Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) are implicated in the development of metabolic disorders, such diabetes mellitus. However, the epigenetic mechanism underlying the pancreatic β-cell dysregulation for both BPA/BPS needs clarification. This exploratory study was designed to investigate whether embryonic exposure to low BPA/BPS concentrations impair early pancreatic β-cell differentiation as well

Nonylphenol, octylphenol, and nonylphenol ethoxylates are manmade compounds that are only discharged in the environment due to anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to determine the current concentrations of these substances in the Canadian freshwater environment and to determine if past regulatory actions were beneficial to the environment. Freshwater samples (n = 241) were collected

Arsenic contamination in drinking water is a great concern in different regions of the world as well as in India. Several technologies have been investigated to remove arsenic from water, such as coagulation and co-precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, and reverse osmosis. In the present research, electrocoagulation with iron electrodes has been assessed as a treatment technology for arsenic removal

Samples of groundwater were collected during a post-monsoon period (January) and a pre-monsoon period (May) in 2020 from 30 locations in the rapidly developing industrial and residential area of the Coimbatore region in southern India. These sampling periods coincided with times before and during the lockdown in industrial activity and reduced agricultural activity that occurred in the region due to

The presence of radioactive elements in groundwater results in high health risks on surrounding populations. Hence, a study was conducted in central Tamil Nadu, South India, to measure the radon levels in groundwater and determine the associated health risk. The study was conducted along the lithological contact of hard rock and sedimentary formation. The concentrations of uranium (U) varied from 0

Exposure to fluoride concentrations above a threshold of 1.5 mg/L can cause joint pains, restricted mobility, skeletal and dental fluorosis. This study aims to determine the hydrochemical evolution of the fluoride-rich groundwater and estimate the risk of fluoride exposure to the residents of semi-arid northeastern part of Rajasthan, India. The methodology involves measurement of fluoride and other

The present investigation deals with the health risk assessment due to the heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn) in groundwater in the industrial township of Virudhunagar district. Twenty groundwater samples were collected, and the measured concentration of the heavy metals follows the order Pb > Ni > Zn > Co > Cr > Cd > Cu > Mn. The metal pollution indices (heavy metal evaluation index

The main focus of the present research was to examine the appropriateness of groundwater resources for drinking purposes in the Bilate River Basin of Southern Main Ethiopian Rift, Ethiopia. The groundwater quality index (GWQI), fluoride pollution index (FPI), and human health risk were used to examine the human health risk factors associated with the intake of high fluoride groundwater. For this purpose

The widespread use of road salt for winter road maintenance has led to an increase in the salinity of surface water in many seasonally cold areas. Freshwater mussels have a heightened sensitivity to salt, which is a concern, because many Canadian mussel species at risk have ranges limited to southern Ontario, Canada’s most road-dense region. This study examined the effect of winter road runoff on freshwater

Evaluation of the hydrogeochemical processes governing the heavy metal distribution and the associated health risk is important in managing and protecting the health of freshwater resources. This study mainly focused on the health impacts due to the heavy metals pollution in a known Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) contact region (Tiruchinopoly, Tamilnadu) of peninsular India, using various pollution indices

In this study, the quality of groundwater was assessed in a semi-arid region of India by using an entropy weighted water quality index (EWQI) and a pollution index of groundwater (PIG). The EWQI and PIG methods were used to evaluate data on physicochemical parameters in relation to drinking water quality standards. Groundwater samples were collected from the Dubbak region, Telangana state, India, and

The focus of the present study was to assess the quality of different drinking water sources, impacts of poor water quality on human health, and to apportion pollution source(s) of the district Bajaur, Pakistan. Drinking water samples (n = 331) were randomly collected from springs, hand pumps, open wells, and tube wells and analyzed for physicochemical parameters including toxic elements, and bacteriological

Groundwater is the main sources of water supply for drinking purposes in the Ordos Basin in the northwestern part of China. In order to sustain and protect the quality of groundwater resources, shallow groundwater samples were collected and analyzed to identify the hydrogeochemical characteristics, and to evaluate health risk to human. Cluster analysis showed that the 134 groundwater samples were divided

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in groundwater and leachate around selected waste dumpsites from two southwestern states of Nigeria were investigated. Samples were Soxhlet-extracted using hexane/methylene chloride mixture and cleaned-up with preconditioned solid-phase extraction cartridges. The ∑PAHs (PCBs) (all in µg/L) in the boreholes, leachate, and hand-dug

The concentrations of dissolved yttrium and rare earth elements (REY) in sediment pore water provide important geochemical information. However, due to the low REY concentration, complex matrix, and limited sample volume (often only a few milliliters), analysis of the REY in pore water often is highly challenging. In this study, a method was established to determine the dissolved REY in pore water

