Brominated flame retardants (BFRs, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA)) and metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Hg and As) in sediments, soils and herb plants from unregulated e-waste disposal sites were examined. The metal concentrations, ∑PBDE and TBBPA concentrations in all samples from the examined e-waste dismantling sites were relatively high in comparison with those of rural and urban areas around the world. The PBDE and TBBPA levels in soils significantly decreased with increasing distance from the e-waste dismantling sites, indicating that PBDEs and TBBPA had similar transport potential from the e-waste dismantling process as a point source to the surrounding region. BDE-209 and TBBPA predominated in all samples, which is consistent with the evidence that the deca-BDE and TBBPA commercial mixtures were extensively used in electronic products. Metals, PBDEs and TBBPA displayed significant positive correlations with TOC, whereas the correlations with pH were insignificant, indicating that TOC was a major factor governing the spatial distribution, transportation and fate in sediments and soils. A significant relationship between log-transformed metals and BFR concentrations indicated common pollution sources. Moreover, cluster analysis and principal component analysis further confirmed that the metals and BFRs had a common source, and penta- and deca-BDE commercial products may be two sources of PBDEs in this region.

Concentrations of eight heavy metals (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)) were measured in 92 topsoil samples collected from agricultural areas in Daye City to (1) assess the distribution of these heavy metals, (2) discriminate natural and anthropic contributions, and (3) identify possible sources of pollution. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, and Zn in the investigated soils were 23.8, 1.41, 105, and 159 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. These values were higher, in some cases by several orders of magnitude, than their corresponding background values. Estimated ecological risks, based on contamination factors and potential ecological risk indexes, were mostly low, but were considerable for As and Cd. A range of basic and multivariate statistical analyses (Pearson’s correlation analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and principal component analysis) clearly revealed two distinct metal groups, comprising As/Cd/Cu/Zn and Cr/Ni/Hg/Pb, whose concentrations were closely associated with the distribution and pollution characteristics of industries in and around the city. Results demonstrated that As/Cd/Cu/Zn were indicators of anthropic pollution, while Cr/Hg/Ni/Pb were from parent materials. Maps of pollutant distribution compiled for the entire arable area further indicated that non-ferrous metal smelting and mining is the main source of diffuse pollution, and also showed the contribution of point source pollution to metal concentrations in agricultural topsoil. Results of this study will be useful for planning, risk assessment, and decision making by environmental managers in this region.

Precipitation of salts—mainly hydrated Mg-Na sulfates—in building materials is rated as one of the most severe threats to the preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the origin of this pathology is still unknown in many cases. Proper identification of the cause of damage is crucial for correct planning of future restoration actions. The goal of this study is to identify the source of the degradation compounds that are affecting the 15th-century limestone sculptures that decorate the retro-choir of Burgos Cathedral (northern Spain). To this end, detailed characterization of minerals by in situ (Raman spectroscopy) and laboratory techniques (XRD, Raman and FTIR) was followed by major elements (ICP and IC) and isotopic analysis (δ³⁴S and δ¹⁵N) of both the mineral phases precipitated on the retro-choir and the dissolved salts in groundwater in the vicinity of the cathedral. The results reveal unequivocal connection between the damage observed and capillary rise of salts-bearing water from the subsoil. The multianalytical methodology used is widely applicable to identify the origin of common affections suffered by historical buildings and masterpieces.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be emitted from surfaces indoors leading to compromised air quality. This study scrutinized the influence of relative humidity (RH) on VOC concentrations in a building that had been subjected to water damage. While air samplings in a damp room at low RH (21–22 %) only revealed minor amounts of 2-ethylhexanol (3 μg/m³) and 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate (TXIB, 8 μg/m³), measurements performed after a rapid increase of RH (to 58–75 %) revealed an increase in VOC concentrations which was 3-fold for 2-ethylhexanol and 2-fold for TXIB. Similar VOC emission patterns were found in laboratory analyses of moisture-affected and laboratory-contaminated building materials. This study demonstrates the importance of monitoring RH when sampling indoor air for VOCs in order to avoid misleading conclusions from the analytical results.

