Bumble bees (Bombus sp) are important pollinators for agricultural systems and natural landscapes and have faced population declines globally in recent decades. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been implicated as one of the reasons for the population reductions in bumble bees and other pollinators due to their widespread use, specificity to the invertebrate nervous system, and toxicity to bees. Adverse

The activity of a trout liver S9 substrate depletion assay has been shown to decline over time, presumably due to proteolytic degradation of biotransformation enzymes. To address this problem, assay performance was evaluated following the addition of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) or a general‐purpose protease inhibitor cocktail to liver homogenization buffers and/or S9 reaction mixtures. Addition

Pharmaceutical contamination of the environment is recognized as a global problem although most research has focused on Europe and North America to date, and there remains a dearth of information for developing countries, including those in Africa. To address this data gap, the occurrence of 37 pharmaceuticals belonging to 19 therapeutic classes was monitored in surface water and effluents in Lagos

Thymol (THY), a monoterpene phenol, is used as a natural biocide. To circumvent its chemical instability, we have proposed THY‐loaded biogenic silica nanoparticle (BSiO2#THY); however, the toxicity of this system for aquatic organisms is unknown. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicogenetic effects induced by THY, BSiO2 nanoparticle (NP), and BSiO2#THY on Artemia salina and zebrafish (Danio

To further characterize avian toxicity to environmental levels of select per‐ and poly‐fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), we established species‐ and tissue‐specific PFAS chronic toxicity values (CTVs) associated with a lowest‐observable‐adverse‐effect‐level (LOAEL) threshold previously established for Northern Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) chronically orally exposed via drinking water to either

To evaluate the potential impact of an urban wastewater‐treatment plant on Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, a sentinel species, the clam Ruditapes decussatus, was exposed along a gradient of the effluent's dispersal for 1 mo. Three exposure sites were selected to study the responses of 3 biomarkers: electron transport system, acetylcholinesterase, and lipid peroxidation. As complementary data, morphometric

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal which accumulates in organisms and biomagnifies along food webs, and hence, long‐lived predators such as seabirds, are at risk due to high Hg bioaccumulation. Seabirds have been widely used to monitor the contamination of marine ecosystems. Here, we investigated Hg concentrations in blood, muscle and feathers of seven Procellariform seabirds breeding on the Chatham Islands

Trace elements can accumulate in aquatic foodwebs, becoming potentially hazardous to wildlife and human health. While many studies have examined mercury dynamics in freshwater environments, evidence for the bioaccumulative potential of other trace elements (e.g., arsenic) is conflicting. Trace element concentrations found in surface water of the Red Deer River, Alberta, Canada, have raised concern

Concerns are increasing that pharmaceuticals released into the environment pose a risk to non‐target organism like fish. The fish plasma model (FPM) is a read‐across approach and uses human therapeutic blood plasma concentrations for estimating likely effects in fish. However, the FPM neglects differences in plasma protein binding between fish and humans. Since binding data for fish plasma are scarce

Agriculture within the Great Barrier Reef Catchment Area (GBRCA) has contributed to pesticide contamination of adjacent freshwater ecosystems that flow into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. A novel multispecies toxicity test was used to assess the toxicity of diuron and hexazinone, two herbicides commonly detected within the GBRCA, to a community of three tropical freshwater microalgae:

Many state and Federal environmental and health agencies have developed risk‐based criteria for assessing the risk of adverse health effects of PFAS exposure to humans and the environment. However, the criteria that have been developed vary; drinking water criteria developed for PFOA, for example, can vary by up to 750. This is due to differences and variability in the data and information used, study/endpoint

Here we synthesize current understanding of the magnitudes and methods for assessing human and wildlife exposures to poly‐ and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Most human exposure assessments have focused on two to five legacy PFAS and wildlife assessments are typically limited to targeted PFAS (up to ~30 substances). However, shifts in chemical production are occurring rapidly and targeted methods

Bioavailability‐based approaches have been developed for the regulation of metals in freshwaters in several countries. Empirical multiple linear regression (MLR) models have been developed for nickel that can be applied to aquatic organisms. The MLR models have been compared against the use of previously developed biotic ligand models (BLMs) for the normalization of an ecotoxicity dataset compiled

Equilibrium sampling based on silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been used to determine the concentrations of freely dissolved hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) and assess the thermodynamic potentials for bioaccumulation of these compounds in the aquatic environment. This allows the use of PDMS‐based sampling techniques in assisting conventional sampling and extraction methods for the determination

In this paper it was investigated the distribution and fate of Bisphenol A, 4‐hydroxyacetophenone metabolite and five other bisphenol congeners in two municipal WWTPs from Romania and their receiving rivers. Accordingly, a new, highly sensitive and accurate SPE‐LC‐ESI(‐)‐MS/MS method was developed and validated. Method generated low LOQ values: below 2.3 ng/L for surface water and below 2.4 and 2.7

