Plant-derived nanomaterials opened a green approach in solving the current environment issues. Present study focused on rapid microwave-assisted synthesis and applications of gold and silver nanoparticles mediated by aqueous leaf extract of Mussaenda glabrata. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis, FT-IR, powder XRD, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron (TEM), and atomic force microscopic techniques (AFM). FCC crystal structure of both nanoparticles was confirmed by peaks corresponding to (111), (200), (220), and (311) planes in XRD spectra and bright circular spots in SAED pattern. IC50 values shown by gold and silver nanoparticles (44.1 ± 0.82 and 57.92 ± 1.33 μg/mL) reflected their high free radical scavenging potential. The synthesized gold and silver nanoparticles revealed their potency to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms Bacillus pumilus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium chrysogenum. Anthropogenic pollutants rhodamine B and methyl orange were effectively degraded from aquatic environment and waste water sewages of dye industries using the prepared nanocatalysts. The catalytic capacities of the synthesized nanoparticles were also exploited in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.
The oxidation of imidazolium (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, HmimCl) and pyridinium (1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium chloride, BmpyrCl) ionic liquids (ILs) by Fenton’s reagent has been studied. Complete conversion was achieved for both ILs using the stoichiometric H2O2 dose at 70 °C, reaching final TOC conversion values around 45 and 55% for HmimCl and BmpyrCl, respectively. The decrease in hydrogen peroxide dose to substoichiometric concentrations (20–80% stoichiometric dose) caused a decrease in TOC conversion and COD removal and the appearance of hydroxylated oxidation by-products. Working at these substoichiometric H2O2 doses allowed the depiction of a possible degradation pathway for the oxidation of both imidazolium and pyridinium ILs. The first step of the oxidation process consisted in the hydroxylation of the ionic liquid by the attack of the ·OH radicals, followed by the ring-opening and the formation of short-chain organic acids, which could be partially oxidized up to CO2 and H2O. At H2O2 doses near stoichiometric values (80%), the resulting effluents showed non-ecotoxic behaviour and more biodegradable character (BOD5/COD ratio around 0.38 and 0.58 for HmimCl and BmpyrCl, respectively) due to the formation of short-chain organic acids.
Triclocarban (TCC) is an antibacterial agent found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP). It is potentially bioaccumulative and an endocrine disruptor, being classified as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC). In normal uses, approximately 96% of the used TCC can be washed down the drain going into the sewer system and eventually enter in the aquatic environment. UV photolysis can be used to photodegrade TCC and ecotoxicity assays could indicate the photodegradation efficiency, since the enormous structural diversity of photoproducts and their low concentrations do not always allow to identify and quantify them. In this work, the TCC was efficiently degraded by UVC direct photolysis and the ecotoxicity of the UV-treated mixtures was investigated. Bioassays indicates that Daphnia similis (48 h EC50 = 0.044 μM) was more sensitive to TCC than Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (72 h IC50 = 1.01 μM). TCC and its photoproducts caused significant effects on Eisenia andrei biochemical responses (catalase and glutathione-S-transferase); 48 h was a critical exposure time, since GST reached the highest activity values. UVC reduced the TCC toxic effect after 120 min. Furthermore, TCC was photodegraded in domestic wastewater which was simultaneously disinfected for total coliform bacterial (TCB) (360 min) and Escherichia coli (60 min).
With recent evidence that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are emerging in environmental media in some developing countries that otherwise have sparing production and usage history, it has become important to identify such contemporary source factors of PCBs and the risks this may pose, in line with the global consensus on POP management and elimination. The present study investigated contaminations from atmospheric PCBs in Ghana, deciphered source factors, and accessed risk of exposure to dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs). Atmospheric PCBs were monitored by deployment of PUF-disk passive air samplers (PAS) at several sites across Ghana for 56 days. Atmospheric ∑190PCB concentration in Ghana ranged from 0.28 ng/m3 in Kumasi to 4.64 ng/m3 at Agbogbloshie, a suburb in Accra noted for informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities. As high as 11.10 ng/m3 of PCB concentration was measured in plumes from uncontrolled open burning of e-wastes at Agbogbloshie. Applying statistical source characterization tools, it emerged that e-wastes were a major contributor to the environmental burden of atmospheric PCBs in Ghana. The risk of DL-PCB toxicity via inhalation in the Agbogbloshie area was 4.2 pg TEQ/day, within similar order of magnitude of an estimated risk of 3.85 pg TEQ/day faced by e-waste workers working averagely for 8 h per day. It is suggested that elimination of e-waste sites would help to significantly reduce PCB-related toxicity issues in Ghana.