Natural estrogens are important endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), which may pose adverse effects on our environment. To avoid time-consuming sample preparation and chemical analysis, estimation of their concentrations in municipal wastewater based on their human urine/feces excretion rates has been generally adopted. However, the data of excretion rates available are very limited and show significant difference among countries. In the context of increasing reporting on the concentrations of natural estrogens in municipal wastewater around the world, this study presented a simple method to estimate their human excretion rates based on the concentrations of natural estrogens in raw sewage. The estimated human excretion rates of natural estrogens among ten countries were obtained, which totally covered over 33 million population. Among these, Brazilians had the largest excretion rates with estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2) as 236.9 and 60 μg/day/P, respectively, while Iran had the lowest value of 2 μg/day/P for E1 and 0.5 μg/day/P for E2. The average estimated human excretion rates of E1, E2, and estriol (E3) are 17.3, 6.4, and 39.7 μg/day/P, respectively. When the estimated human excretion rates obtained were applied for prediction, the predicted results showed better accuracies than those based on human urinary/feces excretion rates. The method in this study is simple, cost-effective and time-saving, which may be widely applied.

This study reports the chemical bioavailability of several potentially toxic elements (Zn, Pb, Cd, As, and Sb) in contaminated Technosols from two former smelting and mining areas. Though these elements have long been recognized as potentially harmful elements, understanding of their toxicity and environmental behavior in Technosols developed on former mining and smelting sites are more limited, particularly for As and Sb. Surface soils were sampled from metallophyte grassland contaminated with Zn, Pb, and Cd located at Mortagne-du-Nord (North France) and from a former mining settling basin contaminated with As, Pb, and Sb located at la Petite Faye (Limoges, France). Various selective single extraction procedures (CaCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃, DTPA, and EDTA) were used together with germination tests with dwarf beans whose shoots were analyzed for their potentially toxic element concentrations after 21 days of growth. The extraction capacity of the potentially toxic elements followed the order EDTA > DTPA > NH₄NO₃ > CaCl₂ > NaNO₃for both studied areas. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis between the concentrations of potentially toxic elements accumulated in bean primary leaves or their mineral mass with their extractable concentrations showed a positive significant correlation with dilute CaCl₂and nitrate solutions extraction procedures. In contrast, for all studied elements, except Pb, the complexing and chelating extractants (EDTA and DTPA) exhibited poor correlation with the dwarf bean leaves concentrations. Moreover, results showed that the 0.01 M CaCl₂extraction procedure was the most suitable and provided the most useful indications of metal phytoavailability for studied elements.

Twenty-four surface sediment samples were collected from Liaohe River in June 2014 for the analysis of total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, and Mn. The spatial distribution of heavy metals in Liaohe River was site specific, with Hun River as the most polluted river mainly affected by industrial and human activities. The contents of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEMs) in Liaohe River varied significantly, ranging from 0.03 to 19.4 μmol/g and 0.14 to 10.8 μmol/g, respectively. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) community size, organic matter and sulfate availability, and sediment redox status may be the main factors affecting the AVS distribution. Among all the acid-extracted metals, Zn was dominant in all samples, whereas much more toxic Cd contributed less than 1.0 % to the total SEMs. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and AVS-SEM models were used to predict the sediment toxicity. Results revealed that only a small portion of sites exhibited potential metal toxicity to aquatic biota, while adverse effects should rarely occur in majority of sites. Comparison of the two assessment methods showed inconsistent results, indicating that each method had its own limitations. The combination of different methods will be more convincing as to the sediment quality assessment.

