It's unequivocal that the global climate is changing, including the rise in atmospheric temperature and variability in precipitation amount and pattern, and the rate of change in the Himalaya region is higher than the global average. Since precipitation and temperature are the major controlling factors of water resources in both upstream and downstream regions, it's important to understand the impacts

The increasing production of eco-friendly nanoparticles like biosynthesized nanoparticles (BNPs) calls for study on their environmental and biological safety. Herein, the impact of natural organic matter on the toxicity of BNPs was studied. Using leaf extract of herbal plant Allium fistulosum, the Allium fistulosum-silver nanoparticles (AF-AgNPs) were synthesized with the yield of around 100% and used

Exposure to particulate matter of smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) is linked to increased human mortality, and could be further complicated by concurrent ambient air temperatures. Published reports indicate that the association between ambient temperatures and mortality due to PM2.5 exposure is dissimilar across different geographic areas. Thus, it is unclear how ambient temperatures at different

Green space has been associated with better health and well-being. However, most studies have been cross-sectional with limited long-term exposure data. Further, research is limited in what type of green space is beneficial for health. We conducted a longitudinal study to assess sensitive periods (birth, childhood or adulthood) of exposure to different types of green space in association with adult

Evaluating the characteristics of exposure to mainstream cigarette smoke is an essential field in tobacco research because of the large risk burden among smokers. Detailed evaluation of the complex factors pertaining to the exposure of smokers to mainstream cigarette smoke was attempted by analysis of discarded cigarette butts. A total of 5475 samples of discarded cigarette butts was collected to investigate

A series of biomass cellulose-derived carbon nanofibers (CCNF) were prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures in this study. Subsequently, this CCNF was combined with bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) to form BiOBr/CCNF composite. The feasibility of BiOBr/CCNF as photocatalyst was investigated for the treatment against organic dye, rhodamine B (RhB) and inorganic metal ion, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI))

Chile as a major international Cu producer faces serious soil contamination issues in mining areas. Currently Chile does not have any specific law governing the maximum permissible concentrations of metals in soils to protect ecosystems and human health. Chile heavily relies on the use of environmental laws of 14 foreign countries; the choice of the country depends on the similarity of its environmental

As an efficient and cost-effective biological treatment method for sewage sludge, composting has been widely used worldwide. To passivate heavy metals and enhance the nutrient content in compost, in the present study, phosphate rock, calcium magnesium phosphate, and monopotassium phosphate were added to the composting substrate. According to the Community Bureau of Reference sequential extraction procedure

Soil pollution from heavy metals poses a serious risk for environment and public health. Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative compared to chemical-physical techniques. We carried out in vitro tests where three microorganisms Trichoderma harzianum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Wickerhamomyces anomalus were exposed to eight different heavy metals (one metal at a time) in order

Background In 1968 in western Japan, polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated “Kanemi rice oil” was used in cooking, causing food poisoning in many people. More than 50 years have passed since the Yusho incident, and although inflammatory disorders such as suppuration have been observed in Yusho patients, the etiology of this inflammation susceptibility remains obscure. Objectives To investigate the mechanisms

To systematically regulate new types of cigarettes for which their safety has yet to be verified, such as heat-not-burn (HNB) products and electronic cigarettes (E-Cigs), the identification of chemicals in the new cigarette smoke is necessary. However, this is challenging due to the large number of new cigarette types and their different vaporization approaches. To address this issue, we herein report

Objectives Literature assessing the effects of policies aimed at reducing traffic-related air pollution is scarce. The aims of this study were to evaluate the expected impacts, in terms of air quality and health effects, of various hypothetical low-emission zone (LEZ) scenarios in Greater Paris for a planned intervention in 2018/2019 which combine two different perimeters and two levels of vehicles

Objective Increasing evidence indicates aggravation of immune-mediated diseases due to physiological and psychological stress. Noise is a stressor, however, little is known about its effects on children's respiratory health. This study investigates the association between pre- or postnatal road traffic or occupational noise exposure and asthma as well as related symptoms from infancy to adolescence

Background Recent epidemiologic analyses have considered impacts of multiple spatially correlated urban exposures, but this literature has not been systematically evaluated. Objectives To characterize the long-term impacts of four distinct spatially correlated urban environmental exposures – traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), noise, natural spaces, and neighborhood walkability – by evaluating studies

Animal experiments suggest that bisphenol A (BPA) could potentially induce lipid abnormalities. However, whether BPA exposure associates with altered lipid metabolism in humans has not been fully elucidated. We thus comprehensively investigated the relationship of BPA exposure and its change with lipid profile and development of incident dyslipidemia among Chinese adults. We initially included 1872

Ambient particulate matter (PM) is a leading global environmental health risk. Current air quality regulations are based on airborne mass concentration. However, PM from different sources have distinct chemical compositions and varied toxicity. Connections between emission control measures, air quality, PM composition, and toxicity remain insufficiently elucidated. The current study assessed the composition