Environmental degradation by industrial and other developmental activities is alarming for imperative environmental management by process advancements of production. Pulp and paper mills are now focusing on using nonwood-based raw materials to protect forest resources. In present study, rice straw was utilized for pulp production as it is easily and abundantly available as well as rich in carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicelluloses). Soda-anthraquinone method was used for pulp production as it is widely accepted for agro residues. Bleaching process during paper production is the chief source of wastewater generation. The chlorophenolic compounds generated during bleaching are highly toxic, mutagenic, and bioaccumulative in nature. The objectives of study were to use oxygen delignification (ODL) stage prior to elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching to reduce wastewater load and to study its impact on bleached pulp characteristics. ODL stage prior to ECF bleaching improved the optical properties of pulp in comparison to only ECF bleaching. When ODL stage was incorporated prior to bleaching, the tensile index and folding endurance of the pulp were found to be 56.6 ± 1.5 Nm/g and 140, respectively, very high in comparison to ECF alone. A potential reduction of 51, 57, 43, and 53% in BOD3, COD, color, and AOX, respectively was observed on adding the ODL stage compared to ECF only. Generation of chlorophenolic compounds was reduced significantly. Incorporation of ODL stage prior to bleaching was found to be highly promising for reducing the toxicity of bleaching effluents and may lead to better management of nearby water resources.
The stability of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) is expected to play a key role in the environmental risk assessment of nanotoxicity in aquatic systems. In this study, the effect of alginate (model polysaccharides) on the stability of CuO NPs in various environmentally relevant ionic strength conditions was investigated by using time-resolved dynamic light scattering. Significant aggregation of CuO NPs was observed in the presence of both monovalent and divalent cations. The critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) were 54.5 and 2.9 mM for NaNO3 and Ca(NO3)2, respectively. The presence of alginate slowed nano-CuO aggregation rates over the entire NaNO3 concentration range due to the combined electrostatic and steric effect. High concentrations of Ca2+ (>6 mM) resulted in stronger adsorption of alginate onto CuO NPs; however, enhanced aggregation of CuO NPs occurred simultaneously under the same conditions. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that the bridging interaction of alginate with Ca2+ might be an important mechanism for the enhanced aggregation. Furthermore, significant coagulation of the alginate molecules was observed in solutions of high Ca2+ concentrations, indicating a hetero-aggregation mechanism between the alginate-covered CuO NPs and the unabsorbed alginate. These results suggested a different aggregation mechanism of NPs might co-exist in aqueous systems enriched with natural organic matter, which should be taken into consideration in future studies.
The purpose of this work was to study the efficiency of different treatments, based on the combination of O3, H2O2, and TiO2, on fresh surface water samples fortified with wild strains of Escherichia coli. Moreover, an exhaustive assessment of the influence of the different agents involved in the treatment has been carried out by kinetic modeling of E. coli inactivation results. The treatments studied were (i) ozonation (O3), (ii) the peroxone system (O3/0.04 mM H2O2), (iii) catalytic ozonation (O3/1 g/L TiO2), and (iv) a combined treatment of O3/1 g/L TiO2/0.04 mM H2O2. It was observed that the peroxone system achieved the highest levels of inactivation of E. coli, around 6.80 log after 10 min of contact time. Catalytic ozonation also obtained high levels of inactivation in a short period of time, reaching 6.22 log in 10 min. Both treatments, the peroxone system (O3/H2O2) and catalytic ozonation (O3/TiO2), produced a higher inactivation rate of E. coli than ozonation (4.97 log after 10 min). While the combination of ozone with hydrogen peroxide or titanium dioxide thus produces an increase in the inactivation yield of E. coli regarding ozonation, the O3/TiO2/H2O2 combination did not enhance the inactivation results. The fitting of experimental values to the corresponding equations through non-linear regression techniques was carried out with Microsoft® Excel GInaFiT software. The inactivation results of E. coli did not respond to linear functions, and it was necessary to use mathematical models able to describe certain deviations in the bacterial inactivation processes. In this case, the inactivation results fit with mathematical models based on the hypothesis that the bacteria population is divided into two different subgroups with different degrees of resistance to treatments, for instance biphasic and biphasic with shoulder models.
