Perchlorate and bromate occurrence in drinking water causes health concerns due to their effects on thyroid function and carcinogenicity, respectively. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to advance a sensitive method for simultaneous rapid detection of perchlorate and bromate in drinking water system, (2) to systematically study the occurrence of these two contaminants in Missouri drinking water treatment systems, and (3) to examine effective sorbents for minimizing perchlorate in drinking water. A rapid high-performance ion exchange chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPIC-MS/MS) method was advanced for simultaneous detection of perchlorate and bromate in drinking water. The HPIC-MS/MS method was rapid, required no preconcentration of the water samples, and had detection limits for perchlorate and bromate of 0.04 and 0.01 μg/L, respectively. The method was applied to determine perchlorate and bromate concentrations in total of 23 selected Missouri drinking water treatment systems during differing seasons. The water systems selected include different source waters: groundwater, lake water, river water, and groundwater influenced by surface water. The concentrations of perchlorate and bromate were lower than or near to method detection limits in most of the drinking water samples monitored. The removal of perchlorate by various adsorbents was studied. A cationic organoclay (TC-99) exhibited effective removal of perchlorate from drinking water matrices.

This paper reports the connections between red blood cells abnormality risk of petrochemical workers and their exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), as the biomarker of PAHs exposure, was adopted to assess the exposure risk of the petrochemical workers to PAHs in Xigu, the west suburb of Lanzhou where petrochemical industries are located. Fifty-three workers, sub-grouped to 36 petrochemical workers and 17 office workers, participated in this investigation. Logistic regression model and spearman correlation analysis were performed to estimate the associations between PAHs exposure levels and red blood cells abnormality risk of petrochemical workers. Strong associations between some red cell indices (MCH, MCHC, RDW) and 1-OHP concentration were found. Results also show that the red blood cells abnormality risk increased with increasing PAHs exposure level. Compared with office workers, risk level of red blood cells abnormality in petrochemical workers was higher by 41.7 % (OR, 1.417; 95 % CI: 0.368–5.456) than that in office workers. This result was verified by the tissue-to-human blood partition coefficient for pyrene and 1-OHP. The quantitative assessments of the potential health risk through inhalation exposure to PAHs were conducted using the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) model. It was found the ILCR from inhalation exposure to PAHs for the petrochemical workers ranged from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻⁴ with 95 % probability, indicating that petrochemical plant workers were under a high potential cancer risk level.

The present study aims to evaluate the comparative effects of methyl parathion and hexaconazole on genotoxicity, oxidative stress, antioxidative defence system and photosynthetic pigments in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. variety karan-16). The seeds were exposed with three different concentrations, i.e. 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 % for 6 h after three pre-soaking durations 7, 17 and 27 h which represents G₁, S and G₂ phases of the cell cycle, respectively. Ethyl methane sulphonate, a well-known mutagenic agent and double distilled water, was used as positive and negative controls, respectively. The results indicate significant decrease in mitotic index with increasing concentrations of pesticides, and the extent was higher in methyl parathion. Chromosomal aberrations were found more frequent in methyl parathion than hexaconazole as compared to their respective controls. Treatment with the pesticides induced oxidative stress which was evident with higher contents of H₂O₂ and lipid peroxidation, and the increase was more prominent in methyl parathion. Contents of total phenolics were increased; however, soluble protein content showed a reverse trend. Among the enzymatic antioxidants, activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase were significantly up-regulated, and more increase was noticed in hexaconazole. Increments in total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were observed up to 0.1 % but decreased at higher concentration (0.5 %), and the reductions were more prominent in methyl parathion than hexaconazole as compared to their respective controls. Methyl parathion treatment caused more damage in the plant cells of barley as compared to hexaconazole, which may be closely related to higher genotoxicity and oxidative stress.

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is emitted from a modified Ludzak–Ettinger (MLE) process, as a primary activated sludge system, which requires mitigation. The effects of aeration rates and internal recycle flow (IRF) ratios on N₂O emission were investigated in an MLE process fed with glycerol. Reducing the aeration rate from 1.5 to 0.5 L/min increased gaseous the N₂O concentration from the aerobic tank and the dissolved N₂O concentration in the anoxic tank by 54.4 and 53.4 %, respectively. During the period of higher aeration, the N₂O–N conversion ratio was 0.9 % and the potential N₂O reducers were predominantly Rhodobacter, which accounted for 21.8 % of the total population. Increasing the IRF ratio from 3.6 to 7.2 decreased the N₂O emission rate from the aerobic tank and the dissolved N₂O concentration in the anoxic tank by 56 and 48 %, respectively. This study suggests effective N₂O mitigation strategies for MLE systems.

Bioaccumulation of Cd²⁺in soil bacteria might represent an important route of metal transfer to associated mycorrhizal fungi and plants and may have potential as a tool to accelerate Cd²⁺extraction in the bioremediation of contaminated soils. The present study examined the bioaccumulation of Cd²⁺in 15 bacterial strains representing three phyla (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes) that were isolated from the rhizosphere, ectomycorrhizae, and fruitbody of ectomycorrhizal fungi. The strains Pseudomonas sp. IV-111-14, Variovorax sp. ML3-12, and Luteibacter sp. II-116-7 displayed the highest biomass productivity at the highest tested Cd²⁺concentration (2 mM). Microscopic analysis of the cellular Cd distribution revealed intracellular accumulation by strains Massilia sp. III–116-18, Pseudomonas sp. IV-111-14, and Bacillus sp. ML1-2. The quantities of Cd measured in the interior of the cells ranged from 0.87 to 1.31 weight % Cd. Strains originating from the rhizosphere exhibited higher Cd²⁺accumulation efficiencies than strains from ectomycorrhizal roots or fruitbodies. The high Cd tolerances of Pseudomonas sp. IV-111-16 and Bacillus sp. ML1-2 were attributed to the binding of Cd²⁺as cadmium phosphate. Furthermore, silicate binding of Cd²⁺by Bacillus sp. ML1-2 was observed. The tolerance of Massilia sp. III-116-18 to Cd stress was attributed to a simultaneous increase in K⁺uptake in the presence of Cd²⁺ions. We conclude that highly Cd-tolerant and Cd-accumulating bacterial strains from the genera Massilia sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Bacillus sp. might offer a suitable tool to improve the bioremediation efficiency of contaminated soils.

