We evaluated the utility of chironomid and lamprey larval responses in ecotoxicity assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/F)-, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)- and mercury (Hg)-contaminated river sediments. Sediment samples were collected from the River Kymijoki with a known industrial pollution gradient. Sediment for the controls and lamprey larvae were obtained from an uncontaminated river nearby. Contamination levels were verified with sediment and tissue PCDD/F, PCB and Hg analyses. Behaviour of sediment-exposed chironomid and lamprey larvae were measured with Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor© utilizing quadrupole impedance conversion technique. In addition, mortality, growth and head capsule deformity incidence of chironomids were used as ecotoxicity indicators. WHOPCDD/F₊PCB-TEQ in the R. Kymijoki sediments ranged from the highest upstream 22.36 ng g⁻¹ dw to the lowest 1.50 ng g⁻¹ near the river mouth. The sum of PCDD/Fs and PCBs correlated strongly with Hg sediment concentrations, which ranged from <0.01 to 1.15 μg g⁻¹. Lamprey tissue concentrations of PCDD/Fs were two orders and PCBs one order of magnitude higher in the R. Kymijoki compared to the reference. Chironomid growth decreased in contaminated sediments and was negatively related to sediment ∑PCDD/Fs, WHOPCDD/F₊PCB-TEQ and Hg. There were no significant differences in larval mortality or chironomid mentum deformity incidence between the sediment exposures. The distinct behavioural patterns of both species indicate overall applicability of behavioural MFB measurements of these species in sediment toxicity bioassays. Chironomids spent less and lampreys more time in locomotion in the most contaminated sediment compared to the reference, albeit statistically significant differences were not detected. Lamprey larvae had also a greater activity range in some of the contaminated sediments than in the reference. High pollutant levels in lamprey indicate risks for biomagnification in the food webs, with potential health risks to humans consuming fish.

In the food industry and linked activities, environmental impacts relate mainly to the generation of liquid and gaseous effluents. Rendering plants, which process animal by-products, are strongly associated with malodorous emissions. Thus, effective odour-control technologies are required to minimise odour annoyance in nearby communities and thereby public complaints. In this paper, the effectiveness of a biofilter for the treatment of odours from a meat-rendering plant located in southern Brazil was evaluated based on German guideline VDI 3477:2004-11. Samples were collected upstream and downstream of the gas treatment system using a pragmatic approach in order to minimise the cost of such a study. Odour concentration was determined according to European standard EN 13725:2003. The results showed an OER of 8.82 × 10⁸ ouE h⁻¹ and odour removal efficiency lower than the established benchmark set by SEMA Resolution 054/2006, taken as reference for being the only Brazilian regulation to establish quantitative odour emission criteria. Enhancement of the biofiltration system and/or association with other odour abatement technologies are required to increase odour removal, limit impacts and comply with regulatory requirements. The paper also includes a discussion on the current odour regulation in Brazil.

This paper discuss the problem of forecasting the maximum ozone concentrations in urban microlocations, where reliable alerting of the local population when thresholds have been surpassed is necessary. To improve the forecast, the methodology of integrated models is proposed. The model is based on multilayer perceptron neural networks that use as inputs all available information from QualeAria air-quality model, WRF numerical weather prediction model and onsite measurements of meteorology and air pollution. While air-quality and meteorological models cover large geographical 3-dimensional space, their local resolution is often not satisfactory. On the other hand, empirical methods have the advantage of good local forecasts. In this paper, integrated models are used for improved 1-day-ahead forecasting of the maximum hourly value of ozone within each day for representative locations in Slovenia. The WRF meteorological model is used for forecasting meteorological variables and the QualeAria air-quality model for gas concentrations. Their predictions, together with measurements from ground stations, are used as inputs to a neural network. The model validation results show that integrated models noticeably improve ozone forecasts and provide better alert systems.

Maize tolerance potential to oil pollution was assessed by growing Zea mays in soil contaminated with varying levels of crude oil (0, 2.5 and 5.0 % v/w basis). Crude oil contamination reduced soil microflora which may be beneficial to plant growth. It was observed that oil pollution caused a remarkable decrease in biomass, leaf water potential, turgor potential, photosynthetic pigments, quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv/Fm), net CO₂ assimilation rate, leaf nitrogen and total free amino acids. Gas exchange characteristics suggested that reduction in photosynthetic rate was mainly due to metabolic limitations. Fast chlorophyll a kinetic analysis suggested that crude oil damaged PSII donor and acceptor sides and downregulated electron transport as well as PSI end electron acceptors thereby resulting in lower PSII efficiency in converting harvested light energy into biochemical energy. However, maize plants tried to acclimate to moderate level of oil pollution by increasing root diameter and root length relative to its shoot biomass, to uptake more water and mineral nutrients.

