peer reviewed | Swordfish (Xiphias gladius L., 1758) is an apex predator, highly migratory meso-pelagic fish widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. As top predators, this fish may be the end reservoir of the bioaccumulation of trace elements in a food chain because they occupy higher trophic levels and are an important food source, causing them to be potentially hazardous to consume. This study aims to investigate the concentration of 18 trace elements of Swordfish, caught in the Mediterranean Sea and to discuss human exposure risks. The mean element levels in the fish muscles were clearly below the maximum allowable concentrations established by International food safety regulations. The data suggested that the risk is minor and acceptable for human health. The findings of this study amplify the scarce database on contaminants available, especially new data on “emerging elements”, for this species from the Mediterranean Sea. | Transpolmed Et Post Doc de Michel Marengo

peer reviewed | The current study examined the concentrations of ten trace elements (TE) (nickel, chromium, cadmium, iron, zinc, manganese, aluminum, copper, selenium and lead) in the edible tissue of the Ark shell Arca noae (L. 1758) from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon, the Bizerte lagoon during 2013–2014. The analysis of several redox status biomarkers, metallothioneins (MTs), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), was monitored as a response to TE bioaccumulation and environmental parameters variability. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between mean seasonal TE concentrations in A. noae soft tissue. The highest TE concentrations in A. noae soft tissues were recorded during summer, which coincided with the increase of body dry weight (BDW) and the gonad index (GI). During this season, biomarker responses were enhanced, revealing significant increases of MTs, MDA and GSH levels as well as GPx activity in A. noae tissues, while a decrease of AChE activity was observed. The levels of TE analyzed in A. noae and several parameters used to assess the potential human risk (estimated weekly intake, target hazard quotient and target hazard risk) were lower than the permissible limits for safe seafood consumption. Consequently, this shellfish can be considered safe for human consumption. This preliminary study presents prospects for the valorization of this seafood product in Tunisia’s food sector. It also gives basal information for future environmental assessment studies in which A. noae could be used as early warning tools in the field of biomonitoring programs and confirms the usefulness of biomarkers to monitor the health status of aquatic organisms.

The impact of land use type on the content of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the soils of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and the associated ecological and human health risks has drawn great attention. Consequently, in this study, top- and subsurface soil samples were collected from areas with four different land uses (i.e., cropland, forest, grassland, and developed area) and the total contents of Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined. Geostatistical analysis, self-organizing map (SOM), and positive matrix factorization (PMF), ecological risk assessment (ERA) and human health risk assessment (HRA) were applied and used to classify and identify the contamination sources and assess the potential risk. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) was applied to clarify the relationship of land use with PTE contents and risk. The PTE contents in all topsoil samples surpassed the respective background concentrations of China and corresponding subsurface concentrations. However, the ecological risk of all soil samples remained at a moderate or considerable level across the four land use types. Developed area and cropland showed a higher ecological risk than the other two land use types. Industrial discharges (32.8%), agricultural inputs (22.6%), natural sources (23.7%), and traffic emissions (20.9%) were the primary PTE sources in the tested soils, which indicate that anthropogenic activities have significantly affected soil PTE contents to a greater extent than other sources. Industrial discharge was the most prominent source of non-carcinogenic health risk, contributing 37.7% for adults and 35.2% for children of the total risk. The results of PLS-PM revealed that land use change associated with intensive human activities such as industrial activities and agricultural practices distinctly affected the PTE contents in soils of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The comprehensive profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the Antarctic water environments and their potential health risks are not well understood. The present study characterized the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles of freshwater (11 samples) and seawater (28 samples) around the Fildes Region (an ice-free area in Antarctica) using a shotgun metagenomic sequencing approach for the first time. There were significant differences in the compositions of the bacterial community and ARG profiles between freshwater and seawater. In the 39 water samples, 114 ARG subtypes belonging to 15 ARG types were detectable. In freshwater, the dominant ARGs were related to multidrug and rifamycin resistance. In seawater, the dominant ARGs were related to peptide, multidrug, and beta-lactam resistance. Both the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles were significantly related to certain physicochemical properties (e.g., pH, salinity, NO₃⁻). Procrustes analysis revealed a significant correlation between the bacterial community compositions and ARG profiles of freshwater and seawater samples. A total of 31 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) carrying 35 ARG subtypes were obtained and identified. The results will contribute to a better evaluation of the ARG contamination in relation to human health in the Antarctic aquatic environments.

