Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are organic compounds with highly toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic properties, which adversely affect the basic biological parameters of the soil, including the count of microorganisms, and the enzymatic activity. In addition to disturbances to the biological activity of the soil, PAHs may also exhibit toxic effects on plants. In view of the above, the study involved testing aimed at the determination of the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a form of naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene and pyrene on the count, colony development (CD) index, ecophysiological (EP) diversity index of organotrophic bacteria, and the activity of soil dehydrogenases and soil urease. Moreover, an attempt was made to determine the soil’s resistance based on the activity of the above-listed enzymes, and the effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on seed germination and root growth was assessed by Lepidium sativum, Sorghum saccharatum, and Sinapis alba. In addition, the species of bacteria found in a soil subjected to strong pressure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were isolated. The experiment was performed in a laboratory on samples of loamy sand. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were introduced into the soil in an amount of 0, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg kg⁻¹ of soil dry matter. Germination and growth of cress (L. sativum), white mustard (S. alba), and sweet sorghum (S. saccharatum) were determined using Phytotoxkit tests. It was found that the tested PAHs increased the average colony counts of organotrophic soil bacteria; pyrene did so to the greatest extent (2.2-fold relative to non-contaminated soil), phenanthrene to the smallest extent (1.4-fold relative to non-contaminated soil). None of the PAHs changed the value of the bacterial colony development (CD) index, while anthracene and pyrene increased the value of the eco-physiological (EP) diversity indicator. PAHs lowered the activity of the tested enzymes. The activity of dehydrogenases was dependent on a greater extent by the type of hydrocarbon (54.56 %) rather than by the dose (10.64 %), while for the activity of urease, it was the opposite. The greater extent was dependent on dose (95.42 %) rather than by type (0.21 %). Dehydrogenases are characterised by greater resistance to the action of PAHs than urease. Based on seed germination and root growth, it has shown that S. alba is best suited, being the most vulnerable plant, while S. saccharatum is the least suited. Subjecting a soil to strong pressure of PAHs leads to disturbances to the biological parameters of the soil, seed germination, and root growth L. sativum, S. saccharatum, and S. alba.

An experimental study of the homogeneous Fenton and photo-Fenton degradation of 4-amidophenol (paracetamol, PCT) is presented. For all the operation conditions evaluated, PCT degradation is efficiently attained by both Fenton and photo-Fenton processes. Also, photonic efficiencies of PCT degradation and mineralization are determined under different experimental conditions, characterizing the influence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and Fe(II) on both contaminant degradation and sample mineralization. The maximum photonic degradation efficiencies for 5 and 10 mg L⁻¹Fe(II) were 3.9 (H₂O₂ = 189 mg L⁻¹) and 5 (H₂O₂ = 378 mg L⁻¹), respectively. For higher concentrations of oxidant, H₂O₂ acts as a "scavenger" radical, competing in pollutant degradation and reducing the reaction rate. Moreover, in order to quantify the consumption of the oxidizing agent, the specific consumption of the hydrogen peroxide was also evaluated. For all operating conditions of both hydrogen peroxide and Fe(II) concentration, the consumption values obtained for Fenton process were always higher than the corresponding values observed for photo-Fenton. This implies a less efficient use of the oxidizing agent for dark conditions.

A multi-residue method, based on gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), has been developed for the determination of 70 organic micropollutants from various chemical classes (organochlorinated, organophosphorous, triazines, carbamate and urea, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, pharmaceuticals, phenols, etc.) in surface waters. A single-step SPE extraction using OASIS HLB cartridges was employed for the recovery of target micropollutants. The method has been validated according to monitoring performance criteria of the Water Framework Directive, taking into account the approved guidelines on quality assurance and quality control. The recoveries ranged from 60 to 110 %, the coefficient of variation from 0.84 to 27.4 %, and the uncertainty from 6 to 37 %. The LOD varied from 6.0 to 40 ng/L. The limits of quantification for the priority pollutants anthracene, alachlor, atrazine, benzo(a)pyrene, chlorfenvinphos, diuron, isoproturon, nonylphenol, simazine, and terbutryn fulfill the criterion of <30 % of the relevant environmental standards. The method was employed to investigate the water quality in the basin of a transboundary river, Strymonas, in NE Greece during three sampling campaigns conducted in the year 2013. Thirty-nine compounds were detected in the river water. Metolachlor, diuron, isoproturon, salicylic acid, chlorfenvinphos, 1,2-benzanthracene, pyrene, diflubenzuron, and carbaryl exhibited the highest detection frequencies.

