The intensive use of Cu-based pesticides in agriculture could have an unintended impact on the ecosystems and human health via different exposure pathways. This paper presents the results of experiments involving colloidal stability, aggregation, and dissolution of Cu₂O commercial pesticide under various environmental conditions in view of ecological implications. The investigated pesticide contains ∼750 g kg⁻¹ Cu (75% weight of product), Cu₂O particles with sizes < 1 μm, and nominal size fraction of Cu₂O nanoparticles. The co-presence of Ca²⁺ (20 mM) and humic acid (HA, 15 mg L⁻¹) significantly modulates (p < 0.001) the colloidal stability and mobility of particles. The dissolution of Cu at pH 5.5 was about 85%, 90%, and 75% weight more than the dissolution of Cu at pH 7.0, pH 8.5, and pH 7.0 and pH 8.5 combined, respectively in all dispersions. However, increasing HA content from 0 to 15 mg L⁻¹ reduced the dissolution of Cu by 56%, 50%, and 40% weight at pH 5.5, 7.0, and 8.5, respectively. Thus, pH below 7.0 is a critical factor to control the dissolution and bioavailability of Cu that may pose ecotoxicity and environmental pollution, whereas pH above 7.0 and the presence of HA attenuate the pH effect. These findings provide insight into how the potential mobility and bioavailability of Cu is modulated by the water chemistry under various environmental scenarios and media.

This work explores the use of Raman micro-spectroscopy to determine sources of airborne particulate matter collected on PM₂.₅ air filters in Imperial Valley, California. The goal is to examine if nearby soil is a potential source of particles sampled on air filters deployed in an urbanized desert area during events of unusually high PM₂.₅ excursions. Particle specific composition information can be an indicator of potential origin. This can provide insights into the source of unexpectedly high proportion of large particles sampled on PM₂.₅ filters in the vicinity of Imperial Valley. The measured spectral correspondence between the filter and soil particles, in the size range of 2.5–10 μm, is consistent with windblown dust being a likely source of the larger (>2.5 μm) particles collected on the PM₂.₅ filters. Additionally, these particles were identified as components of commonly occurring crustal minerals in the vicinity of the sampling site, such as iron oxides, hydroxides, sulfides, titanium dioxides and aluminosilicates. A substantial portion of the analyzed filter particles displayed a strong broadband fluorescence signal, which is consistent with the presence of organic matter and has been recognized as a marker for soil related origin of the filter particles. Elemental carbon (soot) was found to be prevalent among the particles as well, suggesting the existence of combustion related sources. Comparison between a heavily loaded filter sample and a filter with a more typical, lower loading did not show any obvious difference in chemical compositions. In both cases the particles appeared to be of crustal origin with the prevalence of elemental carbon. The primary difference between these two filter samples appear to be their particle size distribution - the heavily loaded filter sample contained greater proportion of large particles (>2.5 μm), and was more consistent with spectral signature of soils analyzed from the region.

Water, sediment, and wild aquatic species were collected from an electronic waste (e-waste) polluted pond in South China. This study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation, tissue distribution, and trophic transfer of organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) in these aquatic organisms. The concentrations of PFRs detected in the analyzed organisms were between 1.7 and 47 ng/g wet weight (ww). Oriental river prawn and snakehead exhibited the highest and lowest levels, respectively. Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) were dominant contaminants, accounting for approximately 86% of the total sum. The mean values of bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) and logarithmic biota-sediment accumulation factors (log BSAFs) for individual PFRs varied from 6.6 to 1109 and from −2.0 to 0.41, respectively. Both log BCFs and log BSAFs of PFRs were significantly and positively correlated with their octanol-water partitioning coefficient (log KOW). The concentrations of PFRs in tissues of large mud carp and snakehead were significantly and positively correlated with the lipid content (each p < 0.05) and the liver, kidney, and gill exhibited high PFR levels. When the concentration was expressed on a lipid basis, liver exhibited the lowest level, indicating the probable effects of metabolism. Significantly positive correlation was also found between lipid content and total PFR concentration in muscle of all aquatic organisms, given the strong correlation between lipid content and the concentration of TnBP. Trophic magnification factors (TMF) of TnBP and TPhP were lower than 1 (0.57 and 0.62), indicating that these PFRs undergo trophic dilution in this aquatic food web.