The present study attempts to generate the first baseline data on gross α and β activities in groundwater and riverine water samples collected from different regions of Indian Sundarbans, a part of the world's largest mangrove ecosystem. Until the present, no information is available related to radioactivity measurement in water samples from this vast area. Gross alpha-beta activities were measured

We investigated the effects of regular walking in green and suburban environments on heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP) in middle-aged adults. Twenty-three adults participated in a non-randomized crossover experiment comprised of once-weekly 50-min moderate-intensity walking sessions. Separated by a two-week washout period, participants walked for three weeks in each of two treatment

Frequent floods and droughts have brought serious impact on economy, society and living environment in East China. Based on the disaster census data of rainstorm-induced flood (including landslide and mud-rock flow) and drought disasters in 637 counties (districts) in East China, the distribution and change of flood and drought disasters were analyzed. The results indicate that the number of records

Sustainable Jersey for Schools (SJS) includes free and voluntary certification for New Jersey (NJ) public K-12 districts (SD) and schools. SJS promotes increased awareness for waste and greenhouse gas emissions reductions via energy efficiency and conservation measures; environmental education; equity; etc. SD first register with SJS; school(s) then register and pursue one of two current certification

The accelerated development and application of graphene-family nanomaterials (GFNs) have increased their release to various environments and converged in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, little is known about the interactions between GFNs and microbes in WWTPs. In this study, the interaction of graphene oxide (GO) or graphene (G) at different concentrations with microbial communities in

Background Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous. Previous studies have found associations between PFAS and thyroid hormones in maternal and cord sera, but the results are inconsistent. To further address this research question, we used mixture modeling to assess the associations with individual PFAS, interactions among PFAS chemicals, and the overall mixture. Methods We collected

Background Epidemiologic studies on the association between metals and body mass index (BMI) have been cross-sectional and have demonstrated inconsistent associations. Our study prospectively examined whether metals measured at baseline were associated with later BMI. We considered metals individually and as joint exposure to pre-defined metal groupings. Methods We measured concentrations of 16 metals

The feasibility of using Cyanex 301 impregnated onto biopolymer resin for removing cobalt from radioactive waste streams is investigated. The emulsion compositions for resin preparation were optimized to ensure compliance with nuclear grade resin specifications on particle size distribution and chemical stabilities using multi-variant analysis. The enhanced chemical stabilities of the resins in different

Background Previously we reported that inorganic arsenic (iAs) methylation capacity was associated with breast cancer (BC). BC risk factors may vary according to immunohistochemical subtype. Here we explored the relationships between the capacity to methylate iAs and the risk of BC by subtype. Methods A population-based case-control study was performed in northern Mexico. Patients with available information

Dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) is an organochlorine insecticide that is banned internationally except for use as part of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programs to control malaria. Although animal studies show that DDT and its breakdown product dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE) affect the immune system and may cause allergies, no studies have examined this question in populations where

Objectives To investigate the association between exposure to unintentionally emitted carbonaceous nanoscale particles (NPs) and small for gestational age (SGA), as well as head circumference (HC) at birth and at two years of age. Methods Mothers from the French Longitudinal Study of Children (Elfe cohort) who worked during pregnancy were selected for our study. Data collected at birth and during follow-up

This paper considers a two-echelon supply chain with a supplier and a retailer both having capital constraints. The capital-constrained retailer first applies for loans from the commercial bank, and then applies for trade credit from the supplier. Compared with the single trade credit financing mechanism, what are the similarities and differences in the contagion and evolution of the associated credit

High levels of disinfection by-products (DBPs) are constantly found in drinking water distributed in Sardinia, an Italian island with a tourist vocation and critical issues related to the drinking water supply. To reduce the concentration of trihalomethanes the disinfectant in use was changed – chlorine dioxide was adopted instead of hypochlorite. However, this caused the appearance of other DBPs (e

Antibiotic contamination in drinking water sources has been increasingly prominent in recent years. The water quality in the Chongqing area is not only essential for the local people but also is crucial for the downstream of Yangzi River. To understand the level of antibiotic contamination in the large-scale drinking water sources, this study measured antibiotic residues in nine large-scale drinking

Denitrifying microbial community can be utilized for eliminating nitrate and Fe(II) combined contamination in groundwater, while excessive amount of Fe(II) limit the process. Natural mineral can be additional substrate for the microbial growth, whereas how it influences the microbial community that mediating the denitrification coupling with Fe(II) oxidation and balancing inhibition of excessive Fe(II)

Accurately characterizing human exposures to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) is critical to public health protection. However, quantifying exposure to this single source is challenging, given its extremely heterogeneous chemical composition. Efforts using single-species tracers of TRAP are, thus, lacking in their ability to accurately reflect exposures to this complex mixture. There have been

Metabolic uncouplers inhibit biofilm and biofouling formation in membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems, which have been considered as a potential biofouling control alternative. To better understand the inhibitory mechanism of uncoupler on biofouling, this study investigated the impact of the uncoupler 3, 3′, 4′, 5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) on biofilm formation of B. subtilis in different development

Chitosan was used as crosslinking agent to load bimetal particles onto bentonite. The Fe–Al bimetal chitosan bentonite (Fe–Al bimetal @ bent) complex was prepared for the efficient removal of nitrate from wastewater and its by-products at low temperature. The samples were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Zeta

