This study was carried out to investigate the concentration of two heavy metals, i.e., mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in soil and plant. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) was used as a test vegetable in a pot experiment. Five spiked concentrations of both the metals along with sewage water were used as treatments. The analyses of the metals were determined in two cuttings. The results showed significant effect of treatments on the concentration of the two metals in soil and plant. The concentrations of As recorded were higher in 1st spinach cutting and reduced in the second harvest. However, comparing the two metal concentrations, it was found that As was absorbed greater as compared with Hg. Analyzing the plant growth parameter, it was found that metal stress has significantly influenced the plant growth. In sewage water pots, As was significantly higher than Hg. The transfer factor from soil to plant showed higher As in plants at lower concentration, but at higher As levels, the transfer rate declined, while Hg showed it was completely inverse. Positive correlation was found between soil applied metal concentration and plant uptake. It may be concluded from the above results that spinach is a good accumulator of heavy metals and has shown significant result of both As and Hg accumulation in plant. The concentration increased with the increasing concentration in soil.

Various types of micropollutants, e.g., pharmaceuticals and their metabolites and resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms, are usually found in hospital wastewaters. The aim of this paper was to study the presence of 74 frequently used pharmaceuticals, legal and illegal drugs, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 5 hospital wastewaters in Slovakia and Czechia and to compare the efficiency of several advanced oxidations processes (AOPs) for sanitation and treatment of such highly polluted wastewaters. The occurrence of micropollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was investigated by in-line SPE-LC-MS/MS technique and cultivation on antibiotic and antibiotic-free selective diagnostic media, respectively. The highest maximum concentrations were found for cotinine (6700 ng/L), bisoprolol (5200 ng/L), metoprolol (2600 ng/L), tramadol (2400 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (1500 ng/L), and ranitidine (1400 ng/L). In the second part of the study, different advanced oxidation processes, modified Fenton reaction, ferrate(VI), and oxidation by boron-doped diamond electrode were tested in order to eliminate the abovementioned pollutants. Obtained results indicate that the modified Fenton reaction and application of boron-doped diamond electrode were able to eliminate almost the whole spectrum of selected micropollutants with efficiency higher than 90%. All studied methods achieved complete removal of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in hospital wastewaters.

Previous studies have shown that exposure to particulate matter (PM) increased variety of health problems, particularly cardiovascular diseases leading to premature mortality. The cardiac effects of particulate matter containing PM₁₀ include increased infarct size, decreased heart function, and increased arrhythmias in experimental ischemia-reperfusion models in rats. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of particles with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 μm (PM₁₀) on isolated-rat heart and also to determine the efficacy of gallic acid (GA) as a preventive agent in oxidative damage. The healthy rats were divided into 8 equal groups which served as, control, GA, PM₁₀ (0.5, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg), and PM₁₀+GA groups. PM₁₀ administered into the lungs via the trachea in two stages with 48-h interval. After all experiments, the electrocardiogram was recorded. Then, the hemodynamic parameters and ventricular arrhythmias in rat isolated-hearts were assessed using Langendorff apparatus and according to the Lambeth conventions. In addition, the inflammation and oxidative stress factors in cardiac tissues were evaluated in all groups. The obtained results showed that the exposure to PM caused to decrease in cardiac hemodynamic and electrocardiogram parameters. Also, in PM₁₀ rat groups, the IL-6, TNF-α, and oxidative stress parameters were increased. Gallic acid preserved the value of cardiac parameters and inflammation in rat hearts. In summary, we added a novel therapeutic effect of gallic acid for cardiac dysfunction induced by particulate matter. These findings could be related to antioxidant and antiinflammation properties and the obtained results suggest that natural antioxidant like gallic acid could be a therapeutic agent in prevention and management of health issues in the polluted areas of the world.

In the past few years, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of environmental pollutants, have been associated with metabolism dysregulation. Muscle is one of the key regulators of metabolism because of its mass and its important role in terms of glucose consumption and glucose storage. It has been shown that muscle alterations, such as oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, contribute significantly to the development of metabolic diseases. No study has yet investigated the toxicological effect of PCBs on muscle mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in vivo. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of PCB126 in vivo exposure (single dose of 1.05 μmol/kg) on muscle mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in rats. PCB126-treated rats showed a marked increase in Cyp1a1 mRNA levels in skeletal muscles in association with a 40% reduction in state 3 oxygen consumption rate measured with complex I substrates in permeabilized muscle fibers. Furthermore, PCB126 exposure altered the expression of some enzymes involved in ROS detoxification such as catalase and glutaredoxin 2. Our results highlight for the first time a toxic effect of coplanar PCBs on skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. This suggests that acute PCB exposure, by affecting muscle metabolism, could contribute to the development of metabolic disorders. Studies are needed to determine if lower-level but longer-term PCB exposure exhibits the same effect.