Andra Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) was established in 2010 as a part of the Perennial Observatory of the Environment (OPE), ongoing Long-Term Environmental Research Monitoring and Testing System located next to the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) at Bure, Meuse/Haute-Marne, France. The URL is used to study the deep geological disposal of high and intermediate level radioactive waste. Andra ESB is designed to archive during at least 100 years samples collected to define the initial state of environmental quality of the local area before the construction of industrial facilities and to ensure the traceability of long-term series of samples collected by the OPE (http://www.andra.fr/ope), using safe long-term conservation practices. Samples archived in the bank include some local food chain products (milk, cheese, honey, cereals, grass, cherry plum…) and specimen usually archived internationally to monitor the environmental quality (soil, sediment, water, fish, tree leaves, wild life, etc.). Regarding the different samples and analytical issues, three conservation modalities and facilities were designed: dry conservation under controlled temperature and humidity, cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (LN2) vapor phase freezers (−150 °C) and in deep-freezing at −80 °C for temporary storage and raw samples before preparation. Andra ESB is equipped with a sample preparation clean room, certified ISO Class 5, dedicated to cryopreservation. This paper describes this first French experiment of long-term chemical quality monitoring and samples cryopreservation of different ecosystems and environmental compartments.

During degradation of cyanobacterial blooms, some derived pollutants are released to the waters and last for a while before returning to normal levels. To assess whether the offspring of exposed Daphnia was affected by their maternal experience, we exposed mother Daphnia magna to mixtures of unionized ammonia (0, 0.30, and 0.48 mg L⁻¹) and microcystin-LR (0, 10, 30, and 100 μg L⁻¹) for 10 days and then immediately moved their offspring to a toxicant-free environment. The offspring were cultured for 21 days to record their survival, development, and reproduction. Results showed that the survival of the offspring of D. magna that experienced high doses of mixed toxicants decreased significantly, but there was no significant difference in development among the survivors of the offspring from different maternal treatments. However, reproductive performances significantly differed among the offspring from different maternal treatments, indicating that there existed a maternal effect in the offspring of D. magna that experienced high levels of mixed toxicants.

Nanofertilizers may be more effective than regular fertilizers in improving plant nutrition, enhancing nutrition use efficiency, and protecting plants from environmental stress. A hydroponic pot experiment was conducted to study the role of foliar application with 2.5 mM nano-silicon in alleviating Cd stress in rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. cv Youyou 128) grown in solution added with or without 20 μM CdCl₂. The results showed that Cd treatment decreased the growth and the contents of Mg, Fe, Zn, chlorophyll a, and glutathione (GSH), accompanied by a significant increase in Cd accumulation. However, foliar application with nano-Si improved the growth, Mg, Fe, and Zn nutrition, and the contents of chlorophyll a of the rice seedlings under Cd stress and decreased Cd accumulation and translocation of Cd from root to shoot. Cd treatment produced oxidative stress to rice seedlings indicated by a higher lipid peroxidation level (as malondialdehyde (MDA)) and higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), and a lower GSH content. However, those nano-Si-treated plants had lower MDA but higher GSH content and different antioxidant enzyme activities, indicating a higher Cd tolerance in them. The results suggested that nano-Si application alleviated Cd toxicity in rice by decreasing Cd accumulation, Cd partitioning in shoot and MDA level and by increasing content of some mineral elements (Mg, Fe, and Zn) and antioxidant capacity.

