Microplastics in commercially important seafood species is an emerging area of food safety concern. While there have been reports of plastic particles in the gastrointestinal tract of several species, presence of microplastics in edible fish tissues has not yet been reported from India. This study examined the presence of microplastics in the edible (muscle and skin) and inedible (gill and viscera) tissues of nine commercially important pelagic fish species from Kerala, India. A total of 163 particles consisting mainly of fragments (58%) were isolated. Out of 270 fishes analysed (n = 30 per species), 41.1% of the fishes had microplastics in their inedible tissues while only 7% of fishes had microplastics in their edible tissues. The quantity of microplastics in inedible tissue was significantly larger in filter feeders than, that in visual predators (p < 0.05). The average abundance of microplastics in edible tissues was 0.07 ± 0.26 items/fish (i.e., 0.005 ± 0.02 items/g) and was 0.53 ± 0.77 items/fish (i.e., 0.054 ± 0.098 items/g) in inedible tissues. The results suggest the possibility of human intake of microplastics by the consumption of pelagic fishes from this region, albeit in small quantities.

The increasing release of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) or their sulfidized forms into soils have raised concerns about their potential risks to soil ecosystems. Hence, there is a need for novel strategies to remediate metallic NPs pollution in soils. In this study, to explore the feasibility of using earthworm Eisenia fetida to manage soils contaminated with metallic NPs, we simultaneously investigated the chronic soil toxicities of ZnO NPs and ZnS NPs to E. fetida, and the effects of E. fetida on Zn extractability in soils amended with ZnO NPs and ZnS NPs. After a 28 d exposure, survival rate and weight loss of earthworms were not impacted by either ZnO NPs or ZnS NPs at a concentration of 400 mg Zn per kg soil. Further, while ZnO NPs activated earthworm antioxidative system, ZnS NPs resulted in significant alleviation of oxidative damage in earthworm. The presence of earthworms significantly decreased the bioavailability of Zn in ZnO NPs contaminated soil, whereas significantly increased the bioavailability of Zn in ZnS NPs contaminated soil. These findings implied that the earthworm E. fetida could play an important role in altering the mobilization of metals originating from metallic NPs in soils, which may further aid in the development of a method for the treatment of metallic NPs pollution in soils.

As a crucial factor in male reproduction, androgens may represent an intermediate biological mechanism linking metal exposure with effects on semen quality. This study aimed to investigate the association between metal exposure and semen quality, and to assess the mediating role of seminal androgens between metal exposure and semen quality. We investigated the presence of 10 metals in semen and assessed their effect on semen quality in 1136 men recruited from a hospital in Shenzhen, China. Of these, 464 subjects were randomly selected for 4 androgens detection in semen. Cross-sectional associations between single/multiple metals, androgen levels and semen quality were explored by multivariable linear regressions. Mediation analysis was performed to detect the role of seminal androgens on the association between metal exposure and semen quality. Seminal selenium and iron were positively associated with both sperm concentration and total sperm count. Negative associations were observed between both manganese and zinc and sperm concentration, molybdenum and total sperm count, copper and sperm motility. Furthermore, we found significant dose-dependent relationships between both iron and selenium levels and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), arsenic levels and testosterone, as well as zinc and dehydroepiandrosterone. Mediation analysis indicated that higher seminal iron and selenium were associated with an increasing sperm concentration after controlling for DHT, with 10.32% and 12.89% of these associations were mediated by DHT, respectively. A similar mediation effect of DHT was observed in the associations between iron and selenium levels and total sperm count (13.39% and 21.57% mediation, respectively). Our findings suggested that the presence of selenium and iron in semen was beneficial to sperm concentration and total count. Seminal manganese, zinc, molybdenum and copper may be associated with reduced semen quality. The associations between seminal selenium and iron and sperm concentration and total count were partially explained by the concomitant variation of seminal DHT.

