Environmental effects associated with the release of various metals even at maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) to the aquatic ecosystems are evident. In the present work, time-dependent increase in accumulated metals amount in gills of Anodonta cygnea after exposure to complex metal (Zn 0.1, Cu 0.01, Ni 0.01, Cr 0.01, Pb 0.005, and Cd 0.005 mg/L, MPC accepted for the inland waters in EU) mixture at various time points (1, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 28 days) was investigated. Statistically significant increase of Cu and Cd was determined in mussel’s gills after 7-day exposure, in comparison to control group; moreover, significantly elevated concentration of Cu was measured and after 14-day treatment (in comparison to control and pre-exposure group). Concentrations of five (Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, and Cd) out of 6 investigated metals were statistically increased in gills tissue after 28-day treatment. Moreover, complex metal mixture has demonstrated tissue- and time-dependent genotoxicity (∑Gentox) and cytotoxicity (∑Cytox) responses in mussels. After 4-day exposure, there were found the highest ∑Gentox levels in gills cells and haemocytes. Two-day treatment of mussels resulted in the highest and statistically significant induction of ∑Cytox level (in gills). Furthermore, after short-term (4 days) exposure, statistically significant inhibition of AChE activity in hemolymph of metal mixture–exposed mussels, in comparison to control and pre-exposure group, was found. Comparison of investigated responses in different tissue of A. cygnea discloses new information about metal mixture (at MPC) impacts at different treatment time. According to the obtained geno- and cytotoxicity data, it is suggested that gills are more sensitive tissue. Environmentally relevant trace metal concentrations when existing in mixture are able to cause adverse effects in A. cygnea; therefore, biological effects at different levels of organism are expected as a realistic scenario.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are classified as possible carcinogens (WHO), have been detected in cooking fumes in considerable amounts. Distribution of 24 PAHs on varying particle sizes was analyzed in cooking emission. Analysis of cooking fumes from vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was carried out separately in the kitchen of a hostel mess in IIT Kanpur during November 2012 and February 2013. Respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs) showed a similar sequence regarding concentration observed in vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. PAHs with carcinogenic potential was detected and quantified mostly in the fine particles. Total PAH concentrations in the fine and ultrafine ranges together accounted for > 90% of the total carcinogenic PAHs, highlighting them as primary carriers of PAHs rather than coarser particles. Benzo [a] pyrene (B [a]P) levels contribute > 70% to total carcinogenic potential and > 60%, to mutagenic potential, respectively. The total toxicity impact on the workers due to the PAHs emitted from cooking fumes was 3.374 × 10⁻¹⁰ DALYs, with B [a] P contributing the most (> 70%) despite its low concentration. Exposure to cooking fumes especially for people involved in this activity on a daily basis (chefs, hostel mess workers, among others) raises health concerns. An extensive examination of impacts due to exposure to emissions in both particle and gas phase on a long-term basis is required.

This study uses panel data for the period 1971–2013 to explore the implications of growth, wealth disparities, and per capita energy consumption on carbon emissions in a sample of Next Eleven (N-11) countries. It uses the first-generation (Pedroni and Kao) and second-generation (Westerlund) cointegration techniques to highlight a long-run interplay between the selected variables in carbon emission functions for all the N-11 countries. It also analyzes the long-run interactions among the series. Contrastingly, it also shows that economic growth, income inequalities, and per capita energy consumption accelerate CO₂ emissions. Besides examining the effects of wealth disparity square, the study also uses the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in the context of the N-11 countries and discusses the policy implications of its findings.

Little is known about pesticide exposure risks for children in rural areas in China, many of whom have been left behind by migrant workers. To survey caregivers of children in rural China and assess their pesticide use and disposal methods, the measures were used to protect the children and their perceptions of the adverse effects of pesticides on children’s health. Three or four villages in each of Xinhua, Gongan and Sansui Counties in China were selected by random cluster sampling. The main caregivers of children aged 1–6 years were surveyed in face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire used was adapted from the World Health Organization “Exposure to Pesticides: Standard Protocol” survey and similar studies. The study included 464 caregivers (mean age, 46.4 years), who were most commonly the children’s grandparents (65.3%). Among the caregivers, 41.9% were educated to middle school level or higher, 45.4% had a household income < 297 USD, and 29.7% had received education/training about pesticide use/adverse health effects in children. The score for caregivers’ knowledge of the adverse effects of pesticides on children’s health was higher in those who had received education/training (5.1 ± 2.6 vs. 3.4 ± 2.5, P < 0.001). Factors associated with unsafe behaviors during pesticide use included grandparent as the caregiver (odds ratio [OR] 0.551; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.368–0.824; P = 0.004), annual income < 297 USD (OR 0.580; 95% CI 0.395–0.853; P = 0.006), and insufficient health-related education/training (OR 0.436; 95% CI 0.286–0.665; P < 0.001). Improved education and training are needed to promote the safe use of pesticides by caregivers of children in rural China.

