Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A-toxic\/hazardous Substances & Environmental Engineering最新文献

Excessive water use in residential buildings often arises from design deficiencies and conventional sanitary installations, which hinder the adoption of integrated conservation strategies. This study evaluates a package of efficient technologies to optimize water use in a 10-story multifamily building in Cusco, Peru, combining graywater reuse,rainwater harvesting, dual-flush toilets, flow-regulating fixtures, and smart leak detection. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and descriptive design was applied over a 6-month period from October 2024 to March 2025, comparing baseline operation with the proposed efficient configuration. The results show that the combined system reduces both potable water demand and household expenditure, with average monthly water consumption and billing decreasing by approximately 22% and 41%, respectively, while more than 200 cubic meters of gray and rainwater were recovered for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing, washing, cleaning, and irrigation. The novelty of this work lies in the integrated assessment of multiple low-cost technologies under real operating conditions in a Latin American multifamily building, linking detailed consumption records with tariff structures and leak scenarios. These findings indicate that efficient technologies can significantly improve urban water management, support climate and resource policies and contribute directly to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Heavy metal (HM) contamination in urban road dust (RD) represents a significant environmental and public health concern, particularly in densely populated and industrialized regions. This study investigated the spatial distribution and associated health risks of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in RD across various land-use types in Arak, Iran. During a nine-month sampling campaign, 160 RD samples were collected from twenty strategic locations representing industrial, residential, commercial, and high-traffic zones. Land-use regression (LUR) modeling was employed to map HM concentrations and identify pollution hotspots. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 0.48, 64.6, 44.4, 133.9, and 277.6 mg/kg, respectively, substantially exceeding global soil background values. Spatial analysis identified the southern, central, and southeastern sectors as critical pollution hotspots, primarily influenced by vehicular emissions and industrial activities. Health risk assessment revealed ingestion as the dominant exposure pathway, with lead posing the most significant non-carcinogenic risk to children (HI = 0.522). The cumulative hazard index for all metals reached 0.9036 in children, approaching the safety threshold of 1. Furthermore, the total carcinogenic risk for children (2.27 × 10^-4) slightly exceeded acceptable levels, with nickel being the predominant contributor. This study provides critical evidence supporting the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, stringent emission controls, and science-based urban planning strategies to mitigate heavy metal exposure risks in vulnerable urban populations.

The current study employed the isolation of a novel metal-resistant bacterium, Enterobacter quasihormaechei (GenBank Accession No. OR659321) from raw printed circuit boards (PCBs) waste for its bioleaching potential. The bacterium shows promising recovery efficiencies of multiple important metals (Ag 87.5%, Al 60.53%, Mg 58.71%, Cr 56.52%, Ca 55.80%, Cu 55.03%, Mo 50%, Zn 46.36%, Ba 44.22%, Fe 34.54%, Ni 34.15% and Mn 28.22%) from PCBs waste at 37 °C, 150 rpm and 5-days of incubation period. Further confirmation of bioleaching was carried out by FTIR, FE-SEM, EDS and XRD, respectively. The oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) was also investigated, and it was found to be reduced during the bioleaching of electronic waste. Overall, the current study demonstrates that the bacterium, E. quasihormaechei, can recover multiple valuable metals from PCBs without chemical pretreatment or nutrient additives through eco-friendly and cost-effective bioleaching methods.

The paper presents the results of Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, Pb, Zn, and four radionuclides (²²⁶Ra,²³²Th, ¹³⁷Cs, and ⁴⁰K) determination in transplanted lichens after two, four, and six months of exposure. Lichens were sampled from the area of Mountain Igman in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and transplanted to two locations (Pofalići and Bjelave) in Sarajevo, the capital city of BiH. The total metals content was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Gamma spectrometry (GS) was used for radionuclide activity determination. Content of Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb an Zn in lichen after two, four, and six months of exposure ranged as follows: 137Cs ranged from 19.95 to 56.66 Bq/kg, while for ⁴⁰K ranged from 49.65 to 330.61 Bq/kg. The specific activity of ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th was below the GS limit of detection.

PFBS (perfluorobutanesulfonic acid) are surfactants in several household products, including drinking water. Exposure to drinking water contaminated with Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAs) has been associated with diabetes, hyperglycemia, and/or insulin resistance. The immune system is particularly vulnerable to toxicant exposures, with certain environmental chemicals, such as PFAS, potentially causing immunotoxicity. This study aims to assess PFBS exposure and inflammatory-related effects in the pancreas. Three groups of male Sprague Dawley rats ingested 0 ppm, 50 ppm and 100 ppm of PFBS-diet for ten weeks to achieve study goals. Histopathological analysis showed no significant changes in treated rat pancreases; however, increased weight gain was observed, indicating possible adipogenic effects of PFBS. Treated rats exhibited lower serum glucose levels and higher insulin concentrations, suggesting improved glucose regulation and increased insulin production due to PFBS exposure. PFBS-exposed rats demonstrated reduced serum lipase activity, a marker of pancreatic function. Gene expression analysis revealed upregulated insulin-related genes (Ins1 and Ins2), inflammatory genes (IL6 and TNFα), and pancreatitis-associated genes (CTRC and SPINK1) in treated groups. This study suggests that PFBS exposure could influence glucose regulation, insulin production, and pancreatic inflammation. Further research is essential to decipher the precise mechanisms and clinical implications of PFBS exposure.

