Exposure to crude oil during spill events causes a variety of pathologic effects in birds, including oxidative injury to erythrocytes, which is characterized in some species by the formation of Heinz bodies and subsequent anemia. However, not all species appear to develop Heinz bodies or anemia when exposed to oil, and there are limited controlled experiments that use both light and electron microscopy to evaluate structural changes within erythrocytes following oil exposure. In this study, we orally dosed zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with 3.3 or 10 mL/kg of artificially weathered Deepwater Horizon crude oil or 10 mL/kg of peanut oil (vehicle control) daily for 15 days. We found that birds receiving the highest dosage experienced a significant increase in reticulocyte percentage, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and liver mass, as well as inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and lymphocyte proliferation in the spleen. However, we found no evidence of Heinz body formation based on both light and transmission electron microscopy. Although there was a tendency for packed cell volume and hemoglobin to decrease in birds from the high dose group compared to control and low dose groups, the changes were not statistically significant. Our results indicate that additional experimental dosing studies are needed to understand factors (e.g., dose- and species-specific sensitivity) and confounding variables (e.g., dispersants) that contribute to the presence and severity of anemia resulting from oil exposure in birds.

Excessive copper (Cu) in contaminated soil and groundwater has attracted continuous attentions due to the bioaccumulation and durability. In this study, the feasibility of remediation of heavy metal pollution in soil and groundwater was investigated using hydroxyapatite/calcium silicate hydrate (HAP/C–S–H) recovered from phosphorus-rich wastewater in farmland. The results show that the pH has a strong effect on copper removal from Cu-contaminated groundwater but the impact of ion strength on the removal is weak. In general, high pH and low ion strength give better results in copper removal. Kinetic and isotherm data from the study fit well with Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of HAP/C–S–H (138 mg/g) was higher than that of C–S–H (90.3 mg/g) when pH value, temperature, and ionic strength were 5, 308 K, and 0.01 M, respectively. Thermodynamics results indicate that Cu removal is a spontaneous and endothermic process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the mechanism of copper removal involves physical adsorption, chemical precipitation and ion exchange. For the remediation of Cu-contaminated soil, 76.3% of leachable copper was immobilized by HAP/C–S–H after 28 d. Acid soluble Cu, the main contributor to biotoxicity, decreased significantly while reducible and residual Cu increased. After immobilization, the acid neutralization capacity of the soil increased and the dissolution of copper was substantially reduced in near-neutral pH. It can be concluded that HAP/C–S–H is an effective, low-cost and eco-friendly reagent for in-situ remediation of heavy metal polluted soil and groundwater.

Antibiotic proliferation in the environment and their persistent nature is an issue of global concern as they induce antibiotic resistance threatening both human health and the ecosystem. Antibiotics have therefore been categorized as emerging pollutants. Fluoroquinolone (FQs) antibiotics are an emerging class of contaminants that are used extensively in human and veterinary medicine. The recalcitrant nature of fluoroquinolones has led to their presence in wastewater, effluents and water bodies. Even at a low concentration, FQs can stimulate antibacterial resistance. The main sources of FQ contamination include waste from pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, hospitals and households that ultimately reaches the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The conventional WWTPs are unable to completely remove FQs due to their chemical stability. Therefore, the development and implementation of more efficient, economical, convenient treatment and removal technologies are needed to adequately address the issue. This review provides an overview of the technologies available for the removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotics from wastewater including adsorptive removal, advanced oxidation processes, removal using non-carbon based nanomaterials, microbial degradation and enzymatic degradation. Each treatment technology is discussed on its merits and limitations and a comparative view is presented on the choice of an advanced treatment process for future studies and implementation. A discussion on the commercialization potential and eco-friendliness of each technology is also included in the review. The importance of metabolite identification and their residual toxicity determination has been emphasized. The last section of the review provides an overview of the policy interventions and regulatory frameworks that aid in retrofitting antibiotics as a central key focus contaminant and thereby defining the discharge limits for antibiotics and establishing safe manufacturing practices.

PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ fugitive dust samples from multiple sources (construction, demolition, industrial, agricultural fields, and bare ground) were collected in triplicate for each size bin, from 18 distinct locations in and around Bhopal, central India. The dust samples were dried, sieved, and re-suspended in a chamber fitted with a suitable sampling system, to collect PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ samples onto Teflon and Quartz filters. The filters were subjected to gravimetric and chemical analyses. Trace elements, water-soluble ions, and thermal-optical carbon fractions were quantified using a variety of analyses. These species were then used to develop PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ chemical source profiles of the fugitive dust sources. As expected, crustal species were abundant in all source categories. For industrial dust, Fe contribution to mass in both size fractions was about 11.4% and above the upper continental crustal abundance. Further, the source profiles generated for each source were different from their counterparts in the US EPA SPECIATE database and profiles reported in literature. Thus, it will be useful to utilize profiles generated in this study to enhance receptor model performance for the study region. However, collinearity analysis of the profiles revealed that PM₁₀ agricultural and bare ground dust; and PM₂.₅ construction and demolition dust profile pairs may not be separated by receptor models. Finally, a human health risk assessment revealed that construction and industrial dust may pose significant risk to the population. The Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) metric revealed that adults (2 × 10⁻⁵) and children (1 × 10⁻⁵) were susceptible to cancer risk from exposure to metals in PM₂.₅ fugitive dust. Further, children were more vulnerable than adults. This finding merits further investigation of oxidation state and solubility/bioavailability of Cr and Ni in fugitive dusts.

Mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxic element with severe effects on humans and wildlife. Widely distributed by atmospheric deposition, it can also be localized near point sources such as mines. Mercury has been shown to reduce the reproduction of bird populations in field observations in North America and Europe, but studies are needed in Asia, where the majority of emissions now occur. We investigated the reproduction of two passerines, Japanese Tit (Parus minor) and Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans), in a large-scale Hg mining district, and a non-mining district, both in Guizhou, southwest China. Concentrations of Hg were elevated in the mining district (blood levels of 2.54 ± 2.21 [SD] and 0.71 ± 0.40 μg/g, in adult tits and sparrows, respectively). However, we saw no evidence of decreased breeding there: metrics such as egg volume, nestling weight, hatching and fledgling success, were all similar between the different districts across two breeding seasons. Nor were there correlations at the mining district between Hg levels of adults or juveniles, and hatching or fledgling success, or nestling weight. Nest success was high even in the mining district (tit, 64.0%; sparrow: 83.1%). This lack of reproductive decline may be related to lower blood levels in nestlings (means < 0.15 μg/g for both species). Concentrations of selenium (Se), and Se-to-Hg molar ratio, were also not correlated to breeding success. Although blood levels of 3.0 μg/g have been considered as a threshold of adverse effects in birds, even leading to severe effects, we detected no population-level reproductive effects, despite ~25% of the adult tits being above this level. Future work should investigate different locations in the mining district, different life-stages of the birds, and a wider variety of species. The hypothesis that bird populations can evolve resistance to Hg in contaminated areas should also be examined further.

Seafood contamination with, and human consumption of, microplastics (MPs) have recently been highlighted as an emerging concern for global food security. While there is evidence that commercial marine species are contaminated with MPs, it is still unknown if seafood can act as a vector for MP transfer to human consumers. Microplastics have been reported in the digestive tract, gills and in select internal organs of marine animals. However, many of these tissues are not typically eaten by human consumers but discarded. In this critical review, we examined the peer-reviewed literature for evidence of MP contamination in seafood, and the potential transfer to human consumers. Based on known seafood consumption patterns in a typical Australian diet, we assessed the relevance and reliability of the current body of literature to examine the prospect and risk of MP transfer. The relevance of data was considered based on the organism studied, origin of the samples, and the tissues analysed, while reliability was assessed based on procedural methodologies used to derive the data. A review of 132 studies found limited evidence of MP contamination in edible tissues from fresh fish or crustaceans. MP presence was confirmed in packaged fish, as well as in fresh and packaged bivalve molluscs. The limited number of studies satisfying the relevance and reliability criteria (n = 24) precluded a quantitative assessment of the potential risk associated with MP transfer. While consumption of packaged fish and bivalve molluscs may result in the consumption of MPs by humans, it is currently unknown whether this presents a health risk.

The influence of pollutants on metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus is an emerging field in environmental medicine. Here, we explored the effects of a low-dose endosulfan sulfate (ES), a major metabolite of the pesticide endosulfan and a bio-persistent contaminant detected in environmental and human samples, on the progress of obesity and metabolic disorders. Pregnant CD-1 mice were given ES from gestational day 6 to postnatal day 21 (short-term). After weaning, male pups of exposed dams were provided with a low-fat or a high-fat diet (LFD or HFD) and assessed after an additional 12 weeks. At the same time, one group of male pups continuously received ES (long-term). Treatment with low-dose ES, short or long-term, alleviated the development of obesity and accumulation of hepatic triglycerides induced by HFD. Analysis of gene expression, metabolic profile and gut microbiome indicates that ES treatment inhibits adipogenesis induced by HFD due to enhanced lipid catabolism, fatty acid oxidation and disturbance of gut microbiota composition. However, impaired glucose and insulin homeostasis were still conserved in HFD-fed mice exposed to ES. Furthermore, ES treatment impaired glucose tolerance, affected hepatic gene expression, fatty acids composition and serum metabolic profile, as well as disturbed gut microbiota in LFD-fed mice. In conclusion, ES treatment at levels close to the accepted daily intake during fetal development directly impact glucose homeostasis, hepatic lipid metabolism, and gut microbiome dependent on the type of diet consumed. These findings provide a better understanding of the complex interactions of environmental pollutants and diet at early life stages also in the context of metabolic disease.