Groundwater contamination is a global problem that has a significant impact on human health and ecological services. Studies reported in this special issue focus on contaminants in groundwater of geogenic and anthropogenic origin distributed over a wide geographic range, with contributions from researchers studying groundwater contamination in India, China, Pakistan, Turkey, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

The Army is replacing traditional munitions with insensitive munitions (IM) resistant to accidental detonation. The aquatic toxicity of 1-methyl-3-nitroguanidine (MeNQ), which is being assessed for potential use in IM formulations, remains largely untested. The present study fills a number of critical data gaps for MeNQ aquatic toxicity by evaluating effects across two vertebrate and five invertebrate

The hepatotoxic effects of sub-lethal concentrations of atrazine (2.5, 25, 250, and 500 μg L−1) on Clarias gariepinus juveniles were assessed for 28 days in a quality-controlled laboratory procedure. The study was designed to determine the effects of atrazine on selected liver function biomarkers: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin

Several studies have indicated the presence of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) in aquatic ecosystems in concentrations up to 320.0 µg L−1. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of the highest IMI concentration detected in surface water (320.0 µg L−1) on the survival of Chironomus sancticaroli, Daphnia similis, and Danio rerio in three different scenarios of water contamination

Hospital wastewater is regarded as a primary and very important source of antibiotics in the aquatic environment. Studies on the analysis, occurrence, and ecological risk assessment of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in wastewater are still limited in Africa. A quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction method was optimized and applied for determination of three fluoroquinolone antibiotics

Climate change in Kuwait has resulted in temperature fluctuations, frequent dust storms, and noticeable changes in the amount of precipitation. Pollutants released into the atmosphere from various sources affect the chemical composition of rainwater and impact its usability. The present study on rainwater focused on the determination of trace elements, sources, and their variation with respect to change

Evaluation of seasonal and spatial variations in vulnerable zones for poor groundwater quality is essential for the protection of human health and to maintain the crop yields. With this objective, groundwater samples were collected seasonally (i.e., pre- and post-monsoon) from the Yellareddygudem watershed of Telangana, India. These samples were analysed for major chemical parameters (pH, TDS, Ca2+

The present work was conducted to obtain and highlight the first comprehensive baseline data on atmospheric deposition of trace elements and to evaluate the air quality in Georgia. A total of 120 moss samples were collected over accessible territories in Georgia in the period from 2014 to 2017. Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) Schimp., Hypnum cupressiforme (Hedw.), and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt

Cadmium (Cd) is a harmful element to human health and biodiversity. The removal of Cd from groundwater is of great significance to maintain the environmental sustainability and biodiversity. In this work, a novel low-temperature roasting associated with alkali was applied to synthesize an eco-friendly adsorbent using coal fly ash. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Rare earth elements (REE) are essential in many new technologies. While anthropogenic dispersion of REE into the environment are expected in the future, their biogeochemical fate and interactions at biological interfaces are still largely unexplored. Due to their chemical nature (generally trivalent and hard metals), REE can potentially compete among themselves or with other ubiquitous trivalent metals

Personal care product (PCP) chemicals have a greater chance of accumulation in the aquatic environments because of their volume of use. PCPs are biologically active substances that can exert an adverse effect on the ecology and food safety. Information on the status of these substances in Indian open water ecosystems is scarce. In this paper, we report the incidence of two synthetic antimicrobials

The studies on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurrence, distribution, health risk, and composition in drinking water are limited in India and worldwide. The main objective of this study was to find the contaminant sources, composition, health risk, and distribution of USEPA’s 16 priority pollutant PAHs in the drinking water samples collected between July 2019 to September 2019 from six districts

The increased demand for technology-critical elements (TCEs) in emerging technologies brings about the need to determine their spatial distribution in the environment and establish regulatory guidelines. In this paper, concentrations of Li, Sc, Nb, W, Ga, Ge, and REY (rare earth elements, including yttrium) in soils collected from different parent materials in the upper catchment of the Sava River

Fish and aquatic amphibians possess neuromasts on the surface of their body that constitute the lateral line, a sensory system used to detect water displacement. Copper is known to inactivate the neuromast organs of this system. Copper-induced neuromast loss in African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, was examined by exposing Nieuwkoop-Faber stage 54–55 larvae to copper concentrations of 0, 100, 200,

Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), one of the short-chain replacement perfluoroalkyl substances, has been shown to accumulate in plants. The potential of PFBA to modulate the developmental cycle of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, a polyphagous pest, was investigated. Second-instar larvae were fed with PFBA-spiked artificial diets and leaves from soybean plants grown with PFBA-spiked irrigation water

