Particulate matter (PM) is considered an atmospheric pollutant that mostly affects human health. The finest fractions of PM (PM2.5 or less) play a major role in causing chronic diseases.The aim of this study was to investigate the genotoxic effects of PM0.5 collected in five Italian towns using different bioassays. The role of chemical composition on the genotoxicity induced was also evaluated.The present study was included in the multicentre MAPEC_LIFE project, which aimed to evaluate the associations between air pollution exposure and early biological effects in Italian children.PM10 samples were collected in 2 seasons (winter and spring) using a high-volume multistage cascade impactor. The results showed that PM0.5 represents a very high proportion of PM10 (range 10–63%). PM0.5 organic extracts were chemically analysed (PAHs, nitro-PAHs) and tested by the comet assay (A549 and BEAS-2B cells), MN test (A549 cells) and Ames test on Salmonella strains (TA100, TA98, TA98NR and YG1021).The highest concentrations of PAHs and nitro-PAHs in PM0.5 were observed in the Torino, Brescia and Pisa samples in winter. The Ames test showed low mutagenic activity. The highest net revertants/m3 were observed in the Torino and Brescia samples (winter), and the mutagenic effect was associated with PM0.5 (p < 0.01), PAH and nitro-PAH (p < 0.05) concentrations. The YG1021 strain showed the highest sensitivity to PM0.5 samples. No genotoxic effect of PM0.5 extracts was observed using A549 cells except for some samples in winter (comet assay), while BEAS-2B cells showed light DNA damage in the Torino, Brescia and Pisa samples in winter, highlighting the higher sensitivity of BEAS-2B cells, which was consistent with the Ames test (p < 0.01).The results obtained showed that it is important to further investigate the finest fractions of PM, which represent a relevant percentage of PM10, taking into account the chemical composition and the biological effects induced.

Waste water of the Kettara village, as well as the abandoned tailings, constitute a potential environmental issue with direct consequences on air, soil, water resources qualities and, on human health. In this paper, experimental investigations examine the environmental impact which is induced by the wastewater, mine tailings and the lithological factors of rocks. This multidisciplinary research allows to i) understand the transfer of the Metallic Trace Elements (selenium, arsenic, nickel and zinc) and sulfate ions in the fractured shales media, ii) to assess the water potability by using the microbiological analysis. The microbiological results reveal the domestic impact by the presence of several kinds of bacteria in the groundwater resources: E. coli, Fecal coliforms, Total coliforms, Enterococci, Mesophilic Aerobic Flora, Sulphite-reducing bacteria and Salmonella.Selenium, arsenic and the bacteriological contamination of the groundwater could be explained by five kinds of factors: i) the geological formations and the nature of the hydrogeological system (unconfined layer), ii) the groundwater flow, the hydraulic relation between the hydrogeological wells and, the fractures network in the shale aquifer. The piezometric map allows to highlight the groundwater flow from the North-East to North-West and to the South-West, the drainage axis towards the P21 well and the presence of the dividing axis in the contaminated zone by the arsenic, iii) the absence of the unhealthy habitats with permeable traditional septic tanks in the village; iv) the transfer of the spreading animal excrements from the soil to groundwater and, v) the migration of the wastewater towards downstream of the groundwater flow. The presence of the reed beds could explain the reduction of bacteria in the hydrogeological wells of the study area.

