Human-induced temperature changes influence coastal regions, both via thermal pollution and ocean warming, which exerts profound effects on the chemistry of metals and the physiology of organisms. However, it remains unknown whether the increased temperature of discharged water or ocean warming, as a result of climate change, lead to an increase of human health risks associated with the consumption of sea foods. In this study, the influence of temperature on metal accumulation by oysters was studied in individuals collected from a coastal area affected by the thermal water discharge of the Houshi Power Plant, China. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and oral bioavailability (OBA) of metals in oysters was determined. Elevated temperatures led to an increase in BAF for Cu, Zn, Hg, and Cd (p < 0.05), but no change was observed for As and Pb (p > 0.05). The OBA for Cd, As, and Pb correlated positively to elevated temperatures (p < 0.05). However, for Cu and Zn, OBA was negatively correlated with increasing temperature (p < 0.05). As, Pb, and Cd in the trophically available metal (defined as a sum of heat-stable proteins, heat-denaturable proteins, and organelles) was significantly elevated at the highest temperature seawater site (site A) compared to the lowest seawater site (site B). Thus, the irregular variation of OBA for each metal may be the result of variations in the subcellular distribution of metals and the protein quality influenced by the increased temperature. Moreover, the increased temperature and increased the hazard quotient values of As and Cd (p < 0.05 for As, n = 6, p < 0.05 for Cd, n = 6), which provided an indication of the potential risks of the consumption of oysters or other seafood to future warming under climate change scenarios.

Significant efforts have been directed towards addressing the adverse health effects of atmospheric particles, emphasizing the relevance of indoor exposure. Homes represent an indoor environment where human spend the majority of their time. Thus, the objective of this work was to concurrently assess different matrix of indoor particles considering both mass (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅) and number (N₂₀₋₁₀₀₀) concentrations in indoor and outdoor air of homes (n = 65). Real-time measurements (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, UFP) were conducted simultaneously during 48 h in dwellings situated in Oporto, Portugal. In 75% of homes, indoor PM₂.₅ (mean = 53 μg m⁻³) exceeded limit of 25 μg m⁻³, for PM₁₀ (mean = 57 μg m⁻³) 41% of homes demonstrated average levels higher than 50 μg m⁻³, thus indicating potential risks. Indoor PM₁₀ was mostly (82–99%) composed of PM₂.₅, both PM were highly correlated (|rs|>0.9655), thus suggesting the similar origin. Indoor PM originated from infiltrations of outdoor emissions; ∼70% of homes exhibited indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratio < 1. On the contrary, UFP indoors (mean = 13.3 × 10³ # cm⁻³) were higher than outdoors (mean = 10.0 × 10³ # cm⁻³). Indoor UFP spatially varied as follows: kitchens > living rooms > bedrooms. UFP indoors were poorly correlated (|rs| = 0.456) with outdoor concentrations, I/O ratios showed that indoor UFP predominantly originated from indoor emission sources (combustions). Therefore, in order to reduce exposure to UFP and protect public health, the primary concerns should be focused on controlling emissions from indoor sources.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of diseases that tend to occur together, including diabetes, hypertension, central obesity, cardiovascular disease and hyperlipidemia. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) has been associated with increased risk of development of several of the components of the MetS. The goal of this study is to determine whether the associations with POPs are identical for each of the components and for the MetS. The subject population was 601 Native Americans (Akwesasne Mohawks) ages 18 to 84 who answered a questionnaire, were measured for height and weight and provided blood samples for clinical chemistries (serum lipids and fasting glucose) and analysis of 101 PCB congeners and three OCPs [dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and mirex]. Associations between concentrations of total PCBs and pesticides, as well as various PCB congener groups with each of the different components of the MetS were determine so as to ask whether there were similar risk factors for all components of the MetS. After adjustment for other contaminants, diabetes and hypertension were strongly associated with lower chlorinated and mono-ortho PCBs, but not other PCB groups or pesticides. Obesity was most closely associated with highly chlorinated PCBs and was negatively associated with mirex. High serum lipids were most strongly associated with higher chlorinated PCBs and PCBs with multiple ortho-substituted chlorines, as well as total pesticides, DDE and HCB. Cardiovascular disease was not closely associated with levels of any of the measured POPs. While exposure to POPs is associated with increased risk of most of the various diseases comprising the MetS, the specific contaminants associated with risk of the component diseases are not the same.

