Fulmars are effective biological indicators of the abundance of floating plastic marine debris. Long-term data reveal high plastic abundance in the southern North Sea, gradually decreasing to the north at increasing distance from population centres, with lowest levels in high-arctic waters. Since the 1980s, pre-production plastic pellets in North Sea fulmars have decreased by ∼75%, while user plastics varied without a strong overall change. Similar trends were found in net-collected floating plastic debris in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, with a ∼75% decrease in plastic pellets and no obvious trend in user plastic. The decreases in pellets suggest that changes in litter input are rapidly visible in the environment not only close to presumed sources, but also far from land. Floating plastic debris is rapidly “lost” from the ocean surface to other as-yet undetermined sinks in the marine environment.

The increasing use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a biocidal agent and their potential accumulation in sediments may threaten non-target natural environmental bacterial communities. In this study a microcosm approach was established to investigate the effects of well characterized OECD AgNPs (NM-300) on the function of the bacterial community inhabiting marine estuarine sediments (salinity 31‰). The results showed that a single pulse of NM-300 AgNPs (1 mg L−1) that led to sediment concentrations below 6 mg Ag kg−1 dry weight inhibited the bacterial utilization of environmentally relevant carbon substrates. As a result, the functional diversity changed, but recovered after 120 h under the experimental conditions. This microcosm study suggests that AgNPs under environmentally relevant experimental conditions can negatively affect bacterial function and provides an insight into the understanding of the bacterial community response and resilience to AgNPs exposure, important for informing relevant regulatory measures.

The temporal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations as well as the lipid content in the xylem of Masson pine trees sampled from the same site were determined and compared with the days of haze occurrence and with the historical PAHs reported in sedimentary cores. The patterns of the lipid content as well as the PAH concentrations based on the xylem dry weight (PAHs-DW) decreased from the heartwood to the sapwood. The trajectories of PAHs normalized by xylem lipid content (PAHs-LC) coincided well with the number of haze-occurred days and were partly similar with the historical changes in airborne PAHs recorded in the sedimentary cores. The results indicated that PAHs-LC in the xylem of conifers might reliably reflect the historical changes in airborne PAHs at a regional scale. The species-specificity should be addressed in the utility and application of dendrochemical monitoring on historical and comparative studies of airborne PAHs.

The octa- and nonachlorinated bornanes (toxaphene) CHBs 26, 40, 41, 44, 50 and 62 were analysed in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), ringed seal (Pusa hispida) and black guillemot eggs (Cepphus grylle) from Greenland. Despite their high trophic level, ringed seals had the lowest concentrations of these species, with a Σ6Toxaphene median concentration of 13–20ng/g lipid weight (lw), suggesting metabolisation. The congener composition also suggests transformation of nona- to octachlorinated congeners. Black guillemot eggs had the highest concentrations (Σ6Toxaphene median concentration of 971ng/g lw). Although concentrations were higher in East than in West Greenland differences were smaller than for other persistent organic pollutants. In a circumpolar context, toxaphene had the highest concentrations in the Canadian Arctic. Time trend analyses showed significant decreases for black guillemot eggs and juvenile ringed seals, with annual rates of −5 to −7% for Σ6Toxaphene. The decreases were generally steepest for CHBs 40, 41 and 44.

The properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) functionalized with –OH and –COOH groups during simulated water treatment with H2O2 and/or UV were tested. There following properties of CNTs were investigated: specific surface area, elemental composition (CHN), dynamic light scattering, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and changes in the CNTs structure were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Treatment of CNTs with H2O2 and/or UV affected their properties. This effect, however, was different depending on the functionalization of CNTs and also on the factor used (UV and/or H2O2). H2O2 plays a key role as a factor modifying the surface of CNT-OHs, whereas the properties of CNT-COOHs were most affected by UV rays. A shortening of the nanotubes, exfoliation, the opening of their ends, and changes in the surface charge were observed as a result of the action of UV and/or H2O2. The changes in observed parameters may influence the stability of the aqueous suspensions of CNTs.

