As the two most commonly used organophosphorus herbicides, glyphosate (Gly) and glufosinate-ammonium (Glu) have unique properties for weed control and algae removal in aquaculture. However, the occurrences and health risks of Gly and Glu in aquaculture ponds are rare known. This study aimed to investigate the occurrences of Gly, AMPA (primary metabolity of Gly) and Glu in surface water, sediment and aquatic products from the grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idella), crayfish (procambarus clarkii) and crab (eriocheir sinensis) ponds around Lake Honghu, the largest freshwater lake in Hubei province, China where aquaculture has become the local pillar industry. Three age groups (children, young adults, middle-aged and elderly) exposure to these compounds through edible aquatic products (muscle) consumption were also assessed by target hazard quotient (THQ) method. The results indicated that Gly, AMPA and Glu were widely occurred in surface water, sediment and organisms in the fish, crayfish and crab ponds. AMPA was more likely to accumulate in the intestine of aquatic products than Gly and Glu. According to the total THQ value (1.04＞1), muscle consumption of grass carp may pose potential risk to children.

The cement industry is the second largest source of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions in Europe, accounting for 11% of global anthropogenic Hg emissions. The main objective of this study was to examine the influence of Hg emissions from the Salonit Anhovo cement plant on Hg levels measured in the ambient air at Vodarna, 1 km downwind from the flue gas chimney. The findings reveal that the plant raw mill operational status plays an important role in Hg concentrations in the flue gas emitted from the plant. Emitted total gaseous mercury was, on average, higher (49.4 μg/m³) when raw mills were in the direct mode (both raw mills-off) and lower (23.4 μg/m³) in the combined mode (both raw mills-on). The average Hg concentrations in Vodarna were 3.14 ng/m³ for gaseous elemental mercury, 53.7 pg/m³ for gaseous oxidised mercury, and 41.9 pg/m³ for particulate bound mercury for the whole measurement period. Atmospheric Hg speciation in Vodarna, coupled with plant emissions and wind data, has revealed that the total gaseous mercury emitted from the cement plant is clearly related to all Hg species measured in Vodarna. Wind blowing from the northeastern quadrant (mostly NE, ENE) is responsible for the elevated Hg levels in Vodarna, where gaseous oxidised mercury levels are highly linked to the cement plant emissions. However, elevated levels of Hg species in the absence of northeastern winds indicate potential inputs from other unknown local sources as well as inputs from regional and global transport mechanisms.

With the development of marine oil industry, oil spill accidents will inevitably occur, further polluting the intertidal zone and causing biological poisoning. The muddy intertidal zone and Boleophthalmus pectinirostris were selected as the research objects to conduct indoor acute exposure experiments within 48 h of crude oil pollution. Statistical analysis was used to reveal the activity changes of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the gills and liver of mudskipper. Then, integrated biomarker response (IBR) indicators were established to comprehensively evaluate the biological toxicity. The results showed that the activities of SOD, CAT and GST in livers were higher than those in gills, and the maximum induction multipliers of SOD, CAT and GPx in livers appeared earlier than those in gills. Both SOD and GPx activities were induced at low pollutant concentrations and inhibited at high pollutant concentrations. For the dose-effect, the change trends of CAT and SOD were roughly inversed. There was substrate competition between GPx and CAT, with opposite trends over time. The activating mechanism of GST was similar to that of GPx, and the activation time was earlier than that of GPx. In terms of dose-effect trends, the IBR showed that the antioxidant enzymes activities in biological tissues were induced by low and inhibited by high pollutant concentrations. Overall, SOD and GPx in gills and CAT and GST in livers of the mudskippers were suitable as representative markers to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the biotoxicity effects of oil pollution in the intertidal zone. The star plots and IBR values obtained after data standardization were consistent with the enzyme activity differences, which can be used as valid supplementary indexes for biotoxicity evaluation. These research findings provide theoretical support for early indicators of biological toxicity after crude oil pollution in intertidal zones.

Plant-based products such as essential oils and other extracts have been used for centuries due to their beneficial properties. Currently, their use is widely disseminated through a variety of industries and new applications are continuously emerging. For these reasons, they are produced industrially in large quantities and consequently they have the potential to reach the environment. However, the potential effects that these products have on the ecosystems’ health are mostly unknown. In recent years, the scientific community started to focus on the possible toxic effects of essential oils and plant extracts towards non-target organisms. As a result, an increasing body of knowledge has emerged. This review describes the current state of the art on the toxic effects that essential oils and plant extracts have towards organisms from different trophic levels, including producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers. The majority of the studies (76.5%) focuses on the aquatic environment, particularly in aquatic invertebrates (45.1%) with only 23.5% of the studies focusing on the potential toxicity of plant-derived products on terrestrial ecosystems.While some essential oils and extracts have been described to have no toxic effects to the selected organisms or the toxic effects were only observable at high concentrations, others were reported to be toxic at concentrations below the limit set by international regulations, some of them at very low concentrations. In fact, L(E)C₅₀ values as low as 0.0336 mg.L⁻¹, 0.0005 mg.L⁻¹ and 0.0053 mg.L⁻¹ were described for microalgae, crustaceans and fish, respectively. Generally, essential oils exhibit higher toxicity than extracts. However, when the extracts are obtained from plants that are known to produce toxic metabolites, the extracts can be more toxic than essential oils.Overall, and despite being generally considered “eco-friendly” products and safer than they synthetic counterparts, some essential oils and plant extracts are toxic towards non-target organisms. Given the increasing interest from industry on these plant-based products further research using international standardized protocols is mandatory.

