The paper presents an analysis of measured riverine concentrations of 16 common organic water contaminants. From observed concentrations we back-calculate emissions and chemical half lives through a simple inverse model. The analysis does not allow identifying a single half life/emission factor combination, but a set of combinations which are Pareto-optimal (or “non-dominated”). The approach is shown to provide a rational basis for the screening of chemicals in rivers: with reference to the 16 chemicals considered here, estimated emission factors and half lives are consistent with the ones reported in other studies. For more precise estimates, prior knowledge about either emission factors or half lives is necessary. For the considered chemicals, loads to European seas can be subsequently estimated with an uncertainty usually within a factor of 2. The approach can be proposed for the inventorying of catchment-specific chemical pollutant emissions required for European environmental policies.

The concentration and composition of PAHs emitted from biomass cooking fuel were characterized in a rural non-smoking household in northern China. Twenty-two parent PAHs (pPAHs), 12 nitro-PAHs (nPAHs), and 4 oxy-PAHs (oPAHs) were measured in the kitchen, bedroom, and outdoors during both summer and winter. The most severe contamination occurred in the kitchen in the winter, where the daily mean concentrations of pPAHs, nPAHs, and oPAHs were 7500 ± 4100, 38 ± 29, and 8400 ± 9200 ng/m³, respectively. Our results suggest that the nPAHs were largely from secondary formation in ambient air while oPAHs were either from primary emission of biomass burning or secondary formation from pPAHs in the kitchen. The daily mean benzo(a)pyrene equivalent exposure concentration was as high as 200 ± 160 ng/m³ in the winter for the housewife who did the cooking compared to 59 ± 37 ng/m³ for the control group that did not cook.

Viticulturists use copper fungicide to combat Downy Mildew. Copper, a non-degradable heavy metal, can accumulate in soil or leach into water sources. Its accumulation in topsoil has impacted micro and macro organisms, spurring scientists to research in situ copper removal methods. Recent publications suggest that microorganism assisted phytoextraction, using plants and bacteria to actively extract copper, is most promising. As vineyards represent moderately polluted sites this technique has great potential. Active plant extraction and chelate assisted remediation extract too little copper or risk leaching, respectively. However, despite interesting pot experiment results using microorganism assisted phytoextraction, it remains a challenge to find plants that primarily accumulate copper in their shoots, a necessity in vineyards where whole plant removal would be time consuming and financially cumbersome. Vineyard remediation requires a holistic approach including sustainable soil management, proper plant selection, increasing biodiversity and microorganisms.

The ancient Zloty Stok (SW Poland) gold mine is such an environment, where different microbial communities, able to utilize inorganic arsenic species As(III) and As(V), are found. The purpose of the present study was to (i) estimate prokaryotic diversity in the microbial mats in bottom sediments of this gold mine, (ii) identify microorganisms that can metabolize arsenic, and (iii) estimate their potential role in the arsenic geochemistry of the mine and in the environment. The oxidation/reduction experiments showed that the microbial mat community may significantly contribute to arsenic contamination in groundwater. The presence of both arsenite oxidizing and dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the mat was confirmed by the detection of arsenite oxidase and dissimilatory arsenate reductase genes, respectively. This work also demonstrated that microorganisms utilizing other compounds that naturally co-occur with arsenic are present within the microbial mat community and may contribute to the arsenic geochemistry in the environment.

Organochlorine compounds (OC) were determined in Arctic bivalves (Mya truncata, Serripes groenlandicus, Hiatella arctica and Chlamys islandica) from Svalbard with regard to differences in geographic location, species and variations related to their size and age. Higher chlorinated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB 101–PCB 194), chlordanes and α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) were consistently detected in the bivalves and PCBs dominated the OC load in the organisms. OC concentrations were highest in Mya truncata and the lowest in Serripes groenlandicus. Species-specific OC levels were likely related to differences in the species’ food source, as indicated by the δ¹³C results, rather than size and age. Higher OC concentrations were observed in bivalves from Kongsfjorden compared to the northern sampling locations Liefdefjorden and Sjuøyane. The spatial differences might be related to different water masses influencing Kongsfjorden (Atlantic) and the northern locations (Arctic), with differing phytoplankton bloom situations.

