Microplastics are widespread throughout aquatic environments. However, there is currently insufficient understanding of the factors influencing ingestion of microplastics by organisms, especially higher predators such as fish. In this study we link ingestion of microplastics by the roach Rutilus rutilus, within the non-tidal part of the River Thames, to exposure and physiological factors. Microplastics were found within the gut contents of roach from six out of seven sampling sites. Of sampled fish, 33% contained at least one microplastic particle. The majority of particles were fibres (75%), with fragments and films also seen (22.7% and 2.3% respectively). Polymers identified were polyethylene, polypropylene and polyester, in addition to a synthetic dye. The maximum number of ingested microplastic particles for individual fish was strongly correlated to exposure (based on distance from the source of the river). Additionally, at a given exposure, the size of fish correlated with the actual quantity of microplastics in the gut. Larger (mainly female) fish were more likely to ingest the maximum possible number of particles than smaller (mainly male) fish. This study is the first to show microplastic ingestion within freshwater fish in the UK and provides valuable new evidence of the factors influencing ingestion that can be used to inform future studies on exposure and hazard of microplastics to fish.

Polyurethane foam passive samplers were deployed between May 2016 and January 2017 to evaluate concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), selected alternative flame retardants (AFRs) and total hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) (sum of α-, β-, and γ-HBCDD). The PUF air samplers were deployed in semi–urban, urban, industrial and landfill sites in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The acquired results presented a clear semi urban–industrial–urban–landfill concentration gradient for all BFRs measured. Taking into account 2 sampling periods (cold and warm periods) (n = 16), the atmospheric concentrations of ∑₉PBDEs, HBCDDs and ∑AFRs were 100–2820 pg m⁻³, 12–117 pg m⁻³ and 41–4660 pg m⁻³, respectively, for the sparsely populated residential area, densely populated residential area, industrial area and the landfill area. In all cases, BDE 47, 99, and 209 were the most dominant congeners with high detection frequencies. The highest calculated daily exposure dose in Gauteng Province atmosphere was 0.61 and 1.54 ng kg ⁻¹ – bw d ⁻¹ for adults and children respectively. The estimated total intake of PBDEs was 0.47–33.4 ng kg ⁻¹ – bw d ⁻¹, which was generally below the lowest adverse effect limit (LOAEL), suggesting that the residents of Gauteng Province may not be significantly affected as a result of their exposure to these pollutants through inhalation. However, this does not necessarily suggest that the pollutants are harmless to human health, since they have the tendency to bioaccumulate in biological systems. Incidentally, this is the first study from Africa to report on the atmospheric concentrations of PBDEs, HBCDDs and AFRs in urban, landfill and industrial areas. The findings from this study further highlight the contributory role of landfills as potential sources of BFRs into the atmosphere.

A national scale survey was conducted to determine an array of inorganic and organic contaminants in agricultural soils from two cultivation modes (greenhouse vs. open field) in 20 provinces across China. The investigated contaminants include organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), phthalate esters (PAEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd). The large amounts of agrochemicals used and special cultivation mode in greenhouse caused substantial soil pollution and deterioration of soil quality. Mean concentrations of both OCPs and PAEs in greenhouse soil were approximately 100% higher than those in open field. The pH values were 6.85 ± 1.04 and 7.34 ± 0.84 for greenhouse and open field, respectively (p > 0.05). The soil microbial community was predicted to be affected by pollution in greenhouse through the PICRUSt analysis of 16s rRNA sequences. The 12 variables including various chemicals and soil properties together explained 15% of the observed variation in the community composition. In the studied variables, PAEs and lead were the primary factors affecting microbial diversity in greenhouse soils, while pH had the greatest impact on the microbial community in open field soils. These findings enhanced our understanding of the environmental impact and contamination management of greenhouses worldwide.

