Mechanical dependency of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) axis: a possible new threat

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pathogens in our environment can act as agents capable of inflicting severe human diseases. Among them, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has recently plagued the...     

The impact of ozone on a salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

Spartina alterniflora plants were collected from salt marshes within New Jersey, South Carolina, and Georgia USA and shipped to The Pennsylvania State University. New plants were grown from rhizomes in six open-top field chambers. Three chambers received charcoal-filtered air, and three received charcoal-filtered air plus 80 ppb ozone, 8 h/day for 65 days. Flower, leaf, and shoot number per plant were recorded weekly. Photosynthetic rates were measured in week 5, and foliar injury was assessed during week 9. Final dry weight of roots, shoots, and rhizomes were determined. While ozone-treated plants from all states expressed symptoms of ozone injury, plants from South Carolina exhibited no effect of ozone on any other measured variable. Plants from the Georgia site showed ozone-induced reductions in all measured variables except leaf dry weight. Ozone-treated plants from New Jersey showed reductions in photosynthetic rate, leaf and shoot number, and root dry weights. Only plants from New Jersey produced flowers, with ozone treatment causing delay in flowering and reduction in the number of flower spikes produced.     

A multi-biomarker approach to assess the impact of farming systems on black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

This study examined the advantages of the use of biomarkers as an early warning system by applying it to different shrimp farming systems in Soctrang and Camau provinces, main shrimp producers in Mekong River Delta, Vietnam. Shrimp were collected at 15 different farms divided into four different farming systems: three farms were converted from originally rice paddies into intensive shrimp farming systems (IS1, IS2, IS3); three farms were rice-shrimp integrated farming systems (RS4, RS5, RS6); three farms were intensive farming systems (IS7, IS8, IS9); six farms were extensive shrimp farming systems (From ES1 to ES6). Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and total glutathione (GSH) were measured as well as catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and acetylcholinesterase activities (ACHE). Organ specificity was observed between gills and hepatopancreas with generally higher activity of GST in gills (GSTG) whereas the contrary was observed for LPO level in gills (LPOG). Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis clearly indicated that shrimp reared in extensive culture system formed a distinct group from those reared in intensive or rice-shrimp integrated systems. CAT in gills (CATG), GPX in gills (GPXG) and hepatopancreas (GPXHP) and ACHE in muscle (ACHEM) of shrimp collected in extensive farms showed a general higher level than those in intensively farmed shrimp. On the contrary, we observed clear high levels of GSTG and GST in hepatopancreas (GSTHP) and LPOG and hepatopancreas (LPOHP) of shrimp sampled in intensive and rice-shrimp integrated systems. Thus, we propose that LPO and CAT, GPX, GST and ACHE can be used as a set of biomarkers for the assessment of health condition and can discriminate between shrimp cultivated in different farming systems. These findings provide the usefulness of integrating a set of biomarkers to define the health status of shrimp in different shrimp culture systems.     

The impact of photovoltaic (PV) installations on downwind particulate matter concentrations: Results from field observations at a 550-MWAC utility-scale PV plant

With utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) projects increasingly developed in dry and dust-prone geographies with high solar insolation, there is a critical need to analyze the impacts of PV installations on the resulting particulate matter (PM) concentrations, which have environmental and health impacts. This study is the first to quantify the impact of a utility-scale PV plant on PM concentrations downwind of the project site. Background, construction, and post-construction PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ (PM with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 and <10 μm, respectively) concentration data were collected from four beta attenuation monitor (BAM) stations over 3 yr. Based on these data, the authors evaluate the hypothesis that PM emissions from land occupied by a utility-scale PV installation are reduced after project construction through a wind-shielding effect. The results show that the (1) confidence intervals of the mean PM concentrations during construction overlap with or are lower than background concentrations for three of the four BAM stations; and (2) post-construction PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations downwind of the PV installation are significantly lower than the background concentrations at three of the four BAM stations. At the fourth BAM station, downwind post-construction PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations increased marginally by 5.7% and 2.6% of the 24-hr ambient air quality standards defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, when compared with background concentrations, with the PM_2.5 increase being statistically insignificant. This increase may be due to vehicular emissions from an access road near the southwest corner of the site or a drainage berm near the south station. The findings demonstrate the overall environmental benefit of downwind PM emission abatement from a utility-scale PV installation in desert conditions due to wind shielding. With PM emission reductions observed within 10 months of completion of construction, post-construction monitoring of downwind PM levels may be reduced to a 1-yr period for other projects with similar soil and weather conditions.

