Magnetic properties of biogenic selenium nanomaterials

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bioreduction of selenium oxyanions to elemental selenium is ubiquitous; elucidating the properties of this biogenic elemental selenium (BioSe) is thus...     

Dynamic characteristics of chlorine dispersion process and quantitative risk assessment of pollution hazard

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this study was to analyze dispersion behavior characteristics and pollution hazard risk after a release of liquid chlorine. A full-scale...     

Urban carbon emission intensity under emission trading system in a developing economy: evidence from 273 Chinese cities

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The international community has generally recognized the key role of developing countries’ cities in reducing carbon emissions, an elemental way...     

Combined toxic impacts of thiamethoxam and four pesticides on the rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus)

To examine pesticide mixture toxicity to aqueous organisms, we assessed the single and combined toxicities of thiamethoxam and other four pesticides (chlorpyrifos, beta-cypermethrin, tetraconazole, and azoxystrobin) to the rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus). Data from 96-h semi-static toxicity assays of various developmental phases (embryonic, larval, juvenile, and adult phases) showed that beta-cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, and azoxystrobin had the highest toxicities to G. rarus, and their LC₅₀ values ranged from 0.0031 to 0.86 mg a.i. L^?1, from 0.016 to 6.38 mg a.i. L^?1, and from 0.39 to 1.08 mg a.i. L^?1, respectively. Tetraconazole displayed a comparatively high toxicity, and its LC₅₀ values ranged from 3.48 to 16.73 mg a.i. L^?1. By contrast, thiamethoxam exhibited the lowest toxic effect with LC₅₀ values ranging from 37.85 to 351.9 mg a.i. L^?1. Rare minnow larvae were more sensitive than embryos to all the pesticides tested. Our data showed that a pesticide mixture of thiamethoxam–tetraconazole elicited synergetic toxicity to G. rarus. Moreover, pesticide mixtures containing beta-cypermethrin in combination with chlorpyrifos or tetraconazole also had synergetic toxicities to fish. The majority of pesticides are presumed to have additive toxicity, while our data emphasized that the concurrent existence of some chemicals in the aqueous circumstance could cause synergetic toxic effect, leading to severe loss to the aqueous environments in comparison with their single toxicities. Thence, the synergetic impacts of chemical mixtures should be considered when assessing the ecological risk of chemicals.

     

Biodegradable microplastics (BMPs): a new cause for concern?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With the increasingly serious pollution of plastics, biodegradable plastics (BDPs) have attracted attention as a new material that can replace...     

The interaction effects of FEN1 rs174538 polymorphism and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on damage in exon 19 and 21 of EGFR gene in coke oven workers

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and genetic susceptibility were conductive to genotoxic effects including gene damage, which can increase mutational probability. We aimed to explore the dose-effect associations of PAH exposure with damage of exons of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1), as well as their associations whether modified by Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) genotype. Two hundred eighty-eight coke oven male workers were recruited, and we detected the concentration of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-pyr) as PAH exposure biomarker in urine and examined base modification in exons of EGFR and BRCA1 respectively, and genotyped FEN1 rs174538 polymorphism in plasma. We found that the damage indexes of exon 19 and 21 of EGFR (EGFR-19 and EGFR-21) were both significantly associated with increased urinary 1-OH-pyr (both P_trend < 0.001). The levels of urinary 1-OH-pyr were both significantly associated with increased EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 in both smokers and nonsmokers (both P < 0.001). Additionally, we observed that the urinary 1-OH-pyr concentrations were linearly associated with both EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 only in rs174538 GA+AA genotype carriers (both P < 0.001). Moreover, FEN1rs rs174538 showed modifying effects on the associations of urinary 1-OH-pyr with EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 (both P_interaction < 0.05). Our findings revealed the linear dose-effect association between exon damage of EGFR and PAH exposure and highlight differences in genetic contributions to exon damage and have the potential to identify at-risk subpopulations who are susceptible to adverse health effects induced by PAH exposure.

     

Facile in situ synthesis of silver nanocomposites based on cellulosic paper for photocatalytic applications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, various photocatalysts were synthesized with an impregnation-precipitation process to in situ decorate Ag-based nanoparticles (NPs,...     

Morphology and composition of particles emitted from conventional and alternative fuel vehicles

Size, morphology, and composition of airborne particles strongly affect human health and visibility, precipitation, and the kinetic characteristics of particles. In this study, the morphology and chemical composition of particles emitted from conventional (diesel and gasoline) and alternative (CNG and methanol) fuel vehicles were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The SEM images revealed that the size of primary particles (without agglomeration) was approximately 10 nm in the exhaust from all the tested vehicles. The particles emitted from gasoline vehicle (GV), CNG vehicle (CNGV), and methanol vehicle (MV) had the same median diameter, 62 nm, which was smaller than those from heavy diesel vehicle (HDV) and light diesel vehicle (LDV). Soot was observed in the HDV, LDV, and GV samples but not in the CNGV and MV. The fractal dimension, which was used to quantify the degree of irregularity of soot, was 1.752 ± 0.014, 1.789 ± 0.076, and 1.769 ± 0.006 in the exhaust from HDV, LDV, and GV samples, respectively. The particles discharged by all tested vehicles contained the elements C, O, Fe, and Na. The main element in the samples of HDV, LDV, and GV was C, while O was the main element in the samples of alternative fuel vehicles. The profiles of minor elements were more complex in the emissions of alternative fuel vehicles than those in the emissions of conventional fuel vehicles. The results improved our understanding of the morphology and elemental composition of particles emitted from vehicles powered by diesel, gasoline, CNG, and methanol.

     

A review on fabricating functional materials by heavy metal–containing sludges

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With the development of industry, sustainable use of natural resources has become a worldwide hot topic. Heavy metal–containing sludge (HMS) is...     

Removal of SO2 from smelting flue gas by using copper tailings with MnSO4: factors optimization by response surface methodology

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The abatement of SO2 and the utilization of copper tailings are identified as two attention-attracting environmental issues in the copper smelter. In...