The removal of thallium ions in flue gas desulfurization wastewater from ferrous metallurgic industry was studied by emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) method using 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) as carrier, aviation kerosene (AK) as organic solvent, polyisobutylene succinimide (T154) as surfactant, polyisobutylene (PIB) as additive, and sulfuric acid as internal reagent. Some important influence parameters such as concentrations of carrier, surfactant and stripping agent, agitation speed, extraction time, volume ratios of feed solution to emulsion phase and internal phase to membrane phase, and their effects on the removal efficiency of Tl in the ELM process were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum operating conditions of 2% of carrier, 5% of surfactant, 0.5 M of stripping agent, 350 rpm of agitation speed, 12.5:1 of volume ratio of feed solution to emulsion phase, and 3:1 volume ratio of membrane to internal phase, the maximum extraction efficiency of thallium reached 99.76% within 15-min reaction time. The ICP-MS analysis indicated that the thallium concentration in treated wastewater was below 5 μg/L and could meet the emission standard demand for industrial wastewater enacted by the local government of Hunan province of China. Meanwhile, the extraction of impurity ions calcium and magnesium in the ELM system was investigated. The result showed that an acidic environment would be in favor of the removal of Tl from calcium and magnesium contained in wastewater.
Biochar is produced by pyrolysis of biomass residues under limited oxygen conditions. In recent years, biochar as an amendment has received increasing attention on composting and soil remediation, due to its unique properties such as chemical recalcitrance, high porosity and sorption capacity, and large surface area. This paper provides an overview on the impact of biochar on the chemical characteristics (greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen loss, decomposition and humification of organic matter) and microbial community structure during composting of organic wastes. This review also discusses the use of biochar for remediation of soils contaminated with organic pollutants and heavy metals as well as related mechanisms. Besides its aging, the effects of biochar on the environment fate and efficacy of pesticides deserve special attention. Moreover, the combined application of biochar and compost affects synergistically on soil remediation and plant growth. Future research needs are identified to ensure a wide application of biochar in composting and soil remediation.
The continuous rise in the cost of fossil fuels as well as in environmental pollution has attracted research in the area of clean alternative fuels for improving the performance and emissions of internal combustion (IC) engines. In the present work, n-butanol is treated as a bio-fuel and investigations have been made to evaluate the feasibility of replacing diesel with a suitable n-butanol-diesel blend. In the current research, an experimental investigation was carried out on a variable compression ratio CI engine with n-butanol-diesel blends (10–25% by volume) to determine the optimum blending ratio and optimum operating parameters of the engine for reduced emissions. The best results of performance and emissions were observed for 20% n-butanol-diesel blend (B20) at a higher compression ratio as compared to diesel while keeping the other parameters unchanged. The observed deterioration in engine performance was within tolerable limits. The reductions in smoke, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon monoxide (CO) were observed up to 56.52, 17.19, and 30.43%, respectively, for B20 in comparison to diesel at rated power. However, carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrocarbons (HC) were found to be higher by 17.58 and 15.78%, respectively, for B20. It is concluded that n-butanol-diesel blend would be a potential fuel to control emissions from diesel engines.
Use of sewage sludge, a biological residue produced from sewage treatment processes in agriculture, is an alternative disposal technique of waste. To study the usefulness of sewage sludge amendment for Helianthus annuus, a pot experiment was conducted by mixing sewage sludge at 2.5, 5, and 7.5 % (w/w) amendment ratios to the agricultural soil. Soil pH decreased whereas electrical conductivity, organic matter, total N, available P, and exchangeable Na, K, and Ca increased in soil amended with sewage sludge in comparison to unamended soil. Sewage sludge amendment led to significant increase in Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Zn concentrations of soil. The increased concentration of heavy metals in soil due to sewage sludge amendment led to increases in shoot and root concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in plant as compared to those grown on unamended soil. Accumulation was more in roots than shoots for most of the heavy metals. Moreover, high metal removal for the harvestable parts of the crops was recorded. Sewage sludge amendment increased root and shoot length, leaves number, biomass, and antioxidant activities of sunflower. Significant increases in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and in the glutathione, proline, and soluble sugar content in response to amendment with sewage sludge may be defense mechanisms induced in response to heavy metal stress.