Mercury (Hg) is a global toxic pollutant and has raised the world's attention for decades. In this study, we reviewed the fish mercury levels in China (both marine and freshwater, as well as wild and farmed) documented over the past decade and their controlling environmental and biological factors. China is the largest contributor of global Hg cycling and the largest nation for the consumption and export of fish and fish product, thus Hg level in fish becomes a critical issue for food safety and public health. In China, Hg in fish is generally accumulated at a low level, but significant geographical differences were evident and formed the “hot spots” from the north to the south. For marine fish, the east (median: 70 ng g−1 ww, range: 5.0–330 ng g−1 ww) and southeast (median: 72 ng g−1 ww, range: 0.3–329 ng g−1 ww) of China have higher total Hg concentrations than the other coastal areas. For freshwater fish, Tibetan Plateau exhibited the highest total Hg levels (median: 104 ng g−1 ww, range: 5.0–868 ng g−1 ww). Risk assessment of the exposure of low-Hg-level fish to China's population deserves more attention and detailed fish consumption advisories to specific populations are urgently needed. The biokinetic model is a useful tool to characterize the underlying processes involved in Hg accumulation by fish. The diet (Hg concentration, speciation, food quality and quantity) and growth appear to be the important factors affecting the Hg levels of fish in China. The Hg biotransformation can also make contributions to Hg speciation and overall accumulation in fish. The intestinal microbes play an important role in Hg biotransformation and the potential for minimizing Hg contamination in fish deserves further investigation.

Predicting the cotransport of functional microorganisms and heavy metals in porous media is essential to both bioremediation and pollutant risk assessment. In this study, batch and column experiments were conducted to explore the cotransport behaviors of functional bacteria (FA1) and heavy metals (Pb²⁺/Cd²⁺) in saturated sand media under different conditions. The sorption capacity of heavy metals on FA1 was much greater than that of the sand, while both FA1 and sand showed stronger affinity to Pb²⁺ than Cd²⁺. The surface properties, especially zeta potential, of the bacteria and sand were altered by metal adsorption. As a result, the co-existence of Pb²⁺ decreased the transport of FA1 more significantly than that of Cd²⁺, and the influence was more significant with higher heavy metal concentration. On the other hand, the co-existence of FA1 inhibited the mobility of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in most scenarios, except when the cotransport concentration of Pb²⁺ was 5 mg L⁻¹, and the inhibition was more pronounced for Pb²⁺ than Cd²⁺. Increase in metal concentrations decreased the FA1-associated Pb²⁺/Cd²⁺ in effluents due to the remarkable decrease in FA1 mobility, and free soluble Pb²⁺/Cd²⁺ became the major migration species. In addition, due to stronger attractive forces and affinity between Pb²⁺ and FA1, nearly all presorbed-Pb²⁺ by sand was remobilized by FA1 and transported mainly in FA1-associated form other than soluble Pb²⁺. Findings from this study indicated that the cotransport of biocolloids and heavy metals are highly sensitive to the ion type and concentration, and evaluation of their transport in the subsurface should be carefully carried out to avoid inaccurate estimations.

It is estimated that 10% of the worldwide population lives in the vicinity of an active volcano. However, volcanogenic air pollution studies are still outnumbered when compared with anthropogenic air pollution studies, representing an unknown risk to human populations inhabiting volcanic areas worldwide. This study was carried out in the Azorean archipelago of Portugal, in areas with active non-eruptive volcanism. The hydrothermal emissions within the volcanic complex of Furnas (São Miguel Island) are responsible for the emission of nearly 1000 tons of CO₂ per day, along with H₂S, the radioactive gas – radon, among others. Besides the gaseous emissions, metals (e.g., Hg, Cd, Al, Ni) and particulate matter are also released into the environment. We test the hypothesis that chronic exposure to volcanogenic air pollution alters the histomorphology of the bronchioles and terminal bronchioles, using the house mouse, Mus musculus, as bioindicator species. Mus musculus were live-captured at three different locations: two villages with active volcanism and a village without any type of volcanic activity (reference site). The histomorphology of the bronchioles (diameter, epithelium thickness, smooth muscle layer thickness, submucosa thickness and the histological evaluation of the peribronchiolar inflammation) and of the terminal bronchioles (epithelium thickness and classification) were evaluated. Mice chronically exposed to volcanogenic air pollution presented bronchioles with increased epithelial thickness, increased smooth muscle layer, increased submucosa thickness and increased peribronchiolar inflammation. Similarly, terminal bronchioles presented structural alterations consistent with bronchodysplasia. For the first time we demonstrate that chronic exposure to non-eruptive volcanically active environments causes inflammation and histomorphological alterations in mice lower airways consistent with asthma and chronic bronchitis. These results reveal that chronic exposure to non-eruptive volcanic activity represents a risk factor that can affect the health of the respiratory system of humans inhabiting hydrothermal areas.

High removal efficiency and excellent recyclability are the fundamental qualities that an outstanding adsorbent used for organic dye removal should possess. In this study, two recyclable gels (sodium alginate/Ca/fiber: SCFA hydrogels; cellulose nanofiber/chitosan: CNFCS aerogels) were successfully fabricated using the facile method. Additionally, the as-prepared adsorbents were investigated using a series of characterizations. The adsorption behavior and anti-interference performance of the synthesized gels were compared by choosing methylene blue (MB) as the model pollutant. The kinetic behavior of the gels towards MB was consistent with the pseudo first-order model, and the SCFA hydrogels reached adsorption equilibrium faster than the CNFCS aerogels. The maximum adsorption capacity of MB on the SCFA hydrogels and CNFCS aerogels was 1335.0 and 164.5 mg g⁻¹ (pH = 7.0, dosage: 0.5 g/L; initial concentration from 15 to 180 mg L⁻¹), respectively. More specifically, we found that the co-existing anions had different effects on MB adsorption over the gels used for MB removal. Furthermore, for the SCFA hydrogels, co-existing natural organic matter (NOM) at low concentrations enhanced MB adsorption, and then stabilized as the concentration of NOM increased. However, this increasing trend was not observed for MB adsorption on CNFCS aerogels; these gels exhibited a slight decrease at first, and then showed no change. Nevertheless, both the gels exhibited superior regeneration and recycling abilities.

