Air pollution represents a major health problem in megacities, bringing about 8 million deaths every year. The aim of the study was to evaluate in vivo the ocular and respiratory mucosa biological response after chronic exposure to urban air particles from Buenos Aires (UAP-BA). BALB/c mice were exposed to UAP-BA or filtered air for 1, 6, 9, and 12 months. After exposure, histology, histomorphometry, and IL-6 proinflammatory cytokine level were evaluated in the respiratory and ocular mucosa. Total cell number and differential cell count were determined in the brochoalveolar lavage fluid. In the lung, chronic exposure to UAP-BA induced reduction of the alveolar space, polymorhonuclear cell recruitment, and goblet cell hyperplasia. In the ocular surface, UAP-BA induced an initial mucin positive cells rise followed by a decline through time, while IL-6 level increased at the latest point-time assayed. Our results showed that the respiratory and the ocular mucosas respond differently to UAP-BA. Being that lung and ocular mucosa diseases may be triggered and/or exacerbated by chronic exposure to urban air PM, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires whom are chronically exposed to environmental urban air pollution may be considered a subpopulation at risk. Based on our results, we propose the ocular mucosa as a reliable and more accessible surrogate for pulmonary mucosa environmental toxicity that might also serve as an earlier biomarker for air pollution adverse impact on health.

Air pollution represents a major health problem in megacities, bringing about 8 million deaths every year. The aim of the study was to evaluate in vivo the ocular and respiratory mucosa biological response after chronic exposure to urban air particles from Buenos Aires (UAP-BA). BALB/c mice were exposed to UAP-BA or filtered air for 1, 6, 9, and 12 months. After exposure, histology, histomorphometry, and IL-6 proinflammatory cytokine level were evaluated in the respiratory and ocular mucosa. Total cell number and differential cell count were determined in the brochoalveolar lavage fluid. In the lung, chronic exposure to UAP-BA induced reduction of the alveolar space, polymorhonuclear cell recruitment, and goblet cell hyperplasia. In the ocular surface, UAP-BA induced an initial mucin positive cells rise followed by a decline through time, while IL-6 level increased at the latest point-time assayed. Our results showed that the respiratory and the ocular mucosas respond differently to UAP-BA. Being that lung and ocular mucosa diseases may be triggered and/or exacerbated by chronic exposure to urban air PM, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires whom are chronically exposed to environmental urban air pollution may be considered a subpopulation at risk. Based on our results, we propose the ocular mucosa as a reliable and more accessible surrogate for pulmonary mucosa environmental toxicity that might also serve as an earlier biomarker for air pollution adverse impact on health. | Fil: Maglione, Guillermo Alberto. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología. Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente; Argentina | Fil: Kurtz, Melisa Lidia Amelia. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Ambiental. Centro de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina | Fil: Orona, Nadia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentina | Fil: Astort, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Ambiental. Centro de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina | Fil: Tavera Busso, Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina | Fil: Mandalunis, Patricia Mónica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra de Histología y Embriología; Argentina | Fil: Berra, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; Argentina | Fil: Tasat, Deborah Ruth. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Ambiental. Centro de Estudios Ambientales; Argentina

The phenotypic diversity of ant workers plays a fundamental role in their biology. In this study, we asked if the body size variation of monomorphic workers of the ant Lasius niger (Formicidae) responds adaptively to metal pollution in a post-mining metal-polluted area. Nest samples of workers were collected along a pollution gradient to calculate the within-colony variance in body size (expressed as maximum head width, HW). The results showed that the body size variation of L. niger was unrelated to the pollution index but demonstrated considerable variation between colonies even within the same study site. We suggest that the differences in morphological diversity between the colonies of L. niger could be shaped by colony personality traits, i.e., by colony-specific foraging and/or the feeding efficiency of nursing workers. The study supports previous findings, showing that morphological traits in Lasius ants are weakly related to environmental metal pollution.

The phenotypic diversity of ant workers plays a fundamental role in their biology. In this study, we asked if the body size variation of monomorphic workers of the ant Lasius niger (Formicidae) responds adaptively to metal pollution in a post-mining metal-polluted area. Nest samples of workers were collected along a pollution gradient to calculate the within-colony variance in body size (expressed as maximum head width, HW). The results showed that the body size variation of L. niger was unrelated to the pollution index but demonstrated considerable variation between colonies even within the same study site. We suggest that the differences in morphological diversity between the colonies of L. niger could be shaped by colony personality traits, i.e., by colony-specific foraging and/or the feeding efficiency of nursing workers. The study supports previous findings, showing that morphological traits in Lasius ants are weakly related to environmental metal pollution. | Ants, Trace metals, Body size, Pollution, Adaptation, Colony personality | 100 | 17858-17864 | 17

Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) are widely found in freshwater ecosystems because of their resistance to degradation and their ability to accumulate in aquatic organisms. While water temperature controls many physiological processes in fish, knowledge of the effects of this factor on PFAS toxicokinetic is still limited. This study presents experimental results of internal distribution and elimination rates of two perfluorinated acid compounds, namely perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) in adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to three temperatures. Dietary exposure experiments were conducted at 7 °C, 11 °C, and 19 °C and liver, blood, muscle, brain, and kidney were sampled for analysis. PFOS concentrations were comparable to or exceeded those of PFHxS, while PFHxS was eliminated faster than PFOS, whatever the temperature. Internal distribution changed significantly for both substances when fish were exposed to a range of temperatures from 7 to 19 °C. Indeed, PFOS and PFHxS relative distribution increased in blood, liver, and brain while they decreased in muscle when the water temperature rose. The water temperature variation affected the elimination half-lives, depending on the substances and organs.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]BELCA [ADD1_IRSTEA]Systèmes aquatiques soumis à des pressions multiples | International audience | Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) are widely found in freshwater ecosystems because of their resistance to degradation and their ability to accumulate in aquatic organisms. While water temperature controls many physiological processes in fish, knowledge of the effects of this factor on PFAS toxicokinetic is still limited. This study presents experimental results of internal distribution and elimination rates of two perfluorinated acid compounds, namely perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) in adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to three temperatures. Dietary exposure experiments were conducted at 7 °C, 11 °C, and 19 °C and liver, blood, muscle, brain, and kidney were sampled for analysis. PFOS concentrations were comparable to or exceeded those of PFHxS, while PFHxS was eliminated faster than PFOS, whatever the temperature. Internal distribution changed significantly for both substances when fish were exposed to a range of temperatures from 7 to 19 °C. Indeed, PFOS and PFHxS relative distribution increased in blood, liver, and brain while they decreased in muscle when the water temperature rose. The water temperature variation affected the elimination half-lives, depending on the substances and organs.

Chlorpyrifos manufacturing wastewater (CMW) is characterized by complex composition, high chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration, and toxicity. An integrated process comprising of peroxide (H₂O₂) promoted-catalytic wet air oxidation (PP-CWAO), struvite precipitation, and biological aerated filters (BAF) was constructed to treat CMW at a starting COD of 34000–35000 mg/L, total phosphorus (TP) of 5550–5620 mg/L, and total organophosphorus (TOP) of 4700–4840 mg/L. Firstly, PP-CWAO was used to decompose high concentrations of organic components and convert concentrated and recalcitrant TOP to inorganic phosphate. Copper citrate and ferrous citrate were used as the catalysts of PP-CWAO. Under the optimized conditions, 100% TOP was converted to inorganic phosphate with 95.6% COD removal. Then, the PP-CWAO effluent was subjected to struvite precipitation process for recovering phosphorus. At a molar ratio of Mg²⁺:NH₄⁺:PO₄³⁻ = 1.1:1.0:1.0, phosphate removal and recovery reached 97.2%. The effluent of struvite precipitation was further treated by the BAF system. Total removals of 99.0%, 95.2%, 97.3%, 100%, and 98.3% were obtained for COD, total suspended solids, TP, TOP, and chroma, respectively. This hybrid process has proved to be an efficient approach for organophosphate pesticide wastewater treatment and phosphorus reclamation.

International audience | Chlorpyrifos manufacturing wastewater (CMW) is characterized by complex composition, high chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration, and toxicity. An integrated process comprising of peroxide (H2O2) promoted-catalytic wet air oxidation (PP-CWAO), struvite precipitation, and biological aerated filters (BAF) was constructed to treat CMW at a starting COD of 34000–35000 mg/L, total phosphorus (TP) of 5550–5620 mg/L, and total organophosphorus (TOP) of 4700–4840 mg/L. Firstly, PP-CWAO was used to decompose high concentrations of organic components and convert concentrated and recalcitrant TOP to inorganic phosphate. Copper citrate and ferrous citrate were used as the catalysts of PP-CWAO. Under the optimized conditions, 100% TOP was converted to inorganic phosphate with 95.6% COD removal. Then, the PP-CWAO effluent was subjected to struvite precipitation process for recovering phosphorus. At a molar ratio of Mg2+:NH4+:PO43− = 1.1:1.0:1.0, phosphate removal and recovery reached 97.2%. The effluent of struvite precipitation was further treated by the BAF system. Total removals of 99.0%, 95.2%, 97.3%, 100%, and 98.3% were obtained for COD, total suspended solids, TP, TOP, and chroma, respectively. This hybrid process has proved to be an efficient approach for organophosphate pesticide wastewater treatment and phosphorus reclamation.

Over the past decades, overall ecological conditions in the Caspian Sea have deteriorated. However, a comprehensive understanding of lake-wide spatial differences in anthropogenic pressures is lacking and the biological consequences of human impacts are poorly understood. This paper therefore aims at assessing the individual and combined effects of critical anthropogenic pressures on the Caspian Sea ecoregions. First, cumulative pressure scores were calculated with a cumulative environmental assessment (CEA) analysis. Then, the individual contribution of anthropogenic pressures was quantified. Finally, ecoregion-specific differences were assessed. The analyses show that both cumulative and individual pressure scores are unevenly distributed across the Caspian Sea. The most important individual pressures are invasive species, chemical pollution and poaching. This uneven distribution of pressure scores across Caspian Sea ecoregions creates new challenges for future conservation strategies, as different ecoregions usually require different conservation measures.

Over the past decades, overall ecological conditions in the Caspian Sea have deteriorated. However, a comprehensive understanding of lake-wide spatial differences in anthropogenic pressures is lacking and the biological consequences of human impacts are poorly understood. This paper therefore aims at assessing the individual and combined effects of critical anthropogenic pressures on the Caspian Sea ecoregions. First, cumulative pressure scores were calculated with a cumulative environmental assessment (CEA) analysis. Then, the individual contribution of anthropogenic pressures was quantified. Finally, ecoregion-specific differences were assessed. The analyses show that both cumulative and individual pressure scores are unevenly distributed across the Caspian Sea. The most important individual pressures are invasive species, chemical pollution and poaching. This uneven distribution of pressure scores across Caspian Sea ecoregions creates new challenges for future conservation strategies, as different ecoregions usually require different conservation measures.