The current review reports the importance and significance of cattle solid waste in vermicomposting technology concerning biowaste pollution in the environment. Needy increasing population evokes livestock production resulting in the massive generation of livestock wastes, especially cattle dung. Improper disposal and handling of biowastes originating from agriculture, industries, forests, rural and urban areas lead to nutrient loss, environmental pollution and health risks. Among the organic waste disposal methods available, vermicomposting is regarded as an environmentally friendly technology for bioconversion of agricultural, industrial, rural and urban generated organic solid wastes which are serving as reservoirs of environmental pollution. In vermicomposting of organic wastes, cattle dung plays a central role in mineralization, nutrient recovery, earthworm and microbial activity leading to vermifertilizer production. Even though the vermicomposting studies use cattle dung invariably as an amendment material, its importance has not been reviewed to highlight its central role. Hence, the present review mainly emphasizes the key role played by cattle dung in vermicomposting. Vermiconversion of cattle dung alone and in combination with other biowaste materials of environmental concern, mechanisms involved and benefits of vermicompost in sustainable agriculture are the major objectives addressed in the present review. The analysis reveals that cattle dung is indispensable amendment material for vermicomposting technology to ensure agricultural and environmental sustainability by reducing pollution risks associated with biowastes on one hand, and nutrient-rich benign vermifertilizer production on the other hand.

Detailed, high resolution time-series observations were performed to investigate sources, diel cycling, natural attenuation, and loadings of dissolved trace metals/metalloids in a subtropical headwater stream draining intensive horticulture in Australia. A transect of ∼3 km away from the source (farms) showed >75% reduction in concentration and loads of most trace elements. Mercury and arsenic had elevated loads downstream relative to other elements. Hourly time-series sampling revealed elevated creek discharge at night, accompanied by elevated nickel, selenium, copper, and mercury loads. Inputs from groundwater or treated sewage used for irrigation within the catchment are likely sources. Groundwater bore and treated sewage samples were highly contaminated with either zinc, copper, or mercury. Comparisons of daily and hourly samples indicated common sampling strategies can underestimate horticultural contaminant loadings. Load estimates for mercury and copper derived from hourly samples were 1.6- to 7- fold greater than loads from daily sample data collected over 79 days with varying rainfall. These high contaminant concentrations and loads are of concern to food products receiving irrigation and protected waterbodies downstream.

There has been a significant increase in the microplastic (MP) polluting the ocean in recent time which is regarded as toxic for living organisms. In this study, Fluorescent red polyethylene microspheres (FRPE) were administered intramuscularly to Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles at the concentration of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹, and the survival rate was recorded. Analysis of the hepatopancreas for antioxidant enzyme activity and gene expression were done after seven days. Further tissue morphology and accumulation of FRPE was analysed. The results showed that FRPE at 0.5 and 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ reduce the survival rate of L. vannamei. FRPE at 0.5 and 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity; FRPE at different concentrations reduced catalase (CAT) activity; FRPE at 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ increased the lipid peroxide thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) content. FRPE at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ significantly affect the performance of SOD and CAT genes; FRPE at 0.2 and 0.5 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ significantly improves GPx gene performance; FRPE at 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ significantly reduced the expression of GPx genes. Analysis of tissue morphology shows that FRPE cause muscle, midgut gland, and hepatopancreas, and gill damage at different concentrations. In the results of accumulation of microplastic, FRPE accumulated in gill tissue at 0.2 and 0.5 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹; FRPE accumulated in gill, muscle and hepatopancreas tissue at 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹. Based on the above results, FRPE at 0.5 and 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ can regulate the antioxidant enzymes of L. vannamei, increase lipid peroxide content, cause tissue damage by accumulating in the tissues. The rate of survival decreased in L. vannamei, and the impact of FRPE at 1.0 μg (g shrimp)⁻¹ was significant.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid and its widespread contamination in agricultural soils along with soil salinization has become a serious concern for human health and food security. In the present study, the effect of cotton shell biochar (CSBC) in decreasing As-induced phytotoxicity and human health risks in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) grown on As-spiked saline and non-saline soils was evaluated. Quinoa plants were grown on As contaminated (0, 15 and 30 mg kg⁻¹) saline and non-saline soils amended with 0, 1 and 2% CSBC. Results showed that plant growth, grain yield, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll contents of quinoa showed more decline on As contaminated saline soil than non-saline soil. The application of 2% CSBC particularly enhanced plant growth, leaf relative water contents, stomatal conductance, pigment contents and limited the uptake of As and Na as compared to soil without CSBC. Salinity in combination with As trigged the production of H₂O₂ and caused lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. Biochar ameliorated the oxidative stress by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT). Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks were greatly decreased in the presence of biochar. Application of 2% CSBC showed promising results in reducing human health risks and As toxicity in quinoa grown on As contaminated non-saline and saline soils. Further research is needed to evaluate the role of biochar in minimizing As accumulation in other crops on normal as well as salt affected soils under field conditions.

