In this study, we investigated the interactions between household pollutants and dietary habits on children’s respiratory health. Our cross-sectional study collected self-reported information including health symptoms (allergy-like, asthma-like, and flu-like symptoms), home characteristics, dietary habits, and demographic information from questionnaires administered to parents of 280 school children in Romania. Unconditional logistic regression and stratified analyses were used to assess the interactions between dietary factors and environmental exposures on health symptoms among children, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and co-exposures. We found that frequency of fruit consumption had significant interaction with residing near heavy traffic on allergy-like symptoms among children (p = 0.036). However, no association was observed by frequency of fruit consumption. Although no significant interaction was observed, we found that students with infrequent fruit consumption and residing near heavy traffic roads had elevated odds of asthma-like (POR 6.37; 95% CI 1.22, 33.29) and flu-like symptoms (POR 3.75; 95% CI 1.12, 11.86) than those who frequently consumed fruits. Likewise, low vegetable consumption was associated with increased asthma-like symptoms (POR 2.93; 95% CI 1.04, 8.24). Increased odds of asthma-like symptoms were observed among school children that resided near heavy traffic roads and frequently consumed milk (POR 2.80; 95% CI 1.24, 6.31) and yoghurt (POR 2.86; 95% CI 1.05, 7.75) compared to those that infrequently consumed dairy. Our findings suggest that frequent fruit and vegetable consumption may mitigate the negative effects of exposure to heavy traffic near dwelling on respiratory symptoms in Romanian children.

Rapid separation and analysis of trace quinolones (fleroxacin (FLRX), enoxacin (EN), norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), enrofloxacin (ENRO), and lomefloxacin hydrochloride (LOME)) in real water samples were achieved by using a multi-templates molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The MIP was prepared via surface molecular imprinting, using the selected quinolones as the templates and mesoporous silica modified magnetic graphene oxide as the carrier. The preparation and adsorption conditions were optimized. The MIP presented high adsorption capacity and wonderful selective recognition for the quinolones, with the adsorption capacities of 20.15, 20.88, 18.01, 20.01, 16.98, and 17.09 mg/g for FLRX, EN, NOR, CIP, ENRO, and LOME, respectively. Meanwhile, a SPE-DLLME-HPLC method for trace detection of FLRX, EN, NOR, CIP, ENRO, and LOME in real water samples was developed and showed outstanding applicability. The spiked recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 89.67–100.5%, and 3.59–7.12%, respectively.

The iron (Fe) (hydro)oxides deposited around rice roots play an important role in arsenic (As) sequestration in paddy soils, but there is no systematic study on the relative importance of Fe (hydro)oxides on root surface and in rhizosphere soil in limiting As bioavailability. Twenty-seven rice genotypes were selected to investigate effects of Fe (hydro)oxides on As uptake by rice in an alkaline paddy soil. Results indicated that the As content was positively correlated with the Fe content on root surface, and most of As (88–97%) was sequestered by poorly crystalline and crystalline Fe (hydro)oxides in the alkaline paddy soil. The As sequestration by Fe (hydro)oxides on root surface (IASᵣₒₒₜ 16.8–25.0 mg As/(g Fe)) was much higher than that in rhizosphere (IASᵣₕᵢzₒ 1.4–2.0 mg As/(g Fe)); therefore, in terms of As immobilization, the Fe (hydro)oxides on root surface were more important than that in rhizosphere. However, the As content in brown rice did not have significant correlation with the As content on root surface but was significantly correlated (R² = 0.43, P < 0.05) with the partition ratio (PRAₛ = IASᵣₒₒₜ/IASᵣₕᵢzₒ) of As sequestration on root surface and in rhizosphere, which suggested that Fe (hydro)oxides on root surface did not play the controlling role in lowering As uptake, and the partition ratio PRAₛ would be a better indicator to evaluate effects of Fe (hydro)oxides around roots on As uptake by rice.

