Lethal control remains an important approach to mitigating the impacts of predators on livestock and threatened fauna. This occurs in Australia, where wild dogs (Canis familiaris) and European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are commonly subjected to broad-scale poisoning programs. Ongoing refinement of lethal tools has led to the recent development of manufactured poison baits containing para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP). Canid pest ejectors (CPEs) have also been recently registered for use and are a target-specific poison delivery device; yet, there has been no confirmation that PAPP delivered via ejectors will provide similar efficacy to PAPP delivered via manufactured baits. We tested the efficacy of PAPP in ejectors on wild dogs (1000-mg dose) and foxes (400-mg dose). Time-to-death, physical signs of poisoning and other related factors were assessed. Ten of 11 (91%) wild dogs used in controlled trials died within 3 h after PAPP administration; the mean time to unconsciousness was 65 min and the mean time to death was 84 min. Three of four (75%) foxes also died within 3 h after PAPP administration; their mean time to unconsciousness was 78 min, and their mean time to death was 121 min. Carcasses of eight deceased wild dogs and one fox were found during field trials, with distances between the nearest triggered ejector and the deceased animal ranging from 30 to 200 m. The presence of de-oxygenated blood in all necropsied carcasses and photographic evidence of triggered ejectors unequivocally demonstrated that using powdered PAPP in ejectors produces rapid anoxia and death in both wild dogs and foxes. Although anxiety and accompanying behaviours were observed in wild dogs (but not foxes), the use of PAPP offers a humane, additional option for the control of wild canids.

Aluminum is widely used in industry and in cooking utensils, especially in countries with low economic and social standards. Fluoride is also used in industry, a major component of toothpaste and is added to the drinking water in many countries to fight teeth decay and cavities. Consequently, the coexistence of aluminum and fluoride is highly probable. Growing evidence indicates that environmental pollutants during the early stages of embryonic development may reprogram the offspring’s brain capabilities to encounter oxidative stress during the rest of their postnatal life. This study investigated the impact of sodium fluoride (NaF, 0.15 g/L) and aluminum chloride (AlCl₃, 500 mg/L) added, individually or in combination, to the deionized drinking water starting from day 6 of gestation until just after weaning, or until the age of 70 days postnatal life. A significant decline was observed in tissue contents of vitamin C, reduced glutathione, GSH/GSSH ratio, and the total protein, as well as in the activities of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in almost all cases. On the contrary, lipid peroxidation and NO, as total nitrate, exhibited a significant increase in comparison with the corresponding control. Based on the present results, administration of Al and NaF, alone or in combination abated the quenching effects of the antioxidant system and induced oxidative stress in most brain regions under investigation. In conclusion, aluminum and fluoride are very noxious environmental pollutants that interfere with the proper functions of the brain neurons and their combination together aggravates their hazard.

With decades of high-speed economic miracle, China inevitably encountered with environmental pressure and sustainable development problem. As the main carrier of the environmental responsibility, Chinese government set series of regulations and standards to supervise and guide enterprise to fulfill this challenge emission reduction task. Based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach, this paper focuses on air pollutant highly emission manufacturing tycoons to figure out “whether the yearly billions environmental input really worth it?” during 2014 to 2016. Unlike previous studies mainly from consumption perspective and got macro-regional evidence, we choose micro-enterprise to analyze individual environmental performance and draw general conclusions. Possible suggestions are also proposed for various industries and some salient enterprises.

Plastic is able to sorb environmental pollutants from ambient water and might act as a vector for these pollutants to marine organisms. The potential toxicological effects of plastic-sorbed pollutants in marine organisms have not been thoroughly assessed. In this study, organic extracts from four types of plastic deployed for 9 or 12 months in San Diego Bay, California, were examined for their potential to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway by use of the H4IIE-luc assay. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), including the 16 priority PAHs, were quantified. The AhR-mediated potency in the deployed plastic samples, calculated as bio-TEQ values, ranged from 2.7 pg/g in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to 277 pg/g in low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Concentrations of the sum of 24 PAHs in the deployed samples ranged from 4.6 to 1068 ng/g. By use of relative potency factors (REP), a potency balance between the biological effect (bio-TEQs) and the targeted PAHs (chem-TEQs) was calculated to 24–170%. The study reports, for the first time, in vitro AhR-mediated potencies for different deployed plastics, of which LDPE elicited the greatest concentration of bio-TEQs followed by polypropylene (PP), PET, and polyvinylchloride (PVC).

Cd and Pb are a toxic environmental pollutant, and their elevated concentrations in the waters and soils could exert detriment effects on human health by food chain. In order to evaluate the capacity to heavy metal accumulation and the physiochemical responses of two Salix genotypes, a 35-day hydroponic seedling experiment was implemented with Salix matsudana Koidz. ‘Shidi1’ (A42) and Salix psammophila C. ‘Huangpi1’ (A94) under different concentrations of Cd (15 and 30 μM) or Pb (250 and 300 μM). The results showed that the biomass of A94 severely reduced more than that of A42. The accumulation ability of Cd in different plant organs followed the sequence of leaves > roots > stems. Pb primarily accumulated in the roots for both Salix genotypes (54.27 mg g⁻¹ for A42 and 54.52 mg g⁻¹ for A94). Translocation factors based on accumulation (TF′) for Cd were more than 8.0, while TF′s for Pb were less than 1.0 in both A42 and A94, implying they could be applied in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated sites due to their stronger ability to Cd phytoextraction. The stress of Cd or Pb significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and increased photosynthetic rates in leaves of two Salix genotypes. Transpiration rates of willow were positively correlated with its Cd translocation. Both catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities were suppressed, while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) was boosted with increasing Cd and Pb levels in the leaves and roots of the two willow genotypes, suggesting SOD plays an important role in the removal of ROS. The inconsistency of the changes in enzyme activity suggests that the integrated antioxidative mechanisms regulate the tolerance to Cd and Pb stress.

