Blood lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) levels have been associated with lower lung function in adults and smokers, but whether this also holds for children from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling areas is still unknown. To investigate the contribution of blood heavy metals and lung function levels, and the relationship among living area, the blood parameter levels, and the lung function levels, a total of 206 preschool children from Guiyu (exposed area), and Haojiang and Xiashan (reference areas) were recruited and required to undergo blood tests and lung function tests during the study period. Preschool children living in e-waste exposed areas were found to have a 1.37 μg/dL increase in blood Pb, 1.18 μg/L increase in blood Cd, and a 41.00 × 109/L increase in platelet counts, while having a 2.82 g/L decrease in hemoglobin, 92 mL decrease in FVC and 86 mL decrease in FEV1. Each unit of hemoglobin (1 g/L) decline was associated with 5 mL decrease in FVC and 4 mL decrease in FEV1. We conclude that children living in e-waste exposed area have higher levels of blood Pb, Cd and platelets, and lower levels of hemoglobin and lung function. Hemoglobin can be a good predictor for lung function levels.

Material flow studies have shown that a large fraction of the engineered nanoparticles used in products end up in municipal waste. In many countries, this municipal waste is incinerated before landfilling. However, the behavior of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the leachates of incinerated wastes has not been investigated so far. In this study, TiO2 ENPs were spiked into synthetic landfill leachates made from different types of fly ash from three waste incineration plants. The synthetic leachates were prepared by standard protocols and two types of modified procedures with much higher dilution ratios that resulted in reduced ionic strength. The pH of the synthetic leachates was adjusted in a wide range (i.e. pH 3 to 11) to understand the effects of pH on agglomeration. The experimental results indicated that agglomeration of TiO2 in the synthetic landfill leachate simultaneously depend on ionic strength, ionic composition and pH. However, when the ionic strength was high, the effects of the other two factors were masked. The zeta potential of the particles was directly related to the size of the TiO2 agglomerates formed. The samples with an absolute zeta potential value < 10 mV were less stable, with the size of TiO2 agglomerates in excess of 1500 nm. It can be deduced from this study that TiO2 ENPs deposited in the landfill may be favored to form agglomerates and ultimately settle from the water percolating through the landfill and thus remain in the landfill.

Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) causes several diseases in the human body. The smaller particles, which have relatively large surface areas, are actually more harmful to the human body since they can penetrate deeper parts of the lungs or become secondary pollutants by bonding with other atmospheric pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides. The purpose of this study is to present the number of PM inhaled by subway users as a possible reference material for any analysis of the hazards to the human body arising from the inhalation of such PM. Two transfer stations in Seoul, Korea, which have the greatest number of users, were selected for this study. For 0.3–0.422 μm PM, particle number concentration (PNC) was highest outdoors but decreased as the tester moved deeper underground. On the other hand, the PNC between 1 and 10 μm increased as the tester moved deeper underground and showed a high number concentration inside the subway train as well. An analysis of the particles to which subway users are actually exposed to (inhaled particle number), using particle concentration at each measurement location, the average inhalation rate of an adult, and the average stay time at each location, all showed that particles sized 0.01–0.422 μm are mostly inhaled from the outdoor air whereas particles sized 1–10 μm are inhaled as the passengers move deeper underground. Based on these findings, we expect that the inhaled particle number of subway users can be used as reference data for an evaluation of the hazards to health caused by PM inhalation.

Microplastics pollution is widespread in marine ecosystems and a major threat to biodiversity. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the impacts of microplastics in freshwater environments and biota is still very limited. The interaction of microplastics with freshwater organisms and the risks associated with the human consumption of organisms that ingested microplastics remain major knowledge gaps. In this study, we assessed the ingestion of microplastics by Hoplosternum littorale, a common freshwater fish heavily consumed by humans in semi-arid regions of South America. We assessed the abundance and diversity of both plastic debris and other food items found in the gut of fishes caught by local fishermen. We observed that 83% of the fish had plastic debris inside the gut, the highest frequency reported for a fish species so far. Most of the plastic debris (88.6%) recovered from the guts of fish were microplastics (<5 mm), fibres being the most frequent type (46.6%). We observed that fish consumed more microplastics at the urbanized sections of the river, and that the ingestion of microplastics was negatively correlated with the diversity of other food items in the gut of individual fish. Nevertheless, microplastics ingestion appears to have a limited impact on H. littorale, and the consequences of human consumption of this fish were not assessed. Our results suggest freshwater biota are vulnerable to microplastics pollution and that urbanization is a major factor contributing to the pollution of freshwater environments with microplastics. We suggest the gut content of fish could be used as a tool for the qualitative assessment of microplastics pollution in freshwater ecosystems. Further research is needed to determine the processes responsible for the high incidence of microplastics ingestion by H. littorale, and to evaluate the risk posed to humans by the consumption of freshwater fish that ingested microplastics.