Metal-contaminated mining soils pose serious environmental and health risks if not properly managed, especially in mountainous areas, which are more susceptible to perturbation. Currently, climate change is leading to more frequent and intense rain events, which cause flooding episodes, thereby altering soil redox equilibria and contaminants stability. We evaluated the potential release of Zn and Cd

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are psychotropic pharmaceuticals used as antidepressants. SSRIs are commonly found in surface waters in populated areas across the globe. They exert their effect by blocking the serotonin re-uptake transporter in the presynaptic nerve ending. The present study examined whether behavioural effects to exposure to SSRI citalopram depend on personality and

Anthropogenic interference the ecosystem unavoidably changes the physical and biological environment. The biodiversity of the Amazon region has been threatened by increased agricultural production and pesticide use. Considering that monitoring pesticides in environments close to their application is one of the ways to preserve the ecosystem, this study investigated the levels of pesticide residues

Groundwater is essential for the sustainable development of the Guanzhong Basin, China, and its quality is mainly controlled by hydrogeochemical processes and anthropogenic pollution. This study used statistical and multivariate statistical analysis approaches to recognize the hydrogeochemical processes and affecting factors of groundwater in the central part of the Guanzhong Basin. Correlations among

Rare earth elements (REEs) are key constituents of modern technology and play important roles in various chemical and industrial applications. They also are increasingly used in agricultural and zootechnical applications, such as fertilizers and feed additives. Early applications of REEs in agriculture have originated in China over the past several decades with the objective of increasing crop productivity

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are commonly used to control rodent pests. However, worldwide, their use is associated with secondary and tertiary poisoning of nontarget species, especially predatory and scavenging birds. No medical device can rapidly test for AR exposure of avian wildlife. Prothrombin time (PT) is a useful biomarker for AR exposure, and multiple commercially available point-of-care

Coastal ecosystems are receiving environments for micropollutants due to high levels of associated anthropogenic activities. Effluent discharges from wastewater treatment plants are a significant source of micropollutants to coastal environments. Wastewater effluents, seawater, sediments, and green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) in Lyttelton Harbour (Te Whakaraupō), Christchurch, New Zealand, were

Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most toxic form of mercury and can accumulate in the cells of marine organisms, such as fish, causing adverse effects on various physiological functions. This study examined MeHg accumulation and its toxicological role in antioxidant defenses in tissues, including the liver, gills, and muscle of flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) juveniles. After 30 d of MeHg exposure (0

Submarine groundwater discharge and associated trace element fluxes from the Coleroon River estuary to south bay, India, has been attempted, because increasing trace elements could result in harmful algal blooms and eutrophication. Trace elements (Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, Ba, Pb, Th, and U) in surface water, pore, and groundwater samples were monitored for 10 days in three locations (A,

Mercury (Hg), particularly as methylmercury (MeHg), is a nonessential, persistent, and bioaccumulative toxic element with high biomagnification capacity and is considered a threat to marine environments. We evaluated total Hg concentrations in liver, kidney, and brain in 62 individuals of 9 bird species linked to marine ecosystems from western Mediterranean admitted in a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Groundwater contamination in the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain has reportedly been affected by various factors, such as mineral dissolution, overexploitation, precipitation, and ion exchange. This study was designed to interpret the hydrochemical fluctuations in the groundwater sources of a rural area in Raebareli district. Groundwater is slightly alkaline and affected by the issues of fluoride, salinity

The native freshwater gastropod Isidorella newcombi attacks the roots of developing rice plants in southern Australia and is controlled using copper sulphate. The apparent tolerance of this species to moderate levels of copper (Cu) exposure led us to investigate its potential usefulness as a biomonitor species. To assess its response to chronic Cu exposure, adult I. newcombi were exposed to 0–120 µg L−1

This study compared four different statistical methods, involving six estimation procedures, for addressing censored left data in measuring temporal trends of eight different pyrethroids measured in sediment from a 10-year data set in a residential California stream (Pleasant Grove Creek). The statistical methods used were: the Kaplan–Meier (km) method; the robust regression on order statistics (ros

Accidents involving economic activities of great impact, such as mining, have caused massive environmental damage. In November 2015, the dam of Fundão, located in the city of Mariana, MG, broke and released 5 × 107 m3 of tailings in the nearby ecosystems, including the Doce River. The physicochemical changes that occurred in the Doce River estuary were analyzed, as well as the trace metal concentrations