Tumor angiogenesis is the main target in cancer drug development. Discovery of anti‐angiogenic agents targeting different mechanisms of action is the major area of research to control tumor growth and metastasis. Zebrafish (in embryo–larvae stage) acts as an essential pre‐clinical efficacy–toxicity model for anti‐angiogenic drug discovery. Herein, we aimed to develop a carcinogen‐induced model of pro‐angiogenesis

Chemical monitoring datasets such as those provided by the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) offer opportunities to evaluate the ecological risks of pesticides under large spatio‐temporal scales and to evaluate the protectiveness of the current prospective risk assessment framework. As a case study, we used the monitoring dataset for the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) to perform

This study investigated the concentrations of 45 per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in fledgling Flesh‐footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes; n = 33) and Wedge‐tailed Shearwater (A. pacifica; n = 9) livers via LC‐MS/MS and their relationship to body morphometrics and ingested plastic mass recorded in 2019 on Lord Howe Island, NSW, Australia. Sixteen PFASs were detected, of which perfluorooctanesulfonate

Dechlorane Plus (DP) is found widely in the environment. It is important to study DP enrichment and biomagnification in terrestrial ecosystems to improve our understanding of the possible effects of DP on the environment and human health. A total of 90 samples, including plant and animal tissues, were collected from Xilingol Prairie in Inner Mongolia, China. DP concentrations in different species were

The species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is a statistical approach that is used to estimate either the concentration of a chemical that is hazardous to no more than x% of all species (the HCx) or the proportion of species potentially affected by a given concentration of a chemical. Despite a significant body of published research and critical reviews over the past 20 years aimed at improving the

The absence of chronic toxicity data for tropical marine waters has limited our ability to derive appropriate water quality guideline values for metals in tropical regions. To aid environmental management, temperate data are usually extrapolated to other climatic (e.g., tropical) regions. However, differences in climate, water chemistry, and endemic biota between temperate and tropical systems make

Intrinsic/inherent chemical properties are characteristic, irrespective of the number of molecules present. However, toxicity is an extensive/extrinsic biochemical property that depends on the number of molecules. Paracelsus, often considered the father of toxicology, noted that all things are poisonous. Because dose magnitude (i.e., number of molecules) determines the occurrence of poisonous effects

There is emerging concern about the potential health and environmental impacts of nanoplastics in the environment. Information on exposure has been lacking, but a growing amount of ecotoxicological hazard data is now available, allowing a hazard assessment to be conducted for nanoplastics in freshwater and marine systems. Based on a critical evaluation of published studies and the construction of probabilistic

The temporal dynamics of pesticide concentrations in streams remains poorly characterized in southwestern Ontario, a region of the province where land use is dominated by agriculture. Understanding the magnitude and duration of pulsed exposures to pesticides in these small streams is critical when estimating the risk of pesticides to these aquatic ecosystems. The present study investigated the application

The recognition of widespread environmental occurrence of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as a result of use of aqueous film‐forming foam (AFFF), and the corresponding extensive response of government and other sectors has resulted in a flurry of research activity.

Honey bees and other wild bee species including bumble bees have experienced population declines in recent decades. Although many stressors are implicated in bee population declines, much attention has focused on neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used and known to be toxic to pollinators. One neonicotinoid, acetamiprid, has been studied very little in bumble bees, despite its use on bumble

Per‐ and poly‐fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a large, heterogenous group of chemicals of potential concern to human health and the environment. Based on information for a few relatively well‐understood PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate, there is ample basis to suspect that at least a subset can be considered persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. However, data

Antarctic marine environments are at risk from petroleum fuel spills as shipping activities in the Southern Ocean increase. Knowledge of the sensitivity of Antarctic species to fuels under environmentally realistic exposure conditions is lacking. We determined the toxicity of 3 fuels, Special Antarctic Blend diesel (SAB), marine gas oil (MGO), and intermediate fuel oil (IFO 180) to a common Antarctic

Environmental risk assessment is often challenged by a lack of toxicity data for ecological species. The overall goal of this research project was to employ an avian early‐life stage toxicity test to determine the effects of four chemicals (benzo[a]pyrene [BaP], chlorpyrifos [CPF], fluoxetine hydrochloride [FLX], ethinylestradiol [EE2]) in an ecologically relevant avian species, the double‐crested

Effects‐based monitoring frameworks that combine the use of analytical chemistry with in vitro cell bioassays, and in vivo whole organism tests offer an integrative approach to broadly screen for chemical contaminants and link their presence with adverse effects on aquatic organisms. California is currently evaluating the use of such a framework to assess the impact of emerging contaminants on biota

Selenium (Se) toxicity to fish is primarily manifested via maternal transfer to the eggs, which may result in adverse effects on larval survival and development. This study assessed the effects of egg Se concentrations derived via maternal transfer on early life stage development, survival, and growth of Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus), a salmonid species not previously assessed for Se sensitivity