Fungi have an exceptional capability to flourish in presence of heavy metals and pesticide. However, the mechanism of bioremediation of pesticide (lindane) and multimetal [mixture of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn)] by a fungus is little understood. In the present study, Aspergillus fumigatus, a filamentous fungus was found to accumulate heavy metals in the order [Zn(98%)>Pb(95%)>Cd(63%)>Cr(62%)>Ni(46%)>Cu(37%)] from a cocktail of 30 mg L⁻¹ multimetal and lindane (30 mg L⁻¹) in a composite media amended with 1% glucose. Particularly, Pb and Zn uptake was enhanced in presence of lindane. Remarkably, lindane was degraded to 1.92 ± 0.01 mg L⁻¹ in 72 h which is below the permissible limit value (2.0 mg L⁻¹) for the discharge of lindane into the aquatic bodies as prescribed by European Community legislation. The utilization of lindane as a cometabolite from the complex environment was evident by the phenomenal growth of the fungal pellet biomass (5.89 ± 0.03 g L⁻¹) at 72 h with cube root growth constant of fungus (0.0211 g¹/³ L⁻¹/³ h⁻¹) compared to the biomasses obtained in case of the biotic control as well as in presence of multimetal complex without lindane. The different analytical techniques revealed the various stress coping strategies adopted by A. fumigatus for multimetal uptake in the simultaneous presence of multimetal and pesticide. From the Transmission electron microscope coupled energy dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-EDAX) results, uptake of the metals Cd, Cu and Pb in the cytoplasmic membrane and the accumulation of the metals Cr, Ni and Zn in the cytoplasm of the fungus were deduced. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed involvement of carboxyl/amide group of fungal cell wall in metal chelation. Thus A. fumigatus exhibited biosorption and bioaccumulation as the mechanisms involved in detoxification of multimetals.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element, but an excess or accumulation can be toxic. Until now, few studies have examined the effects of maternal Mn level on the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB). The aims of this study were to examine the association between maternal Mn level and the risk of SPB at the early stage of pregnancy, and investigate whether this association was modified by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). We conducted a nested case-control study in three maternal and child health care hospitals in Shanxi province, China, from December 2009 to December 2013. From an overall cohort of 4229 women, 528 were included in our study, including 147 cases of SPB and 381 controls. Maternal blood samples were collected during 4–22 gestational weeks. The maternal serum concentrations of Mn was measured using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. We found the maternal Mn concentration in the case group (median: 1.55 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in the control group (median: 1.27 ng/mL). Compared to the lowest level, the SPB risk was significantly increased to 1.44 (95%CI: 0.60–3.43), 2.42 (95%CI: 1.06–5.55) and 2.46 (95%CI: 1.08–5.62) respectively for the second, third and fourth quartiles in first trimester, but not significant in second trimester or overall. When exposure to a high Mn level, women who with AA (6.36, 95%CI: 1.57–25.71) and AG (3.04, 95%CI: 1.59–5.80) of rs2758352, with CC (2.34, 95%CI: 1.31–4.18) of rs699473, and with GG (2.26, 95%CI: 1.22–4.16) of rs769214 were more likely to develop a SPB, but not among women with other genotypes. In conclusion, high maternal serum Mn level is associated with the increased SPB risk in first trimester, and the association is modified by maternal SNPs of SOD2, SOD3 and CAT.

In this study, polymetal(iod)s-contaminated mining soil from the Huainan coalfield, Anhui, China, was used to investigate the synergistic effects of biochar (BC), raw coal (RC), and hydrothermally treated coal (HTC) on the immobilization, speciation, transformation, and accumulation of Cd, Cr, and Pb in a soil–plant system via geochemical speciation and advanced spectroscopic approaches. The results revealed that the BC-2% and BC–HTC amendments were more effective than the individual RC, and/or HTC amendments to reduce ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-extractable Cd, Cr, and Pb concentrations by elevating soil pH and soil organic carbon content. Soil pH increased by 1.5 and 2.5 units after BC-2% and BC–HTC amendments, respectively, which reduced EDTA-extractable Cd, Cr, and Pb to more stabilized forms. Metal speciation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses suggested that the BC–HTC amendment stimulated the transformation of reactive Cd, Cr, and Pb (exchangeable and carbonate-bound) states to less reachable (oxide and residual) states to decrease the toxicity of these heavy metals. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses suggested that reduction and adsorption by soil colloids may be involved in the mechanism of Cd(II), Cr(VI), and Pb(II) immobilization via hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, and amide groups in the BC and HTC. Additionally, the BC-2% and BC–HTC amendments reduced Cd and Pb accumulation in maize shoots, which could mainly be ascribed to the reduction of EDTA-extractable heavy metals in the soil and more functional groups in the roots, thus inhibiting metal ion translocation by providing the electrons necessary for immobilization, compared to those in roots grown in the unamended soil. Therefore, the combined application of BC and HTC was more effective than the individual application of these amendments to minimize the leaching, availability, and exchangeable states of Cd, Cr, and Pb in polymetal(iod)s-contaminated mining soil and accumulation in maize.