The alginate extraction residue (RES) from the Brazilian Sargassum filipendula was successfully employed as biosorbent in this binary equilibrium study, revealing a greater affinity and selectivity for Cr(III) than for Zn(II). Experimental results also revealed that the process is of endothermic nature and well adjusted by Langmuir–Freundlich binary model. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that coordination with hydroxyl groups of RES prevailed in Cr removal, followed by carboxyl-metal complexation. As far as Zn(II) is concerned, ion exchange with carboxylate groups of RES was the largest contributor. Nevertheless, scanning electron microscopy coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated the participation of sulfate functions in a minor degree.

The Brazilian legislation does not establish limits or methodology for the measurement of aldehydes in the exhaust of heavy diesel engines. No conclusive studies on aldehyde emissions by such engines have been found in the literature available. This work measured the aldehyde emissions from a P7 diesel cycle engine (EURO V), which was tested on an engine test bench according to ETC (European Transient Cycle) and ESC (European Stationary Cycle) cycles using fuels with 5, 7 and 20% v/v of biodiesel and 10 and 500 ppm of sulphur. The results showed that biodiesel participation in the mixture did not significantly affect the aldehyde emissions of the tested engine and that the emission level generated in the ETC cycle is higher than that obtained with the ESC cycle. The diesel content in the blend was weakly and negatively correlated with the pollutant emissions, and the inverse pattern was observed for biodiesel. This finding indicates that an increase in biodiesel content causes a slight increase in pollutant emissions. Regarding the sulphur content, positive correlations between the sulphur content and particulate matter, NOx, CO and total hydrocarbon emissions were observed. When comparing the test cycles, the results were significantly different, with higher values for the ETC cycle.

Rapid growth in the incidence of liver disease is largely attributable to lifestyle and environmental contaminants, which are often overlooked as the leading causes of this problem. Thus, the possible contribution of arsenic (As) to high-fat diet (HFD)–induced liver damage was examined via microarray analysis. To perform this experiment, a total number of 40 healthy adult male NMRI mice (22–30 g) were used. To this end, these animals were randomly assigned to four groups of 10. Oxidative stress and histopathological parameters were also evaluated in the liver of the mice exposed to a minimally cytotoxic concentration of As (50 ppm) in drinking water while being fed with a HFD for 20 weeks. Subsequently, apoptosis gene expression profiling was utilized via real-time (RT) PCR array analysis. The results showed that As had increased the amount of HFD-induced liver damage and consequently amplified changes in oxidative stress factors, histopathological parameters, as well as apoptosis pathway genes. Investigating the expression profile of apoptosis pathway genes similarly revealed that caspase-8, as a main upstream contributor to the apoptosis pathway, might play an important role in the induction of apoptosis generated by As and HFD. Ultimately, this study highlighted that As in drinking water could increase sensitivity in mice to HFD-induced liver disease through strengthening apoptosis pathway.

Human and animals are exposed to heavy metals such as arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) through atmospheric depositions, industrial effluents, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, erosion of geological beds, and mining wastes which can result in the contamination of food chains. The aim of the current study was to review the available papers reporting contamination levels of As and Hg in commonly consumed foods in Iran. A descriptive search was carried out with specific keywords and entry criteria in databases of Science-Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Scientific Iranian Database (SID) published from January 2000 to July 2018. All articles were assessed by two reviewers, and final decision was made through discussions or a third reviewer arbitration. The articles were categorized based on the type of food groups including rice, fruit, vegetable, fish, seafood, drinking water, tea, and miscellanies. Of 221 identified articles on As and Hg contaminations in foods, 92 articles were selected using defined criteria. Published articles were reviewed to report contamination (mean and rate) of each food group in Iran. Results showed that rice and fish included the highest contamination rates of As and Hg, respectively. In general, As and Hg contents in Iranian foods cause serious health concerns due to the consumption quantities of the main foods. Further risk-based surveillance studies must be carried out to decrease exposure to As and Hg from dietary and non-dietary sources.

For heavy duty applications like power generation and transportation, the best option is the compression ignition engines, but the major concerns are the rising prices and environmental issues due to the rapid depleting sources of conventional fossil fuels. The present investigation is to study the performance and emission characteristics of a single cylinder four-stroke, air-cooled direct injection diesel engine runs with an alternate fuel as waste high density polyethylene plastic oil (HDPE) obtained by catalytic pyrolysis. At constant speed, test fuels have been experimented successfully to determine the engine performance such as brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy consumption, and exhaust gas emissions such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and unburned hydrocarbons. The result shows that the brake thermal efficiency is lower at all load conditions when compared to diesel fuel whereas the brake specific energy consumption decreases with increase in engine load and increases with increase in waste plastic oil blend ratio. CO emission increases and NOₓ emission level decreases with enhancement in engine load whereas the NOₓ emission and CO emission augments with increase in waste plastic oil blend percentage. But in case of NOₓ emission increase in concentration of waste plastic oil with diesel leads to raise in emission level. By using thermal imager, the link between in-cylinder temperature and NOₓ emission has been fixed. With the help of this course of action, it has been observed that in-cylinder temperature plays the major role in NOₓ concentration.