With the rapid development of agriculture and industrialization, nitrate (NO₃^-) contamination has become an increasingly severe global environmental issue. In this study, a nitrogen-doped porous carbon material (Cf-U1Z1-450) was synthesized using coffee grounds as the carbon precursor, with quaternary nitrogen (N-Q) species successfully incorporated via urea-assisted doping. Structural characterization confirmed the effective introduction of N-Q groups, which significantly enhanced the material's adsorption performance. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that Cf-U1Z1-450 exhibited a maximum nitrate adsorption capacity of 0.62 mmol/g under acidic conditions (pH 3). Even under neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7-11), it still showed considerable uptake, suggesting that N-Q groups remained active at higher pH. Furthermore, fixed-bed column adsorption experiments demonstrated regeneration ability and adsorption stability, with the saturated adsorption capacity remaining nearly unchanged after five adsorption-desorption cycles. These results indicate the crucial role of N-Q functional groups in improving nitrate removal and biomass-derived carbon materials modified with N-Q hold potential for application in nitrate-contaminated water treatment.

China's gold mining enterprises produce a large amount of cyanide slag containing copper ions and cyanide every year, which causes serious environmental pollution if deposited directly. Aiming at hazardous waste cyanide slag, a new process of "cyanide slag washing, copper ions precipitation in washing solution and gaseous membrane recovery of CN^-" was developed by combining theoretical analysis with experimental research, which realized the comprehensive utilization of copper ions and cyanide in the slag. Firstly, the washing test of cyanide waste slag was carried out. The results showed that when the pH of washing water was 3.0 and the water amount was 0.8 m³/t, the total cyanide concentration in the leaching toxicity of cyanide residue was less than the limit value of 5 mg·L^-1 stipulated by the national standard. Secondly, the thermodynamics and chemical analysis results show that Cu²⁺/Cu(CN)_n^(n-1)- in the washing solution can be removed by CuCN and CuS precipitation, and cyanide is converted into HCN and absorbed by NaOH solution to form NaCN. Further experimental studies showed that the precipitation rate of Cu²⁺/Cu(CN)_n^(n-1)- reached 98.99% under the condition of pH 3.5 and NaHS dosage of 200 mg·L^-1. The total cyanide removal rate was 99.02% when the flow rate of washing solution was 0.4 m³/h and the two-stage membrane was used. The feasibility and stability of the new method were verified by the cycle test, which can not only solve the problem of toxic and harmful substances leakage in the tailings dam but also maximize the utilization of mineral resources.

This study corroborated the viability of heterogeneous Fenton and heterogeneous photo-Fenton process for the degradation of atrazine from aqueous solution. Nano-scale iron manganese binary oxide supported zeolite (NIMZ) was synthesized and was used as a catalyst to degrade atrazine. The influence of numerous factors like pH, H₂O₂ dosage, and catalyst dosage on atrazine degradation was investigated. Under the operating parameters of pH 3, 0.02 M H₂O₂, and 200 mg/L catalyst, the heterogeneous Fenton system reached its highest atrazine degradation efficiency of 58.15%. Nonetheless, the atrazine elimination achieved through the heterogeneous Fenton method was relatively modest. Thus, to enhance the atrazine degradation efficiency, heterogeneous photo-Fenton method was employed to treat atrazine concentration of 50 µg/L. The experimentally determined optimal pH, H₂O₂ dosage and catalyst dosage in the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process were 3, 0.02 M and 250 mg/L, respectively. A degradation efficiency of 76.26% was recorded with the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process, exceeding the conventional heterogeneous Fenton process (58.15%) by 18.11%. Quenching studies revealed that effectiveness of heterogeneous photo-Fenton process was majorly owing to large number of hydroxyl radicals generated because of catalytic decomposition of H₂O₂ by NIMZ and photo decomposition of H₂O₂ by irradiation of UV light.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival, metabolism and swimming behavior of Rhinella arenarum tadpoles exposed to burned sediments from dry lagoons located in the "Los Sapos" Island (Santa Fe Province, Argentina), with different fire events over one year: no fire events (NF), two fire events (TF) and multiple fire events (MF). The physicochemical parameters of the sediments were analyzed. A sediment test was performed using 25, 50 and 100% dilutions of each sediment sample at a microcosm scale for 48 h. Tadpole survival and swimming behavior, as well as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-Transferase (GST) activities (markers of neurotoxicity and oxidative stress), were analyzed. The burned sediments showed high conductivity (<1000 μS/cm2) and proton activity with presence of carbonates. The treatments with sediments from TF and MF led to mass tadpole mortality (100%). Diluted 25 and 50%, these treatments also resulted in a significant decrease (30%) in the activities of AChE and GST as well as in the swimming speed (60%) and total distance moved (40%) respect to the NF treatment (ANOVA and Tukey's test, p < 0.05). These results highlight the high ecological risks faced by tadpole reproductive sites that have been affected by fires.

The pollution of freshwater resources has become a critical global issue due to intensive and unregulated agricultural practices, rapid urbanization, and industrial expansion along waterways. Phytoremediation, which involves using aquatic macrophytes to remove contaminants from water, is recognized as an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective remediation strategy. This study investigates the phytoremediation capacity of Eichhornia crassipes in reducing heavy metal contamination in the transboundary Orontes (Asi) River within Türkiye's borders. The Asi River, spanning 571 km from Lebanon through Syria to the Mediterranean Sea in Hatay, Türkiye, is severely affected by heavy metal pollution, primarily due to agricultural activities. The study assessed the bioaccumulation potential of E. crassipes, which grows abundantly in the river, focusing on metal accumulation in its petioles. The concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, chromium, and lead in petioles were quantified at 6.69, 23.50, 29.77, and 65.25 mg kg^-1, respectively, while the maximum concentrations of these metals in the aquatic habitat were 76.57, 303.26, 693.58, and 106.19 µg L^-1, respectively. The effectiveness of phytoremediation can be further enhanced through genetic modification, microbial stimulation, and chemical or natural amendments. These findings illustrate the significant potential of E. crassipes for heavy metal remediation in natural water bodies, contributing to ecosystem conservation, species sustainability, and biodiversity protection.