As primary anthropogenic emission source of toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration has caused worldwide concern. However, a comprehensive analysis of the pollution characteristics and health risks of PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in soils around MSW incineration plants is lacking. In this study, 17 PCDD/Fs and 11 heavy metals in soil samples collected near MSW incineration plants in Sichuan province were investigated to evaluate their pollution characteristics and potential health risk. Sichuan was selected as the study area because the MSW incineration amount in this province ranks first among all inland provinces in China. The PCDD/Fs concentrations ranged from 0.30 to 7.50 ng I-TEQ/kg, which were significantly below risk screening and intervention thresholds. Regarding heavy metals, principal component analysis suggested that Hg, Pb and Zn were the primary metals emitted from the MSW incineration plants. Cluster analysis of PCDD/Fs and heavy metals showed that of PCDD/Fs homologs and heavy metals (e.g., Hg, Pb, Zn and Cd) were clustered into one group, indicating the coexistence and coaccumulation of heavy metals (especially Hg, Pb, Zn, and Cd) and PCDD/Fs in soil. These heavy metals are thus candidate tracers for PCDD/Fs in soil near MSW incineration plants. A health risk analysis found that the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of PCDD/Fs and heavy metals (except for Ni) in the soil samples were all within acceptable levels. This study provides new insights into correlations and health risks of PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in surface soil near MSW incineration plants. The findings have implications for future studies of environmental and human health risk analysis related to waste incineration.

PM₂.₅ (fine particulate matter with aerodynamics diameter <2.5 μm) is the most important component of air pollutants, and has a significant impact on the atmospheric environment and human health. Using satellite remote sensing aerosol optical depth (AOD) to explore the hourly ground PM₂.₅ distribution is very helpful for PM₂.₅ pollution control. In this study, Himawari-8 AOD, meteorological factors, geographic information, and a new deep forest model were used to construct an AOD-PM₂.₅ estimation model in China. Hourly cross-validation results indicated that estimated PM₂.₅ values were consistent with the site observation values, with an R² range of 0.82–0.91 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 8.79–14.72 μg/m³, among which the model performance reached the optimum value between 13:00 and 15:00 Beijing time (R² > 0.9). Analysis of the correlation coefficient between important features and PM₂.₅ showed that the model performance was related to AOD and affected by meteorological factors, particularly the boundary layer height. Deep forest can detect diurnal variations in pollutant concentrations, which were higher in the morning, peaked at 10:00–11:00, and then began to decline. High-resolution PM₂.₅ concentrations derived from the deep forest model revealed that some cities in China are seriously polluted, such as Xi ‘an, Wuhan, and Chengdu. Our model can also capture the direction of PM₂.₅, which conforms to the wind field. The results indicated that due to the combined effect of wind and mountains, some areas in China experience PM₂.₅ pollution accumulation during spring and winter. We need to be vigilant because these areas with high PM₂.₅ concentrations typically occur near cities.

The consequence of the lockdowns implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic on human health damage due to air pollution and other environmental issues must be better understood. This paper analyses the effect of reducing energy demand on the evolution of environmental impacts during the occurrence of 2020-lockdown periods in Italy, with a specific focus on life expectancy. An energy metabolism analysis is conducted based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of all monthly energy consumptions, by sector, category and province area in Italy between January 2015 to December 2020. Results show a general decrease (by ∼5% on average) of the LCA midpoint impact categories (global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, fine particulate matter formation, etc.) over the entire year 2020 when compared to past years. These avoided impacts, mainly due to reductions in fossil energy consumptions, are meaningful during the first lockdown phase between March and May 2020 (by ∼21% on average). Regarding the LCA endpoint damage on human health, ∼66 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per 100,000 inhabitants are estimated to be saved. The analysis shows that the magnitude of the officially recorded casualties is substantially larger than the estimated gains in human lives due to the environmental impact reductions. Future research could therefore investigate the complex cause-effect relationships between the deaths occurred in 2020 imputed to COVID-19 disease and co-factors other than the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