Short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are under review for inclusion into the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. However, limited information is available on their bioaccumulation and biomagnification in ecosystems, which is hindering evaluation of their ecological and health risks. In the present study, wild aquatic organisms (fish and invertebrates), water, and sediment collected from an enclosed freshwater pond contaminated by electronic waste (e-waste) were analyzed to investigate the bioaccumulation, distribution, and trophic transfer of SCCPs in the aquatic ecosystem. SCCPs were detected in all of the investigated aquatic species at concentrations of 1700–95,000 ng/g lipid weight. The calculated bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) varied from 2.46 to 3.49. The relationship between log BAF and the octanol/water partition coefficient (log KOW) for benthopelagic omnivorous fish species followed the empirical model of bioconcentration, indicating that bioconcentration plays an important role in accumulation of SCCPs. In contrast, the relationship for the benthic carnivorous fish and invertebrates was not consistent with the empirical model of bioconcentration, implying that the bioaccumulation of SCCPs in these species could be more influenced by other complex factors (e.g., habitat and feeding habit). Preferential distribution in the liver rather than in other tissues (e.g., muscle, gills, skin, and kidneys) was noted for the SCCP congeners with higher log KOW, and bioaccumulation pathway (i.e. water or sediment) can affect the tissue distribution of SCCP congeners. SCCPs underwent trophic dilution in the aquatic food web, and the trophic magnification factor (TMF) values of SCCP congener groups significantly correlated with their corresponding log KOW values (p < 0.0001). The present study results improved our understanding on the environmental behavior and fate of SCCPs in aquatic ecosystem.

Substituted phenylamines (SPAs) are incorporated into a variety of consumer products (e.g., polymers, lubricants) in order to increase the lifespan of the products by acting as a primary antioxidant. Based on their physicochemical properties, if SPAs were to enter the aquatic environment, they would likely partition into sediment. No studies to date have investigated the effect of sediment-associated SPAs on aquatic organisms. The current study examined the effect of four SPAs (diphenylamine (DPA); N-phenyl-1-napthylamine (PNA); N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine (DPPDA); 4,4’-methylene-bis[N-sec-butylaniline] (MBA)) on three different life stages of the freshwater mussel, Lampsilis siliquoidea. The viability of larvae (glochidia) of L. siliquoidea and Lampsilis fasciola was assessed after 48 h of exposure to SPAs in water. The 48-h EC50s for glochidia viability of L. siliquoidea were 5951, 606, 439, and 258 μg/L for DPA, PNA, DPPDA, and MBA, respectively, and 7946, 591, 137, and 47 μg/L, respectively, for L. fasciola. Juvenile (7–15 months) and adult L. siliquoidea were exposed to sediment-associated SPAs for 28 d. LC50s for juvenile mussels were 18, 55, 62, and 109 μg/g dry weight (dw) of sediment for DPA, PNA, DPPDA, and MBA, respectively. Adult mussels were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of sediment-associated SPAs in order to investigate reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and total glutathione in the gill, gonad, and digestive gland tissue, and viability and DNA damage in hemocytes. No significant concentration-dependent trend in any of these biochemical and cellular endpoints relative to the concentration of sediment-associated SPAs was observed in any tissues. Investigations into the concentration of SPAs in the aquatic environment are required before a conclusion can be made on whether these compounds pose a hazard to the different life stages of freshwater mussels.