Fate and transport of graphene oxide (GO) have received much attention recently with the increase of GO applications. This study investigated the effect of salt concentration on the transport and retention behavior of GO particles in heterogeneous saturated porous media. Transport experiments were conducted in NaCl solutions with three concentrations (1, 20, and 50 mM) using six structurally packed columns (two homogeneous and four heterogeneous) which were made of fine and coarse grains. The results showed that GO particles had high mobility in all the homogeneous and heterogeneous columns when solution ionic strength (IS) was low. When IS was high, GO particles showed distinct transport ability in six structurally heterogeneous porous media. In homogeneous columns, decreasing ionic strength and increasing grain size increased the mobility of GO. For the column containing coarse-grained channel, the preferential flow path resulted in an early breakthrough of GO, and further larger contact area between coarse and fine grains caused a lower breakthrough peak and a stronger tailing at different IS. In the layered column, there was significant GO retention at coarse-fine grain interface where water flowed from coarse grain to fine grain. Our results indicated that the fate and transport of GO particles in the natural heterogeneous porous media was highly related to the coupled effect of medium structure and salt solution concentration.

A new and more alarming source of marine contamination has been recently identified in micro and nanosized plastic fragments. Microplastics are difficult to see with the naked eye and to biodegrade in marine environment, representing a problem since they can be ingested by plankton or other marine organisms, potentially entering the food web. An important source of microplastics appears to be through sewage contaminated by synthetic fibres from washing clothes. Since this phenomenon still lacks of a comprehensive analysis, the objective of this contribution was to investigate the role of washing processes of synthetic textiles on microplastic release. In particular, an analytical protocol was set up, based on the filtration of the washing water of synthetic fabrics and on the analysis of the filters by scanning electron microscopy. The quantification of the microfibre shedding from three different synthetic fabric types, woven polyester, knitted polyester, and woven polypropylene, during washing trials simulating domestic conditions, was achieved and statistically analysed. The highest release of microplastics was recorded for the wash of woven polyester and this phenomenon was correlated to the fabric characteristics. Moreover, the extent of microfibre release from woven polyester fabrics due to different detergents, washing parameters and industrial washes was evaluated. The number of microfibres released from a typical 5 kg wash load of polyester fabrics was estimated to be over 6,000,000 depending on the type of detergent used. The usage of a softener during washes reduces the number of microfibres released of more than 35%. The amount and size of the released microfibres confirm that they could not be totally retained by wastewater treatments plants, and potentially affect the aquatic environment.

A comprehensive study was carried out from central part of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP; at Kanpur) to understand abundance, temporal variability, processes (secondary formation and fog-processing) and source-apportionment of PM₁-bound species (PM₁: particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1.0 μm) during wintertime. A total of 50 PM₁ samples were collected of which 33 samples represent submicron aerosol characteristics under non-foggy condition whereas 17 samples represent characteristics under thick foggy condition. PM₁ mass concentration during non-foggy episodes varied from 24–393 (Avg.: 247) μg m⁻³, whereas during foggy condition it ranged from 42–243 (Avg.: 107) μg m⁻³. With respect to non-foggy condition, the foggy conditions were associated with higher contribution of PM₁-bound organic matter (OM, by 23%). However, lower fractional contribution of SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ during foggy conditions is attributable to wet-scavenging owing to their high affinity to water. Significant influence of fog-processing on organic aerosols composition is also reflected by co-enhancement in OC/EC and WSOC/OC ratio during foggy condition. A reduction by 5% in mineral dust fraction under foggy condition is associated with a parallel decrease in PM₁ mass concentration. However, mass fraction of elemental carbon (EC) looks quite similar (≈3% of PM₁) but the mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of EC is higher by 30% during foggy episodes. Thus, it is evident from this study that fog-processing leads to quite significant enhancement in OM (23%) contribution (and MAE of EC) with nearly equal and parallel decrease in SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ and mineral dust fractions (totaling to 24%). Characteristic features of mineral dust remain similar under foggy and non-foggy conditions; inferred from similar ratios of Fe/Al (≈0.3), Ca/Al (0.35) and Mg/Al (0.22). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) resolves seven sources: biomass burning (19.4%), coal combustion (1.1%), vehicular emission (3%), industrial activities (6.1%), leather tanneries (4%), secondary transformations (46.2%) and mineral dust (20.2%).