In this study, a pot experiment was performed to evaluate the effects of foliar spray with sodium nitroprusside (200 μM SNP) and melatonin (100 μM) singly and in combination on tolerance and accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don plants exposed to different levels of cadmium (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg Cd kg⁻¹ soil). The results showed that 50 mg kg⁻¹ Cd had no significant effect on the fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots and content of chlorophyll (Chl) a and b, but the higher levels of Cd (100 and 200 mg kg⁻¹) significantly reduced these attributes and induced an increase in the level of leaf electrolyte leakage and disrupted nutrient homeostasis. The activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) in leaves were increased under lower Cd concentrations (50 and 100 mg kg⁻¹) but decreased under 200 mg kg⁻¹ Cd. However, foliar spray with melatonin and/or SNP increased shoot biomass and the content of Chl a and b, augmented activities of POD and CAT, lowered electrolyte leakage (EL), and improved essential cations homeostasis in leaves. Cadmium content in shoots of C. roseus was less than roots and TF (transfer factor) was < 1. Interestingly, foliar spray with SNP and/or melatonin increased Cd accumulation and bioconcentration factor (BCF) in both roots and shoots and elevated the Cd transport from roots to shoot, as TF values increased in these treatments. The co-application of melatonin and SNP further than their separate usage augmented Cd tolerance through increasing activities of antioxidant enzymes and regulating mineral homeostasis in C. roseus. Furthermore, co-treatment of SNP and melatonin increased Cd phytoremediation efficiency in C. roseus through increasing biomass and elevating uptake and translocation of Cd from root to shoot.

The current investigation evaluates metal (loid)s biomonitoring using algae as well as the metal(loid) pollution of seawaters and sediments in the northern part along the Persian Gulf. Algae, seawater, and sediment samples were collected from four coastal areas with different land applications. The concentration of Ni, V, As, and Cd in abiotic samples (seawater and sediment) and four species of algae (Enteromorpha intestinalis, Rhizoclonium riparium, Cystoseira myrica, and Sargassum boveanum) was measured using an ICP-AES device. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements in seawater, sediments, and algae species followed the trend of “Ni˃V˃As˃Cd.” The area of Asaloyeh (with the highest industrial activity) and the Dayyer area (with the lowest industrial activity) provided the highest and lowest amounts of metal(loid)s pollution, respectively. The average concentrations of V and As in four algae species significantly differed for all sampled areas. Obtaining the bio-concentration factor (BCF) > 1 for seawater and < 1 for sediment indicated that the studied algae have the ability to efficiently concentrate metal(loid)s from seawater and the limited accumulation of metals in sediments. According to the Nemerow pollution index, the order of metal(loid)s pollution for the studied areas estimated as Asaloyeh>Ganaveh>Bushehr>Dayyer. Algae species of C. myrica and E. intestinalis can often serve as suitable biological tools for monitoring seawater and sediment quality.

Antibiotics are commonly used in intensive farming, leading to multiple antibiotic residue in livestock waste. However, the effects of multiple antibiotics on the emissions of greenhouse gas and ammonia remain indistinct. This paper selects sulfamethoxazole and norfloxacin to represent two different types of antibiotics to explore their effects on gaseous emissions. Four treatments including CK (control), SMZ (spiked with 5 mg kg⁻¹ DW sulfamethoxazole), NOR (spiked with 5 mg kg⁻¹ DW norfloxacin), and SN (spiked with 5 mg kg⁻¹ DW sulfamethoxazole and 5 mg kg⁻¹ DW norfloxacin) were composted for 65 days. Coexistence of sulfamethoxazole and norfloxacin facilitated the biodegradation of organic carbon, and significantly (p < 0.05) increased the cumulative CO₂ emission by 31.9%. The cumulative CH₄ emissions were decreased by 6.19%, 23.7%, and 27.6% for SMZ, NOR, and SN, respectively. The total NH₃ volatilization in SMZ and NOR rose to 1020 and 1190 mg kg⁻¹ DW, respectively. The individual existence of sulfamethoxazole significantly (p < 0.05) ascended the N₂O emission rate in the first 7 days due to the increase of NO₂⁻-N content. In addition, coexistence of sulfamethoxazole and norfloxacin notably dropped the total greenhouse gas emission (subtracting CO₂) by 15.5%.