Pesticides have been associated with various pathologies, and there is growing evidence of pesticide presence in domestic environments. However, most available studies focused on a limited number of pesticides or households, and few have been conducted in Europe. We aimed to assess indoor pesticide contamination by screening the prevalence of 276 pesticides and ten pesticide metabolites, in French households from different agricultural and urban areas. We sampled indoor dust from 239 households in 2012, proximate to orchards (n = 69), cereals (n = 66) and vineyard (n = 68) crops, or from urban area (n = 36). we used cellulose wipes moistened with isopropanol and polypropylene dust traps to collect recent (7 and 30 days, respectively) and settled dust (> 6 months). Overall, 125 pesticides and piperonyl butoxide were detected at least once in households, mostly at low prevalence: 97 in recent dust, and 111 in settled dust. In recent dust, the most prevalent compounds were o-phenylphenol (168 households, 70%), pentachlorophenol (86, 36%), and piperonyl butoxide (82, 34%). In addition to agricultural pesticides, we found a high proportion of domestic and banned compounds in recent and settled house dust. Several pesticides were identified in house dust, from different pesticide groups and sources. Our results suggest that domestic usage and persistence of banned pesticides may contribute substantially to indoor pesticide contamination. Graphical abstract 97 pesticides detected in households’ recent indoor dust.

Alumina has been used as a catalyst for ozonation, surface hydroxyl on which is regarded as the active center for ozone attack, but the influences of hydroxyl generation are still vague. Here, we prepared alumina with different hydroxyl concentrations by adjusting calcination temperatures, of which the catalytic activity was evaluated with the mineralization degree of phenol, and then revealed the active sites of hydroxyl generation with characterization of XRD, Py-IR, and NH₃-TPD. The results show that the greater the hydroxyl concentration, the higher the catalytic activity, demonstrating that surface hydroxyl contributes to its catalytic activity. The effect of calcination temperatures on hydroxyl concentration and catalytic activity is in accordance with the amount of weak Lewis acid sites on the surface of alumina, illustrating the surface hydroxyl derived from the decomposition of water adsorbed on weak Lewis acid sites. However, the catalytic performance of the alumina decreases slowly in a long-term reaction owing to the active center reduction resulted from the coverage by organic acids from phenol degradation. The present work reveals the influences of hydroxyl generation which are beneficial for adjusting surface hydroxyl regarded as active site for ozone attack and the reason of catalyst deactivation, which provides guideline for the rational design of catalyst.

Vanadium mining and smelting activities were increasing extensively and causing serious vanadium pollution in soil around the mining area. Different existing forms of vanadium had different biological effects and the exchangeable state had been recognized as a severe threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. At present, the research on vanadium morphology had not received much attention. In this study, the area that we researched had been severely polluted with vanadium due to mining and smelting activities. The changes in the morphology of vanadium in soil were studied by adjusting the organic matter content, clay mineral content, pH value, and Eh value. The results showed that at pH 8 and for 1% of humic acid added, the exchangeable fraction of vanadium in the slag was 10% and 9%, respectively, which was 5% and 6% lower than the control group. The addition of kaolin and the redox change had little effect on the exchangeable fraction of vanadium, with a change of only about 2%. To control the soil pollution caused by slag and to repair its ecological characteristics, kaolin and humic acid were used for the repair test. The results showed that after 1% humic acid mixed with 8% kaolin was added in soil, the germination rate of ryegrass reached 95% and grew flourishingly which is significantly better than other treatment groups. Our research can provide a reference for future vanadium pollution control, especially in the morphology of vanadium research.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a class 2B human carcinogen that is used as an insecticide, herbicide, and wood preservative. PCP is rapidly absorbed and enters the blood where it can interact with erythrocytes. We have examined the effect of PCP on human erythrocytes. Treatment of erythrocytes with PCP increased the intracellular generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. It also increased lipid and protein oxidation accompanied by decrease in glutathione levels and total sulfhydryl content. The activities of all major antioxidant enzymes were altered. The antioxidant power was significantly impaired resulting in lower free radical quenching and metal reducing ability of the PCP-treated cells. PCP exposure also inhibited the activities of enzymes of glycolysis and pentose phosphate shunt, the two pathways of glucose metabolism in erythrocytes. Heme degradation was enhanced leading to the release of free iron. Incubation of erythrocytes with PCP caused significant cell lysis suggesting plasma membrane damage which was also evident from inhibition of bound enzymes. Scanning electron microscopy of erythrocytes confirmed these biochemical results and showed that PCP treatment converted the normal biconcave discoids to echinocytes and other irregularly shaped cells. Thus, PCP induces oxidative and nitrosative stress in erythrocytes, alters the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense systems, inhibits glucose metabolism, and causes significant modifications in cellular morphology.

The preparation of coal water slurry (CWS) using wastewater, which contains inorganic and organic components, is one method of wastewater utilization. In this study, the effect of inorganic salts on the viscosity of CWS was examined. The results show that monovalent salts (NaCl, KCl) decreased the viscosity of CWS. The viscosity of CWS was not affected by bivalent salts (CaCl₂, MgCl₂). However, CWS combined with trivalent salt (AlCl₃) sharply increased the viscosity. The zeta potential of CWS with inorganic salts increased which can enhance the electric repulsion and beneficial to reduce the viscosity. The content of free water in CWS with trivalent salt decreased, and the freedom of the free water in CWS with trivalent salt decreased which were all bad to the viscosity and the adsorption of the dispersant on the particles. Compared with the surface polarity of the particles without inorganic salts, the surface polarity of the particles with divalent salts was similar to those without inorganic salts. Under the comprehensive influence, divalent salt has little effect on the viscosity of CWS.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake. The correct image of figure 2 is shown in this paper.