Emissions from burning of biomass in the Amazon region have adverse effects on the environment and human health. Herein, particulate matter (PM) emitted from biomass burning in the Amazon region during two different periods, namely intense and moderate, was investigated. This study focused on: i) organic characterization of nitro- and oxy-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); ii) assessment of the excess lifetime cancer risk (LCR); and iii) assessment of the in vitro mutagenic effects of extractable organic matter (EOM). Further, we compared the sensitivity of two mutagenicity tests: Salmonella/microsome test and cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) with human lung cells. Among the nitro-PAHs, 2-nitrofluoranthene, 7-nitrobenz[a]anthracene, 1-nitropyrene, and 3-nitrofluoranthene showed the highest concentrations, while among oxy-PAHs, 2-metylanthraquinone, benz[a]anthracene-7,12-dione, and 9,10-anthraquinone were the most abundant. The LCR calculated for nitro-PAH exposure during intense biomass burning period showed a major contribution of 6-nitrochrysene to human carcinogenic risk. The EOM from intense period was more mutagenic than that from moderate period for both TA98 and YG1041 Salmonella strains. The number of revertants for YG1041 was 5–50% higher than that for TA98, and the most intense responses were obtained in the absence of metabolic activation, suggesting that nitroaromatic compounds with direct-acting frameshift mutagenic activity are contributing to the DNA damage. Treatment of cells with non-cytotoxic doses of EOM resulted in an increase in micronuclei frequencies. The minimal effective dose showed that Salmonella/microsome test was considerably more sensitive in comparison with CBMN mainly for the intense burning period samples. This was the first study to assess the mutagenicity of EOM associated with PM collected in the Amazon region using Salmonella/microsome test. The presence of compounds with mutagenic effects, particularly nitro- and oxy-PAHs, and LCR values in the range of 10⁻⁵ indicate that the population is potentially exposed to an increased risk of DNA damage, mutation, and cancer.

This paper is a part of a multi-disciplinary research “Application of Decentralized On-Site Water Treatment System in Egypt for Use in Agriculture and Producing Safe Fish and Animal Proteins”.The project aimed to investigate the environmental impact of implementing sewage water before and after treatment using the effluent of the on-site decentralized Japanese' Johkasou system, in agriculture and producing fish protein. The aim is to establish such system in Egypt to strengthen the sanitary conditions of water resources. In the present study, the impact of the sewage pollution in some fish farms at El-Fayyum, Port Said and El-Dakahlia governorates in Egypt was carried out. Water and fish (Oreochromis niloticus and Mugil cephalus) samples were collected from private fish farms of such localities. Bacteriological and chemical examination of water samples revealed the existence of coliforms and many other bacterial species of significant human health hazards. The chemical parameters of water showed a marked deviation from normal levels while examination of fish flesh specimens indicated contamination with Streptococcus Sp., Staphylococcus Sp., and Salmonella in all examined localities. Other bacterial isolates of human health importance (Morganella morganii, Pseudomonas cepacia and Enterococcos durans) were identified. The parasitological examination revealed the presence of encysted metacercariae (EMC); Diplostomatidae, Prohemistomatidae and Heterphyidae. Moreover, two protozoan parasites (Mxyoboulus tilapiae and Ichthyophthirius multifilis) were also recorded. The histopathological examination revealed mild tissue reaction in case of bacterial infection and severe pathological lesions in different organs in case of EMC infection. Lamellar hyperplasia and mononuclear cell infiltration in branchial tissue was common findings. In skeletal muscles, atrophy of muscle fibres, myolysis and myophagia were detected.

The use of wastewater for irrigation may introduce antimicrobials and human pathogens into the food supply through vegetative uptake. The objective of this study was to investigate the uptake of three antimicrobials and Salmonella in two lettuce cultivars. After repeated subirrigation with synthetic wastewater, lettuce leaves and soil were collected at three sequential harvests. The internalization frequency of Salmonella in lettuce was low. A soil horizon-influenced Salmonella concentration gradient was determined with concentrations in bottom soil 2 log CFU/g higher than in top soil. Lincomycin and sulfamethoxazole were recovered from lettuce leaves at concentrations as high as 822 ng/g and 125 ng/g fresh weight, respectively. Antimicrobial concentrations in lettuce decreased from the first to the third harvest suggesting that the plant growth rate may exceed antimicrobial uptake rates. Accumulation of antimicrobials was significantly different between cultivars demonstrating a subspecies level variation in uptake of antibiotics in lettuce.

Surface water is one of the primary sources of irrigation water for produce production; therefore, its contamination by foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella, may substantially impact public health. In this study, we determined the presence of Salmonella in surface water and characterized the relationship between Salmonella detection and environmental and anthropogenic factors. From April 2019 to February 2020, 120 samples from 30 sites were collected monthly in four watersheds located in two different central Chile agricultural regions (N = 1080). Water samples from rivers, canals, streams, and ponds linked to each watershed were obtained. Surface water (10 L) was filtrated in situ, and samples were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella. Salmonella was detected every month in all watersheds, with a mean detection percentage of 28% (0%–90%) across sampling sites, regardless of the season. Overall, similar detection percentages were observed for both regions: 29.1% for Metropolitan and 27.0% for Maule. Salmonella was most often detected in summer (39.8% of all summer samples tested positive) and least often in winter (14.4% of winter samples). Random forest analysis showed that season, water source, and month, followed by latitude and river, were the most influential factors associated with Salmonella detection. The influences of water pH and temperature (categorized as environmental factors) and factors associated with human activity (categorized as anthropogenic factors) registered at the sampling site were weakly or not associated with Salmonella detection. In conclusion, Salmonella was detected in surface water potentially used for irrigation, and its presence was linked to season and water source factors. Interventions are necessary to prevent contamination of produce, such as water treatment before irrigation.

