Subsea power cables cause electromagnetic fields (EMFs) into the marine environment. Elasmobranchs (rays, skates, sharks) are particularly sensitive to EMFs as they use electromagnetic-receptive sensory systems for orientation, navigation, and locating conspecifics or buried prey. Cables may intersect with egg laying sites, mating, pupping, and nursery grounds, foraging habitat and migration routes of elasmobranchs and the effects of encountering EMFs on species of elasmobranchs are largely unknown. Demonstrated behavioural effects are attraction, disturbance and indifference, depending on EMF characteristics, exposed life stage, exposure level and duration. We estimated exposure levels of elasmobranchs to subsea power cable EMFs, based on modelled magnetic fields in the Dutch Continental Shelf and compared these to reported elasmobranch sensory sensitivity ranges and experimental effect levels. We conclude that the risk from subsea power cables has a large uncertainty and varies per life stage and species ecology. Based on estimated no-observed effect levels (from 10−3 to 10−1 μT) we discuss what will probably be the most affected species and life stage for six common benthic elasmobranchs in the Southern North Sea. We then identify critical knowledge gaps for reducing the uncertainty in the risk assessments for EMFs effects on benthic elasmobranchs.

Microplastics (MPs) are carriers of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The influence of MPs on the toxicokinetics of POPs was investigated in a feeding experiment on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), in which fish were fed similar contaminant concentrations in feed with contaminants sorbed to MPs (Cont. MPs); feed with virgin MPs and contaminated feed (1:1), and feed with contaminants without MPs (Cont.). The results showed that the salmon fillets accumulated more POPs when fed with a diet where contaminants were sorbed to the MPs, despite the 125–250 μm size MPs themselves passing the intestines without absorption. Furthermore, depuration was significantly slower for several contaminants in fish fed the diet with POPs sorbed to the MPs. Modelled elimination coefficients and assimilation efficiencies of lipophilic chlorinated and brominated contaminants correlated with contaminant hydrophobicity (log Kow) within the diets and halogen classes. The more lipophilic the contaminant was, the higher was the transfer from feed to salmon fillet. The assimilation efficiency for the diet without MPs was 50–71% compared to 54–89% for the contaminated MPs diet. In addition, MPs caused a greater proportional uptake of higher molecular weight brominated congeners. In the present study, higher assimilation efficiencies and a significantly higher slope of assimilation efficiencies vs log Kow were found for the Cont. MPs diet (p = 0.029), indicating a proportionally higher uptake of higher-brominated congeners compared to the Cont. diet. Multiple variance analyses of elimination coefficients and assimilation efficiencies showed highly significant differences between the three diets for the chlorinated (p = 2E-06; 6E-04) and brominated (p = 5E-04; 4E-03) congeners and within their congeners. The perfluorinated POPs showed low assimilation efficiencies of 12%, which can be explained by faster eliminations corresponding to half-lives of 11–39 days, as well as a lower proportional distribution to the fillet, compared to e.g. the liver.

Large volumes of pesticides are applied every year to support agricultural production. The intensive use of pesticides affects soil quality and health, but soil surveys on pesticide residues are scarce, especially for northern Europe. We investigated the occurrence of 198 pesticide residues, including both banned and currently used substances in 148 field sites in Finland. Results highlight that pesticide residues are common in the agricultural soils of Finland. A least one residue was found in 82% of the soils, and of those 32% contained five or more residues. Maximum total residue concentration among the conventionally farmed soils was 3043 μg/kg, of which AMPA and glyphosate contributed the most. Pesticide residues were also found from organically farmed soils, although at 75–90% lower concentrations than in the conventionally farmed fields. Thus, despite the application rates of pesticides in Finland being generally much lower than in most parts of central and southern Europe, the total residue concentrations in the soils occurred at similar or at higher levels. We also established that AMPA and glyphosate residues in soil are significantly higher in fields with cereal dominated rotations than in grass dominated or cereal–grass rotations. However, risk analyses for individual substances indicated low ecological risk for most of the fields. Furthermore, the total ecological risk associated with the mixtures of residues was mostly low except for 21% of cereal dominated fields with medium risk. The results showed that the presence of mixtures of pesticide residues in soils is a rule rather than an exception also in boreal soils. In highly chemicalized modern agriculture, the follow-up of the residues of currently used pesticides in national and international soil monitoring programs is imperative to maintain soil quality and support sustainable environment policies.