Our research provides the first complete year-long dataset of wet deposition of trace elements in the high Himalayas based on a total of 42 wet deposition events on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest). Except for typical crustal elements (Al, Fe, and Mn), the concentration level of most trace elements (Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Cd, Sn, Cs, Pb, Bi, and U) are generally comparable to those preserved in snow pits and ice cores from the nearby East Rongbuk Glacier. Cadmium was the element most affected by anthropogenic emissions. No pronounced seasonal variations are observed for most trace elements despite different transport pathways. In our study, the composition of wet precipitation reflects a regional background condition and is not clearly related to specific source regions. For the trace element record from ice cores and snow pits in the Himalayas, it could be deduced that the pronounced seasonal patterns were caused by the dry deposition of trace elements (aerosols) during their long exposure to the atmosphere after precipitation events. Our findings are of value for the understanding of the trace element deposition mechanisms in the Himalayas.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesised from aqueous silver nitrate using the extracts of Arachis hypogaea peels. The synthesised SNPs were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy analysis and high-resonance scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. AgNPs were well defined and measured 20 to 50 nm in size. The nanoparticles were crystallized with a face-centered cubic structure. Larvicidal activity of synthesised AgNPs from A. hypogaea peels was tested for their larvicidal activity against the fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti (Yellow fever), Anopheles stephensi (Human malaria). The results suggest that the synthesised AgNPs have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly resource for the control of A. aegypti and A. stephensi. This study provides the first report on the mosquito larvicidal activity of synthesised AgNPs from A. hypogaea peels against vectors of malaria and dengue.

The composition and concentration of substances in urban effluents are complex and difficult to measure. These contaminants elicit biological responses in the exposed organisms. Proteomic analysis is a powerful tool in environmental toxicology by evidencing alterations in protein expression due to exposure to contaminants and by providing a useful framework for the development of new potential biomarkers. The aim of this study was to determine changes in protein expression signatures (PES) in the digestive gland of oysters Crassostrea gigas transplanted to two farming areas (LIS and RIB) and to one area contaminated by sanitary sewage (BUC) after 14 days of exposure. This species is one of the most cultivated molluscs in the world. The identified proteins are related to the cytoskeleton (CKAP5 and ACT2), ubiquitination pathway conjugation (UBE3C), G protein-coupled receptor and signal transduction (SVEP1), and cell cycle/division (CCNB3). CKAP5 showed higher expression in oysters kept at BUC in comparison with those kept at the farming areas, while ACT2, UBE3C, SVEP1, and CCNB3 were suppressed. The results suggest that these changes might lead to DNA damage, apoptosis, and interference with the immune system in oyster C. gigas exposed to sewage and give initial information on PES of C. gigas exposed to sanitary sewage, which can subsequently be useful in the development of more sensitive tools for biomonitoring coastal areas, particularly those devoted mainly to oyster farming activities.

Siderophores are chelators with a high selectivity for Fe(III) and a good affinity for divalent metals, including Cd(II) and Ni(II). Inoculation with siderophore-producing bacteria (SPB) has thus been proposed as an alternative to chelator supply in phytoremediation. Accurate assessments of the potential of this association require a dissection of the interaction of siderophores with metals at the soil–root interface. This study focuses on pyoverdine (Pvd), the main siderophore produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We first assessed the ability of Pvd to coordinate Ni(II). The stability constant of Pvd–Ni(II) (log K ᴸ′ᴺⁱ = 10.9) was found to be higher than that of Pvd–Cd(II) (log K ᴸ′Cᵈ = 8.2). We then investigated the effect of a direct supply of Pvd on the mobilization, speciation, and phytoavailability of Cd and Ni in hydroponics. When supplied at a concentration of 50 μM, Pvd selectively promoted Ni mobilization from smectite. It decreased plant Ni and Cd contents and the free ionic fractions of these two metals, consistent with the free ion activity model. Pvd had a more pronounced effect for Ni than for Cd, as predicted from its coordination properties. Inoculation with P. aeruginosa had a similar effect on Ni phytoavailability to the direct supply of Pvd.

Increasing land utilization through diverse forms of human activities, such as agriculture, forestry, urban growth, and industrial development, has led to negative impacts on the water quality of rivers. To find out how catchment attributes, such as land use, hydrologic soil groups, and lithology, can affect water quality variables (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻, pH, TDS, EC, SAR), a spatio-statistical approach was applied to 23 catchments in southern basins of the Caspian Sea. All input data layers (digital maps of land use, soil, and lithology) were prepared using geographic information system (GIS) and spatial analysis. Relationships between water quality variables and catchment attributes were then examined by Spearman rank correlation tests and multiple linear regression. Stepwise approach-based multiple linear regressions were developed to examine the relationship between catchment attributes and water quality variables. The areas (%) of marl, tuff, or diorite, as well as those of good-quality rangeland and bare land had negative effects on all water quality variables, while those of basalt, forest land cover were found to contribute to improved river water quality. Moreover, lithological variables showed the greatest most potential for predicting the mean concentration values of water quality variables, and noting that measure of EC and TDS have inversely associated with area (%) of urban land use.