High demands for but strict regulatory measures on Organophosphorus Flame Retardants (OPFRs) have resulted in mainland China transitioning from the region that imports OPRFs to one that exports these substances. Simultaneously, large quantities of terrigenous OPFRs have been exported to adjacent seas by the major river systems, particularly the Yangtze River. This study examined the presence of ten OPFRs in China's adjacent seas. High levels of OPFRs were observed in seas south of mainland China, with Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and Tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) dominant. The terrigenous OPFRs were redistributed by the ocean surface currents, with OPFRs tending to accumulate in regions with lower current speed. The producers of OPFRs are mainly distributed along the Haihe, Yellow, and Yangtze river systems. The application of OPFRs to electric vehicle charging stations, charging connectors, and 5G infrastructure in the Chinese mainland will likely drive rapid growth in OPFR related industry in the future. The diffusion trend map of OPFR indicated that the Bohai Sea and the central northern Yellow Sea are at high risk of ecological damage in the spring. The offshore region of the north of the South China Sea tended to aggregate more OPFRs in summer. Regions of the OPFR aggregation effect were at a higher risk of ecological damage.

The accumulation of human-derived debris in the oceans is a global concern and a serious threat to marine wildlife. There is a volume of evidence that points to deleterious effects of marine debris (MD) on cetaceans in terms of both entanglement and ingestion. This review suggests that about 68% of cetacean species are affected by interacting with MD with an increase in the number of species reported to have interacted with it over the past decades. Despite the growing body of evidence, there is an ongoing debate on the actual effects of plastics on cetaceans and, in particular, with reference to the ingestion of microplastics and their potential toxicological and pathogenic effects. Current knowledge suggests that the observed differences in the rate and nature of interactions with plastics are the result of substantial differences in species-specific diving and feeding strategies. Existing projections on the production, use and disposal of plastics suggest a further increase of marine plastic pollution. In this context, the contribution of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to marine plastic pollution appears to be substantial, with potentially serious consequences for marine life including cetaceans. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to investigate the direct links between industry, human behaviours and the effects of MD on cetaceans. This could help inform management, prevention efforts, describe knowledge gaps and guide advancements in research efforts. This review highlights the lack of assessments of population-level effects related to MD and suggests that these could be rather immediate for small populations already under pressure from other anthropogenic activities. Finally, we suggest that MD is not only a pollution, economic and social issue, but also a welfare concern for the species and populations involved.

China has been in a rapid development period in recent decades, the mass production and use of chemical industrial products and pesticides have resulted in a large amount of pollutants in the environment. These pollutants enter the human body through environmental exposure and dietary intake, causing adverse health effects. Although many of them have been banned and restricted in the production and use in China, these pollutants still remain in the human body due to their high persistence and strong bioaccumulation. In this review, we aim to reveal the accumulation levels and profiles, as well as the temporal and spatial distribution of common chemical pollutants including chlorinated paraffins (CPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers, organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), new halogenated flame retardants (NHFRs), polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalic acid esters, perfluorinated compounds, bisphenols, organophosphorus pesticides and pyrethroid insecticides in the blood (including whole blood, serum and plasma) of Chinese adults by extracting 93 related studies published from 1990 to 2021. Results have shown that CPs, OCPs and PAHs were the main pollutants in China, the levels of short-chain chlorinated paraffin, p,p'-DDE and phenanthrene in blood even reached 11,060.58, 740.41 and 498.28 ng/g lipid respectively. Under the strict control of pollutants in China, the levels of most pollutants have been on a downward trend except for perfluoro octanoate and perfluoro nonanoate. Besides, OPFRs, NHFRs and PAHs may have a potential upward trend, requiring further research and observation. As for spatial distribution, East China (Bohai Bay and Yangtze River Delta) and South China (Pearl River Delta) were the major polluted regions due to their fast development of industry and agriculture.

Comprehensive efficiency analysis of wastewater treatment plants (WWPTs) in the alpine region with harsh environment and poor techniques as well as managing experience could provide targeted and effective improvement evidences for local wastewater treatment industry and help to improve the water quality of downstream reaches. In this paper, slack–based data envelopment analysis (SBM–DEA) was adopted to assess the operating efficiencies of WWPTs in northeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Results showed that the average efficiency score for all WWPTs was 0.608, and 32.5% of WWPTs were efficient. Some WWPTs had large improvement potentials in operating costs and pollutant removal rates. Lowering expenditures and promoting facility construction for WWPTs to overcome the climate difficulties and improve management level was necessary according to their improvement potentials. In addition, the relative importance of the quantitative influential factors to efficiencies scores calculated by random forest regression (RFR) indicated that design capacity and temperature were important quantitative factors affecting the performance of WWPTs. Furthermore, geographical location and design capacity also had significant influence on the comprehensive efficiency of WWPTs verified by Kruskal–Wallis test. Our results highlight the importance of facilities upgrading, scientific management for WWPTs. And the relative improvement suggestions on overcoming the high and cold environment should also be considered for the efficient operations of WWTPs as well as the protection the aquatic environment.