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are known to enhance immune cell damages and to decrease cellular immunity, promoting higher susceptibility to infectious diseases. Selenium (Se) is an essential element involved in immunity and reactive oxygen species scavenging. This study aimed at evaluating how Cd and Pb and low nutritional (Se) quality modulate immune response to a bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Mice were trapped near a former smelter in northern France in sites of High or Low contamination. Individuals were challenged immediately after capture or after five days of captivity, fed a standard or a Se-deficient diet. Immune response was measured with leukocyte count and plasma concentration of TNF-α, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Faecal and plasma corticosterone (CORT), a stress-hormone involved in anti-inflammatory processes, was measured to assess potential endocrine mechanisms. Higher hepatic Se and lower faecal CORT were measured in free-ranging wood mice from High site. LPS-challenged individuals from High site showed steeper decrease of circulating leukocytes of all types, higher TNF-α concentrations, and a significant increase of CORT, compared to individuals from Low site. Challenged captive animals fed standard food exhibited similar patterns (decrease of leukocytes, increase of CORT, and detectable levels of TNF-α), with individuals from lowly contaminated site having higher immune responses than their counterparts from highly polluted site. Animals fed Se-deficient food exhibited lymphocytes decrease, no CORT variation, and average levels of TNF-α. These results suggest (i) a higher inflammatory response to immune challenge in free-ranging animals highly exposed to Cd and Pb, (ii) a faster recovery of inflammatory response in animals lowly exposed to pollution when fed standard food than more exposed individuals, and (iii) a functional role of Se in the inflammatory response. The role of Se and mechanisms underlying the relationship between glucocorticoid and cytokine remain to be elucidated.

Growth is an important toxicity end-point in ecotoxicology but is rarely used in soil ecotoxicological studies. Here, we assessed the growth change of Oppia nitens when exposed to reference and heavy metal toxicants. To assess mite growth, we developed an image analysis methodology to measure colour spectrum changes of the mite integument at the final developmental stage, as a proxy for growth change. We linked the values of red, green, blue, key-black, and light colour of mites to different growth stages. Based on this concept, we assessed the growth change of mites exposed to cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, boric acid, or phenanthrene at sublethal concentrations in LUFA 2.2 soil for 14 days. Sublethal effects were detected after 7 days of exposure. The growth of O. nitens was more sensitive than survival and reproduction when exposed to copper (EC50growth = 1360 mg/kg compared to EC50reproduction = 2896 mg/kg). Mite growth sensitivity was within the same order of magnitude to mite reproduction when exposed to zinc (EC50growth = 1785; EC50reproduction = 1562 mg/kg). At least 25% of sublethal effects of boric acid and phenanthrene were detected in the mites but growth was not impacted when O. nitens were exposed to lead. Consistent with previous studies, cadmium was the most toxic metal to O. nitens. The mite growth pattern was comparable to mite survival and reproduction from previous studies. Mite growth is a sensitive toxicity endpoint, ecologically relevant, fast, easy to detect, and can be assessed in a non-invasive fashion, thereby complimenting existing O. nitens testing protocols.

Microplastics (MPs) in soil undergo different aging processes such as photoaging, mechanical abrasion and biodegradation, leading to alterations in the surface properties of MPs. In this study, we investigated the adsorption-desorption of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on pristine and UV light-aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and biodegradable (Bio) MPs that were derived from plastic mulch films. We also tested the bioconcentration of pristine and aged MPs (LDPE- and Bio-MPs aged under UV light and LDPE-MPs aged in three different soils) associated with CPF by earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris). The results showed that UV-aged MPs showed higher CPF adsorption capacities than pristine MPs, with the adsorption capacities at 184.9 ± 5.3, 200.5 ± 1.8, 193.0 ± 8.7, and 215.9 ± 1.1 μg g−1 for pristine LDPE-, UV-aged LDPE-, pristine Bio- and UV-aged Bio-MPs, respectively. The desorption rate of CPF from UV-aged LDPE-MPs within 48 h was lower than the desorption from pristine ones (28.8 ± 7.7% vs. 40.0 ± 3.9%), while both pristine and UV-aged Bio-MPs showed very low CPF desorption rates. A 4-day Petri dish experiment showed that UV-aged MPs were significantly less concentrated in earthworm casts than pristine counterparts (52% and 36% lower for UV-aged LDPE- and Bio-MPs), while UV-aged MPs with adsorbed CPF were concentrated significantly more than UV-aged MPs without CPF. Interestingly, LDPE-MPs aged in soil with a high carbon, nitrogen, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were significantly more concentrated in earthworm casts than pristine LDPE-MPs. In conclusion, UV-aged MPs acted as stronger vectors for CPF than pristine MPs. The bioconcentration of MPs differed significantly due to microplastic aging, as well as the combined effect with CPF. Moreover, LDPE-MPs aged in soil with enriched carbon and nitrogen were significantly concentrated in earthworm casts. Further studies on the environmental behaviours of aged MPs associated with other pollutants in soil, especially soils high in carbon and nitrogen, are needed.