Implications: This study is the first to analyze impact of a utility photovoltaic (PV) project on downwind particulate matter (PM) concentration in desert conditions. The PM data were collected at four beta attenuation monitor stations over a 3-yr period. The post-construction PM concentrations are lower than background concentrations at three of four stations, therefore supporting the hypothesis of post-construction wind shielding from PV installations. With PM emission reductions observed within 10 months of completion of construction, postconstruction monitoring of downwind PM levels may be reduced to a 1-yr period for other PV projects with similar soil and weather conditions.     

Evaluating inter-continental transport of fine aerosols:(2) Global health impact

In this second of two companion papers, we quantify for the first time the global impact on premature mortality of the inter-continental transport of fine aerosols (including sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, and mineral dust) using the global modeling results of (Liu et al., 2009). Our objective is to estimate the number of premature mortalities in each of ten selected continental regions resulting from fine aerosols transported from foreign regions in approximately year 2000. Our simulated annual mean population-weighted (P-W) concentrations of total PM2.5 (aerosols with diameter less than 2.5 μm) are highest in East Asia (EA, 30 μg m^?3) and lowest in Australia (3.6 μg m^?3). Dust is the dominant component of PM2.5 transported between continents. We estimate global annual premature mortalities (for adults age 30 and up) due to inter-continental transport of PM2.5 to be nearly 380 thousand (K) in 2000. Approximately half of these deaths occur in the Indian subcontinent (IN), mostly due to aerosols transported from Africa and the Middle East (ME). Approximately 90K deaths globally are associated with exposure to foreign (i.e., originating outside a receptor region) non-dust PM2.5. More than half of the premature mortalities associated with foreign non-dust aerosols are due to aerosols originating from Europe (20K), ME (18K) and EA (15K); and nearly 60% of the 90K deaths occur in EA (21K), IN (19K) and Southeast Asia (16K). The lower and higher bounds of our estimated 95% confidence interval (considering uncertainties from the concentration–response relationship and simulated aerosol concentrations) are 18% and 240% of the estimated deaths, respectively, and could be larger if additional uncertainties were quantified. We find that in 2000 nearly 6.6K premature deaths in North America (NA) were associated with foreign PM2.5 exposure (5.5K from dust PM2.5). NA is least impacted by foreign PM2.5 compared to receptors on the Eurasian continent. However, the number of premature mortalities associated with foreign aerosols in NA (mostly occurring in the U.S.) is comparable to the reduction in premature mortalities expected to result from tightening the U.S. 8-h O₃ standard from 0.08 ppmv to 0.075 ppmv. International efforts to reduce inter-continental transport of fine aerosol pollution would substantially benefit public health on the Eurasian continent and would also benefit public health in the United States.     

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus and ambient temperature: a critical review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought unprecedented public health, and social and economic challenges. It remains unclear...     

SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review of indoor air sampling for virus detection

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In a post-pandemic scenario, indoor air monitoring may be required seeking to safeguard public health, and therefore well-defined methods, protocols,...     

Elemental carbon (EC) and black carbon (BC) measurements with a thermal method and an aethalometer at the high-alpine research station Jungfraujoch

A thermal method for the determination of ambient organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations in carbonaceous samples was further developed. Possible artifacts were investigated and were shown to be low. Good agreement of EC data with the German VDI reference method was found and detection limits were 1.3 μg for EC and 1.8 μg for OC. The method was applied to samples obtained with an aethalometer from an ongoing campaign at the high-alpine research station Jungfraujoch from July 1995 to June 1997. Measurements of EC concentration were used to derive a new site-specific calibration factor (instrumental absorption efficiency α_API) for the determination of the black carbon (BC) concentration. Despite a distinct seasonal cycle in BC, of around one order in magnitude with a maximum in summer and minimum in winter, α_API exhibited no significant seasonality. The derived calibration factor for the Jungfraujoch, α_API=9.3±0.4 m² g^-1, is lower than the manufacturer calibration by a factor ∼2. The results confirm the observation that the aethalometer determined BC concentration, underestimates the true value at remote sites, when the manufacturer calibration is used.     

Photosynthetic responses to elevated CO(2) and O(3) in Quercus ilex leaves at a natural CO(2) spring

Photosynthetic stimulation and stomatal conductance (Gs) depression in Quercus ilex leaves at a CO(2) spring suggested no down-regulation. The insensitivity of Gs to a CO(2) increase (from ambient 1500 to 2000 micromol mol(-1)) suggested stomatal acclimation. Both responses are likely adaptations to the special environment of CO(2) springs. At the CO(2)-enriched site, not at the control site, photosynthesis decreased 9% in leaves exposed to 2x ambient O(3) concentrations in branch enclosures, compared to controls in charcoal-filtered air. The stomatal density reduction at high CO(2) was one-third lower than the concomitant Gs reduction, so that the O(3) uptake per single stoma was lower than at ambient CO(2). No significant variation in monoterpene emission was measured. Higher trichome and mesophyll density were recorded at the CO(2)-enriched site, accounting for lower O(3) sensitivity. A long-term exposure to H(2)S, reflected by higher foliar S-content, and CO(2) might depress the antioxidant capacity of leaves close to the vent and increase their O(3) sensitivity.     