Increases in the concentrations of major ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl‐) in freshwater are a growing concern for ecosystem health. These increases may originate from anthropogenic activities such as road de‐icing, fracking spills, mining, and fertilizer application and have detrimental effects on freshwater organisms through disturbances in ionoregulation and acid‐base balance. The cladoceran Daphnia

The dispersion of clothianidin from treated seeds was studied in a commercial winter canola field. During planting, using a John Deere 1890 single disk air seeder, a proportion, an estimated 14.2 ± 2.9% (mean ± standard error), of the clothianidin that was applied to the seed escaped into the atmosphere from the seeder's exhaust. We suggest that this source of environmental contamination may be the

Brazil is currently the Latin American epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, whose impacts have permeated the economic, social, and healthcare spheres. Amid its worst health crisis, the country has also been struggling with antiscience political narratives that promote the widespread use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and, more recently, the antiparasitic ivermectin. As

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) cause significant health and reproductive problems in many vertebrates. Exposure during embryogenesis likely leads to defects in organ development, compromising survival and growth through adulthood. This study identifies the impact of PCBs on the embryonic development of key organs and resulting consequences on survival and growth. Zebrafish embryos were treated with

The Alberta Oil Sands Region in Canada is home to one of the largest oil bitumen deposits in the world. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a top predator with a small home range and is sensitive to disturbances; it has been designated as a sentinel species for the potential impacts of the natural resource exploitation on freshwater ecosystems in the Alberta Oil Sands Region. With

Efforts to establish water quality standards for the protection of human health involve a calculation of the amount of fish that can be consumed without exceeding a predetermined safe dose.

Natural organic matter (NOM) has long been shown to be the dominant factor in determining equilibrium and kinetic processes during sorption and desorption phenomena in sediment and soil experiments. While several models have been suggested for predicting these processes, few offer mechanistic interpretations since the spatial location of organic matter on sediment particles is unknown. This investigation

Microplastic pollution has become an increasingly pervasive issue worldwide, but little is known about its effects on the soil environment. A soil microcosm experiment is conducted using low‐density polyethylene microplastics to estimate the effect of microplastic pollution on soil nutrient cycling and the soil microbial community structure. The results showed that microplastic addition significantly

My daily routine consists of walks, reading, and hobbies. The walks and readings motivated me to write about a continuing global problem, municipal solid waste (MSW), especially plastic. In this Points of Reference, I discuss the harm caused by plastics in the oceans and what we might do about it.

Equilibrium passive sampling methods (EPSMs) allow quantification of freely dissolved contaminant concentrations (Cfree) in sediment porewater. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a convenient sampling polymer that can be equilibrated in field (in situ) or laboratory (ex situ) sediments to determine Cfree, providing reliable compound‐specific PDMS–water partition coefficients (KPDMS‐water) are available

There is growing concern about possible effects of exploitation of the Alberta Oil Sands on the ambient environment, including possible effects on populations of fishes in the Athabasca River and farther downstream in Lake Athabasca and the Slave River. In the present study, concentrations of metals in dorsal muscle tissue of 5 fish species—goldeye, northern pike, walleye, whitefish, and burbot—from

In surface waters, the illumination of photoactive engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with ultraviolet (UV) light triggers the formation of reactive intermediates, consequently altering the ecotoxicological potential of co‐occurring organic micropollutants including pesticides due to catalytic degradation. Simultaneously, omnipresent natural organic matter (NOM) adsorbs onto ENM surfaces, altering the

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a new aquatic pesticide to control invasive Asian carps and other aquatic nuisance species in the United States. However, limited CO2 toxicity data could make it challenging for resource managers to characterize the potential risk to nontarget species during CO2 applications. The present study quantified the toxicity

Aquatic systems worldwide are threatened by the anthropogenic use of synthetic chemicals, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and road deicers. Exposure to contaminants can alter the behavior, morphology, and physiology of organisms if it occurs during sensitive life stages. For instance, past studies have documented feminization of male amphibians following herbicide exposure and skewed sex ratios

Lead poisoning, mainly through incidental ingestion of lead ammunition in carcasses, is a threat to scavenging and predatory bird species worldwide. In Australia, shooting for animal control is widespread, and a range of native scavenging species are susceptible to lead exposure. However, the prevalence of lead exposure in Australia's scavenging and predatory birds is largely unknown. We evaluated

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones that have systemic effects that are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Environmental chemicals that disrupt GR signaling and/or GC homeostasis could adversely affect the health of human and non‐human vertebrates. A major challenge in identifying environmental chemicals that alter GR signaling and/or GC homeostasis is a lack of adequate screening

Storm events lead to agricultural and urban runoff, to mobilization of contaminated particulate matter and input from combined sewer overflows into rivers. We conducted time‐resolved sampling during a storm event at the Ammer River, Southwest Germany, which is representative for small river systems in densely populated areas of temperate climate. From two sampling sites suspended particulate matter