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are widely used as antibacterial agents in both commercial products and for industrial applications. As such, AgNP has a high potential for release into freshwater environments. As part of a whole-lake ecosystem experiment to examine the impacts of AgNP exposure at low µg/L concentrations over multiple years, we evaluated biological responses in Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a legacy contaminant that has been detected globally within the environment and throughout numerous species, including humans. Despite an international ban on its use, this unique contaminant continues to persist in organisms and their surroundings due to PFOS’s inability to breakdown into nontoxic forms resulting in bioaccumulation. In this study, we analyzed the

Heavy metals threaten communities near biodiversity hotspots, as their protein sources come from the environment. This study assessed Hg, Cd, and Se concentrations in fish, as well as the magnitude of exposure and hematological conditions of adult citizens from Puerto Nariño (Colombian Amazon). Among fish samples, greater Hg concentrations were found in higher trophic level species, including Rhaphiodon

Groundwater nitrate pollution is a serious threat to human health in many regions of the world. The present study was performed to assess the nitrate contamination in groundwater in the region of Nirmal province, South India, where people purely depend on groundwater for drinking purposes. The associated human health risks for different age groups (male, female, and children) also were evaluated based

This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of trace elements, their sources, and human health risks associated with arsenic contamination in groundwater of the Niğde Municipality, south-central Turkey. Fourteen groundwater samples were collected from groundwater supply sources fed by the Niğde water distribution system and were analysed for Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, and

Thyroid hormones play critical roles in body growth and development as well as reproduction. They also influence the activities of a wider variety of tissues and biological functions, such as osmoregulation, metabolism, and especially metamorphosis in organisms, such as frogs. These complex activities of thyroid hormones are prone to disruption by agricultural pesticides, often leading to modulation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure and air pollutants and the diversity of microbiota. Daily average concentrations of six common air pollutants were obtained from China National Environmental Monitoring Centre. The PAHs exposure levels were evaluated by external and internal exposure detection methods, including monitoring

The concentrations of trace elements in feather moss Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. were used to indicate the relative levels of air pollution by trace elements in Polish national parks. Pleurozium schreberi was collected from nine national parks. The highest concentrations were recorded in the moss samples from the southern and most industrialised part of the country; the lowest from northern

Globally, amphibians are experiencing widespread abnormalities and population declines. One potential contributor to these challenges is the use of pesticides, particularly aquatic herbicides applied to aquatic habitats inhabited by amphibians. Critical issues of concern are the potential toxicity and teratogenicity of these herbicides towards amphibians. Using the FETAX protocol, three globally used

Metals occur naturally in the environment; however, anthropogenic practices have greatly increased metal concentrations in waterways, sediments, and biota. Metals pose health risks to marine organisms and have been associated with oxidative stress, which can lead to protein denaturation, DNA mutations, and cellular apoptosis. Sharks are important species ecologically, recreationally, and commercially

Aquatic environments are constantly exposed to a cocktail of contaminants mainly due to human activities. As polluted ecosystems may simultaneously present other multiple natural stressors, the objective of the present study was to evaluate joint effect of stressors (natural and anthropogenic) on life history traits of the Neotropical cladoceran, Ceriodaphnia silvestrii. For this purpose, the effects

One of the world’s largest, but low-grade, sulfide nickel deposits in northeastern Finland has been exploited by a bioheapleaching technology since 2008. Bioheapleaching is a relatively new, cost-effective technology, but humid climate, e.g., in boreal temperate environments, causes challenges to the management of the water balance in the ore heaps with wide catchment area, and the mining effluents

Chengdu, a megacity in southwestern China, experiences severe air pollution; however, knowledge of the seasonal variation in mass concentration, extent of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) contamination, and sources caused by heavy metals remains lacking. This study adopted a weighting method to calculate the daily mass concentration of PM1 and used ICP-MS to determine PHE concentrations. Results

Phenothiazine (PTZ) is a heterocyclic thiazine compound used for industrial and medical purposes. Through environmental surveillance studies, PTZ was found being discharged into a local river in Connecticut. Phenothiazine has been shown to act similarly to endocrine disrupting chemicals. This study sought to identify sex specific hormone receptor changes in Fundulus heteroclitus in response to PTZ

Natural resource managers are concerned about the impacts of aerial ultra-low volume spray (ULV) of insecticides for mosquito control (i.e., mosquito adulticides) and seek science-driven management recommendations that reduce risk but allow vector control for nearby human populations. Managers at the National Key Deer Refuge (Florida Keys, FL) are concerned for ULV effects upon conservation efforts

In this work, rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) was applied as a sentinel organism and set in cages at control and test sampling sites in Donghu Lake for 4 weeks in March, June, September, and December 2016 to assess the biological toxicity of in situ water. Sampling for active biomonitoring and physicochemical variables was performed weekly. The control was obtained from the outdoor pool of the Institute