This study investigated the changes of toxic compounds in coking wastewater with biological treatment (anaerobic reactor, anoxic reactor and aerobic-membrane bioreactor, A1/A2/O-MBR) and advanced physicochemical treatment (Fenton oxidation and activated carbon adsorption) stages. As the biological treatment stages preceding, the inhibition effect of coking wastewater on the luminescence of Vibrio qinghaiensis sp. Nov. Q67 decreased. Toxic units (TU) of coking wastewater were removed by A1/A2/O-MBR treatment process, however approximately 30 % TU remained in the biologically treated effluent. There is a tendency that fewer and fewer residual organic compounds could exert equal acute toxicity during the biological treatment stages. Activated carbon adsorption further removed toxic pollutants of biologically treated effluent but the Fenton effluent increased acute toxicity. The composition of coking wastewater during the treatment was evaluated using the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The organic compounds with high polarity were the main cause of acute toxicity in the coking wastewater. Aromatic protein-like matters in the coking wastewater with low biodegradability and high toxicity contributed mostly to the remaining acute toxicity of the biologically treated effluents. Chlorine generated from the oxidation process was responsible for the acute toxicity increase after Fenton oxidation. Therefore, the incorporation of appropriate advanced physicochemical treatment process, e.g., activated carbon adsorption, should be implemented following biological treatment processes to meet the stricter discharge standards and be safer to the environment.

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin mainly produced by Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Bissochlamys. Given the high risk associated with this mycotoxin, its potential effects have been investigated by many studies. It is known to be teratogenic, mutagenic, and genotoxic, and it has been shown to induce damages in several organs in experimental animals. Our aim was to investigate the preventive effect against PAT-induced apoptosis in vivo using natural carotenoid, Crocin (CRO). Mice were divided into six groups: a control group, a “PAT alone” group, a “CRO alone” group, and a “PAT plus CRO” groups (pre-treatment conditions). Our results showed that CRO restored the normal levels of biochemical parameters in the liver and kidney. The analysis of the protein expression in these organs revealed that PAT-induced toxicity promotes the induction of apoptosis via the increase in P53, Bax, and cytochrome C and the decrease in Bcl2 expressions. We also found that PAT triggered caspase 3 activation and DNA fragmentation. However, pre-treatment with CRO demonstrated a reduction in the induction of apoptosis via the regulation of all tested biomarkers demonstrating that CRO is effective in the protection against PAT hazards. This could be relevant, particularly with the emergent demand for natural products which may counteract the detrimental toxic effects and therefore prevents multiple human diseases.

The growing production and commercial application of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), such as Ag, CeO₂, and TiO₂ nanoparticles, induce a risk to the environment as ENPs are released during their use. The comprehensive assessment of the environmental risk that the ENPs pose involves understanding their fate and behavior in wastewater treatment systems. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the effect of plants and different substrates on the retention and distribution of citrate-coated silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in batch experimental setups simulating constructed wetlands (CWs). Sand, zeolite, and biofilm-coated gravel induce efficient removal (85, 55, and 67 %, respectively) of Ag from the water phase indicating that citrate-coated Ag-NPs are efficiently retained in CWs. Plants are a minor factor in retaining Ag as a large fraction of the recovered Ag remains in the water phase (0.42–0.58). Most Ag associated with the plant tissues is attached to or taken up by the roots, and only negligible amounts (maximum 3 %) of Ag are translocated to the leaves under the applied experimental conditions.

Every spring, many of amphibians are killed by motor vehicles on roads. These road-killed animals can be used as valuable material for non-invasive studies showing the effect of environmental pollution on amphibian populations. The aims of our research were to check whether the phalanges of road-killed toads may be useful as material for histological analysis, and whether various degrees of human impact influence the level in bone abnormalities in the common toad. We also examined whether the sex and age structure of toads can differ significantly depending in the different sites. We chose three toad breeding sites where road-killed individuals had been observed: near the centre of a city, the outskirts of a city, and a rural site. We collected dead individuals during spring migration in 2013. The sex of each individual was determined and the toes were used to determine age using the skeletochronology method. While performing age estimates, we looked for abnormalities in relation to normal bone tissue structure. In urban site, females dominate males (sex ratio 2.6:1), but in populations from rural and semi-urban sites, sex ratio was reverse (1:2.2 and 1:1.4, respectively). However, we did not find any significant differences between age structure of all populations (average age of each population: approximately 4 years). We observed abnormalities in more than 80 % of all toads from the city, compared to approximately 20 % from the rural and semi-urban sites. In particular, we found hypertrophic bone cells, misaligned intercellular substance, and irregular outer edges of bones. We suggest that these malformations are caused by different pollution, e.g. with heavy metals.

Paraben esters and their salts are widely used as preservatives in cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and foods. We and others have reported that parabens promote adipogenesis in vitro. Here, we investigated the effects of post-weaning exposure to parabens (methylparaben and butylparaben) on body weight, white adipose tissue mass, and obesity associated metabolic biomarkers in female obesity-prone C57BL/6J mice fed with a chow diet or a high fat diet. Methylparaben exposure by daily oral gavage (100 mg/kg/day) increased adiposity and serum leptin levels compared to the controls when fed the chow diet, but not the high fat diet. In contrast, butylparaben exposure did not induce such effects. Exposure to either paraben induced changes in gene expression related to adipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis in the white adipose tissue (WAT) and the liver, regardless of diet. Moreover, exposure to both parabens under the chow diet significantly decreased serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) but had no effects on C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) levels, suggesting that post-weaning exposure to paraben may negatively affect bone formation, but not bone resorption. Taken together, our results demonstrate that post-weaning exposure to paraben, methylparaben in particular, promotes adipogenesis but suppresses serum marker of bone formation in vivo. Our results add to the growing body of literature indicating potential negative health outcomes associated with paraben exposure. Further study of early life exposure to paraben on the development of fat and bone is warranted.