Red mud is a solid waste of bauxite processing by Bayer process which involves caustic digestion of Al-containing mineral for alumina production. The global inventory of red mud waste reached an estimated amount of 4 billion tons in 2015, increasing at an approximate rate of 120 million tons per year. Therefore, its management is becoming a global environmental issue for the protection of environment, and the need for awareness in this regard is becoming crucial. Although red mud is not considered as a hazardous material in many countries, its high alkalinity and fine particle size may pose significant environmental threat, and it is found to be an interesting material for environmental remediation purposes due to rich iron content. This paper provides a review of possible remedial applications of red mud in various environmental compartments. Modification of red mud creates novel opportunities for cost-effective and efficient removal of metal ions, inorganic anions, dyes, and phenols from wastewater and acid mine drainage. Re-vegetation of red mud disposal sites, treatment of metal-contaminated acidic soils presents the usefulness of this material but less research has been done so far to investigate its use in the stabilization of polluted sediments. On the other hand, leaching and eco-toxicological tests have also revealed that red mud does not pose high toxicity to the environment making it suitable for the treatment of contaminated media. Nevertheless, neutralization of red mud is recommended for its safe disposal and secure application in any environmental media.

A novel porous coordination polymer adsorbent (BTCA-P-Cu-CP) based on a piperazine(P) as a ligand and 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) as a linker was synthesized and magnetized to form magnetic porous coordination polymer (BTCA-P-Cu-MCP). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), CHN, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET) analysis were used to characterize the synthesized adsorbent. BTCA-P-Cu-MCP was used for removal and preconcentration of Pb(II) ions from environmental water samples prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry(FAAS) analysis. The maximum adsorption capacity of BTCA-P-Cu-MCP was 582 mg g⁻¹. Adsorption isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic parameters were investigated for Pb(II) ions adsorption. Magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) method was used for preconcentration of Pb(II) ions and the parameters influencing the preconcentration process have been examined. The linearity range of proposed method was 0.1–100 μg L⁻¹ with a preconcentration factor of 100. The limits of detection and limits of quantification for lead were 0.03 μg L⁻¹ and 0.11 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The intra-day (n = 7) and inter-day (n = 3) relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.54 and 3.43% respectively. The recoveries from 94.75 ± 4 to 100.93 ± 1.9% were obtained for rapid extraction of trace levels of Pb(II) ions in different water samples. The results showed that the BTCA-P-Cu-MCP was steady and effective adsorbent for the decontamination and preconcentration of lead ions from the aqueous environment.

For the last three decades, both China and India are considered as the largest emerging market economies in the world. Both of these economies play an essential role in the global economy in terms of economic output and CO₂ emissions. Hence, these countries are expected to play an important role in setting up environmental and sustainable development policies. Therefore, our paper aims to examine the role of natural gas and renewable energy consumptions on CO₂ emissions and economic growth during 1965–2016 within a multivariate framework. The autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach to cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) is employed to explore the long-run and causal nexus among the natural gas consumption, renewable energy consumption, coal and petroleum consumption, CO₂ emissions, and economic growth, respectively. The empirical results show existence of long-run equilibrium association among the variables. The Granger causality results indicate that the short-run bidirectional causality between renewable energy consumption and economic growth in India, while no causality is found between these two variables in China. However, natural gas consumption causes economic growth in China whereas no causality is confirmed in India in the short-run. The findings further suggest that there is long-run bidirectional causality among the considered variables in both countries. Our paper addresses several important policy implications.

Current economic policy planning places much emphasis on balancing development and environmental protection. Hence, it is important to determine the drivers of environment pollution from the theoretical, scientific, and policymaking aspects in the context of continuous economic growth. This paper investigates the factors affecting per capita CO₂ emissions in 30 provinces in Iran from 2009 to 2014 with emphasis on spatial spillover effects using the Spatial Durbin Model. The findings show that per capita CO₂ emissions are positively and significantly affected by per capita GDP, industrialization, and urbanization but negatively affected by changes in population. The results of the spatial section of the model indicate that both the more and the less-polluted provinces tend to cluster together, indicating positive spatial dependence for CO₂ emissions in the provinces. Also, the spatial spillover of per capita GDP and the growth of urbanization have a negative and significant effect on per capita CO₂ emissions in the provinces, while the spatial effect of changes in population is significant but positive. In other words, the economic development and rise in urbanization in one province are the results of changes in pollution levels in neighboring provinces.

One of the most common compounds in pesticide formulations, plastics, and papers is 4-nonylphenol (4-NP). It is contained in agricultural, industrial, and wastewater effluents, which when discharged into surface waters affect aquatic fauna. Therefore, the present study aimed to use Biomphalaria alexandrina snails to evaluate the chronic toxicity of 4-NP. Its concentrations in collected water samples from Giza Governorate ranged from 400 to 1600 μg/l. Based on these environmentally relevant concentrations, laboratory experiments were carried out using standard 4-NP to investigate the effect of three concentrations; namely 400, 750, and 1600 μg/l. Survival rate of the exposed snails to 4-NP concentrations was affected after 4 weeks. Reproduction of the exposed snails to 4-NP concentrations was lower than that of the control at 30 °C, while the exposed snails to 400 μg/l of 4-NP showed maximum reproduction at 15 °C. The lowest hatchability percentage was recorded with egg masses laid by the exposed snails to 400 and 1600 μg/l of 4-NP at 15 and 30 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the results showed fluctuated levels of progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone depending upon the concentration and the temperature, which played a key role in determining the degree of 4-NP toxicity.