We studied the effect of estimated PM₁₀ on respiratory infections in children from Cordoba, Argentine as well as the influence of weather factors, socio-economic conditions and education. We analyzed upper and lower respiratory infections and applied a time-series analysis with a quasi-Poisson distribution link function. To control for seasonally varying factors we fitted cubic smoothing splines of date. We also examined community-specific parameters and differences in susceptibility by sex. We found a significant association between particles and respiratory infections. This relationship was affected by mean temperature, atmospheric pressure and wind speed. These effects were stronger in fall, winter and spring for upper respiratory infections while for lower respiratory infections the association was significant only during spring. Low socio-economic conditions and low education levels increased the risk of respiratory infections. These findings add useful information to understand the influence of airborne particles on children health in developing countries.

As phytoextraction implementation may be limited by metal toxicity and leaching, we investigated the idea of in situ metal immobilization in bulk soil, while increasing metal bioavailability in the rhizosphere. Salix smithiana was grown in a pot experiment on two Cd/Zn polluted soils. Treatments with or without willows included: no additives; gravel sludge + red mud kg⁻¹; acidification with S to pH 3.5; and metal immobilization combined with soil acidification. Salix smithiana removed up to 0.78 ± 0.06% total Cd and 0.34% (±0.02) total Zn from the non-treated soils. The phytoextraction efficiency in the S treatments was enhanced by up to ∼50% in response to metal solubility that was magnified by reductive co-dissolution from Mn (IV) and Fe(III) (oxy)hydroxides during microbial S oxidation in the willow rhizosphere. The proposed technique proved to enhance phytoextraction efficiency while controlling the risk of metal leaching from the root zone and phytotoxicity.

Aided phytostabilization using a combination of compost, zerovalent iron grit and coal fly ash (CZA) amendments and revegetation effectively promoted the biological recovery of mining spoils generated at a gold mine in Portugal. Selective dissolution of spoil samples in combination with solid phase characterization using microbeam X-ray absorption near edge structure (μXANES) spectroscopy and microbeam X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) mapping were used to assess As associations in spoils ten years after CZA treatment. The results show that As preferentially associates with poorly crystalline Fe-oxyhydroxides as opposed to crystalline Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide phases. The crystalline Fe(III)-phases dominated in the treated spoil and exceeded those of the untreated spoil three-fold, but only 2.6–6.8% of total As was associated with this fraction. Correlation maps of As:Fe reveal that As in the CZA-treated spoils is primarily contained in surface coatings as precipitates and sorbates. Arsenic binding with poorly crystalline Fe-oxyhydroxides did not inhibit As uptake by plants.

A complete accounting of net greenhouse gas balance (NGHGB) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) affected by Fe(III) fertilizer application was examined in typical annual paddy rice-winter wheat rotation cropping systems in southeast China. Annual fluxes of soil carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) were measured using static chamber method, and the net ecosystem exchange of CO₂ (NEE) was determined by the difference between soil CO₂ emissions (RH) and net primary production (NPP). Fe(III) fertilizer application significantly decreased RH without adverse effects on NPP of rice and winter wheat. Fe(III) fertilizer application decreased seasonal CH₄ by 27–44%, but increased annual N₂O by 65–100%. Overall, Fe(III) fertilizer application decreased the annual NGHGB and GHGI by 35–47% and 30–36%, respectively. High grain yield and low greenhouse gas intensity can be reconciled by Fe(III) fertilizer applied at the local recommendation rate in rice-based cropping systems.

We investigated occurrence of selected compounds (4-t-octylphenol: 4-t-OP; 4-nonylphenols: 4-NP; bisphenol-A: BPA; estrone: E1; 17β-estradiol: E2; triclosan: TCS) and estrogenicity in surface water and sediment of the Yellow River in China by using combined chemical analysis and in vitro yeast screen bioassay. Estrogenic compounds 4-t-OP, 4-NP, BPA, E1, E2 and TCS were measured in the water samples, with their average concentrations of 4.7, 577.9, 46.7, 1.3, ND and 6.8 ng/L, respectively. In sediment, the average concentrations of 4-t-OP, 4-NP, BPA and TCS were 35.7, 0.5, 1.7 and 0.7 ng/g while E1 and E2 were not detected in the sediments of all selected sites. In general, the estrogenic compounds in surface water and sediment of the Yellow River were at relatively low levels, thus having medium to minimal estrogenic risks in most sites except for the site of east Lanzhou with high estrogenic risks.