The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp., an isolate from polluted water of Satluj river, India, was found resistant to chromium(VI) up to 200 nmol mL⁻¹. In this study, it has been demonstrated that this organism takes up Cr(VI) through a phosphate transporter. The organism removed 250 nmol Cr(VI), 210 nmol phosphate and 180 nmol sulphate mg⁻¹ protein from a buffer solution in 8 h. Cr(VI) uptake by the organism decreased to 135 nmol Cr(VI) removed per milligram protein in the presence of 200 nmol phosphate mL⁻¹, but the same concentration of sulphate did not affect the Cr(VI) uptake. Similarly, the presence of Cr(VI) in the solution affected the phosphate uptake but not sulphate uptake by the test organism. The kinetic studies on Cr(VI) uptake in the presence of phosphate revealed that phosphate and Cr(VI) acted as competitive inhibitors for one another. Phosphate-starved cells of the organism removed more amount of Cr(VI) than the basal medium-grown cells. The uptake of Cr(VI) as well as phosphate by the organism was observed to be a light-dependent process. Cinnamic acid, a phosphate transporter inhibitor, inhibited Cr(VI) uptake by the organism. Results clearly demonstrated that the test organism takes up chromate ions by phosphate transporter and not by the sulphate transporter. This organism is thus a potential candidate for the bioremediation of Cr(VI) from Cr(VI) and sulphate-laden water.

Little information is available on the role of glycinebetaine (GB) in chromium (Cr) tolerance while Cr toxicity is widespread problem in crops grown on Cr-contaminated soils. In this study, we investigated the influence of GB on Cr tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in sand and soil mediums. Three concentrations of chromium (0, 0.25, and 0.5 mM) were tested with and without foliar application of GB (0.1 M). Chromium alone led to a significant growth inhibition and content of chlorophyll a, b, proteins and enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Glycinebetaine foliar application successfully alleviated the toxic effects of Cr on wheat plants and enhanced growth characteristics, biomass, proteins, and chlorophyll contents. Glycinebetaine also reduced Cr accumulation in wheat plants especially in grains and enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes in both shoots and roots. This study provides evidence that GB application contributes to decreased Cr concentrations in wheat plants and its importance in the detoxification of heavy metals.

Dermal absorption of the herbicide chlorotoluron was measured using ex vivo pig skin in Franz diffusion cells in an automated system. The steady-state flux was calculated, as well as the permeability coefficient, which is 0.0038 cm h⁻¹. The permeability coefficient (Kₚ) is a key factor when predicting human health risks resulting from dermal exposition to a substance. The experimental determination of this parameter filled data gaps regarding the dermal absorption of chlorotoluron. The experimental permeability coefficient was subsequently used to calculate the dermal absorbed dose during some exposure scenarios. Reference doses were revised, and screening risk assessment process was done to calculate the risks resulting from exposure to chlorotoluron. This refined new approach proved to be a useful tool for human health risk assessment in the areas with these herbicide applications. Graphical Abstract An experimentally refined tool to assess the risks of the human dermal exposure to herbicide chlorotoluron - graphical abstract.

This study examines a matrix of synthetic water samples designed to include conditions that favour brominated disinfection by-product (Br-DBP) formation, in order to provide predictive models suitable for high Br-DBP forming waters such as salinity-impacted waters. Br-DBPs are known to be more toxic than their chlorinated analogues, in general, and their formation may be favoured by routine water treatment practices such as coagulation/flocculation under specific conditions; therefore, circumstances surrounding their formation must be understood. The chosen factors were bromide concentration, mineral alkalinity, bromide to dissolved organic carbon (Br/DOC) ratio and Suwannee River natural organic matter concentration. The relationships between these parameters and DBP formation were evaluated by response surface modelling of data generated using a face-centred central composite experimental design. Predictive models for ten brominated and/or chlorinated DBPs are presented, as well as models for total trihalomethanes (tTHMs) and total dihaloacetonitriles (tDHANs), and bromide substitution factors for the THMs and DHANs classes. The relationships described revealed that increasing alkalinity and increasing Br/DOC ratio were associated with increasing bromination of THMs and DHANs, suggesting that DOC lowering treatment methods that do not also remove bromide such as enhanced coagulation may create optimal conditions for Br-DBP formation in waters in which bromide is present.

