Analyses of fine particulates (PM2.5) from the upper Assam oil fields of India indicated considerable presence of higher hydrocarbons (C₂₂–C₃₅) and heavy metals, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. This has raised serious concern for the sustainability of the exotic Muga (Antheraea assama) silk production, which has been a prime activity of a large number of people living in the area. The Muga worm feeds on the leaves of Machilus bombycina plant, and the impacts of air quality on its survival were further investigated by analyzing the leaves of the plant, the plantation soil, and the Muga cocoons. PM2.5 content in the air was much more during the winter due to near calm conditions and high humidity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis of PM2.5 showed the presence of higher alkanes (C₂₂–C₃₅) that could be traced to crude oil. Cr, Ni, and Zn were found in higher concentrations in PM2.5, M. bombycina leaves, and the plantation soil indicating a common origin. The winter has been the best period for production of the silk cocoons, and the unhealthy air during this period is likely to affect the production, which is already reflected in the declining yield of Muga cocoons from the area. SEM and protein analyses of the Muga silk fiber produced in the oil field area have exhibited the deteriorating quality of the silk. This is the first report from India on hydrocarbons and associated metals in PM2.5 collected from an oil field and on their possible effects on production of silk by A. assama.

Samples were collected monthly from January to December in 2010, and daily observations were made during the water–sediment regulation event in June–July 2010. Sequential extractions were applied to determine the forms of P in different particle-size fractions and to assess the potential bioavailability of particulate phosphorus (PP). The results indicated that exchangeable phosphorus, organic phosphorus, authigenic phosphorus, and refractory phosphorus increased with the decreasing of particulate size; conversely, detrital phosphorus decreased with the decreasing of particulate size. The content of bioavailable particulate phosphorus (BAPP) varied greatly in different sizes of particles. In general, the smaller the particle size, the higher the content of bioavailable phosphorus and its proportion in total phosphorous was found in these particles. Hydrological forcing controlled the variability in the major P phases found in the suspended sediments via changes in the sources and the particle grain-size distribution. The variation of particle sizes can be attributed also to different total suspended sediment (TSS) sources. Water–sediment regulation (WSR) mobilized only particulate matter from the riverbed, while during the rainstorm soil erosion and runoff were the main source. The BAPP fluxes associated with the “truly suspended” fraction was approximately 200 times larger than the dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) flux. Thus, the transfer of fine particles to the open sea is most probably accompanied by BAPP release to the DIP and can support greater primary and secondary production.

Diamondoids are polycyclic saturated hydrocarbons that possess a cage-like carbon skeleton approaching that of diamond. These ‘nano-diamonds’ are used in a range of industries including nanotechnologies and biomedicine. Diamondoids were thought to be highly resistant to degradation, but their presumed degradation acid products have now been found in oil sands process-affected waters (OSPW) and numerous crude oils. Recently, a diamondoid-related structure, 3-noradamantane carboxylic acid, was reported to cause genetic damage in trout hepatocytes under in vitro conditions. This particular compound has never been reported in the environment but led us to hypothesise that other more environmentally relevant diamondoid acids could also be genotoxic. We carried out in vivo exposures (3 days, semi-static) of marine mussels to two environmentally relevant diamondoid acids, 1-adamantane carboxylic acid and 3,5-dimethyladamantane carboxylic acid plus 3-noradamantane carboxylic acid with genotoxic damage assessed using the Comet assay. An initial screening test confirmed that these acids displayed varying degrees of genotoxicity to haemocytes (increased DNA damage above that of controls) when exposed in vivo to a concentration of 30 μmol L⁻¹. In a further test focused on 1-adamantane carboxylic acid with varying concentrations (0.6, 6 and 30 μmol L⁻¹), significant (P < 0.05 %) DNA damage was observed in different target cells (viz. gills and haemocytes) at 0.6 μmol L⁻¹. Such a level of induced genetic damage was similar to that observed following exposure to a known genotoxin, benzo(a)pyrene (exposure concentration, 0.8 μmol L⁻¹). These findings may have implications for a range of worldwide industries including oil extraction, nanotechnology and biomedicine.

Harbours are important hubs for economic growth in both tourism and commercial activities. They are also an environmental burden being a source of atmospheric pollution often localized near cities and industrial complexes. The aim of this study is to quantify the relative contribution of maritime traffic and harbour activities to atmospheric pollutant concentration in the Venice lagoon. The impact of ship traffic was quantified on various pollutants that are not directly included in the current European legislation for shipping emission reduction: (i) gaseous and particulate PAHs; (ii) metals in PM₁₀; and (iii) PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅. All contributions were correlated with the tonnage of ships during the sampling periods and results were used to evaluate the impact of the European Directive 2005/33/EC on air quality in Venice comparing measurements taken before and after the application of the Directive (year 2010). The outcomes suggest that legislation on ship traffic, which focused on the issue of the emissions of sulphur oxides, could be an efficient method also to reduce the impact of shipping on primary particulate matter concentration; on the other hand, we did not observe a significant reduction in the contribution of ship traffic and harbour activities to particulate PAHs and metals. Graphical abstract Impact of maritime traffic on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and particulate matter and evaluation of the effect of an European Directive on air quality in Venice

Exhaust particulate from compression ignition (CI) engines running on engine and chassis dynamometers was studied. Particulate dichloromethane extracts were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomarkers by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). PAH group profiles were made and the PAH group shares according to the number of rings (2 or 3; 4; 5 or more) as well as diagnostic indices were calculated. Values of geochemical ratios of selected biomarkers and alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons were compared with literature values. A geochemical interpretation was carried out using these values and biomarker and alkyl aromatic hydrocarbon distributions. It has been shown that geochemical features are unequivocally connected to the emission of fossil fuels and biofuels burned in CI engines. The effect of the exothermic combustion process is limited to low-molecular-weight compounds, which shows that the applied methodology permits source identification of PAHs coexisting in the particulate emitted.