The uptake of Se(IV) and its effects on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of duckweed (Lemna minor L.) have been studied. Duckweed plants were cultivated in controlled conditions for 7 weeks in different concentrations of Na selenite: 0.5, 1, 2, 5 (exposed 42 days) and 10 mg Se L⁻¹(survived 7–21 days). The addition of 1 mg Se L⁻¹did not negatively affect photochemical efficiency whilst respiratory potential increased in weeks 2–4 compared to control. The addition of 1 mg Se(IV) L⁻¹increased the amount of chlorophyll a in weeks 3 and 4 and the amount of carotenoids in weeks 1, 3 and 5. Concentrations of 2 and 5 mg Se L⁻¹negatively affected photochemical efficiency in weeks 3 and 4, and increased respiratory potential in comparison to the control in weeks 1–4, whilst beyond week 4, the respiratory potential decreased. Plants exposed to the highest concentration of Se(IV) had to be replaced twice during the experiment because they were dying. That was reflected in photochemical efficiency as well as in respiratory potential, which decreased in time. The content of Se in duckweed increased with the increasing concentration of Se: plants growing in 0.5 mg Se L⁻¹contained 0.9 mg Se g⁻¹DM and plants exposed to 5 mg Se L⁻¹contained 5.8 mg Se g⁻¹DM. The group of plants exposed to 10 mg Se L⁻¹for 21 days contained 19.5 mg Se g⁻¹DM. Our study revealed that duckweed absorbed high amount of Se(IV) from the water.

A detailed gamma ray spectrometry survey was carried out to make an action in environmental impact assessment of urbanization and industrialization on Port Said city, Egypt. The concentrations of the measured radioelements U-238, Th-232 in ppm, and K-40 %, in addition to the total counts of three selected randomly dumping sites (A, B, and C) were mapped. The concentration maps represent a base line for the radioactivity in the study area in order to detect any future radioactive contamination. These concentrations are ranging between 0.2 and 21 ppm for U-238 and 0.01 to 13.4 ppm for Th-232 as well as 0.15 to 3.8 % for K-40, whereas the total count values range from 8.7 to 123.6 uR. Moreover, the dose rate was mapped using the same spectrometer and survey parameters in order to assess the radiological effect of these radioelements. The dose rate values range from 0.12 to 1.61 mSv/year. Eighteen soil samples were collected from the sites with high radioelement concentrations and dose rates to determine the activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 using HPGe spectrometer. The activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 in the measured samples range from 18.03 to 398.66 Bq kg⁻¹, 5.28 to 75.7 Bq kg⁻¹, and 3,237.88 to 583.12 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. In addition to analyze heavy metal for two high reading samples (a₁and a₁₀) which give concentrations of Cd and Zn elements (a₁40 ppm and a₁₀42 ppm) and (a₁0.90 ppm and a₁₀0.97 ppm), respectively, that are in the range of phosphate fertilizer products that suggested a dumped man-made waste in site A. All indicate that the measured values for the soil samples in the two sites of three falls within the world ranges of soil in areas with normal levels of radioactivity, while site A shows a potential radiological risk for human beings, and it is important to carry out dose assessment program with a specifically detailed monitoring program periodically.

Traffic-related sources have been recognized as a significant contributor of particulate matter particularly within major cities. Exhaust and non-exhaust traffic-related sources are estimated to contribute almost equally to traffic-related PM₁₀emissions. Non-exhaust particles can be generated either from non-exhaust sources such as brake, tyre, clutch and road surface wear or already exist in the form of deposited material at the roadside and become resuspended due to traffic-induced turbulence. Among non-exhaust sources, brake wear can be a significant particulate matter (PM) contributor, particularly within areas with high traffic density and braking frequency. Studies mention that in urban environments, brake wear can contribute up to 55 % by mass to total non-exhaust traffic-related PM₁₀emissions and up to 21 % by mass to total traffic-related PM₁₀emissions, while in freeways, this contribution is lower due to lower braking frequency. As exhaust emissions control become stricter, relative contributions of non-exhaust sources—and therefore brake wear—to traffic-related emissions will become more significant and will raise discussions on possible regulatory needs. The aim of the present literature review study is to present the state-of-the-art of the different aspects regarding PM resulting from brake wear and provide all the necessary information in terms of importance, physicochemical characteristics, emission factors and possible health effects.

To safely and effectively apply artemisinin sustained-release granules to control and prevent algal water-blooms, the effects of artemisinin and its sustained-release granules on freshwater alga (Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus) and Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa)), as well as the production and release of microcystins (MCs) were studied. The results showed that artemisinin sustained-release granules inhibited the growth of M. aeruginosa (above 95 % IR) and S. obliquus (about 90 % IR), with M. aeruginosa more sensitive. The artemisinin sustained-release granules had a longer inhibition effect on growth of pure algae and algal coexistence than direct artemisinin dosing. The artemisinin sustained-release granules could decrease the production and release of algal toxins due to the continued stress of artemisinin released from artemisinin sustained-release granules. There was no increase in the total amount of MC–LR in the algal cell culture medium.