Understanding the trophic transfer of nanoparticles (NPs) is important because NPs are small enough to easily penetrate into organisms. In this study, we evaluated the trophic transfer of gold NPs (AuNPs) within the aquatic food chain. We observed AuNPs transfer from 2 species of primary producers (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii or Euglena gracilis) to the primary consumer (Daphnia magna). Also, bioaccumulation of AuNPs in E. gracilis was higher than that in C. reinhardtii. The reasons for the difference in Au accumulation may be the physical structure of these organisms, and the surface area that is available for interaction with NPs. C. reinhardtii has a cell wall that may act as a barrier to the penetration of NPs. The size of E. gracilis is larger than that of C. reinhardtii. This study demonstrates the trophic transfer of AuNPs from a general producer to a consumer in an aquatic environment.

Nineteen biocides were investigated in the Yangtze River to understand their spatiotemporal distribution, mass loads and ecological risks. Fourteen biocides were detected, with the highest concentrations up to 166 ng/L for DEET in surface water, and 54.3 ng/g dry weight (dw) for triclocarban in sediment. The dominant biocides were DEET and methylparaben, with their detection frequencies of 100% in both phases. An estimate of 152 t/y of 14 biocides was carried by the Yangtze River to the East China Sea. The distribution of biocides in the aquatic environments was significantly correlated to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN), suggesting dominant input sources from domestic wastewater of the cities along the river. Risk assessment showed high ecological risks posed by carbendazim in both phases and by triclosan in sediment. Therefore, proper measures should be taken to reduce the input of biocides into the river systems.

This critical review presents several aspects related to the use of copper as a main component in brake pads in road vehicles. The compositions of these materials are attracting increasing interest and concern due to the relative contribution of wear products to particulate matter emissions in the environment as a result of braking action even though there has been a reduction in exhaust products from internal combustion engines. We review the data on the main wear mechanisms in brake systems and highlight the positive role of copper. However, similar to other heavy metal emissions, even the release of copper into the atmosphere may have important environmental and health effects. Thus, several replacement strategies are being pursued, and the positive and negative features will be critically reviewed. Additionally, the future perspectives in materials development will be discussed.

Washing and wet mopping is often advocated as a remedial treatment to limit exposure to lead dust. Here, surface and pre- and post-play wipes were measured to ascertain dust metal exposures (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc) following play routines at four playgrounds in the smelter city of Port Pirie, South Australia, which are washed regularly. Although post-play hand wipe metals were 55.9% (95% CI: −0.78, −0.34) lower on wash days, loadings increased ∼5.1% (95% CI: 1.2, 11.7) per hour after washing. Despite washing, post-play hand lead exceeded a conservative value of 800 μg/m2 within 24 h or sooner, with loadings increasing in proximity to the smelter. Post-play lead loadings were always >1000 μg/m2 at the playground closest to smelter. Playground washing results in short-lived exposure reduction and effective treatment requires elimination of smelter emissions.

The association between residential traffic exposure and change in C-reactive protein over 2-years was evaluated using multivariate linear regression including interaction models for traffic and diabetes medication use/type (insulin vs. oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs)).The study population was Puerto Rican adults (n = 356) residing in greater Boston with type 2 diabetes. Traffic was characterized as proximity to roads with >20,000 weekday traffic volumes, and multi-directional traffic density.Increases in CRP concentration were significantly associated with residence ≤100 m of a roadway (p = 0.009) or near multiple roadways (p < 0.001), vs. further away, for individuals using insulin in stratified models, with consistent results in interaction models (p = 0.071 and p = 0.002). CRP was significantly lower with highest traffic density exposure in stratified (p = 0.03) and interaction models (p = 0.024) for individuals using OHAs.Individuals on insulin experienced increased CRP concentrations with traffic exposure over a 2-year study period, while those using OHAs did not experience increases.