Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that occurs in the environment in large quantities through human activities, has been shown to have adverse effects on female reproductive health. However, the association between cadmium exposure and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), one of the most prevalent ovarian diseases in women, has not been examined yet. This case–control study involving 169 POI cases and 209

Application of biochar-based metal oxide nanocomposites can acquire new composites and combine the benefits of biochar with nanomaterials. For the first time, this research was conducted to evaluate the possible effects of solid biochar (25 g biochar kg−1 soil) and biochar-based nanocomposites (BNCs) of magnesium oxide (25 g BNC-MgO kg−1 soil), manganese oxide (25 g BNC-MnO biochar kg−1 soil) and combined

The present study evaluated the concentrations, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, potential sources, and risk assessment of organic/inorganic pollutants in ambient air of Tehran city. Totally, 180 air samples were taken from 9 sampling stations from March 2018 to March 2019 and were analyzed to determine the concentrations of organic pollutants (BTEX compounds and PM2.5-bound PAHs) plus inorganic

The management of phosphogypsum (PG) heap, located south of the Sfax city in Tunisia, has been going on for decades. But dumping this solid waste still poses environmental problems. Even though valorized as amendment to agriculture soils, the sanitary impact of this practice is not seriously considered. To assess the risk of the transference of contaminants from PG to agricultural soil-plants food

The current study was conducted to assess the level of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) contamination (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As, Cd, and Ni) in surface soils from Arak city. Arak, which is an industrial city, is a prominent center of chemicals, metal/electric, manufacturing factories, and other industries. Forty-three surface soil samples were collected from 0–20 cm after removing the visible surface contamination

In this case, the dissipation and residues of imidacloprid as well as its control efficacy against aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover) in cotton cropping system were reported. After the final spray at the rates of 10.5–42.5 g a.i. ha−1, the initial deposits were 0.59–2.25 mg kg−1 with half-lives of 2.12–2.84 days on leaves and 0.06–0.21 mg kg−1 with half-lives of 1.51–4.20 days in soil, respectively. The

This work considers dust deposition and the heavy metal (HM) content on leaves of urban trees (Acer platanoides L. ‘Globosum,’ Fraxinus excelsior L. ‘Westhof’s Glorie’ and Tilia tomentosa Moench.) in order to estimate the trees’ capacity to remove dust and HM from the air. Leaves were collected from the Buda Arboretum and from different streets of heavy traffic in Budapest, Hungary, during 2015 and

Modeling metal sorption in soils is of great importance to predict the fate of heavy metals and to assess the actual risk driven from pollution. The present study focuses on adsorption of HM ions on two types of hydromorphic soils, including calcaric fluvisols loamic and calcaric fluvic arenosols. The individual and competitive adsorption behaviors of Cu and Zn on soils and soil constituents are evaluated

PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in Ljubljana city bus were monitored during entire shift, and individual particles were morphologically and chemically characterised in order to determine PM concentration variability, particle sources, solubility in simulated pulmonary environment and effects on human health. PM measurements revealed high mean PM10 (82.8 μg/m3) and PM2.5 (47 μg/m3), which were highest

To combat health challenges associated with mosquito-borne diseases, the larvicidal activity of metallic nanoparticles, food-grade polymeric nano-capsules and insecticides was investigated against larvae of Aedes albopictus as an effective alternate control approach. The Ae. albopictus was identified using sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of COXI, CYTB and ITS2 genes. The characterization of synthesized

In the original publication of the article, the name of the seventh author is incorrectly published as “Fazzel Amiri”.

In the original publication of the article, the footnote of Table 6 was incorrectly inserted for Table 5.

