The composition of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the ambient air of indoor environments has already been described, but little is known about the inherent endocrine-disrupting potential of indoor air contamination. We therefore aimed to study the distribution of bioactive EDCs in the gaseous and particulate phases of indoor air using a cellular bioassay approach that integrates the interaction effects between chemicals. Organic air extracts, both gaseous and particulate, were taken from three indoor locations (office, apartment, and children’s day care) in France and sampled in two different seasons in order to study their interference with the signaling of estrogen, androgen, and thyroid receptors. The experiments were also conducted on aerial extracts from an outdoor site (urban center). We found that gaseous and/or particulate extracts from all locations displayed estrogenicity, anti-androgenicity, and thyroidicity. Overall, indoor air extracts had a higher endocrine-disrupting potential compared to outdoor ones, especially during winter and in the day care. The biological activities were predominant for the gaseous extracts and tended to increase for the particulate extracts in cool conditions. In conclusion, our data confirmed the presence of bioactive EDCs in a gaseous state and highlighted their indoor origin and concentration, especially in the cold season.

In the eutrophic Ghar El Melh Lagoon (GML, Tunisia), the distribution of heterotrophic prokaryotes, pico- and nanophytoplankton was studied at five stations in November 2012 at the single cell level, along with environmental factors. Flow cytometry analysis of ultraplankton (<10 μm) resolved (i) two heterotrophic prokaryote groups, low and high nucleic acid contents (LNA and HNA, respectively), and (ii) eight to nine ultraphytoplankton groups (cryptophyte-like cells, two nanoeukaryote subgroups, two picoeukaryote subgroups and three Synechococcus-like cells subgroups). Prochlorococcus was not detected. According to redundancy analysis (RDA), a significant difference was found in the distribution of the ultraplankton between stations (F = 2.61, p < 0.05); maximum proliferations of heterotrophic prokaryotes were observed in the inner parts of the lagoon at stations 3, 4 and 5 affected by urban, agricultural and industrial discharges. Ultraphytoplankton concentrations were the highest near the outlet of the lagoon at stations 1 and 2 influenced by freshwater outflow and oligotrophic Mediterranean water inflow, respectively. At station 1, the large ultraphytoplankton concentration derives from the high abundance of cryptophyte-like cells favoured by the freshwater outflow whereas at station 2, the input of oligotrophic Mediterranean water enhanced the abundance of Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes at the expense of nanoeukaryotes. Two trophic regimes were thus differentiated in GML.

Although cell phones have been used worldwide, some adverse and toxic effects were reported for this communication technology apparatus. To analyze in vivo effects of exposure to radiofrequency-electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) on protein expression in rat testicular proteome, 20 Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMF for 0, 1, 2, or 4 h/day for 30 consecutive days. Protein content of rat testes was separated by high-resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis using immobilized pH gradient (pI 4–7, 7 cm) and 12% acrylamide and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. Two protein spots were found differentially overexpressed (P < 0.05) in intensity and volume with induction factors 1.7 times greater after RF-EMF exposure. After 4 h of daily exposure for 30 consecutive days, ATP synthase beta subunit (ASBS) and hypoxia up-regulated protein 1 precursor (HYOU1) were found to be significantly up-regulated. These proteins affect signaling pathways in rat testes and spermatogenesis and play a critical role in protein folding and secretion in the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results indicate that exposure to RF-EMF produces increases in testicular proteins in adults that are related to carcinogenic risk and reproductive damage. In light of the widespread practice of men carrying phones in their pockets near their gonads, where exposures can exceed as-tested guidelines, further study of these effects should be a high priority.

Cyanide toxicity and their environmental impact are well known. Nevertheless, they are still used in the mining, galvanic and chemical industries. As a result of industrial activities, cyanides are released in various forms to all elements of the environment. In a natural environment, cyanide exists as cyanogenic glycosides in plants seeds. Too much consumption can cause unpleasant side effects. However, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the most common source of cyanide. Live organisms have the ability to convert cyanide into less toxic compounds excreted with physiological fluids. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of knowledge on the behaviour of cyanide in the environment and its impact on the health and human life.

Heavy metal-contaminated sediments posed a serious threat to both human beings and environment. A biosurfactant, rhamnolipid, was employed as the washing agent to remove heavy metals in river sediment. Batch experiments were conducted to test the removal capability. The effects of rhamnolipid concentration, washing time, solution pH, and liquid/solid ratio were investigated. The speciation of heavy metals before and after washing in sediment was also analyzed. Heavy metal washing was favored at high concentration, long washing time, and high pH. In addition, the efficiency of washing was closely related to the original speciation of heavy metals in sediment. Rhamnolipid mainly targeted metals in exchangeable, carbonate-bound or Fe-Mn oxide-bound fractions. Overall, rhamnolipid biosurfactant as a washing agent could effectively remove heavy metals from sediment.