A range of source tracking approaches have been developed to identify sources in the environmental pollution research field. A comparison of source tracking approaches is essential for a better understanding and practical applications of these approaches. This study compared the commonly used source tracking approaches, namely positive matrix factorization (PMF), Unmix, flag element ratio (FER), and chemical mass-balance based stochastic approach (SCMD). A case study was illustrated for tracing heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Ni) attached to road deposited sediments, which can significantly influence urban road stormwater quality. The results indicated that the accuracy of PMF and Unmix are affected by the number of chemical species used and whether useful markers can be identified for particular sources. However, this does not have an essential influence on FER and SCMD. PMF and Unmix are easier on data preparation and calculation processes but more difficult for source identification process than FER and SCMD. This study also provided recommendations related to the selection of source tracking approach based on different study scenarios and result requirements. These study results are able to provide important guidance for undertaking effective source tracking and devising environmental pollution mitigations.

The adaptive fitness of insect species can be shaped by how males and females respond, both physiologically and behaviorally, to environmental challenges, such as pesticide exposure. In parasitoid wasps, most toxicological investigations focus only on female responses (e.g., survival and especially parasitism abilities), leaving the male contributions to adaptive fitness (survival, locomotion, mate search) poorly investigated. Here, we evaluated the toxicity of the spinosyn insecticide spinosad against the South American fruit fly, Anastrepha fraterculus, and we used the parasitoid wasp Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) to evaluate whether sex-linked locomotory and physiological responses would influence the susceptibility of these organisms to spinosad. Our results revealed that D. longicaudata males were significantly more susceptible (median lethal time (LT₅₀) = 24 h) to spinosad than D. longicaudata females (LT₅₀ = 120 h), which may reflect the differences in their locomotory and physiological (e.g., respiratory) responses to mitigate insecticide exposure. Compared to D. longicaudata females, male wasps were lighter (P < 0.001), walked for longer distances (P < 0.001) and periods (P < 0.001), and exhibited higher sensilla densities in their tarsi (P = 0.008), which may facilitate their intoxication with the insecticide. These findings indicate that male parasitoids should not be exempt from insecticide selectivity tests, as these organisms can be significantly more affected by such environmental challenges than their female conspecifics.

Ny-Ålesund, one of four permanent settlements on Spitsbergen in Svalbard, is a research town that includes scientific institutes from many countries. Because of daily-used chemicals (e.g., pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs)) used by residents in the area, generated sewage is considered as a point source in the Kongsfjorden. The aim of the present study was to identify and quantify organic pollutants in the effluent and along the shoreline and offshore via target, suspect, and non-target screening using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry. We tentatively identified 30 compounds using the suspect and non-target screening methods in effluent samples from our first visit to the settlement in 2016. Among these, 3 were false positive, 24 were confirmed, and the 3 remaining compounds were not confirmed because of a lack of reference standards. Of the confirmed, 21 were quantifiable and considered target compounds for the 2nd year study. The quantified compounds in the effluent samples in 2017 totaled 17, including PPCPs, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, and their metabolites. Some of the compounds, such as caffeine, paraxanthine/theophylline, acetaminophen, cetirizine, diethyl toluamide (DEET), and icaridin, were also detected in the receiving seawater. The concentration range was from 4 to 280,000 ng/L in the effluent and 2–98 ng/L in the seawater. Other 24 compounds were tentatively identified in the second-year effluent samples. Five were further confirmed using reference standards. Prioritization was performed on the 47 substances screened in Ny-Ålesund using the exposure and toxicity index. As the result, the top seven substances of concern present were perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), irbesartan, DEET, acetaminophen, caffeine, and paraxanthine/theophylline. As the effluent was identified as a source of the concerned organic pollutants, an emission reduction strategy should take place for protection of Arctic Fjorden environment.

Rh/(Ce,Zr,La)O₂ (CZL) catalysts with different Ce/Zr molar ratios of 1:0, 8:1, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 and 0:1 were prepared. The relationship of microstructure, dynamic oxygen mobility and the redox properties with catalytic activity for HC, CO and NOₓ eliminations were investigated. The results demonstrate that CZL mixed oxide with Ce/Zr ratio of 1:1 exhibits the largest OSC values as 904.3 umol·g⁻¹ and structural defects. The increase of oxygen vacancies and structural defects would promote the interaction between Rh species and CZL mixed oxides, which further promotes the stabilization of RhOₓ particles and enhances the oxygen storage/release ability. Rh/CZLx catalysts with Ce/Zr molar ratio of 1:1–1:4 exhibit better catalytic activity and wider dynamic operation window due to their higher DOSC.