Natural bituminous coal was used as a precursor in the synthesis of different modified products. The modification of coal was performed by treating it with nitric acid (N-coal), coating its surface by zinc oxide nanoparticles (Z-coal), and converting it into porous graphite (PG). The effect of modification processes on the structures, morphologies, and optical properties was followed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), and UV/VIS spectrophotometer analysis. The surface of N-coal grains becomes smoother than the surface of raw coal grains due to the removal of the associated impurities and the formation of nitrogen function groups. For Z-coal, the whole surface of coal grains appears to be completely covered by agglomerated ZnO nanoparticles of massive density and irregular shapes. The average crystallite size of the formed ZnO is ~22.2 nm and density of dislocations is 2.029 × 10?3 dislocation/nm2. Also, the removal of safranin-T dye by natural bituminous coal and its modified forms was investigated as a function of contact time, adsorbent mass, initial dye concentration, and pH value. At pH 8, the PG showed higher efficiency (96%) than Z-coal (93.5%), N-coal (74.5%), and natural coal (62%) after 2 h for 0.1 g on 100 mg/L dye. The obtained results are well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic than by intraparticle diffusion and Elovich kinetic models for the adsorption by N-coal, Z-coal, and PG, whereas the adsorption by raw coal is well fitted with both pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetic models. The Langmuir isotherm model fits well the equilibrium adsorption isotherm of safranin by raw coal and its modified forms. The values of maximum adsorption capacity were calculated for raw coal, N-coal, Z-coal, and PG to be 21.3, 27.4, 32.46, and 33.67 mg/g, respectively. A monolayer model with one energy and a monolayer model with two energies as advanced equilibrium models were investigated for more physical interpretation of the adsorption process. The calculated parameters (number of adsorbed molecules per site and number of receptor sites per unit mass) reflected the role of modification processes in the adsorption behavior of safranin.
Increasing amount of dyes in an ecosystem has propelled the search of various methods for dye removal. Amongst all the methods, adsorption occupies a prominent place in dye removal. Keeping this in mind, many adsorbents used for the removal of hazardous anionic azo dye Congo red (CR) from aqueous medium were reviewed by the authors. The main objectives behind this review article are to assemble the information on scattered adsorbents and enlighten the wide range of potentially effective adsorbents for CR removal. Thus, CR sorption by various adsorbents such as activated carbon, non-conventional low-cost materials, nanomaterials, composites and nanocomposites are surveyed and critically reviewed as well as their sorption capacities are also compared. This review also explores the grey areas of the adsorption performance of various adsorbents with reference to the effects of pH, contact time, initial dye concentration and adsorbent dosage. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic data of different adsorbents used for CR removal were also analysed. It is evident from a literature survey of more than 290 published papers that nanoparticle and nanocomposite adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding adsorption capabilities for CR.
The suitability of stormwater harvested from pervious pavement system (PPS) structures for reuse purposes was investigated in conditions where glyphosate-containing herbicides (GCH) are applied as part of PPS maintenance procedure. The experiment was based on the four-layered design previously described as detailed in CIRIA C582. Results indicated that the highest sodium absorption ratio (SAR) of 1.6 recorded in this study, was less than that at which loss of permeability begins to occur as well as deterioration of matrix structure. Furthermore, the maximum electrical conductivity (ECw) of 2990 μS cm?1, recorded for 7200 mg L?1 concentration (GCH) was slightly below the unstable classification range at which salinity problems related to water quality occur such that salts accumulate in the root zone to the extent that crop yields are adversely affected. However, GCH concentration of 720 mg L?1 was within ‘permissible’ range while that of 72 mg L?1 was within ‘excellent’ range. Current study raises some environmental concerns owing to the overall impact that GCH at concentrations above 72 mg L?1 exerts on the net performance of the organic decomposers, heavy metal and hydrocarbon release from the system and thus, should be further investigated. However, effluent from all the test models including those dosed with high GCH concentration of 7200 mg L?1 do not pose any threat in terms of infiltration or deterioration associated with salinity although, there are indications that high dosage of the herbicide could lead to an elevated electrical conductivity of the recycled water.