Background The evidence evaluating environmental chemical exposures (ECE) and breast cancer (BC) risk is heterogeneous which may stem in part as few studies measure ECE during key BC windows of susceptibility (WOS). Another possibility may be that most BC studies are skewed towards individuals at average risk, which may limit the ability to detect signals from ECE. Objectives We reviewed the literature

Background Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm in August 2005. Storm surges, levee failures, and the low-lying nature of New Orleans led to widespread flooding, damage to over 70% of occupied housing, and evacuation of 80–90% of city residents. Only 57% of the city's black population has returned. Many residents complain of gentrification following rebuilding

Biological effects have been reproducibly reported in rodents exposed to radiofrequency fields (RF) without significant change of the body temperature. These observations relaunch the controversial question of non-thermal effects of RF. If true, such effects would imply to consider RF energy absorption/interaction in tissues, not as volume-averaged, but locally, down to the microscale, which is of

The present study investigates the synergistic performance of the sonophotolytic-activated ZnO/persulfate (US/UV/ZnO/PS) process in the decolorization of acid blue 113 (AB113) dye from aqueous solution and its feasibility for the treatment of real textile wastewater. Decolorization of AB113 solution was modeled by central composite design-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) and artificial neural

Background Environmental factors are believed to account for a substantial burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Non-persistent environmental pollutants (npEPs) are a group of widely-used chemicals identified as endocrine/metabolic disrupting chemicals and obesogens. The aim of this study was to analyse the potential associations of serum levels of three groups of npEPs with the risk of incident

Air pollution has consistently been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, although associations with obesity have only been recently reported. Studies of air pollution and adiposity have mostly relied on body mass index (BMI) rather than body fat percentage (BF%), and most have not accounted for noise as a possible confounder. Additionally, it is unknown whether genetic predisposition for obesity

Broken Hill, the oldest silver (Ag)–zinc (Zn)–lead (Pb) mining community in Australia, has an ongoing and legacy problem of environmental Pb exposure that began as early as 1893. To reduce Pb exposure risks, identifying potential exposure pathways and related factors is a critical first step. This study examined PbB levels of children ≤60 months old (n = 24,106 samples), along with corresponding soil

Associated with numerous cognitive and behavioral functions and with several diseases, the prefrontal cortex is vulnerable to environmental insult. Among other factors, toxins in air pollution have been associated with damage to the prefrontal cortex in children and older adults. We used data from the UK Biobank to assess further associations between an array of toxins in air pollution and gray matter

In artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) the toxic metal mercury is used for gold extraction. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess mercury concentrations in urine and blood and mercury-related symptoms of participants identifying themselves as miners from Kadoma and Shurugwi, Zimbabwe. Moreover, we aimed to explore possible risk factors influencing mercury body burden. In

Desulfurization of sour water was investigated in a combination system of trickling biofilter (BTF) and biofilter (BF) filled with ceramic packing materials. A critical elimination capacity (EC) of 251.93 g S m−3 h−1 was obtained for the BTF/BF system during a stepwise increase of sulfide concentration from 10 to 60 g S m−3. This stepwise increment of loading rate also led to critical ECs of 176.21

This study examines the projected precipitation extremes for the end of 21st century (2081–2100) over Southeast Asia (SEA) using the output of the Southeast Asia Regional Climate Downscaling/Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment – Southeast Asia (SEACLID/CORDEX-SEA). Eight ensemble members, representing a subset of archived CORDEX-SEA simulations at 25 km spatial resolution, were examined

Mercury (Hg) is recognized as a global pollutant, which can be transported to the sea by suspended particulate matter (SPM) via rivers constituting the main source of mercury in the southern Baltic sea. The aim of the present study was to characterize the mercury fractions in suspended particulate matter, as well as the transformations of Hg during its riverine transportation into the sea. The thermo-desorption

Background Waterpipe tobacco smoking has grown in popularity worldwide, with the prevalence of use increasing in Spain from 6.2% to 10.8% in the last decade, despite the smoking ban enacted in 2010 for all hospitality premises. Objective s To assess exposure to second-hand smoke from waterpipes based on the concentrations of airborne nicotine and particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) in a

Background The body burden of metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is particularly high in populations that rely on fish and other marine species for sustenance. This exposure has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but results remain contrasted. Objective We studied this association in two Indigenous populations of northern Québec (Canada) with markedly different

Selecting the proper site for disposing of solid waste is one of the serious environmental and public health concerns in metropolises. This multifaceted issue encompasses environmental, economic, social, geographical, technical, and legal criteria. Some of these criteria, however, are less influenced by experts' subjective judgments because they display scientific specifications. This study drew on

Background Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are lipophilic persistent organic pollutants associated with adverse health outcomes. Black women have higher body burdens compared with other U.S. populations and research on their correlates is limited. Methods Using baseline data from a prospective cohort study of Black women aged 23–35 years from the Detroit, Michigan metropolitan area (enrolled 2010–2012)