As the ubiquitous active components in aquatic environments, low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) have a large influence on the environmental behaviors of contaminants. This research was focused on the effect of different LMWOAs including 11 aliphatic acids and 7 aromatic acids on the photodegradation kinetics of tetracycline (TC), and the development of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model. Results showed that TC photodegradation in the presence of LMWOAs fitted pseudo-first-order photolysis kinetics, and the observed photolysis rate constant (kobs) varied from 0.077 to 0.331 h⁻¹. The QSAR model was developed by partial-least-squares (PLS) with using a sequential approach with 25 theoretical molecular descriptors. Four descriptors including ELUMO-EHOMO, ELUMO, CCR and Qmax were found to mechanistically and statistically affect kobs.The high cross validated regression coefficient (Qcum2, 0.898) and high correlation coefficient (R², 0.908) indicated significantly goodness-of-fit and high robustness of the model. The predicted and observed values with high agreement in the defined applicability domain featured accuracy and feasibility of model. This work provided a robust predictive method for estimating the TC photodegradation in the presence of different structures of LMWOAs.

We assessed the contribution of transboundary air pollutants (TAPs) transported from China to Tokyo using the Pb₍₀.₅<Dₚ < ₁₎/Cu₍₂.₅<Dₚ < ₁₀₎ index. We conducted intensive observations over four seasons during 2014–2015 and analyzed ionic components and thirteen elements in size-segregated aerosols collected at the top of a 30-m-high tower in a hilly forested area of the Field Museum Tamakyuryo (FM Tama), in a western suburb of Tokyo. In order to evaluate if the Pb₍₀.₅<Dₚ < ₁₎/Cu₍₂.₅<Dₚ < ₁₀₎ ratio can be applied in Tokyo as the megacity, the annual average concentration of Pb at Cape Hedo, Kumamoto city, on the west side of Japan, was higher than that of Pb at Tokyo, on the east side; this result indicates that TAPs affect western Japan more than eastern Japan. We inferred the main source of Cu to be braking abrasion from cars at local scale on the basis of its enrichment factor and size distribution. From the Pb₍₀.₅<Dₚ < ₁₎/Cu₍₂.₅<Dₚ < ₁₀₎ ratio and sulfate concentration, we inferred that the highest contribution of TAPs to the total mass concentration in Tokyo occurred in spring, when TAPs accounted for 55%, 72%, and 53% of the total mass concentration in the 0.1 < Dp < 0.5, 0.5 < Dp < 1, and 1 < Dp < 2.5 fractions, respectively. These results can contribute to assessment of TAPs in Tokyo.

High-density samples are usually a prerequisite for obtaining high-precision source apportionment results in large-scale areas. In-situ field portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (FPXRF) is a fast and cheap way to increase the sample size of soil heavy metals (HMs). Moreover, categorical land-use types may be closely associated with source contributions. However, the above information has rarely been incorporated into the source apportionment. In this study, robust geographically weighted regression (RGWR) was first used to correct the spatially varying effect of the related soil factors (e.g., soil water and soil organic matter) on in-situ FPXRF in an urban-rural fringe of Wuhan City, China, and the correction accuracy of RGWR was compared with those of the traditionally non-spatial multiple linear regression (MLR) and basic GWR. Then, the effect of land-use types on HM concentrations was partitioned using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Last, based on the robust spatial receptor model (i.e., robust absolute principal component scores/RGWR [RAPCS/RGWR]), this study proposed RAPCS/RGWR with categorical land-use types and RGWR-corrected in-situ FPXRF data (RAPCS/RGWR_LU&FPXRF), and its performance was compared with those of RAPCS/RGWR with none or one kind of auxiliary data. Results showed that (i) the performances of the correction models for in-situ FPXRF data were in the order of RGWR > GWR > MLR, and the relative improvement of RGWR over MLR ranged from 52.6% to 70.71% for each HM; (ii) categorical land-use types significantly affected the concentrations of soil Zn, Cu, As, and Pb; (iii) the highest estimation accuracy for source contributions was obtained by RAPCS/RGWR_LU&FPXRF, and the lowest estimation accuracy was obtained by basic RAPCS/RGWR. It is concluded that land-use types and RGWR-corrected in-situ FPXRF data are closely associated with the source contribution, and RAPCS/RGWR_LU&FPXRF is a cost-effective source apportionment method for soil HMs in large-scale areas.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants produced during incomplete combustion of organic matter and several industrial processes. Humans can be exposed to PAHs through ingestion of food, inhalation of tobacco smoke or polluted air, and dermal contact, causing immunologic, developmental, and reproductive problems.In the present research, eleven metabolites of PAHs were analyzed in the urine of 110 lactating women living in Spain (2015). PAH metabolites were extracted from the urine samples by liquid-liquid extraction and their determination was performed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, information on lifestyle and dietary habits of the participants was collected using a questionnaire.All the PAH metabolites were detected in more than 70% of the samples, except for 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene which was detected in less than 1% of the samples. The highest urinary levels were found for naphthalene metabolites, with geometric means of 0.8 (1-hydroxynaphthalene) and 7.1 ng ml⁻¹ (2-hydroxynaphthalene). The statistical analysis showed that smoking status, as well as the ingestion of certain food groups (vegetables, cereals, oils and fats, smoked fish and coffee), were the main influencing factors of exposure to PAHs.The estimated daily intake (EDI) was calculated for naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, ranging from 6 to 1522 ng kg⁻¹·day⁻¹. The non-cancer risk associated to PAH exposure was estimated, showing hazard quotients (HQs) and hazard indexes (HIs) below 1. Therefore, it did not reveal a significant health risk for Spanish women due to PAH exposure.