The guidelines for the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) recommend the use of standard ecotoxicity assays and the assessment of endpoints at the individual level to evaluate potential effects of PPCP on biota. However, effects at the sub-individual level can also affect the ecological fitness of marine organisms chronically exposed to PPCP. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the environmental risk of two PPCP in marine sediments: triclosan (TCS) and ibuprofen (IBU), using sub-individual and developmental endpoints. The environmental levels of TCS and IBU were quantified in marine sediments from the vicinities of the Santos submarine sewage outfall (Santos Bay, São Paulo, Brazil) at 15.14 and 49.0 ng g⁻¹, respectively. A battery (n = 3) of chronic bioassays (embryo-larval development) with a sea urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) and a bivalve (Perna perna) were performed using two exposure conditions: sediment-water interface and elutriates. Moreover, physiological stress through the Neutral Red Retention Time Assay (NRRT) was assessed in the estuarine bivalve Mytella charruana exposed to TCS and IBU spiked sediments. These compounds affected the development of L. variegatus and P. perna (75 ng g⁻¹ for TCS and 15 ng g⁻¹ for IBU), and caused a significant decrease in M. charruana lysosomal membrane stability at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.08 ng g⁻¹ for TCS and 0.15 ng g⁻¹ for IBU). Chemical and ecotoxicological data were integrated and the risk quotient estimated for TCS and IBU were higher than 1.0, indicating a high environmental risk of these compounds in sediments. These are the first data of sediment risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products of Latin America. In addition, the results suggest that the ERA based only on individual-level and standard toxicity tests may overlook other biological effects that can affect the health of marine organisms exposed to PPCP.

Climbazole (CBZ) is an antibacterial and antifungal agent widely used in personal care products. In this study, we investigated the interactions between climbazole (CBZ) and freshwater microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus). Dose-effect relationships between CBZ concentrations and growth inhibitions or chlorophyll a content were observed. After 12 days of incubation, the algae density and chlorophyll a content in 2 mg/L treatment group was 56.6% and 15.8% of those in the control group, respectively. Biotransformation was the predominant way to remove CBZ in the culture solution, whereas the contribution of bioaccumulation and bioadsorption were negligible. More than 88% of CBZ was removed by S. obliquus across all treatments after 12 days of incubation, and the biotransformation of CBZ followed the first order kinetic model with half-lives of approximately 4.5 days at different treatments. CBZ-alcohol (CBZ-OH) was the only biotransformation product identified in algal solution. Moreover, the toxicity of biotransformation products was much lower than its corresponding precursor compound (CBZ). The results of this study revealed that S. obliquus might have a great impact on the environmental fates of CBZ and could be further applied to remove organic pollutants in aquatic environment.

The use of the soil can alter its functionality and influence the (bio)availability of any contaminants present. Our study considers two types of agricultural soils, rainfed and olive soils, managed according to conventional practices that apply contaminants directly to the soil (fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, etc.) and receive contaminants from the atmosphere (traffic, industry, etc.); and a forest soil that is not subject to these agricultural practices. In this scenario, we consider a mixture of 16 trace elements (As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sb, Sn, V and Zn), since their interactions with the soil can produce synergistic and/or antagonistic effects that are not considered in most studies. We studied whether the content and (bio)availability of low concentrations of a mixture of trace elements affect the soil functionality in terms of the activity of some key enzymes We analysed the total, potentially and immediately available fractions, the soil parameters and soil enzyme activity. The results show that the functionality of the soils studied was affected despite the low concentrations of trace elements. The highest concentrations of total trace elements and available fractions were found in forest soils compared to the other two uses. Soil enzyme activity is best explained by the potentially available fraction of a mixture of trace elements and physico-chemical soil variables. In our study, pH, total nitrogen, organic carbon and fine mineral particles (silt and clay) had an influence on soil enzyme activity and the (bio)available fractions of trace elements.