The negative impacts of the overexploitation of resources on regional environments have become increasingly obvious. The contradiction between the environment and development and the management of the ecological environment in mining areas are urgent problems to be solved. This paper uses Landsat images from four temporal phases from 1991 to 2018 in the Lingbei mining area of Dingnan County, China

Calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) deficiencies are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, with severe implications for human health. In Uganda, where the predominant diet depends heavily on plant-based staples, crop mineral concentration is an important component of dietary mineral intake. Studies assessing the risk of nutrient deficiency or the effectiveness of nutrient-focused interventions

The precipitation of sparingly soluble calcium phosphate in calcareous soils decreases the bioavailability of macronutrients, which makes their addition by way of fertilisers necessary. Sludge resulting from treating urban wastewater does not only provide significant amounts of phosphorus, but also helps lower the pH, thus increasing its bioavailability. The loss of part of soil nutrients due to irrigation

The present work determines the contents of active and passive indoor 222Rn, 220Rn, and their daughter in the 32 houses of the Reasi district of J&K, India. The passive 222Rn and 220Rn concentration was measured by dosimeters, whereas the active content was measured by active radon monitor. Progeny sensors and integrated samplers were operated for the evaluation of passive and active daughter contents

This study focuses on the geochemical features of the presently discharging thermal and cold springs and on paleofluids from the upstream portion of the Reno river basin (Alto Reno; central–northern Italy). The aim is investigating the primary sources of the modern and fossil fluids and the interactions between deep and shallow aquifers. Paleofluids are from fluid inclusions hosted within euhedral

As an important class of flavonoids, anthocyanin has been used to enhance plant-defensive mechanisms against heavy metal stress. However, there are few available reports regarding surface spraying of anthocyanin for reduction of Cd poisoning in rice and its practical applications in paddy fields. After rice growing, measurements were taken of rice growth, pigments, the antioxidant system, thiol compounds

Over 1000 people make a living by processing electronic and electrical waste (E-waste) and scrap metals for the recovery of valuable metals and integrated circuits at Dagomba Line, Kumasi, Ghana. The processing includes activities such as dismantling, open burning and open dumping of E-waste which can potentially release toxic metals into the environment and thus impact the health of recyclers and

Water pollution caused by heavy metal leaves human beings exposed to various health risks. Although many studies have focused on the efficiency of industrial water use (IWU) systems, few studies further address analysis for the harmful effect of heavy metal polluted water on human health. This paper first considers both IWU and healthcare (HC) systems as an integrated two-stage IWUHC system. Detailed

The accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in terrestrial ecosystems has become a global concern, as PTEs may exert a wide range of negative impacts on forest’s ecological state due to local or transboundary pollution. Forest vegetation and soil display great potential as means of coping with the accumulation mechanisms, absorption and dissolving the pollutants. Therefore, it is crucial

Anhui Province is the most important energy production base for eastern China. Many large pithead coal-fired power plants are being operated in the coal-rich Huainan and Huaibei coalfields in northern Anhui. To assess the environmental risks of local coal-fired power plants, a complete atmospheric emission inventory of F, As, Se, Cd, Sb, Hg, Pb, and U from coal-fired power plants in Anhui was compiled

This study assessed the health risk associated with exposure to heavy metals through consumption of milk from cows reared around industrial areas in India. Heavy metals, namely Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, and Cd, were determined in water and forage from four locations as well as in milk produced by dairy cattle raised in these locations, using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. A quantitative risk assessment

Improving China’s agricultural greenhouse gases (GHG) emission efficiency has become an important way to cope with climate change in an ecologically—and ethically responsible manner. In this paper, we use a global slacks-based inefficiency model to evaluate the agricultural greenhouse gases (GHG) emission efficiency levels in China during 2000–2015. The regional disparity of China’s GHG emission efficiency

Antibiotic resistance is a great concern, which leads to global public health risks and ecological and environmental risks. The presence of antibiotic-resistant genes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment exacerbates the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance. Among them, horizontal gene transfer is an important mode in the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, and it is one of the

Although bioaugmentation is known as effective and environmentally friendly method increasing removal of hydrocarbons from oil-contaminated soil, it sometimes fails in soil restoration and disturbs the ecological state of soil. We studied possible scenarios of the introduction of oil-degrading bacteria into oil-contaminated podzolic soil assessing the environmental safety of different bacterial preparations