Despite the abundance of epidemiological evidence concerning the association between pesticide exposure and adverse health outcomes including acute childhood leukemia (AL), evidence remains inconclusive, and is inherently limited by heterogeneous exposure assessment and multiple statistical testing. We performed a literature search of peer-reviewed studies, published until January 2021, without language restrictions. Summary odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were derived from stratified random-effects meta-analyses by type of exposure and outcome, exposed populations and window of exposure to address the large heterogeneity of existing literature. Heterogeneity and small-study effects were also assessed. We identified 55 eligible studies (n = 48 case-control and n = 7 cohorts) from over 30 countries assessing >200 different exposures of pesticides (n = 160,924 participants). The summary OR for maternal environmental exposure to pesticides (broad term) during pregnancy and AL was 1.88 (95%CI: 1.15–3.08), reaching 2.51 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; 95%CI: 1.39–4.55). Analysis by pesticide subtype yielded an increased risk for maternal herbicide (OR: 1.41, 95%CI: 1.00–1.99) and insecticide (OR: 1.60, 95%CI: 1.11–2.29) exposure during pregnancy and AL without heterogeneity (p = 0.12–0.34). Meta-analyses of infant leukemia were only feasible for maternal exposure to pesticides during pregnancy. Higher magnitude risks were observed for maternal pesticide exposure and infant ALL (OR: 2.18, 95%CI: 1.44–3.29), and the highest for infant acute myeloid leukemia (OR: 3.42, 95%CI: 1.98–5.91). Overall, the associations were stronger for maternal exposure during pregnancy compared to childhood exposure. For occupational or mixed exposures, parental, and specifically paternal, pesticide exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of AL (ORₚₐᵣₑₙₜₐₗ: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.08–2.85; ORₚₐₜₑᵣₙₐₗ: 1.20, 95%CI: 1.07–1.35). The epidemiological evidence, supported by mechanistic studies, suggests that pesticide exposure, mainly during pregnancy, increases the risk of childhood leukemia, particularly among infants. Sufficiently powered studies using repeated biomarker analyses are needed to confirm whether there is public health merit in reducing prenatal pesticide exposure.

The on-road remote sensing test was conducted in Zhengzhou to obtain a large dataset of ammonia emissions from in-use vehicles. The ammonia emission characteristics and high-emitter vehicles of different manufacture years, vehicles with different emission standards, and vehicles with different types of other fuel vehicles were analysed. The results show that the average ammonia emission concentration obtained through remote sensing tests fluctuated after the initial reduction. The ammonia emission factors generally range from 0.30 to 0.47 g/kg, 0.34–0.50 g/kg and 0.29–0.60 g/kg for gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles and other fuel vehicles respectively. Improving the emission standards of new vehicles has a direct role in reducing exhaust pollution from in-use vehicles. However, after the China III emission standard, the ammonia emission level showed a stable trend and no obvious downward trend. The distributions of ammonia emission rates were highly skewed as the dirtiest 10% of vehicles emitted much higher emissions than other vehicles. In the group with the highest emissions, the emissions from other fuel vehicles were lower than those from gasoline and diesel vehicles. However, the percentage of high-emitters decreased with newer emission standards for vehicles. The results indicate that remote sensing test technology will be very effective in screening vehicles with high ammonia emissions. However, some clean vehicles can be exempted from annual inspection through remote sensing test technology. Finally, based on the comprehensive analysis of big data from remote sensing, the ammonia emissions of diesel vehicles and other fuel vehicles cannot be ignored.

Lakes and lake sediments are significant components of the global carbon (C) cycle, and may store very large amounts of organic matter. Carbon sequestration in lakes is subject to substantial temporal and spatial variation and may be strongly affected by human activities. Here, we report accumulation rates (AR) of organic C (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP), and investigate their responses to anthropogenic impact over the past 150 years by analyzing 62 sediment cores from 11 shallow lakes in the Songnen Plain, northeast China. From the center of each of the lakes, we selected one master core for age determination by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radioisotopes. The contents of OC, TN, TP, dry bulk density and mass specific magnetic susceptibility were then determined for all cores. The regional OCAR, TNAR and TPAR up-scaling from the multiple cores yielded mean values of 51.63 ± 15.13, 2.50 ± 0.98, and 0.90 ± 0.21 g m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. Nutrient AR in the studied lakes increased by a factor of approximately 2 × from the middle 19th century to the 1950s, and approximately 5 × after the 1950s. Elemental ratios show that the increase in OCAR is mainly the result of C autogenesis from the growth of aquatic plants stimulated by agricultural intensification, including increased chemical fertilizer application and farmland expansion. Significantly enhanced nutrient burial by these lakes after the 1950s resulted from increased anthropogenic impacts in northeast China. More sustainable agricultural practises, including a decrease in P fertilizer use, would result in a lowering of OCAR, TNAR and TPAR in the future.