Eco-Environment & Health最新文献

Both biotic and abiotic mechanisms play a role in soil CO₂ emission processes. However, abiotically mediated CO₂ emission and the role of reactive oxygen species are still poorly understood in paddy soil. This study revealed that OH promoted CO₂ emission in paddy soil slurries during short-term oxidation (4 h). OH generation was highly hinged on active Fe(II) content, and the OH contribution to CO₂ efflux was 10%–33% in topsoil and 40%–77% in deep-soil slurries. Net CO₂ efflux was higher in topsoil slurries, which contained more dissolved organic carbon (DOC). CO₂ efflux correlated well with DOC contents, suggesting the critical role of DOC. Microbial mechanisms contributed 9%–45% to CO₂ production, as estimated by γ-ray sterilization experiments in the short-term reoxidation process. Solid-aqueous separation experiments showed a significant reduction in net CO₂ efflux across all soil slurries after the removal of the original aqueous phase, indicating that the water phase was the main source of CO₂ emission (>50%). Besides, C emission was greatly affected by pH fluctuation in acidic soil but not in neutral/alkaline soils. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and excitation-emission matrix results indicated that recalcitrant and macromolecular dissolved organic matter (DOM) components were more easily removed or attacked by OH. The decrease in DOM content during the short-term reoxidation was the combined result of OH oxidation, co-precipitation, and soil organic matter release. This study emphasizes the significance of the generally overlooked nonmicrobial mechanisms in promoting CO₂ emission in the global C cycle, and the critical influence of the aqueous phase on C loss in paddy environments.

Human-induced inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into the biosphere have reached unprecedented levels, particularly N, leading to an escalating global anthropogenic N:P ratio. This ratio has emerged as a significant driver of environmental change, impacting organisms, ecosystems, and global food security. However, the implications of this ratio for human health have been largely overlooked and remain uncertain. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the potential effects of N:P ratios on both non-infectious and infectious diseases. Preliminary data emphasize the importance of investigating the influence of N:P ratios on human health, suggesting a potential role in the rise of non-infectious diseases, such as cancer, as well as the proliferation of infectious diseases, including Zika and malaria. These findings highlight the urgent need for increased attention from the scientific community and policymakers regarding the complex impacts of the human-induced biospheric N:P ratio. It is crucial to investigate and understand the underlying mechanisms and drivers behind these effects. Furthermore, there is significant potential for improving human health through the manipulation of N:P ratios and the availability of N and P. This applies not only to medical treatments but also to innovative fertilizer management strategies. These avenues present promising opportunities to address the challenges associated with human health in an ever-changing world.

Indoor microorganisms impact asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR), but the associated microbial taxa often vary extensively due to climate and geographical variations. To provide more consistent environmental assessments, new perspectives on microbial exposure for asthma and AR are needed. Home dust from 97 cases (32 asthma alone, 37 AR alone, 28 comorbidity) and 52 age- and gender-matched controls in Shanghai, China, were analyzed using high-throughput shotgun metagenomic sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Homes of healthy children were enriched with environmental microbes, including Paracoccus, Pseudomonas, and Psychrobacter, and metabolites like keto acids, indoles, pyridines, and flavonoids (astragalin, hesperidin) (False Discovery Rate < 0.05). A neural network co-occurrence probability analysis revealed that environmental microorganisms were involved in producing these keto acids, indoles, and pyridines. Conversely, homes of diseased children were enriched with mycotoxins and synthetic chemicals, including herbicides, insecticides, and food/cosmetic additives. Using a random forest model, characteristic metabolites and microorganisms in Shanghai homes were used to classify high and low prevalence of asthma/AR in an independent dataset in Malaysian schools (N = 1290). Indoor metabolites achieved an average accuracy of 74.9% and 77.1% in differentiating schools with high and low prevalence of asthma and AR, respectively, whereas indoor microorganisms only achieved 51.0% and 59.5%, respectively. These results suggest that indoor metabolites and chemicals rather than indoor microbiome are potentially superior environmental indicators for childhood asthma and AR. This study extends the traditional risk assessment focusing on allergens or air pollutants in childhood asthma and AR, thereby revealing potential novel intervention strategies for these diseases.

Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) pollution has become a pressing global environmental issue, with growing concerns regarding its impact on human health. However, evidence on the effects of MNPs on human health remains limited. This paper reviews the three routes of human exposure to MNPs, which include ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. It further discusses the potential routes of translocation of MNPs in human lungs, intestines, and skin, analyses the potential impact of MNPs on the homeostasis of human organ systems, and provides an outlook on future research priorities for MNPs in human health. There is growing evidence that MNPs are present in human tissues or fluids. Lab studies, including in vivo animal models and in vitro human-derived cell cultures, revealed that MNPs exposure could negatively affect human health. MNPs exposure could cause oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, disruption of internal barriers like the intestinal, the air–blood and the placental barrier, tissue damage, as well as immune homeostasis imbalance, endocrine disruption, and reproductive and developmental toxicity. Limitedly available epidemiological studies suggest that disorders like lung nodules, asthma, and blood thrombus might be caused or exacerbated by MNPs exposure. However, direct evidence for the effects of MNPs on human health is still scarce, and future research in this area is needed to provide quantitative support for assessing the risk of MNPs to human health.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely recognized as state-of-the-art catalysts in environment remediation because of their exceptional performance, 100% metal atomic utilization, almost no secondary pollution, and robust structures. Most recently, the activation of persulfate with carbon-based SACs in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) raises tremendous interest in the degradation of emerging contaminants in wastewater, owning to its efficient and versatile reactive oxidant species (ROS) generation. However, the comprehensive and critical review unraveling the underlying relationship between structures of carbon-based SACs and the corresponding generated ROS is still rare. Herein, we systematically summarize the fundamental understandings and intrinsic mechanisms between single metal atom active sites and produced ROS during AOPs. The types of emerging contaminants are firstly elaborated, presenting the prior pollutants that need to be degraded. Then, the preparation and characterization methods of carbon-based SACs are overviewed. The underlying material structure–ROS type relationship in persulfate-based AOPs is discussed in depth to expound the catalytic mechanisms. Finally, we briefly conclude the current development of carbon-based SACs in AOPs and propose the prospects for rational design and synthesis of carbon-based SACs with on-demand catalytic performances in AOPs in future research.

The wide application of nanomaterials and plastic products generates a substantial number of nanoparticulate pollutants in the environment. Nanoparticulate pollutants are quite different from their bulk counterparts because of their unique physicochemical properties, which may pose a threat to environmental organisms and human beings. To accurately predict the environmental risks of nanoparticulate pollutants, great efforts have been devoted to developing reliable methods to define their occurrence and track their fate and transformation in the environment. Herein, we summarized representative studies on the preconcentration, separation, formation, and transformation of nanoparticulate pollutants in environmental samples. Finally, some perspectives on future research directions are proposed.