The mechanisms of nitrogen (N) tolerance in lichens are not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated how the increase of chitin content is related with N excess at inter- and intra-specific levels, by using species with differing ecological N tolerances (the tolerant Xanthoria parietina and Parmotrema hypoleucinum and the sensitive Evernia prunastri and Usnea sp.) and thalli of X. parietina and P. hypoleucinum from sites with different availabilities of N of agricultural origin (livestock), as confirmed by lichen N content and δ¹⁵N. Nitrogen, chitin (N-containing compound), and ergosterol contents were measured in lichen thalli. Nitrogen and chitin contents were higher in tolerant species than those in sensitive ones (inter-specific level) and in thalli collected from the N-polluted site than in thalli from the clean site (intra-specific level). We suggest that chitin contributes to N stress tolerance in lichens, and that excess N can be partially stored as chitin (non-toxic form) in the cell walls of tolerant species.

With sulfide as an anodic electron donor and ammonium as a cathodic substrate, the feasibility of simultaneous sulfide removal, nitrification, and electricity generation was investigated in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) equipped with an oxic cathode. Successful simultaneous sulfide removal, nitrification, and electricity generation in this MFC were achieved in 35 days, with the sulfide and ammonium removal percent of 92.7 ± 1.4 and 96.4 ± 0.3%, respectively. The maximum power density increased, but the internal resistance decreased with the increase of feeding sulfide concentration from 62.9 ± 0.3 to 238.5 ± 0.2 mg S/L. Stable ammonium removal with complete nitrification, preparing for future denitrification, was obtained throughout the current study. Sulfide removal loading significantly increased with the increase of feeding sulfide concentration at each external resistance, but no significant correlation between sulfide removal loading and external resistance was found at each feeding sulfide concentration. The charge recovery and anodic coulombic efficiency (CE) significantly decreased with the increase of external resistance. High feeding sulfide concentration led to low anodic CE. Granular sulfur deposition was found on the anode graphite fiber. The appropriate feeding sulfide concentration for sulfide removal and sulfur deposition was deemed to be 178.0 ± 1.7 mg S/L, achieving a sulfur deposition percent of 69.7 ± 0.6%.

Cement-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) is a practical treatment approach for hazardous waste with anthropogenic As sources; however, its applicability for geogenic As-containing soil and the long-term leaching potential remain uncertain. In this study, semi-dynamic leaching test was performed to investigate the influence of S/S binders (cement blended with fuel ash (FA), furnace bottom ash (FBA), or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)) on the long-term leaching characteristics of geogenic As. The results showed that mineral admixtures with higher Ca content and pozzolanic activity were more effective in reducing the leached As concentrations. Thus, cement blended with FBA was inferior to other binders in suppressing the As leaching, while 20% replacement of ordinary Portland cement by GGBS was considered most feasible for the S/S treatment of As-containing soils. The leachability of geogenic As was suppressed by the encapsulation effect of solidified matrix and interlocking network of hydration products that were supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. The long-term leaching of geogenic As from the monolithic samples was diffusion-controlled. Increasing the Ca content in the samples led to a decrease in diffusion coefficient and an increase in feasibility for “controlled utilization” of the S/S-treated soils.

Epidemiological data indicate that exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) from traffic emissions is associated with higher risk of morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, accelerated progression of atherosclerotic plaques, and possible lung cancer. While the impact of DEPs from combustion of fossil diesel fuel on human health has been extensively studied, current knowledge of DEPs from combustion of biofuels provides limited and inconsistent information about its mutagenicity and genotoxicity, as well as possible adverse health risks. The objective of the present work was to compare the genotoxicity of DEPs from combustion of two first-generation fuels, 7% fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) (B7) and 20% FAME (B20), and a second-generation 20% FAME/hydrotreated vegetable oil (SHB: synthetic hydrocarbon biofuel) fuel. Our results revealed that particulate engine emissions from each type of biodiesel fuel induced genotoxic effects in BEAS-2B and A549 cells, manifested as the increased levels of single-strand breaks, the increased frequencies of micronuclei, or the deregulated expression of genes involved in DNA damage signaling pathways. We also found that none of the tested DEPs showed the induction of oxidative DNA damage and the gamma-H2AX-detectable double-strand breaks. The most pronounced differences concerning the tested particles were observed for the induction of single-strand breaks, with the greatest genotoxicity being associated with the B7-derived DEPs. The differences in other effects between DEPs from the different biodiesel blend percentage and biodiesel feedstock were also observed, but the magnitude of these variations was limited.

Petroleum contamination is a significant environmental problem in the Yellow River Delta. The responses of two native salt-tolerant plant species, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and bristle grass (Setaria uiridis Beauv), to soil petroleum contamination were investigated at five levels between 0 and 2.0% (w/w). Results showed that the total, aboveground and underground plant biomasses of both species were significantly reduced by petroleum contamination (p < 0.05), with the inhibition enhanced with increased petroleum levels. However, the emergence rate of bristle grass was promoted by petroleum contamination. Following 100 days of exposure, the number of soil petroleum degraders increased greatly, with a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease at 1.5% contamination or higher. Compared to bulk soils, bacteria-degrading alkanes, total hydrocarbons and PAHs in alfalfa rhizosphere soils increased by 1.33–4.18-, 0.85–3.01- and 4.12–12.75-fold, respectively, with an increase of 2.80–10.00-, 4.42–14.44- and 7.30–26.00-fold in bristle grass rhizosphere soils, respectively. The greatest number of petroleum degraders in bristle grass rhizosphere soils resulted in the highest petroleum degradation rate. Bristle grass may be the optimal species for petroleum remediation in the studied area.