Airborne lower-chlorinated PCBs are vulnerable to metabolization to PCB sulfates through further sulfation of the hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs). However, studies on the toxic effects and mechanisms of PCB sulfates are still very limited. Here, we investigated for the first time the potential endocrine disruption effects of PCB sulfates through estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) in comparison with their OH-PCBs precursors and PCB parent compounds. The binding affinity of thirteen PCBs/OH-PCBs/PCB sulfates was measured by using fluorescence competitive binding assays based on fluorescence polarization (FP). All of the tested chemicals could bind to ERRγ with the Kd (dissociation constant) values ranging from not available (NA) to 3.2 μM 4′–OH–PCB 12 showed the highest binding affinity with Kd value of 3.2 μM, which was comparable to that of a synthetic ERRγ agonist GSK4716. The effects of the thirteen chemicals on the ERRγ transcriptional activity were determined by using the luciferase reporter gene assay. We found the PCBs/OH-PCBs/PCB sulfates acted as agonists for ERRγ, with the lowest observed effective concentration reaching 3 μM. The binding affinity and agonistic activity of PCBs towards ERRγ were both enhanced after hydroxylation, while further sulfation of OH-PCBs decreased the activity instead. Molecular docking simulation showed that OH-PCBs had lower binding energy than the corresponding PCBs and PCB sulfates, indicating that OH-PCBs had higher binding affinity theoretically. In addition, OH-PCBs could form hydrogen bonds with amino acids Glu316 and Arg247 while PCBs and PCB sulfates could not, which might be the main factor impacting the binding affinity and agonistic activity. Overall, ERRγ is a novel target for lower-chlorinated PCBs and their metabolites.

Mine tailings contain toxic metals and can lead to serious pollutions of soil environment. Phytoremediation using legumes has been regarded as an eco-friendly way for the rehabilitation of tailings-laden lands but little is known about the changes of microbial structure during the process. In the present study, we monitored the dynamic change of microbiota in the rhizosphere of Pongamia pinnata during a 2-year on-site remediation of vanadium-titanium magnetite tailings. After remediation, overall soil health conditions were significantly improved as increased available N and P contents and enzyme activities were discovered. There was also an increase of microbial carbon and nitrogen contents. The Illumina sequencing technique revealed that the abundance of taxa under Proteobacteria was increased and rhizobia-related OTUs were preferentially enriched. A significant difference was discovered for sample groups before and after remediation. Rhizobium and Nordella were identified as the keystone taxa at genus rank. Functional predictions indicated that nitrogen fixation was enhanced, corresponding well with qPCR results which showed a significant increase of nifH gene copy numbers by the 2nd year. Our findings for the first time elucidated that legume phytoremediation can effectively cause microbial communities to shift in favour of rhizobia in heavy metal contaminated soil.

Size-segregated ambient particles down to particles smaller than 0.1 μm (PM₀.₁) were collected during the year 2014–2015 using cascade air samplers with a PM₀.₁ stage, at two cities in Thailand, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Their characteristics and seasonal behavior were evaluated based on the thermal/optical reflectance (IMPROVE_TOR) method. Diagnostic indices for their emission sources and the black carbon (BC) concentration were assessed using an aethalometer and related to the monthly emission inventory (EI) of particle-bound BC and organic carbon (OC) in order to investigate the contribution of agricultural activities and forest fires as well as agro-industries in Thailand. Monthly provincial EIs were evaluated based on the number of agricultural crops produced corresponding to field residue burning and the use of residues as fuel in agro-industries, and also on the number of hot spots from satellite images corresponding to the areas burned by forest fires. The ratio of char-EC/soot-EC describing the relative influence of biomass combustion to diesel emission was found to be in agreement with the EI of BC from biomass burning in the size range <1 μm. This was especially true for PM₀.₁, which usually tends to be indicative of diesel exhaust particles, and was shown to be very sensitive to the EI of biomass burning. In Chiang Mai, the northern part of Thailand, the forest fires located upwind of the monitoring site were found to be the largest contributor while the carbon behavior at the site in Bangkok was better accounted for by the EI of provinces in central Thailand including Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, where the burning of crop residues and the cultivation of sugarcane for sugar production are significant factors. This suggests that the influence of transportation of polluted air masses is important on a multi-provincial scale (100–200 km) in Thailand.