Plastic pollution is one of the most impactful human interferences in our planet. Fragmentation of plastic leads to nano- and microplastics (NP/MP) formation, which accumulate in agricultural lands, representing an increasing risk for crop production and food safety. It has been shown that MP promote damage in plant tissues by several direct and indirect ways, and that NP can enter the tissues/cells and accumulate in edible organs. Investigation of the phytotoxic effects of NP/MP in plants started only in 2016, with most of the studies performed with crops. Since contradictory results are often observed, it is important to review the literature in order to identify robust effects and their possible mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the potential of NP/MP in damaging crop species, with focus on the physiological changes described in the literature. We also performed scientometrics analyses on research papers in this field during 2016–2021, to reveal the research situation of phytotoxic effects of plastic pollution in crops. Our review is as a starting point to help identify gaps and future directions in this important, emerging field.

Marine debris is now a ubiquitous component of the Anthropocene global ocean. Plastic ingestion by marine wildlife was first reported in the 1960s and since that time, roughly one thousand marine species have been reported to consume this debris. This study focuses on plastic ingestion by marine invertebrates and vertebrates in the North Pacific Ocean. Specifically, we reviewed the scientific literature to assess the scope of the problem, identified key bioindicator species, and proposed guidelines for future monitoring of plastic debris in North Pacific marine ecosystems. Our meta-analysis confirmed that the North Pacific is among the most polluted ocean regions globally; roughly half of all fish and seabird specimens and more than three-quarters of sea turtles and bivalve specimens examined in this region had consumed plastic. While there are not enough standardized data to assess if these ingestion rates are changing, sampling standardization and reporting of methods are improving over time. Using a rubric-evaluation approach, we evaluated 352 species for their potential to serve as bioindicators of the prevalence of plastic pollution in the North Pacific. This analysis revealed a suite of 12 bioindicator species candidates which sample a variety of ecosystem components and cover a wide range of plastic size classes. Thus, we contend that these bioindicator candidates provide a key foundation for developing a comprehensive plastic monitoring program in the region. To enhance the utility of these bioindicators, we developed a framework for standardized data collection to minimize methodological variability across different studies and to facilitate the assessment of temporal trends over space and time. Tracking plastic ingestion by these bioindicators will help to assess the effectiveness of mitigation actions in the region, a critical step to evaluate progress towards sustainability and improved ocean health in the 21st century.

Generally, Zn in stormwater runoff is considered as low toxicity, but in the senarios of roads and zinc-based materials roof runoff, the concentration of Zn becomes extremely high and cannot be ignored. Bioretention systems are used to remove heavy metals from stormwater runoff, while Zn adsorption is insufficient by conventional filler and is prone to secondary release when exposed to acid rain or high salinity runoff. This study integrated batch experiments and density functional theory calculation to investigate the mechanisms of how KOH-modified biochar (KBC) influences the removal and release of Zn in bioretention systems. The results revealed that KBC adsorbed 89.0–97.5% Zn in the influent, the main adsorption mechanism were complexation and precipitation, and precipitation is more important. In addition, 67% of Zn was immoblized as the residual form by KBC. In acidic and saline runoff, KBC reduced Zn secondary release by 43.6% and 37.08% compared to the results in the absence of KBC, which was attributed to the convertion of most dissolved Zn in acidic and saline runoff into residual Zn. Therefore, KBC has a considerable application potential not only to decontaminate the runoff of roads and Zn-containing roofs, but also to deal with secondary Zn release in acid rain or under the treatment of snow-melting agents.