In recent decades, microplastic (MP) pollution has become a severe problem in aquatic environments. Yet the behavioral and selective responses of fish toward different types of MPs remain unclear. We therefore conducted laboratory-based video observations to investigate the behavioral responses of hybrid grouper juveniles (tiger grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × giant grouper E. lanceolatus♂) to eight different types of MPs. We observed four distinct feeding behaviors: (i) normal ingestion of MPs, which rarely occurred (0%–6%); (ii) pursuit, capture, and tasting of MPs, after which MPs were quickly spat out; (iii) detection and rejection of MPs without attack; and (iv) no significant response to MPs. Our results indicate that juveniles can distinguish MPs as inedible particle and behave differently between MPs with different sizes, colors, and materials, primarily using visual and gustatory senses. Notably, 50%–90% of MP rejection events occurred before capture. Juveniles spent double the time evaluating large nylon particles than they did evaluating large polyvinyl chloride particles before capture, but half the time tasting after capture. Although we observed no sub-lethal or lethal effects of MPs, we conclude that the presence of MPs can still have an impact on groupers in aquaculture. For instance, in the densely stocked conditions of an aquaculture unit, the fish could lose visibility and can inadvertently ingest MPs, thus suffering from their toxic impacts.

Mangrove sediments are prone to anthropogenic activities that could enrich antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs). The emergence and dissemination of ARGs are of serious concern to public health worldwide. Therefore, a comprehensive resistome analysis of global mangrove sediment is of paramount importance. In this study, we have implemented a deep machine learning approach to analyze the resistome of mangrove sediments from Brazil, China, Saudi Arabia, India, and Malaysia. Geography (RANOSIM = 39.26%; p < 0.005) as well as human intervention (RANOSIM = 16.92%; p < 0.005) influenced the ARG diversity. ARG diversity was also inversely correlated to the human development index (HDI) of the host country (R = −0.53; p < 0.05) rather than antibiotics consumption (p > 0.05). Several genes including multidrug efflux pumps were significantly (p < 0.05) enriched in the sites with human intervention. Resistome was consistently dominated by rpoB2 (19.26 ± 0.01%), multidrug ABC transporter (10.40 ± 0.23%), macB (8.84 ± 0.36n%), tetA (4.13 ± 0.35%), mexF (3.26 ± 0.19%), CpxR (2.93 ± 0.2%), bcrA (2.38 ± 0.24%), acrB (2.37 ± 0.18%), mexW (2.19 ± 0.17%), and vanR (1.99 ± 0.11%). Besides, mobile ARGs such as vanA, tet(48), mcr, and tetX were also detected in the mangrove sediments. Comparative analysis against terrestrial and ocean resistomes showed that the ocean ecosystem harbored the lowest ARG diversity (Chao1 = 71.12) followed by mangroves (Chao1 = 258.07) and terrestrial ecosystem (Chao1 = 294.07). ARG subtypes such as abeS and qacG were detected exclusively in ocean datasets. Likewise, rpoB2, multidrug ABC transporter, and macB, detected in mangrove and terrestrial datasets, were not detected in the ocean datasets. This study shows that the socioeconomic factors strongly determine the antibiotic resistome in the mangrove. Direct anthropogenic intervention in the mangrove environment also enriches antibiotic resistome.