This study investigates the effect of a mixed surfactant system on the desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil model systems. The interaction of a non-ionic surfactant, Tween 80, and an anionic one, sodium laurate, forming mixed micelles, produces several beneficial effects, including reduction of adsorption onto solid of the non-ionic surfactant, decrease in the precipitation of the fatty acid salt, and synergism to solubilize PAHs from solids compared with individual surfactants.

Sediments exposed to simulated solar radiation can serve as an important source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to surrounding waters. However, it is still unclear if dissolved nutrients can be photoproduced from lake sedimentary organic matter. In this study, a series of laboratory-based experiments was conducted to address the photoproduction of dissolved inorganic nutrients and DOC from resuspended Taihu Lake sediments. Dissolved inorganic nutrients and DOC were photoproduced after 8-h irradiation. The released NH₄ ⁺, NOₓ ⁻, and DOC levels ranged from 3.57 to 12.14, 1.43 to 6.43, and 24.17 to 69.17 μmol L⁻¹, respectively. The variation in the amount released indicated that sediment source had an effect on DOC and nutrient photorelease. More DOC and nutrients were released from higher concentration suspensions. However, due to the light absorption by suspended sediment, less DOC and nutrients were released from per gram of suspended sediment in high concentration suspensions. The decrease in DOC and increase in dissolved inorganic nitrogen during the last 2-h irradiation indicated that the photoproduction of inorganic nutrients proceeded via direct photodissolution of suspended sediments and subsequent photodegradation of the produced dissolved organic matter. Our results demonstrated that the photoproduction flux of NH₄ ⁺ and NOₓ ⁻ accounts for 12.3 and 6.5 % of wet deposition, respectively, which suggest that the photodissolution of suspended sediment could be a potential source of DOC and dissolved nutrients in shallow water ecosystems.

This study assessed the total arsenic content and arsenic speciation in rice to determine the health risks associated with rice consumption in various age–gender subgroups in Taiwan. The average total arsenic levels in white rice and brown rice were 116.6 ± 39.2 and 215.5 ± 63.5 ng/g weight (n = 51 and 13), respectively. The cumulative cancer risk among males was 10.4/100,000. The highest fraction of inorganic/total arsenic content in white rice ranged from 76.9 to 88.2 % and from 81.0 to 96.5 % in brown rice. The current study found different arsenic speciation of rice in southern Taiwan, where the famous blackfoot disease has been reported compared with arsenic speciation from other Taiwan areas. Therefore, rice and other grains should be further monitored in southern Taiwan to evaluate whether arsenic contamination is well controlled in this area.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used as sustained-release bactericidal agents for water treatment. Among the physicochemical characteristics of AgNPs, shape is an important parameter relevant to the antibacterial activity. Three typically shaped AgNPs, nanocubes, nanospheres, and nanowires, were prepared via a microwave-assisted method and characterized by TEM, UV-vis, and XRD. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs was determined by OD growth curves tests, MIC tests, and cell viability assay against Escherichia coli. The interaction between AgNPs and bacterial cells was observed by TEM. The results showed that the three differently shaped AgNPs were nanoscale, 55 ± 10 nm in edge length for nanocubes, 60 ± 15 nm in diameter for nanospheres, 60 ± 10 nm in diameter and 2–4 μm in length for nanowires. At the bacterial concentration of 10⁴ CFU/mL, the MIC of nanocubes, nanospheres, and nanowires were 37.5, 75, and 100 μg/mL, respectively. Due to the worst contact with bacteria, silver nanowires exhibited the weakest antibacterial activity compared with silver nanocubes and silver nanospheres. Besides, silver nanocubes mainly covered by {100} facets showed stronger antibacterial activity than silver nanospheres covered by {111} facets. It suggests that the shape effect on the antibacterial activity of AgNPs is attributed to the specific surface areas and facets reactivity; AgNPs with larger effective contact areas and higher reactive facets exhibit stronger antibacterial activity.

In this study, the effect of earthworms on microbial features during vermicomposting of pelletized dewatered sludge (PDS) was investigated through comparing two degradation systems with and without earthworm E isenia fetida involvement. After 60 days of experimentation, a relatively stable product with low organic matter and high nitrate and phosphorous was harvested when the earthworms were involved. During the process, earthworms could enhance microbial activity and biomass at the initial stage and thus accelerating the rapid decomposition of PDS. The end products of vermicomposting allowed the lower values of bacterial and eukaryotic densities comparison with those of no earthworm addition. In addition, the presence of earthworms modified the bacterial and fungal diversity, making the disappearances of some pathogens and specific decomposing bacteria of recalcitrant substrates in the vermicomposting process. This study evidences that earthworms can facilitate the stabilization of PDS through modifying microbial activity and number and community during vermicomposting.