The oxidation of diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and emerging water pollutant, with chlorine dioxide was investigated under simulated water disinfection conditions. The reaction kinetics as functions of the initial concentrations of DCF, different nitrogenous species, and different pE values were experimentally determined. The results demonstrated that DCF reacted rapidly with ClO₂, where more than 75 % of DCF (≤3.00 μM) was removed by 18.94 μM ClO₂ within 60 s. All of the reactions followed pseudo first-order kinetics with respect to DCF, and the rate constant, k ₒbₛ, exhibited a significant decrease from 4.21 × 10⁻² to 8.09 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹, as the initial DCF concentration was increased from 1.00 to 5.00 μM. Furthermore, the degradation kinetics of DCF was clearly dependent on nitrogen-containing ion concentrations in the reaction solution. Ammonium and nitrite ions inhibited the DCF degradation by ClO₂, whereas nitrate ion clearly initiated its promotion. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of NO₂ ⁻ was more robust than that of NH₄ ⁺. When the values of pE were gradually increased, the transformation of NH₄ ⁺ to NO₂ ⁻, and subsequently to NO₃ ⁻, would occur, the rate constants were initially decreased, and then increased. When NH₄ ⁺ and NO₂ ⁻ coexisted, the inhibitory effect on the DCF degradation was less than the sum of the partial inhibitory effect. However, when NO₂ ⁻ and NO₃ ⁻ coexisted, the actual inhibition rate was greater than the theoretical estimate. These results indicated that the interaction of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₂ ⁻ was antagonistic, while the coexistence of NO₂ ⁻ and NO₃ ⁻ was observed to have a synergistic effect in aqueous environments.

Mining activities result in extensive soil degradation by removing the top soil, disturbing soil structure and altering microbial communities. Rehabilitation of spent mine sites through revegetation thus requires proper soil amendments. In this study, a pot trial was conducted to investigate the effects of a jarrah biochar on the growth and nutrient status of a native legume, Acacia tetragonophylla, grown in a mixture of topsoil and mine rejects. Two biochar application rates (37 and 74 t ha⁻¹) and two types of biochar, namely nutrient-enriched and non-enriched, were tested. We measured the soil pH and electrical conductivity, the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and C and N isotope composition (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) of soil and plants, the foliar phosphorus content and the growth and leaf biomass of the plants. Whilst no significant effect of biochar was observed on plant growth, biochar amendment affected soil properties and plant nutritional status. The highest rate of biochar application increased soil pH, C content and C/N ratio, and decreased soil δ¹³C. Biochar application also enhanced photosynthetic N use efficiency, as showed by the increase in foliar C/N ratio, and biological N fixation rates, as indicated by foliar δ¹⁵N. These positive effects were not observed when biochar was nutrient-enriched due to the associated increase in soil N. Revegetation of mine sites with acacia in combination with biochar amendment constitutes a plausible alternative to the wide use of N fertiliser through the supply of additional N to the system, even though other nutrients may be required in order to enhance plant early growth.

Phthalates may be present in food due to their widespread presence as environmental contaminants or due to migration from food contact materials. Exposure to phthalates is considered to be potentially harmful to human health as well. Therefore, determining the main source of exposure is an important issue. So, the purpose of this study was (1) to measure the release of diethyl phthalate (DEP) in bottled water consumed in common storage conditions specially low temperature and freezing conditions; (2) to evaluate the intake of DEP from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottled water and health risk assessment; and (3) to assess the contribution of the bottled water to the DEP intake against the tolerable daily intake (TDI) values. DEP migration was investigated in six brands of PET-bottled water under different storage conditions room temperature, refrigerator temperature, freezing conditions (40 °C ,0 °C and −18 °C) and outdoor] at various time intervals by magnetic solid extraction (MSPE) using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Eventually, a health risk assessment was conducted and the margin of exposure (MOE) was calculated. The results indicate that contact time with packaging and storage temperatures caused DEP to be released into water from PET bottles. But, when comprising the DEP concentration with initial level, the results demonstrated that the release of phthalates were not substantial in all storage conditions especially at low temperatures (<25 °C) and freezing conditions. The daily intake of DEP from bottled water was much lower than the reference value. However, the lowest MOE was estimated for high water consumers (preschooler > children > lactating women > teenagers > adults > pregnant women), but in all target groups, the MOE was much higher than 1000, thus, low risk is implied. Consequently, PET-bottled water is not a major source of human exposure to DEP and from this perspective is safe for consumption.