This international scale study measured the prevalence of indoor microplastics (MPs) in deposited dust in 108 homes from 29 countries over a 1-month period. Dust borne MPs shape, colour, and length were determined using microscopy and the composition measured using μFTIR. Human health exposure and risk was assessed along with residential factors associated with MPs via a participant questionnaire. Samples were categorised according to each country's gross national income (GNI). Synthetic polymers dominated in low income (LI) (39%) and high income (HI) (46%) while natural fibres were the most prevalent in medium income (MI) (43%) countries. Composition and statistical analysis showed that the main sources of MPs and dust were predominantly from indoor sources. Across all GNI countries, greater vacuuming frequency was associated with lower MPs loading. High income country samples returned higher proportions of polyamides and polyester fibres, whereas in LI countries polyurethane was the most prominent MPs fibre. Exposure modelling showed infants (0–2 years) were exposed to the highest MPs dose through inhalation (4.5 × 10⁻⁵ ± 3 × 10⁻⁵) and ingestion (3.24 × 10⁻² ± 3.14 × 10⁻²) mg/kg-Bw/day. Health risk analysis of constituent monomers of polymers indicates cancer incidence was estimated at 4.1–8.7 per million persons across age groups. This study's analysis showed socio-economic factors and age were dominant variables in determining dose and associated health outcomes of MPs in household dust.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors (VFs) are critical threats to human health. Their abundance in aquatic ecosystems is maintained and enhanced via selection driven by environmental xenobiotics. However, their activity and expression in these environments under xenobiotic stress remains unknown. Here ARG and VF expression profiles were examined in aquatic microcosms under ciprofloxacin, glyphosate and sertraline hydrochloride treatment. Ciprofloxacin increased total expression of ARGs, particularly multidrug resistance genes. Total expression of ARGs and VFs decreased significantly under glyphosate and sertraline treatments. However, in opportunistic human pathogens, these agents increased expression of both ARGs and VFs. Xenobiotic pollutants, such as the compounds we tested here, have the potential to disrupt microbial ecology, promote resistance, and increase risk to human health. This study systematically evaluated the effects of environmental xenobiotics on transcription of ARGs and VFs, both of which have direct relevance to human health. Transcription of such genes has been overlooked in previous studies.

Microplastics and antibiotics widely coexist in the aquatic environment, especially in mariculture regions. However, antibiotics adsorbed on microplastics and their role in the colonization of microorganisms on microplastics are poorly understood. Therefore, in-situ aging experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of antibiotics and microplastics co-occurrence on microorganisms and assess their potential risks to human health. Results showed that antibiotics were adsorbed selectively on microplastics, with 29 investigated antibiotics (n = 40) detected in surrounding water but only 6 investigated antibiotics were adsorbed on microplastics. The concentration of antibiotics accumulated on microplastics was controlled by microplastic types and environmental conditions. For example, aged polypropylene (PP) had more developed pore structures resulting in higher adsorption of antibiotics than other microplastic types. High-throughput sequencing showed higher diversity and distinct composition of microorganisms attached to the microplastics than the surrounding water. Opportunistic pathogenic bacteria such as Mycobacterium possessed positive relationships with tetracycline and doxycycline on aged microplastics, which showed adsorbed antibiotics on aged microplastics could benefit some specific pathogens colonized on the microplastics and spread into unaffected ecosystems, marine organisms even humans. The health risk quotient (HQ) implied the potential human health risk of consuming commercial seafood polluted by antibiotics and microplastic loaded with antibiotics. This study revealed the interaction of antibiotics and microorganisms with aged microplastics in aquaculture systems, providing a novel insight into their synergistic effects on ecological and human health.