Tobacco smoke is known for releasing metals in indoor air of waterpipe/cigarette cafés. However, the worker exposure to metals, and its association with oxidative stress in these cafés are still unclear. To this end, 54 workers and 38 customers from waterpipe/cigarette cafés (the exposed group), 30 workers from non-smoking cafés (the control group 1 (CG_1)) and 32 individuals from the general population

A comprehensive radio-ecological evaluation of soil samples of Solan and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh has been carried out for risk and dose assessment. Twenty-six randomly selected environmental soil samples were analysed for natural radionuclide concentrations (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) using NaI(Tl) scintillator detector. The average concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K was observed as 37,

The present study was conducted at a University campus of Agra to determine concentrations of crustal and trace elements in submicron mode (PM1) particles to reveal sources and detrimental effects of PM1-bound metals (Cr, Cd, Mn, Zn, As, Co, Pb, Cu and Ni) in samples collected in the foggy (1 December 2016–17 January 2017) and non-foggy periods (1 April 2016–30 June 2016). Samples were collected twice

The dispersion of mine tailings affects ecosystems due to their high content of potentially toxic elements. Environmental risk increases when the soil impacted by tailings is used for agriculture; this use may result in health impacts. This study analyzes the feasibility of remediating a calcareous soil (used for maize cultivation) polluted with lead in the semiarid zone of Zimapán, México, by using

The rising and continuous pollution of the soil from anthropogenic activities is of great concern. Owing to this concern, the advent of digital soil mapping (DSM) has been a tool that soil scientists use in this era to predict the potentially toxic element (PTE) content in the soil. The purpose of this paper was to conduct a review of articles, summarize and analyse the spatial prediction of potentially

In the article, the following were considered: classification of geochemical landscapes of the investigated territory, migration and accumulation of toxic chemical elements and their impact on human health. The research article was carried out in two directions: the first part—migration patterns of the chemical elements. The migration of chemical elements by landscape types has been identified, and

The sustenance of humans and livestock depends on the protection of the soil. Consequently, the pollution of the soil with potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is of great concern to humanity. The objective of this study is to investigate the source apportionment, concentration levels and spatial distribution of PTEs in selected soils in Frýdek-Místek District of the Czech Republic. The total number of

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water. However, pollution of groundwater resource could initiate serious health damage to the consumers. The present study aimed at assessing the quality and health risk of groundwater samples collected from the peri-urban areas of Abeokuta. Twelve (12) fresh ditch cuttings from wells sites and forty (40) well water samples were collected between August

It is well known and proven that heavy metal contamination of the soils can severely affect the health of the people living in the contaminated areas given the ease with which trace elements can enter the human body. In addition-to agricultural crop depreciation as well as soil erosion, soil pollution can negatively affect the natural function of ecosystems. While certain heavy metals in high doses

Metallurgical waste originating from the Zn and Pb refining process presents varying chemical composition and physical properties and contains varying quantities of pollutants. In the study, both fresh and weathered samples of production slag from the final Pb refining process were used to determine its physical parameters and chemical composition as well as to perform an environmental risk assessment

Biochar derived from food waste was modified with Fe to enhance its adsorption capacity for As(III), which is the most toxic form of As. The synthesis of Fe-impregnated food waste biochar (Fe-FWB) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), and the pyrolysis time (1.0, 2.5, and 4.0 h), temperature (300, 450, and 600 °C), and Fe concentration (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 M) were set as independent

Arsenic is a wildly distributed carcinogen in the environment. Arsenic-induced apoptosis has been extensively studied in therapeutics and toxicology. LncRNA MEG3 has been extensively studied as apoptosis regulatory gene in recent years. However, it stays unclear regarding how the mechanism of MEG3 regulates arsenic-induced apoptosis. Our focus was to explore the effects of MEG3 on arsenic-induced apoptosis

The quality of food crops and human health is threatened by heavy metals (HMs) accumulated in farmland soils for a long time. In this study, we selected 148 soil samples randomly from farmlands in a region featuring abandoned lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) mining activities with the aim to quantify the pollution risk and identify potential sources of heavy metals, based on a case in the southwestern of China. The