Excessive nitrogen (N) losses from food production and consumption have resulted in noticeable environmental impacts, e.g., air pollution and climate change, saturation of soil N, and water eutrophication. In the present study, a rural-scale N flow model was constructed in Quzhou county, Hebei province to investigate the characteristics of the N flux, N use efficiency (NUE), and N loss and their driving factors in the food production and consumption system during 1997–2017. Our results show that the N fluxes of the crop-production subsystem (CPS), the livestock-breeding subsystem (LBS), and the household-consumption subsystem (HCS) all followed an upward trend. During 1997–2017, the N losses from the system were high (51.38%), and the CPS was a major source. When the N fertilizer application level was optimal (403–475 kg N ha⁻¹), the NUE in the CPS (NUEc) decreased sharply, resulting in a higher N cost than that observed at larger scales. For the LBS, the NUE of animal feed (NUEa) was high (46.37%); however, the waste utilization rate of the HCS was below 30%. The chemical fertilizer application level, feed input, animal-food demand, and livestock manure application level were closely related to the environmental N losses. Due to the lack of reasonable N treatment and utilization methods, the increasing N losses are expected to have a large future impact on environmental issues such as haze, soil acidification, and frequent algal blooms. Therefore, adjusting N management in the processes of food production and consumption is of great significance to the improvement of global NUE and reduction of environmental pollution.

This study provided a comprehensive characterization on ingestion of different typologies of microplastics in several fish and invertebrate species from the Adriatic Sea, considered as a preferential area of plastic accumulation in the Mediterranean. Almost 500 organisms were sampled in the three sectors of Northern, Central and Southern Adriatic, testing the hypothesis that area of collection, habitat and feeding strategy might influence the occurrence of plastic particles in biota. In this study, the overall characterization considered separately plastic microparticles (MPs) from textile microfibers (MFs) which also included natural and semi-synthetic ones. Ingestion of MPs was a widespread phenomenon, but their number (typically 1 or 2) did not reveal any significant relationship with biometric values, geographical areas or ecological features of the species. Conversely, the frequency of ingestion, ranging from 13 to 35% of organisms containing MPs, appeared a more reliable index to highlight such differences, revealing higher values in species from Central and Southern basins compared to the Northern one, as well as in benthopelagic compared to benthic or pelagic organisms. Geographical differences also occurred in terms of size and typology of ingested particles, suggesting the importance of local river runoffs and surface currents dynamics. Textile microfibers (MFs) were also abundant in Adriatic food webs occurring in all the analyzed species with average numbers (3–10) and frequencies (40–70%) higher than those reported for MPs; further, an elevated percentage of MFs (>80%) was of natural or semi-synthetic origin.Overall, this study provided general insights toward the harmonization of a common biomonitoring strategy, as in the context of MSFD, including the suggestion of a frequency-based index and of a multi-species approach to increase the ecological relevance of assessment, as well as the comparability between different areas and trophic webs.

The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases has increased rapidly in urban China since 2000. There has been limited study of associations between home environmental and lifestyle factors with asthma and symptoms of allergic disease in China.In a cross-sectional analysis of 2214 children in Beijing, we applied a two-step hybrid Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm to identify environmental and lifestyle-related factors associated with asthma, rhinitis and wheeze from a wide range of candidates. We used group LASSO to select variables, using cross-validation as the criterion. Effect estimates were then calculated using adaptive LASSO. Model performance was assessed using Area Under the Curve (AUC) values.We found a number of environmental and lifestyle-related factors significantly associated with asthma, rhinitis or wheeze, which changed the probability of asthma, rhinitis or wheeze from −5.76% (95%CI: −7.74%, −3.79%) to 27.4% (95%CI: 16.6%, 38.3%). The three factors associated with the largest change in probability of asthma were short birth length, carpeted floor and paternal allergy; for rhinitis they were maternal smoking during pregnancy, paternal allergy and living close to industrial area; and for wheeze they were carpeted floor, short birth length and maternal allergy. Other home environmental risk factors identified were living close to a highway, industrial area or river, sharing bedroom, cooking with gas, furry pets, cockroaches, incense, printer/photocopier, TV, damp, and window condensation in winter. Lifestyle-related risk factors were child caretakers other than parents, and age<3 for the day-care. Other risk factors included use of antibiotics, and mother’s occupation. Major protective factors for wheeze were living in a rural/suburban region, air conditioner use, and mother’s occupation in healthcare.Our findings suggest that changes in lifestyle and indoor environments associated with the urbanization and industrialization of China are associated with asthma, rhinitis, and wheeze in children.