Air and fallout samples were collected seasonally in an e-waste polluted region in southeast of China in 2013–2014. The annual polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) concentrations in air and fallout samples were 200 ± 162 pg m⁻³ and 320 ± 255 ng g⁻¹, respectively. The deposition flux calculated from the fallout concentration was 110 ± 77.3 ng m⁻² day⁻¹. The PBDE levels and deposition fluxes of the samples deployed within the e-waste central area were three to four times higher than those in the surrounding area. The congener profiles in the air samples could be commonly found in commercial penta-BDE mixtures. BDE209 was the most dominant congener in fallout samples. Debromination processes were confirmed to occur both in the air and fallouts due to the minor amounts or inexistence of some congeners in technical PBDE products. The highest gaseous PBDE concentration was found during the summer while lowest during the autumn. PBDE concentration in fallouts turned up higher in the cold months while lower in the warm months. The similarity of deposition fluxes at sites in the e-waste central area indicated a steady PBDE emission source, whereas the significant relationship between deposition fluxes and particle weights at sites in the e-waste surrounding area suggested the scavenging of PBDEs in this area was largely associated with particles.

Endogenous phosphorus (P) release from sediments is an important factor to cause eutrophication and, hence, algal bloom in lakes in China. Algal decomposition depletes dissolved oxygen (DO) and causes anaerobic conditions and therefore increases P release from sediments. As sediment P release is dependent on the iron (Fe) cycle, electron acceptors (e.g., NO₃ ⁻, SO₄ ²⁻, and Mn⁴⁺) can be utilized to suppress the reduction of Fe³⁺ under anaerobic conditions and, as such, have the potential to impair the release of sediment P. Here, we used a laboratory experiment to test the effects of FeCl₃, MnO₂, and KNO₃ on soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentration and related chemical variables in the overlying water column during algal decomposition at different algal densities. Results showed that algal decomposition significantly depleted DO and thereby increased sediment Fe-bound P release. Compared with the control, addition of FeCl₃ significantly decreased water SRP concentration through inhibiting sediment P release. Compared with FeCl₃, addition of MnO₂ has less potential to suppress sediment P release during algal decomposition. Algal decomposition has the potential for NO₃ ⁻ removal from aquatic ecosystem through denitrification and by that alleviates the suppressing role of NO₃ ⁻ on sediment P release. Our results indicated that FeCl₃ and MnO₂ could be efficient in reducing sediment P release during algal decomposition, with the strongest effect found for FeCl₃; large amounts of NO₃ ⁻ were removed from the aquatic ecosystem through denitrification during algal decomposition. Moreover, the amounts of NO₃ ⁻ removal increased with increasing algal density.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) utilizing a flow modulator was applied to study particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes in the urban atmosphere. Samples were collected onto quartz fiber filters using a PM2.5 sampler at Megacity Shanghai, China. Sample preparation included extraction into n-hexane-dichloromethane mixture and cleanup on silver-impregnated silica column. Analyses were performed well with GC × GC-FID and GC × GC-TOFMS equipment. Average particulate PAHs and n-alkane concentrations were in the range of 40–100 ng/m³and 120–500 pg/m³, respectively. It is alarming to note that PAHs and n-alkane concentrations were increasing with urban PM2.5 values and exceeded the air quality standards in many sampling events. Among them, 2-ring, 3-ring, and 4-ring PAHs accounted for the majority of total PAHs, and C10–15 accounted for the majority of particulate n-alkanes. Potential sources of PAHs in PM2.5 were identified using the diagnostic ratios between PAHs. Local emission sources such as combustion from gasoline and diesel engines were the main contributors of particulate-associated PAHs, while long-range transport had minor contribution to the particulate PAHs. Additionally, we determined the overall carcinogenicity of the samples based on PAH concentrations by a dose addition model and found that the overall carcinogenicity during polluted period was obviously higher than during good air quality period.

Environmental quality indicators are crucial for responsive and cost-effective policies. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia. For this purpose, the number of environmental quality indicators has been used, i.e., air pollution measured by carbon dioxide emissions, population density per square kilometer of land area, agricultural production measured by cereal production and livestock production, and energy resources considered by energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, which placed an impact on the financial development of the country. The study used four main financial indicators, i.e., broad money supply (M2), domestic credit provided by the financial sector (DCFS), domestic credit to the private sector (DCPC), and inflation (CPI), which each financial indicator separately estimated with the environmental quality indicators, over a period of 1975–2013. The study used the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to minimize the simultaneity from the model. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions exert the positive correlation with the M2, DCFC, and DCPC, while there is a negative correlation with the CPI. However, these results have been evaporated from the GMM estimates, where carbon emissions have no significant relationship with any of the four financial indicators in Malaysia. The GMM results show that population density has a negative relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, in case of M2, this relationship is insignificant to explain their result. Cereal production has a positive relationship with the DCPC, while there is a negative relationship with the CPI. Livestock production exerts the positive relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, this relationship with the CPI has a more elastic relationship, while the remaining relationship is less elastic with the three financial indicators in a country. Energy resources comprise energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, both have distinct results with the financial indicators, as energy demand have a positive and significant relationship with the DCFC, DCPC, and CPI, while fossil fuel energy consumption have a negative relationship with these three financial indicators. The results of the study are of value to both environmentalists and policy makers.