Reconstructing the long-term Hg history in major emission countries is important for understanding the global Hg cycle and controlling Hg pollution. In this study, the atmospheric Hg history was reconstructed over the last three centuries based on three lacustrine sediment records from southeastern Inner Mongolia in North China, and its relationship with global and regional Hg emissions was revealed. These records show little Hg pollution in the 18th and 19th centuries. This implies a limited influence of Hg emitted from Europe and North America in this region, which is confirmed by their different Hg trends during the two World Wars and the post-1970s. Atmospheric Hg in the region had increased gradually since the 1900s, primarily contributed by emissions from the former Soviet Union in Lake Dalihu (DLH) and Lake Zhagesitai (ZGST) and from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in Lake Kulunnao (KLN). In the last century, two decreases in Hg fluxes occurred in the KLN core due to the economic recession in the 1960s–1970s and reduced energy consumption and industrial production in the 1990s. In the DLH and ZGST cores, only one decrease occurred, corresponded with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Although atmospheric Hg emissions in China had stabilized or even decreased in the last decade, atmospheric Hg continued to increase, particularly in KLN, because of emissions from small cities in the region. This study can help understand Hg sources and control Hg pollution in North China and supplement the understanding of the global Hg cycling.

The contamination of toxic heavy metals (i.e., Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni) and metalloid (i.e., As) (TMMs) is considered as a major cause of increasing incidences of human and livestock cancers, gastrointestinal disorders and neurological problems. The levels of these TMMS in soil, irrigation water, and plants like Salanum lycopersicum (tomato), Spinacia oleracea (Spinach), and Triticum aestivum (Wheat) samples were detected which were collected from various localities across 100 km around the city of Lucknow, India. This study reported that the concentration of TMMs was within the range of maximum allowable concentration (MAC) (FAO/WHO, 2011) in most of the agricultural soil, whereas, it was higher in irrigation water. The TMMs levels in the edible parts of vegetables and cereal were in the range 1.91–53.94 μg/g, 5.06–40.49 μg/g, 4.08-2312-29 μg/g, 0.43–51.48 μg/g, and 0.01–1.65 μg/g, respectively which was significantly higher than the MAC. The BAF of Cd and Ni was very high in the edible parts of the vegetables and cereal samples indicating an entry of TMMs in food chain through the metal-contaminated irrigation water, even if TMMs are low in the field soil. The contamination coefficient (Cfi) and Ecological risk factors (Efi) of the TMMs were detected in the range of low risk in all agricultural soil. The Ecological risk index (ERI) of TMMs was at moderate risk, indicating a mild impact of the metal toxicity in the agro-ecosystems but the high risk on the consumers. The daily intake (DI) of TMMs through vegetables and cereal was below the maximum allowable daily intake (MTDI) but the carcinogenic risk factor (CRs) potential of Cr, Cd, Ni, and As was observed significantly higher for these vegetables and cereal, which indicated a complex scenario of a far-future carcinogenic health hazard on consumers in densely populated city of Lucknow, India and its surrounding regions.

Currently, urbanization is associated with an increase in air pollutants that contribute to invasive pathogen infections by altering the host's innate immunity and antimicrobial resistance capability. Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS), is a gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that causes a wide range of diseases, especially in children and immunosuppressed individuals. Diesel exhaust particle (DEP), a significant constituent of particulate matter (PM), are considered a prominent risk factor for respiratory illness and circulatory diseases worldwide. Several clinical and epidemiological studies have identified a close association between PM and the prevalence of viral and bacterial infections. This study investigated the role of DEP exposure in increasing pulmonary and blood bacterial counts and mortality during GAS M1 strain infection in mice. Thus, we characterized the upregulation of reactive oxygen species production and disruption of tight junctions in the A549 lung epithelial cell line due to DEP exposure, leading to the upregulation of GAS adhesion and invasion. Furthermore, DEP exposure altered the leukocyte components of infiltrated cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, as determined by Diff-Quik staining. The results highlighted the DEP-related macrophage dysfunction, neutrophil impairment, and imbalance in pro-inflammatory cytokine production via the toll-like receptor 4/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling axis. Notably, the tolerance of the GAS biofilms toward potent antibiotics and bacterial resistance against environmental stresses was also significantly enhanced by DEP. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the physiological and molecular interactions between exposure to invasive air pollutants and susceptibility to invasive GAS infections.