The effects of chironomid larval (Propsilocerus akamusi) bioturbation on sediment phosphorus (P) mobility were studied over the course of 34 days using the indoor larval cultivation method on in situ sediment cores. High-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) techniques were used to record fine-scale changes of soluble and DGT-labile P and iron (Fe) concentrations in the sediment. The larval-driven irrigation of the overlying water into their burrows significantly increased the oxygen penetration depth (OPD) and redox state (Eh) in sediments. In addition, the soluble and DGT-labile P and Fe decreased with the increase of OPD and Eh in larval-bioturbated sediments. The greatest decrease in the mean concentration of SRP, soluble Fe, and DGT-labile P in the Propsilocerus group was observed on Day 15 of the experiment, with a decrease by over half of the mean concentration of the control group. Furthermore, two-dimensional measurements of DGT-labile P concentration showed notable reductions of DGT-labile P around larval burrows. The DGT-induced fluxes in sediments (DIFS) model also exhibited a much longer response time (420 s) and a much higher rate of P adsorption (0.002 s⁻¹) in the bioturbation sediments than those in the control sediments (116 s and 0.009 s⁻¹, respectively). A significant correlation was shown for DGT-labile P and DGT-labile Fe. We conclude that Fe(II) oxidation and its enhanced adsorption were the major mechanisms responsible for the decrease of soluble and DGT-labile P in sediments.

As part of the ChArMEx project (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr), one year of continuous filter sampling was conducted from August 2012 to August 2013 at a rural (coastal) site in Algeria aiming to better document fine aerosol seasonal variability and chemical composition in the Southern part of the Mediterranean. Over 350 filters have been collected, weighted, and analyzed for the main ions and organic and elemental carbon. The obtained mass concentrations varied between 2.5 and 50.6 μg/m³ for PM₂.₅. The annual modulations of PM₂.₅ showed higher concentrations in the end summer 2012 and the early summer 2013 (28.50 μg/m³ in August 2012, 20.23 μg/m³ in September 2012, 20.19 μg/m³ in July 2013, and 17.88 μg/m³in August 2013). The particulate organic matter (POM) presented the greatest contribution (50%), followed by the secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA, 27%). The average organic carbon OC concentrations ranged from 1.66 to 6.05 μgC/m³. The average elemental carbon EC concentrations ranged from 0.92 to 3.49 μgC/m³ and contributed 7% of the PM₂.₅ mass to Bou-Ismail. The average value of the OC /EC ratio was close to 5.1 in Bou-Ismail, and was close to that found in Finokalia 4 (Greece 2004, 2006) but was lower than that of Montseny 11 (Spain 2002–2007) Western Mediterranean Basin (WMB). The concentrations of water-soluble organic carbon WSOC in the PM₂.₅ ranging from 0.66 to 3.70 μg/m³ recorded the minimum level in March 2013, and the maximum level in August 2012, with an average of 2.02 μg/m³.

Pre-oxidation in water treatment is considered an effective method to enhance the removal of algal cells and their exuded organic matters. However, pre-oxidation also alters the characteristics of algae and consequently influences disinfection processes. The existing studies mainly focused on the stationary growth phase, but little is known for the exponential and declined phases. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of pre-ozonation on the integrity of algal cells, the release of algal organic matters, and the formation of disinfection by-products like N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) at three growth phases. The results demonstrated that pre-ozonation was efficient to inactivate M. aeruginosa cells. The severity of M. aeruginosa cell damage increased as the ozone dosage increased from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/L. The damage of cell membranes resulted in the release of intracellular organic matters. Excitation-emission matrix spectra (EEMS) analysis indicated that ozone mainly reacted with soluble microbial products (SMP). With the increase of ozone concentration, although the trend of NDMA formation was similar for all three growth phases, more production of NDMA by algal cells was observed at the declined phase. In the post-disinfection process, chloramine showed the potential as a more suitable disinfectant than chlorination after pre-ozonation to minimize the NDMA formation. Therefore, appropriate pre-ozonation is beneficial to reduce the NDMA formation from exponential algae, while has no significant change during both stationary and declined phases.

China, known as the largest carbon emitter and the second largest economy worldwide, has continued to put effort into the understandings of the main drivers of carbon emission and their decoupling statuses from its economic growth. Considering the significant differences of natural and social environments in different regions of China, this paper presents a regional-scale decomposition of energy-related carbon emission and its decoupling from economic growth by using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) and the Tapio decoupling method. The decoupling results indicate that carbon emissions in all regions show a stable decoupling trend from their economic development, which means that China is now on the right road for achieving a low-carbon economy. However, the decoupling status by the end of 2016 also indicates that most of the regions are still in the states of expansive coupling or weak decoupling, especially in Northwest (NW), which implies that the speed of decarbonization process is still not high enough. The decomposition results show that in all regions except NW, GDP per capita is the most influential factor leading to increasing carbon emissions, while energy intensity is the largest factor in reducing carbon emissions. In NW, both GDP per capita and energy intensity drive the increase in carbon emissions. The results in this paper could benefit China’s regional policy-making and national strategies.