Ethiprole has been widely used in agriculture, but there have been few studies on the adverse effects of ethiprole on nontarget organisms. This study focused on the mechanism of the sublethal effects of ethiprole on the development, antioxidation mechanisms, detoxification mechanisms and immune-related gene expression of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). Honeybee larvae were found to be more sensitive

The concentrations of ∑16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for soils, roots, and above-ground parts of reed (Phragmites australis Cav.) were determined on different monitoring plots located near the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, southern Russia, where historically received industrial sewage and sludge. The total PAHs concentration in monitoring soil plots was significantly higher than

Tanning industry has been identified as a significant source of heavy metals; however, heavy metals contamination in farmland soil due to small-scale tanning activities remains unstudied. Here, samples from topsoil, profile soil, water and sediments in the vicinity of a small-scale tanning area in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, were collected to explore the contamination

China is confronting an unprecedented air pollution problem. This study discussed the characteristics of air pollution and its risks on human health and conducted source analysis combined with local development in Shanxi Province in 2016 and 2017. Results demonstrated that the air pollution situation in Shanxi was deteriorating, with Taiyuan, Yangquan, Changzhi, Jincheng, Jinzhong, and Linfen being

Phyto- and bioremediation are perspective methods for soil recultivation. In spite of resistance of plant-hyperaccumulators and degrading microorganisms to some contaminants, there are soil toxicity limits for their growth and activity. Therefore, simple and express methods are needed to estimate the soil phytotoxicity. This article is devoted to description of an express-phytotest evaluated by germination

Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are important catalysts for iron cycling in iron-rich marine, groundwater, and freshwater environments. However, few studies have reported the distribution and diversity of these bacteria in flooded paddy soils. This study investigates the microbial structure and diversity of microaerophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (mFeOB) and their possible role in Fe(II) oxidation

Aim to classify typical hot springs in Guizhou, China and their relevance to health. Assessing geochemical characters of typical hot springs of Guizhou and classifying through hierarchical cluster analysis, an epidemiologic study was conducted to analyze the correlation between hot spring types and health, which showed typical hot springs in Guizhou can be divided into two types, A and B. Type A is

In the lowlands of Nepal (Terai), the WHO drinking water guideline concentration of 10 μg/L for arsenic (As) is frequently exceeded. Since their introduction in 2006, iron-assisted bio-sand filters (Kanchan filters) are widely used to treat well water in Nepal. The filters are constructed on the basis of As-removal with corroding zero-valent iron (ZVI), with water flowing through a filter bed of iron

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in sub-Saharan African countries are related to low dietary I intake and generally combatted through salt iodisation. Agronomic biofortification of food crops may be an alternative approach. This study assessed the effectiveness of I biofortification of green vegetables (Brassica napus L and Amaranthus retroflexus L.) grown in tropical soils with contrasting chemistry

Based on the main components in the residual soil to meet the characteristics of ceramic grain production raw materials, and combining with the principle of anti-filter layer technology for seepage control of hydraulic buildings, a lead wire cage filled with silt grains made from lake dehydration silt can be obtained. Moreover, the same-position treatment method of bed surface is desilted by this kind

By investigating three dominant mangrove species, namely Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, Ceriops tagal and their rhizosediment in Mangrove wetlands in Hainan Island, this research analyzed absorption, concentration and distribution of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) in mangroves. The results found that the concentration of specific heavy metal differs in the different mangrove organs

This study performed the first environmental and dietary exposure assessment to explore plant uptake of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) from agricultural soil and irrigation water in the Nakdong River delta, South Korea. Annual average concentrations of total PFOA and PFOS ranged from 0.026 to 0.112 µg L−1 (irrigation water), and from 0.818 to 1.364 µg kg−1 (soil)

Diverse genotoxic agents, entering the aquatic environment through natural and anthropogenic events, pose serious threats to its biotic components. The present study involves the monitoring of water quality by assessing the genotoxic effects and physico-chemical parameters including heavy metals of 10 surface water samples collected from different locations of Buddha Nullah, a tributary of Sutlej flowing