Inputs of antifouling paint-derived dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) to a typical mariculture zone (South China): potential impact on aquafarming environment

Existing evidence indicated that dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)-containing antifouling paints were an important source of DDT residues to mariculture zones. However, the magnitude of the impact on aquafarming environment has remained largely unknown. In the present study, the concentrations of DDT and its metabolites (designated as DDXs) were determined in harbor sediment and antifouling paint samples collected from a typical mariculture zone in South China. Compositional and concentration correlation analyses implicated the DDT-containing antifouling paints for fishing boat maintenance as an important source of DDT in the mariculture zone. The annual emission of DDXs to the study region was estimated at 0.58 tons/yr. Furthermore, a comparison of the expected DDT loadings in pelagic fish and field measurements indicated that fish feed especially trash fish was a major source of DDTs in the fish body. Nevertheless, the use of DDT-containing antifouling paints should be limited to prevent further deterioration in aquafarming environment.     

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air of intensive care unit (ICU) for severe COVID-19 patients and its surroundings: considering the role of environmental conditions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is ambiguity about the airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. While a distance of 6 feet is considered a safe physical distance, new findings...     

The likely impact of rising atmospheric CO2 on natural and managed Populus: a literature review.

Because of their prominent role in global biomass productivity, as well as their complex structure and function, forests and tree species deserve particular attention in studies on the likely impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 on terrestrial vegetation. Poplar (Populus) has proven to be an interesting study object due to its fast response to a changing environment, and the growing importance of managed forests in the carbon balance. Results of both chamber and field experiments with different poplar species and hybrids are reviewed in this contribution. Despite the variability between experiments and species, and the remaining uncertainty over the long term, poplar is likely to profit from a rising atmospheric CO2 concentration with a mean biomass stimulation of 33%. Environmental conditions and pollutants (e.g. O3) may counteract this stimulation but with managed plantations, environmental constraints might not occur. The predicted responses of poplar to rising atmospheric CO2 have implications for future forest management and the expected forest carbon sequestration.     

A systematic review of emerging human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak: focus on disinfection methods,environmental survival,and control and prevention strategies

Recently, an outbreak of a novel human coronavirus which is referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) was identified in Wuhan, China. To help combat the pandemic, a systematic review (SR) was performed to collect all available studies concerning inactivation methods, environmental survival, and control and prevention strategies. A comprehensive literature survey yielded 42 eligible studies which included in the SR. The results confirmed that the WHO recommended two alcohol-based hand rub formulations (ethanol 70–95% and 2-propanol 70–100%) had an efficient virucidal activity in less than 60 s by more and equal 4 log₁₀ (≥ 99.99) approximately and could be used for disinfection in public health and health-care facilities. The findings indicated that SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 can survive under different environmental conditions between 4 and 72 h approximately. The results also demonstrate that temperature and relative humidity are important factors in the survival of SARS-CoV-2. The main strategies recommended by the WHO to avoid contracting SARS-CoV-2 are hand washing several times in the day and maintaining social distancing with others. It is important to note that the more studies require addressing, the more possible airborne transmission due to the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols for 3 h approximately. We hope that the results of the present SR can help researchers, health decision-makers, policy-makers, and people for understanding and taking the proper behavior to control and prevent further spread of SARS-CoV-2.

     

Perennial observations of molecular hydrogen (H2) at a suburban site in Switzerland

Semi-continuous measurements of atmospheric molecular hydrogen $({\mathrm{H}}_2)$ and carbon monoxide (CO) were performed at a suburban sampling site in Switzerland from November 2002 to February 2005. The presented data provide information about time series, seasonal and diurnal cycles as well as sources and sinks in a suburban environment. Such records become increasingly important for the assessment of the effects of a possible future hydrogen economy on the environment. No significant trend of background ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ concentrations could be observed for the considered period. Seasonal cycles show the expected pattern with maxima in winter and minima in summer and autumn. When extracting the background ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ mixing ratios, the absolute levels as well as the seasonal amplitude agree well with literature data from semi-rural and remote sites. The ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ dry deposition velocity for summer days with low winds is estimated to be between $0.5\times {10}^{-4}$ to $1\times {10}^{-4}\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. Diurnal cycles are dominated by ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ emissions from nearby traffic. The influence of traffic-related emissions is also corroborated by a high ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ to CO correlation. Typical molar ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ to CO ratios from traffic were found to be 0.33 on a molar basis (ppb/ppb). A reduction of 37–62% in European anthropogenic ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ emissions is estimated for a period covering the last 25 years. Since the ambient ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ concentration did not decline during the same period, other simultaneous changes of sinks or sources of ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ must have compensated this reduction.     