Because of the high production rates, low recycling rates, and poor waste management of plastics, an increasing amount of plastic is entering the aquatic environment, where it can provide new ecological niches for microbial communities and form a so-called plastisphere. Recent studies have focused on the one-way impact of plastic substrata or biofilm communities. However, our understanding of the two-way interactions between plastics and biofilms is still limited. This review first summarizes the formation process and the co-occurrence network analysis of the aquatic plastisphere to comprehensively illustrate the succession pattern of biofilm communities and the potential consistency between keystone taxa and specific environmental behavior of the plastisphere. Furthermore, this review sheds light on mutual interactions between plastics and biofilms. Plastic properties, environmental conditions, and colonization time affect biofilm development. Meanwhile, the biofilm communities, in turn, influence the environmental behaviors of plastics, including transport, contaminant accumulation, and especially the fragmentation and degradation of plastics. Based on a systematic literature review and cross-referencing from these disciplines, the current research focus, and future challenges in exploring aquatic plastisphere development and biofilm-plastic interactions are proposed.

Indoor dust has been postulated as an important matrix for residential pesticide exposure. However, there is a lack of information on presence, concentrations and determinants of multiple pesticides in dust in residential homes close to treated fields. Our objective was to characterize the spatial and temporal variance of pesticides in house dust, study the use of doormats and floors as proxies for pesticides in indoor dust and identify determinants of occurrence and concentrations. Homes within 250 m from selected bulb fields were invited to participate. Homes within 20 km from these fields but not having agricultural fields within 500 m were selected as controls. House dust was vacuumed in all homes from floors (VFD) and from newly placed clean doormats (DDM). Sampling was done during two periods, when pesticides are used and not-used. For determination of 46 prioritized pesticides, a multi-residue extraction method was used. Most statistical analyses are focused on the 12 and 14 pesticides that were detected in >40% of DDM and VFD samples, respectively. Mixed models were used to evaluate relationships between possible determinants and pesticides occurrence and concentrations in DDM and VFD. 17 pesticides were detected in more than 50% of the homes in both matrixes. Concentrations differed by about a factor five between use and non-use periods among homes within 250 m of fields and between these homes and controls. For 7 pesticides there was a moderate to strong correlation (Spearman rho 0.30–0.75) between concentrations in DDM and VFD. Distance to agricultural fields and air concentrations were among the most relevant predictors for occurrence and levels of a given pesticide in DDM. Concentrations in dust are overall higher during application periods and closer to fields (<250 m) than further away. The omnipresence of pesticides in dust lead to residents being exposed all year round.

Soil acidification has negative impacts on grass biomass production and the potential of grasslands to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Through a global review of research on liming of grasslands, the objective of this paper was to assess the impacts of liming on soil pH, grass biomass production and total net GHG exchange (nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and net carbon dioxide (CO2)). We collected 57 studies carried out at 88 sites and covering different countries and climatic zones. All of the studies examined showed that liming either reduced or had no effects on the emissions of two potent greenhouse gases (N2O and CH4). Though liming of grasslands can increase net CO2 emissions, the impact on total net GHG emission is minimal due to the higher global warming potential, over a 100-year period, of N2O and CH4 compared to that of CO2. Liming grassland delivers many potential advantages, which justify its wider adoption. It significantly ameliorates soil acidity, increases grass productivity, reduces fertiliser requirement and increases species richness. To realise the maximum benefit of liming grassland, we suggest that acidic soils should be moderately limed within the context of specific climates, soils and management.