A widespread monitoring network of Airbox microsensors was implemented since 2016 to provide high-resolution spatial distributions of ground-level PM₂.₅ data in Taiwan. We developed models for estimating ground-level PM₂.₅ concentrations for all the 3 km × 3 km grids in Taiwan by combining the data from air quality monitoring stations and the Airbox sensors. The PM₂.₅ data from the Airbox sensors (AB-PM₂.₅) was used to predict daily mean PM₂.₅ levels at the grids in 2017 using a semiparametric additive model. The estimated PM₂.₅ level at the grids was further applied as a predictor variable in the models to predict the monthly mean concentration of PM₂.₅ at all the grids in the previous year. The modeling–predicting procedures were repeated backward for the years from 2016 to 2006. The model results revealed that the model R² increased from 0.40 to 0.87 when the AB-PM₂.₅ data were included as a nonlinear component in the model, indicating that AB-PM₂.₅ is a significant predictor of ground-level PM₂.₅ concentration. The cross-validation (CV) results demonstrated that the root of mean squared prediction errors of the estimated monthly mean PM₂.₅ concentrations were smaller than 5 μg/m³ and the R² of the CV models of 0.79–0.88 during 2006–2017. We concluded that Airbox sensors can be used with monitoring data to more accurately estimate long-term exposure to PM₂.₅ for cohorts of small areas in health impact assessment studies.

Biochar produced from water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) has been demonstrated to be an effective adsorbent for the removal of certain heavy metals and as a means of control for this highly invasive species. This study involved examined the Cd²⁺ sorption dynamics of an alginate encapsulated water hyacinth biochar (BAC) generated at different temperatures and modified using ferric/ferrous sulfate (MBAC). The maximum Cd²⁺ sorption occurred at a pH of 6 and at a solution temperature of 37 °C. Sorption equilibria for the biochar-alginate capsule (BAC) and modified biochar-alginate capsule (MBAC) treatments fit both the Langmuir (R² = 0.876 to 0.99) and Freundlich (R² = 0.849 to 0.971) equations. Langmuir isotherms had a better fit than the Freundlich isotherms, with maximum sorption capacities ranging from 24.2 to 45.8 mg Cd²⁺ g⁻¹. Larger KL values in Freundlich modeling suggest strong bonding of the BAC and MBAC sorbents to Cd²⁺, with values of KL in the MBAC treatments ranging between 31 and 178% greater than the BAC treatments. Cd²⁺ sorption followed pseudo first-order kinetics (R² = 0.926 to 0.991) with greater efficiency of removal using treatments with biochar generated at temperatures >500 °C. Results from this study highlight the potential for biochar-alginate capsules derived from water hyacinth to be effective for the removal of Cd²⁺ from wastewaters.

Mosaic loss of chromosome Y (mLOY) is the most common structure somatic event that related to increased risks of various diseases and mortality. Environmental pollution and genetic susceptibility were important contributors to mLOY. We aimed to explore the associations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure, as well as their joint effects with age, smoking, and genetic variants on peripheral blood mLOY. A total of 1005 male coke-oven workers were included in this study and their internal PAHs exposure levels of 10 urinary PAH metabolites and plasma benzo[a]pyrene-r-7,t-8,t-9,c-10-tetrahydotetrol-albumin (BPDE-Alb) adducts were measured. mLOY was defined by the median log R ratio(mLRR) of 1480 probes in male-specific region of chromosome-Y from genotyping array. We found that the PAHs exposure levels were linearly associated with mLOY. A 10-fold increase in urinary 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-OHNa), 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPh), 2-OHPh, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), ΣOH-PAHs, and plasma BPDE-Alb adducts could generate 0.0111, 0.0085, 0.0069, 0.0103, 0.0134, and 0.0152 decrease in mLRR-Y, respectively. Additionally, mLOY accelerated with age, smoking pack-years, and TCL1A rs1122138-C allele, and we observed the most severe mLOY among subjects carrying more than 3 of the above risk factors. Our results revealed the linear dose-effect associations between PAHs exposure and mLOY. Elder male smokers carrying rs1122138CC genotype were the most susceptible subpopulations to mLOY, who should be given protections for PAHs exposure induced chromosome-Y aberration.

Microplastic pollution is a major global environmental problem in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Pesticides are frequently applied to agricultural soil to reduce the effects of pests on crops, but may also affect the degradation of plastics. In this study, we generated microplastics from polyethylene (PE) film and biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) film and determined (1) the effect of prothioconazole on degradation of the microplastics, and (2) the adsorption and release characteristics of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, As, Pb, Ba, and Sn) by the microplastics during degradation process. Changes of surface functional groups and morphologies were measured by FTIR and SEM, while metal concentrations were determined by ICPMS. Prothioconazole was found to promote plastic degradation. PBAT degraded faster and adsorbed more heavy metals from the soil than PE. Whether the microplastics adsorb or release heavy metals depended on the metal and their concentrations. Prothioconazole inhibited the adsorption of Cr, As, Pb and Ba by microplastics, promoted the adsorption of Cu, and had no significant effect for Sn. These results can help to assess the ecological risk of microplastic pollution from plastic mulch when combined with heavy metals.