The health risk of triadimefon (TF) to cardiovascular system of human is still unclear, especially to pesticide suicides population, occupational population (farmers, retailers and pharmaceutical workers), and special population (young children and infants, pregnant women, older people, and those with compromised immune systems) who are at a greater risk. Therefore, firstly we explored the toxic effects and possible mechanism of cardiovascular toxicity induced by TF using zebrafish model. Zebrafish at stage of 48 h post fertilization (hpf) exposed to TF for 24 h exhibited morphological malformations which were further confirmed by histopathologic examination, including pericardial edema, circulation abnormalities, serious venous thrombosis and increased distance between the sinus venosus (SV) and bulbus arteriosus (BA) regions of the heart. In addition to morphological changes, TF induced functional deficits in the heart of zebrafish, including bradycardia and a significant reduced cardiac output that became more serious at higher concentrations. To better understand the possible molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular toxicity in zebrafish, we investigated the transcriptional level of genes related to calcium signaling pathway and cardiac muscle contraction. Q-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction) results demonstrated that the expression level of genes related to ATPase (atp2a1l, atp1b2b, atp1a3b), calcium channel (cacna1ab, cacna1da) and cardiac troponin C (tnnc1a) were significantly decreased after TF exposure. For the first time, the present study revealed that TF exposure had observable morphological and functional negative impacts on cardiovascular system of zebrafish. Mechanistically, this toxicity might result from the pressure of down-regulation of genes associated with calcium signaling pathway and cardiac muscle contraction following TF exposure. These findings generated here can provide information for better pesticide poisoning treatments, occupational disease prevention, and providing theoretical foundation for risk management measures.

Studies have shown that residents living near rare earth mining areas have high concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in their hair. However, the adverse effects of REEs on human health have rarely been the focus of epidemiological studies. The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between REEs in hair and the risk of hypertension in housewives. We recruited 398 housewives in Shanxi Province, China, consisting of 163 women with hypertension (cases) and 235 healthy women without hypertension (controls). We analyzed 15 REEs (lanthanum (La), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), Yttrium (Y), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), and neodymium (Nd)) and calcium (Ca) accumulated in housewives hair over a period of two years. The results revealed that, with the exception of Eu, concentrations of the REEs in hair were higher in the cases than in the controls. The univariate odds ratios (ORs) of the 14 REEs were >1, and four of the REEs (Dy, Tm, Yb, and Y) also had adjusted ORs > 1. The increasing dose-response trends of the four REEs further indicated the potential for increased hypertension risk. Moreover, the REEs were negatively correlated with Ca content in hair. These results might suggest an antagonistic effect of REEs on Ca in the human body. It was concluded that high intake of REEs might increase the risk of hypertension among housewives.

Plastic debris in marine environments and its impact on wildlife species is becoming a problem of increasing concern. In pinnipeds, entanglements commonly consist of loops around the neck of non-biodegradable materials from fishing gear or commercial packaging, known as “neck collars”. These entanglements can cause injuries, death by suffocation and starvation, and therefore they may add to the overall decrease in population. Our objective was to describe the entanglement of two species of otariids (Arctocephalus australis and Otaria flavescens) in the South West Atlantic Ocean. These two species have widely different population sizes and contrasting trends, being the O. flavescens population one order of magnitude lower in abundance with a negative population trend. A total number of 47 entangled individuals and the ingestion of a fishing sinker were recorded (A. australis: n = 26; O. flavescens: n = 22). For A. australis about 40% of the objects came from industrial fishing with which this species overlap their foraging areas, although also its lost or discarded gear can travel long distances. In O. flavescens 48% of observed injuries were very severe, which might indicate that they had been entangled for a long time. More than 60% of the objects came from artisanal and recreational fishing that operates within 5 nautical miles off the coast, which is probably related to coastal foraging habits of this species. Due to the frequent interaction between artisanal fisheries and O. flavescens, it is possible that entangled nets could be active gears. An important contribution to mitigate entanglements can be the development of education programs setting the scenario for effective communication, and exchange with involved fishermen to collect and recycle old fishing nets. Returning to natural fibers or replacement of the current materials used in fishing gear for biodegradable materials can also be a recommended mitigation measure.