Silica nanoparticles synthesis and applications in agriculture for plant fertilization and protection: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The rapidly rising population is calling for the production of more food, yet biotic and abiotic stresses caused by pests and climate change...     

Distribution-based effects of disaggregated GDP and environmental quality—a case of quantile on quantile estimates

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is a strong association between environmental quality and economic activity. Empirical studies term this relationship as environmental Kuznets...     

Method to assess component contribution to toxicity of complex mixtures: Assessment of puberty acquisition in rats exposed to disinfection byproducts

A method based on regression modeling was developed to discern the contribution of component chemicals to the toxicity of highly complex, environmentally realistic mixtures of disinfection byproducts(DBPs). Chemical disinfection of drinking water forms DBP mixtures.Because of concerns about possible reproductive and developmental toxicity, a whole mixture(WM) of DBPs produced by chlorination of a water concentrate was administered as drinking water to Sprague–Dawley(S–D) rats in a multigenerational study. Age of puberty acquisition,i.e., preputial separation(PPS) and vaginal opening(VO), was examined in male and female offspring, respectively. When compared to controls, a slight, but statistically significant delay in puberty acquisition was observed in females but not in males. WM-induced differences in the age at puberty acquisition were compared to those reported in S–D rats administered either a defined mixture(DM) of nine regulated DBPs or individual DBPs. Regression models were developed using individual animal data on age at PPS or VO from the DM study. Puberty acquisition data reported in the WM and individual DBP studies were then compared with the DM models. The delay in puberty acquisition observed in the WM-treated female rats could not be distinguished from delays predicted by the DM regression model, suggesting that the nine regulated DBPs in the DM might account for much of the delay observed in the WM. This method is applicable to mixtures of other types of chemicals and other endpoints.     

Impacts of climate variability and changes on domestic water use in the Yellow River Basin of China

We present a methodology for using a domestic water use time series that were obtained from Yellow River Conservancy Commission, together with the climatic records from the National Climate Center of China to evaluate the effects of climate variability on water use in the Yellow River Basin. A suit of seven Global Circulation Models (GCMs) were adopted to anticipate future climate patterns in the Yellow River. The historical records showed evidences of rises in temperature and subsequent rises in domestic water demand in the basin. For Upstream of Longyangxia region, the impact was the least, with only 0.0021?×?10⁸ m³ for a temperature increase of 1 °C; while for Longyangxia-Lanzhou region, domestic water use was found to increase to 0.18?×?10⁸ m³ when temperature increases 1 °C. Downstream of Huayuankou was the region with the most changes in temperature that gave the highest increase of 1.95?×?10⁸ m³ in domestic water demand for 1 °C of change of temperature. Downstream of Huayuankou was identified as the most vulnerable area, where domestic water demand increases nearly by 42.2 % with 1 °C increase of temperature. Judging from the trends of temperature range, we concluded that future temperature in Yellow River Basin has an increasing tendency. This could worsen the existing issues of domestic water demand and even more to trigger high competition among different water-using sectors.     

Climate variability and changes in the major cities of Bangladesh: observations,possible impacts and adaptation

High population density, inadequate infrastructure and low adaptive capacity have made the urban population of Bangladesh highly vulnerable to climate change. Trends in climate and climate-related extreme events in five major cities have been analyzed in this paper to decipher the variability and ongoing changes in urban Bangladesh. An analysis of 55 years (1958–2012) of daily rainfall and temperature data using nonparametric statistical methods shows a significant increase in annual and seasonal mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures in all five cities. A significant increase in climate-related extreme events, such as heavy rainfall events (>20 mm), hot days (>32 °C) and hot nights (>25 °C), is also observed. Climate model results suggest that these trends will continue through the twenty-first century. Vulnerability of urban livelihoods and physical structures to climate change is estimated by considering certainty and timing of impacts. It has been predicted that public health and urban infrastructures, viz. water and power supply, would be the imminent affected sectors in the urban areas of Bangladesh. Adaptation measures that can be adopted to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change are also discussed.     

Risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s via Spinacia oleracea ingestion after sewage water irrigation practices in Vehari District

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The use of sewage water as an irrigation source can be beneficial in agricultural practices, however, it may result in human health risks due to the...     

Comparative effect of organic amendments on physio-biochemical traits of young and old bean leaves grown under cadmium stress: a multivariate analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current study investigated the influence of organic amendments on cadmium (Cd) uptake and its effects on biochemical attributes of young and old...     

Airborne foliar transfer of particular metals in Lactuca sativa L.: translocation,phytotoxicity, and bioaccessibility

The uptake, translocation, and human bioaccessibility of metals originating from atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM) after foliar exposure is not well understood. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants were exposed to micronic PbO, CuO, and CdO particulate matters (PMs) by the foliar pathway and mature plants (6 weeks old) were analyzed in terms of: (1) metal accumulation and localization on plant leaf surface, and metal translocation factor (TF) and global enrichment factor (GEF) in the plants; (2) shoot growth, plant dry weight (DW), net photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and fatty acid ratio; (3) metal bioaccessibility in the plants and soil; and (4) the hazard quotient (HQ) associated with consumption of contaminated plants. Substantial levels of metals were observed in the directly exposed edible leaves and newly formed leaves of lettuce, highlighting both the possible metal transfers throughout the plant and the potential for human exposure after plant ingestion. No significant changes were observed in plant biomass after exposure to PbO, CuO, and CdO-PMs. The Gs and fatty acid ratio were increased in leaves after metal exposure. A dilution effect after foliar uptake was suggested which could alleviate metal phytotoxicity to some degree. However, plant shoot growth and Pn were inhibited when the plants are exposed to PbO, and necrosis enriched with Cd was observed on the leaf surface. Gastric bioaccessibility of plant leaves is ranked: Cd?>?Cu?>?Pb. Our results highlight a serious health risk of PbO, CuO, and CdO-PMs associated with consumption of vegetables exposed to these metals, even in newly formed leaves in the case of PbO and CdO exposure. Finally, the study highlights the fate and toxicity of metal rich-PMs, especially in the highly populated urban areas which are increasingly cultivated to promote local food.

     

Composting of municipal solid waste by different methods improved the growth of vegetables and reduced the health risks of cadmium and lead

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Reutilization of putrescible municipal solid wastes (MSW) in agriculture can provide valuable plant nutrients. However, it may pose serious...     

Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters and perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in target food samples and packaging—method development and screening

Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate mono-, di-, and tri-esters (mono-, di-, and triPAPs) are used to water- and grease-proof food packaging materials, and these chemicals are known precursors to perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). Existing analytical methods for PAPs lack sample clean-up steps in the sample preparation. In the present study, a method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) was developed and optimized for the analysis of mono-, di-, and triPAPs, including a clean-up step for the raw extracts. The method was applied to food samples and their PAP-containing packaging materials. The optimized UPLC/MS/MS method enabled the separation and identification of a total of 4 monoPAPs, 16 diPAPs, and 7 triPAPs in the technical mixture Zonyl®-RP. For sample clean-up, weak anion exchange solid phase extraction columns were tested. PAPs standard solutions spiked onto the columns were separated into a fraction containing neutral compounds (triPAPs) and a fraction with ionic compounds (mono- and diPAPs) with recoveries between 72–110 %. Method limits of quantification for food samples were in the sub to low picogram per gram range. For quantitative analysis of PAPs, compound-specific labeled internal standards showed to be essential as sorption and matrix effects were observed. Mono-, di-, and/or triPAPs were detected in all food packaging materials obtained from the Swedish market. Up to nine diPAPs were detected in the food samples, with the 6:2/6:2 and 6:2/8:2 diPAPs as the dominant compounds. DiPAP concentrations in the food samples ranged from 0.9 to 36 pg/g, which was comparable to individual PFCA concentrations in the same samples. Consumption of food packed in PAP-containing materials could be an indirect source of human exposure to PFCAs.