In this study, a tailor-made biocatalyst consisting of a co-immobilized lignolytic enzyme cascade on multi-functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (MSMS) was developed. Physical adsorption was the most promising strategy for the synthesis of individual immobilized laccase (IL), immobilized versatile peroxidase (IP), as well as co-immobilized laccase (Lac) and versatile peroxidase (VP) with an enzyme activity recovery of about 79, 93, 27, and 27.5%, respectively. Similarly, the biocatalytic load of 116, 183, 23.6, and 31 U/g was obtained for IL, IP, and co-immobilized Lac and VP, respectively. The co-immobilized enzyme system exhibited better pH stability than the free and individual immobilized system by retaining more than 100% residual activity at pH 7.0 after a 150-h incubation; whereas, the thermal stability and kinetics of the co-immobilized biocatalyst were not much improved. IL and IP could be recycled for 10 cycles after which they retained 31 and 44% of their initial activities. Co-immobilized Lac and VP were reused for ten consecutive cycles at the end of which Lac activity was depleted, and 37% of VP activity was left. Free enzymes, IL, IP, co-immobilized Lac, and VP were applied to biorefinery wastewater (BRW) in a batch study to investigate the transformation of phenolic contaminants over a period of 5 days. The major classes of phenolic constituents in terms of their order of removal in a Lac-VP system was phenol >2-chlorophenol > trichlorophenol > dichlorophenol > cresols > dimethylphenol >2 methyl- 4, 6-dinitrophenol > 4-nitrophenol > tetrachlorophenols > pentachlorophenol. The free enzymes and individually immobilized enzymes resulted in 80% dephenolization in 5 days. By contrast, the co-immobilized biocatalyst provided rapid dephenolization yielding the same 80% removal within 24 h and 96% removal of phenols in 60 h after which the system stabilized, which is the major advantage of the co-immobilized biocatalyst.
The present study was conducted to systematically review, analyze, and interpret all the relevant evidence in the literature on the possible link between exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and the risk of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We developed a comprehensive search strategy and used it to search Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar up to March 31, 2016, producing 3108 hits, of which 13 original papers were included. Findings of these studies were quite controversial; few studies indicated a significant positive association between BPA exposure and T2DM, while some other failed to detect such a relationship. Overall, it can be suggested that chance is unlikely the plausible explanation for the observed association between BPA exposure and T2DM. This was mainly because even in the negative studies some clues could be found in favor of a statistically significant relationship between BPA and T2DM. Additionally, some of the studies had shortcomings in defining the exposure and outcome measures, which, if present, might have led to underestimating the relationship between BPA exposure and T2DM. The theoretical plausibility of such a relationship found earlier in animal studies also supports this point. However, more definitive answer requires the conduct of future longitudinal studies, in which the possible association between BPA exposure and T2DM is assessed over much longer periods of time with more temporally robust BPA measurements. In addition, it would be quite beneficial if future studies be conducted in areas where data is still lacking (e.g., South America, Australia/Oceania, and Europe).
Recently, it was observed that there is an increasing application of nanoparticles (NPs) in aquaculture. Manufacturers are trying to use nano-based tools to remove the barriers about waterborne food, growth, reproduction, and culturing of species, their health, and water treatment in order to increase aquaculture production rates, being the safe-by-design approach still unapplied. We reviewed the applications of NPs in aquaculture evidencing that the way NPs are applied can be very different: some are direclty added to feed, other to water media or in aquaculture facilities. Traditional toxicity data cannot be easily used to infer on aquaculture mainly considering short-term exposure scenarios, underestimating the potential exposure of aquacultured species. The main outputs are (i) biological models are not recurrent, and in the case, testing protocols are frequently different; (ii) most data derived from toxicity studies are not specifically designed on aquaculture needs, thus contact time, exposure concentrations, and other ancillary conditions do not meet the required standard for aquaculture; (iii) short-term exposure periods are investigated mainly on species of indirect aquaculture interest, while shrimp and fish as final consumers in aquaculture plants are underinvestigated (scarce or unknown data on trophic chain transfer of NPs): little information is available about the amount of NPs accumulated within marketed organisms; (iv) how NPs present in the packaging of aquacultured products can affect their quality remained substantially unexplored. NPs in aquaculture are a challenging topic that must be developed in the near future to assure human health and environmental safety.