On the way to cyanobacterial blooms: impact of the herbicide metribuzin on the competition between a green alga (Scenedesmus) and a cyanobacterium (Microcystis)

The hypothesis that exposure to a common and widely applied photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicide, metribuzin, would alter the outcome of the competitive battle between susceptible green algae (Scenedesmus obliquus) and tolerant cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) was tested. In a long-term (17 d) experiment, Scenedesmus and Microcystis populations as well as mixtures that started with different inoculum composition (i.e. 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3 Scenedesmus:Microcystis) were grown in the absence or presence of metribuzin (100 microg l-1). In the absence of metribuzin, Scenedesmus was competitively superior and out-competed Microcystis regardless the initial composition of the mixed communities. However, this competitive outcome was reversed completely in the presence of metribuzin, where despite growth inhibition Microcystis became dominant. Hence, photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides may not only affect algal community structure, but also provide cyanobacteria founder populations a window for dominance and thus play an important role in promoting cyanobacteria blooms.     

The impact of ozone on assimilate partitioning in plants: a review

Numerous studies have shown that ozone (O(3)) reduces plant growth and changes assimilate partitioning. The pattern of such changes varies with species, but trends suggest a comprehensive model. O(3) generally reduces the amount of dry matter in the whole plant. In plants which have not flowered or set fruit, and at low O(3) levels, the remaining available assimilate is generally diverted to leaves and stems at the expense of roots and crowns. As the plant matures, flowers and develops seeds, these sinks receive a relatively high proportion of the available assimilate. O(3) may reduce the number of flowers or seeds, but the remaining seeds often have a total dry matter accumulation comparable to that in non-stressed plants. At higher O(3) levels, assimilate accumulation is greatly depressed, and partitioning changes are not as obvious. However, it is significant that the storage organs of plants-those organs which supply energy for new growth in perennial plants such as trees-are the organs most affected by O(3)-induced partitioning changes when O(3) concentrations are in the range commonly observed in polluted ambient air.     

The impact of trajectory starting heights on the MURA trajectory source apportionment (TSA) method

Trajectory source apportionment (TSA) methods have been used in many research projects to attempt to identify the sources of pollution. Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectories (HYSPLIT) is a popular model for use in various TSA methods. One of the options in this model is to choose a starting height. Very little research is available to assist a user in making this choice. This paper evaluates starting heights of 10, 50, 100, 250, and 500 m on the accuracy of the Multi-Receptor (MURA) method using artificial sources for three different simulations. It was found that using ensembles of trajectories in the MURA method appear to average out most of the biases found from different trajectory starting heights up to the 500 m tested.     

Measurement of black carbon (BC) by an optical method and a thermal-optical method: Intercomparison for four sites

Comparison of black carbon (BC) measurements obtained by two methods was performed for aerosols samples collected on Whatman 41 (W-41) filters, using an optical method (Magee Scientific Optical Transmissometer Model OT-21) and a thermal-optical method (Sunset Laboratory Thermal-optical analyzer). Samples were collected from four sites: Albany (a small urban site, NY), Antalya (coastal site, Turkey), Whiteface Mountain (remote site, NY) and Mayville (rural site, NY). At Albany, comparison between the two methods showed excellent agreement; a least-squares regression line yielded a slope of 1.02, and r² = 0.88. Similar comparisons at Antalya (slope of 1.02, r² = 0.5) and Whiteface Mountain (slope of 0.92 and r² = 0.58) also gave very good relationship. At Mayville, the relationship between the two methods yielded somewhat lower regression: a slope of 0.75, and r² = 0.44. The data from the four locations, when plotted together, yielded an excellent agreement: a slope of 0.91, and r² of 0.84. Based on our measurements, it appears that optical measurement using the OT-21 can be successfully applied to determination of BC in W-41 filters. However, because of the variability in the chemical composition of BC aerosol at different locations, it is suggested that the calibration of OT-21 when using W-41 filters should be performed with a statistically significant numbers of samples for specific sites.     

Persistence and occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in water and wastewater environments: a review of the current literature

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As the world continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, emerging evidence indicates that respiratory transmission may not the only pathway in which...