Mitigation of air pollution by plants is a well-established phenomenon. Trees planted on the roadside are known to reduce particulate matter pollution by about 25%. In an urban ecosystem, especially in a metropolitan city such as Delhi, roadside trees are constantly exposed to air pollution. We, therefore, evaluated the effect of air pollution on a common Indian roadside tree, Neem (Azadirachta indica), and its associated microbes in areas with high and low levels of particulate matter (PM) pollution in Delhi. We hypothesized that alteration in the air quality index not only influences plant physiology but also its microbiome.A 100-fold increase in the number of epiphytic and 10–100 fold increase in endophytic colonies were found with 1.7 times increase in the level of pollutants. Trees in the polluted areas had an abundance of Salmonella, Proteus and Citrobacter, and showed increased secondary metabolites such as phenols and tannins as well as decreased chlorophyll and carotenoid. The number of unique microbes was positively correlated with increased primary metabolites.Our study thus indicates that, alteration in air quality affects the natural micro-environment of plants. These results may be utilized as sustainable tools for studying plant adaptations to the urban ecosystem.

The present study evaluated the river water quality improvement by implementation of household-based biodigesters in vulnerability and poverty rural area, in Minas Gerais State-Brazil. For that, 78 household-based biodigesters were installed for domestic wastewater treatment. Wastewater was collected before and after treatment and the physicochemical parameters and pathogens removal (human adenovirus (HAdV), hepatitis A (HAV) virus, Salmonella sp. and Escherichia coli) were evaluated; Additionally, river water was sampled before and after the household-based biodigesters implementation, to verify the contamination reduction and the positive impact of domestic wastewater treatment on waterborne pathogen reduction, considering HAdV, HAV, Salmonella sp. and E. coli quantification. The applicability in real-scale of decentralized treatment systems using household-based biodigesters promoted reduction of 90, 99, 99.99 and 99.999% from HAV, Salmonella sp., E. coli and HAdV from domestic wastewater, respectively; The river water quality improvement before the wastewater treatment application was highlight in the present study, considering that the reduction of waterborne pathogens in this water in 90, 99.99 and 99.999% of E. coli, HAV and HAdV, respectively (Salmonella sp. was not detected in river water). In general, this is an important study for encouraging the decentralized sanitation in vulnerable and poverty area, as well in rural sites, considering the positive impact of this implementation on public health.

Despite intensive research carried out on particulates, correlation between engine-out particulate emissions and adverse health effects is not well understood yet. Particulate emissions hold enormous significance for mega-cities like Delhi that have immense traffic diversity. Entire public transportation system involving taxis, three-wheelers, and buses has been switched from conventional liquid fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) in the Mega-city of Delhi. In this study, the particulate characterization was carried out on variety of engines including three diesel engines complying with Euro-II, Euro-III and Euro-IV emission norms, one Euro-II gasoline engine and one Euro-IV CNG engine. Physical, chemical and biological characterizations of particulates were performed to assess the particulate toxicity. The mutagenic potential of particulate samples was investigated at different concentrations using two different Salmonella strains, TA98 and TA100 in presence and absence of liver S9 metabolic enzyme fraction. Particulates emitted from diesel and gasoline engines showed higher mutagenicity, while those from CNG engine showed negligible mutagenicity compared to other test fuels and engine configurations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto CNG engine particulates were also relatively fewer compared to those from equivalent diesel and gasoline engines. Taken together, our findings indicate that CNG is comparatively safer fuel compared to diesel and gasoline and can offer a cleaner transport energy solution for mega-cities with mixed-traffic conditions, especially in developing countries.