Autism spectrum disorders are a member of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) that have been increasing dramatically since described by Leo Kanner in 1943. In the past decade, the number of epidemiological publications addressing air pollution exposures and autism has grown correspondingly, but the association is still unclear. Whether air pollutants play a causal role and which substances are related with autism requires further study. We systematically reviewed the literature from 2005 to 2016 in MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine), Web of Science, and PubMed and summarized the association between different air pollutants and autism. Furthermore, we further discussed the exposure time window and potential confounders that should be considered in the association analysis studies. Our objective is to summarize the association between different air pollutants and autism with literature, which has been published since 2005, and explore whether the exposure time window and potential confounders have influence on this association. These results could provide more comprehensive information about the association between air pollutants and autism and be helpful towards further validation study.
Viscosity remedial technology, which uses a water-soluble polymer mixed with remedial fluids, has been introduced in recent years to improve the removal efficacy of perchloroethylene/tetrachloroethylene (PCE) by improving oxidant coverage (i.e. sweep efficiency). Xanthan gum and hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) are relatively stable with time and temperature and possess salt and oxidation resistance, indicating that they may be good flooding agents (the former is better than the latter in this work). In this work, we quantified the polymer directly improved oxidation of PCE during transport by using a two-dimensional flow tank. Using a low pore volume (≤3.0), the removal rate of the PCE increased with the polymer concentration before stabilizing at approximately 93.00 and 88.30% for xanthan and HPAM, respectively. In this work, over 80% of PCE was removed via less than 3.0 PV of the SDS solution, whereas complete removal (100%) was achieved with less than 3.0 PV of SDS foam. Furthermore, the new experimental discoveries demonstrate that xanthan is better than HPAM and SDS foam is a better remediation agent than the SDS solution for removing PCE.
Graphical abstract (Reaction device, A - inlet device (pump 1#), B - 2D tank, C - outflow device (pump 2#), D - data recording and processing device, E - microscopic expression, E (a) - KMnO4 flushing, E (b) - polymer solution flushing).
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been extensively used as flame retardants in consumer products. PBDEs rapidly bioaccumulate in the environment, food, wild animals and humans. In this review, we investigated the harmful effects of PBDEs on humans, especially in early life, and summarised the levels of PBDEs in human biological samples (breast milk, cord blood and placentas). In addition, we described the spatiotemporal distribution of PBDEs in this review. PBDE levels in breast milk, cord blood and placentas were generally higher in North America than in other regions, such as Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. However, high levels of PBDEs in human biological samples were detected at e-waste recycling sites in South China, East China and South Korea. This finding suggests that newborns living in e-waste regions are exposed to high levels of PBDEs during prenatal and postnatal periods. The time trends of PBDE concentration differed according to the region. Few studies have investigated PBDE levels in humans from 1967 to 2000, but they increased rapidly after 2000. PBDE concentration peaked at approximately 2006 globally. Compared with other PBDE congeners, BDE-47, BDE-153 and BDE-209 were the major components, but the detection rate of BDE-209 was lower than those of others. Future studies should focus on determining the BDE-209 concentration, which requires the implementation of different analytical approaches. Additionally, the levels of PBDEs in human samples and the environment should be monitored, especially in e-waste recycling regions.
Graphical abstract The figures described the spatial distribution of the lowest (Fig. a1) and highest concentration of ∑PBDE (Fig. a2) in different countries by 2006 and described the spatial distribution of the lowest (Fig. b1) and highest concentration of ∑PBDE (Fig. b2) in different countries from 2007 to 2015. All the figures indicated that the levels of PBDEs in North America were substantially higher than those in many regions of Europe, Asia, Oceania, or Africa. Comparing Fig. a1–b1 or Fig. a2–b2, increasing trends were observed in some countries, especially in some regions in China, Korea and Canada.
