Soil Genetic Resources of the platform GenoSol, in partnership with the European Conservatory of Soil Samples; the Egg Parasitoids Collection (EP-Coll); and the collection of ichthyological samples, Colisa. BRC4Env is also associated to several biological collections: microbial consortia (entomopathogenic bacteria, freshwater microalgae…), terrestrial arthropods, nematodes (plant parasitic, entomopathogenic, animal parasitic...), and small mammals. The BRCs and collections of BRC4Env are involved in partnership with academic scientists, as well as private companies, in the fields of medicinal mining, biocontrol, sustainable agriculture, and additional sectors. Moreover, the staff of the BRCs is involved in many training courses for students from French licence degree to Ph.D, engineers, as well as ongoing training.