Organochlorine pesticides in soil samples across urban, suburban, agricultural, and industrial sites were analyzed every year between 2013 and 2016 in South Korea. The study aims to understand the residual status, diminution of occurrence from the South Korean environment, and its risk to humans after three decades of the ban. A general decreasing trend of OCPs has been observed over the years. The OCP concentrations were below the guideline values prescribed for soil pollution. Metabolites like p,p’-DDD and endosulfan sulfate contributed a major portion to the total OCP concentration over the years. The agricultural sites showed higher OCP levels than other site types. Compositional profile and diagnostic ratios suggested that the occurrence of DDT and endosulfan residues were due to historical inputs, but those of HCH and chlordane reflect recent usage in some pockets. The calculated incremental lifetime cancer risk was within the safety limit for all age groups across the genders in the majority of the sites. It is evident that the OCP load on soil is decreasing since the ban on usage. However, regular monitoring with a special focus on metabolites can be an effective control measure to regulate and eliminate the contamination of OCPs.

This international scale study measured the prevalence of indoor microplastics (MPs) in deposited dust in 108 homes from 29 countries over a 1-month period. Dust borne MPs shape, colour, and length were determined using microscopy and the composition measured using μFTIR. Human health exposure and risk was assessed along with residential factors associated with MPs via a participant questionnaire. Samples were categorised according to each country's gross national income (GNI). Synthetic polymers dominated in low income (LI) (39%) and high income (HI) (46%) while natural fibres were the most prevalent in medium income (MI) (43%) countries. Composition and statistical analysis showed that the main sources of MPs and dust were predominantly from indoor sources. Across all GNI countries, greater vacuuming frequency was associated with lower MPs loading. High income country samples returned higher proportions of polyamides and polyester fibres, whereas in LI countries polyurethane was the most prominent MPs fibre. Exposure modelling showed infants (0–2 years) were exposed to the highest MPs dose through inhalation (4.5 × 10⁻⁵ ± 3 × 10⁻⁵) and ingestion (3.24 × 10⁻² ± 3.14 × 10⁻²) mg/kg-Bw/day. Health risk analysis of constituent monomers of polymers indicates cancer incidence was estimated at 4.1–8.7 per million persons across age groups. This study's analysis showed socio-economic factors and age were dominant variables in determining dose and associated health outcomes of MPs in household dust.

Bioremediation of real-time petroleum refining industry oily waste (PRIOW) is a major challenge due to the poor emulsification potential and oil sludge disintegration efficiency of conventional bioamphiphile molecules. The present study was focused on the design of a covalently engineered supramolecular bioamphiphile complex (SUBC) rich in hydrophobic amino acids for proficient emulsification of hydrocarbons followed by the concomitant degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in PRIOW using the hydrocarbonoclastic microbial bio-formulation system. The synthesis of SUBC was carried out by pH regulated microbial biosynthesis process and the yield was obtained to be 450.8 mg/g of petroleum oil sludge. The FT-IR and XPS analyses of SUBC revealed the anchoring of hydrophilic moieties of monomeric bioamphiphilic molecules, resulting in the formation of SUBC via covalent interaction. The SUBC was found to be lipoprotein in nature. The maximum loading capacity of SUBC onto surface modified rice hull (SMRH) was achieved to be 45.25 mg/g SMRH at the optimized conditions using RSM-CCD design. The SUBC anchored SMRH was confirmed using SEM, FT-IR, XRD and TGA analyses. The adsorption isotherm models of SUBC onto SMRH were performed. The integrated approach of SUBC-SMRH and hydrocarbonoclastic microbial bio-formulation system, emulsified oil from PRIOW by 92.86 ± 2.26% within 24 h and degraded TPH by 89.25 ± 1.75% within 4 days at the optimum dosage ratio of SUBC-SMRH (0.25 g): PRIOW (1 g): mass of microbial-assisted biocarrier material (0.05 g). The TPH degradation was confirmed by SARA fractional analysis, FT-IR, ¹H NMR and GC-MS analyses. The study suggested that the application of covalently engineered SUBC has resulted in the accelerated degradation of real-time PRIOW in a very short duration without any secondary sludge generation. Thus, the SUBC integrated approach can be considered to effectively manage the hydrocarbon contaminants from petroleum refining industries under optimal conditions.