Eco-Environment & Health最新文献

In recent years, the issue of PM_2.5-O₃ compound pollution has become a significant global environmental concern. This study examines the spatial and temporal patterns of global PM_2.5-O₃ compound pollution and exposure risks, firstly at the global and urban scale, using spatial statistical regression, exposure risk assessment, and trend analyses based on the datasets of daily PM_2.5 and surface O₃ concentrations monitored in 120 cities around the world from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, on the basis of the common emission sources, spatial heterogeneity, interacting chemical mechanisms, and synergistic exposure risk levels between PM_2.5 and O₃ pollution, we proposed a synergistic PM_2.5-O₃ control framework for the joint control of PM_2.5 and O₃. The results indicated that: (1) Nearly 50% of cities worldwide were affected by PM_2.5-O₃ compound pollution, with China, South Korea, Japan, and India being the global hotspots for PM_2.5-O₃ compound pollution; (2) Cities with PM_2.5-O₃ compound pollution have exposure risk levels dominated by ST + ST (Stabilization) and ST + HR (High Risk). Exposure risk levels of compound pollution in developing countries are significantly higher than those in developed countries, with unequal exposure characteristics; (3) The selected cities showed significant positive spatial correlations between PM_2.5 and O₃ concentrations, which were consistent with the spatial distribution of the precursors NOx and VOCs; (4) During the study period, 52.5% of cities worldwide achieved synergistic reductions in annual average PM_2.5 and O₃ concentrations. The average PM_2.5 concentration in these cities decreased by 13.97%, while the average O₃ concentration decreased by 19.18%. This new solution offers the opportunity to construct intelligent and healthy cities in the upcoming low–carbon transition.

Plastic pollution and its potential risks have been raising public concerns as a global environmental issue. Global plastic waste may double by 2030, posing a significant challenge to the remediation of environmental plastics. In addition to finding alternative products and managing plastic emission sources, effective removal technologies are crucial to mitigate the negative impact of plastic pollution. However, current remediation strategies, including physical, chemical, and biological measures, are unable to compete with the surging amounts of plastics entering the environment. This perspective lays out recent advances to propel both research and action. In this process, phytoaccumulation, phytostabilization, and phytofiltration can be applied to reduce the concentration of nanoplastics and submicron plastics in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments, as well as to prevent the transport of microplastics from sources to sinks. Meanwhile, advocating for a more promising future still requires significant efforts in screening hyperaccumulators, coupling multiple measures, and recycling stabilized plastics from plants. Phytoremediation can be an excellent strategy to alleviate global micro/nanoplastic pollution because of the cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability of green technologies.

Terrestrial invertebrates in urban ecosystems are extremely species-rich, have many important roles in material flow and energy circulation, and are host to many human pathogens that pose threats to human health. These invertebrates are widely distributed in urban areas, including both out- and in-door environments. Consequently, humans are frequently in contact with them, which provides many opportunities for them to pose human health risks. However, comprehensive knowledge on human pathogen transfer via invertebrates is lacking, with research to date primarily focused on dipterans (e.g., mosquitoes, flies). Here, we take a broad taxonomic approach and review terrestrial invertebrate hosts (incl. mosquitoes, flies, termites, cockroaches, mites, ticks, earthworms, collembola, fleas, snails, and beetles) of human pathogens, with a focus on transmission pathways. We also discuss how urbanization and global warming are likely to influence the communities of invertebrate hosts and have flow-on risks to human health. Finally, we identify current research gaps and provide perspectives on future directions.

The expanding production of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can eventually cause their increased release into and presence in aquatic ecosystems, potentially threatening the health of aquatic organisms and the stability of the ecological environment. Generally, ENMs are repeatedly released into real-world aquatic environments in relatively low concentrations, potentially affecting photosynthesis in primary producers such as algae. However, knowledge regarding the effects of repeated exposure to ENMs on algal photosynthesis is still lacking. Herein, the physiological responses of the freshwater algae Chlorella vulgaris following single and repeated exposures to cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) were investigated at 10 mg/L, with a focus on photosynthesis. The results showed that repeated exposures triggered increased photosynthetic pigment contents, oxidative stress levels, decreased photosynthetic performance, and lower biomass in C. vulgaris compared to a single exposure. Photosynthesis-related genes (i.e., petA, petB, psaA, atpB, and rbcL) were found to be upregulated following repeated exposures. Particularly for petB, repeated rather than single exposure treatment significantly upregulated its expression levels by 2.92–10.24-fold compared to unexposed controls. Furthermore, increased exposure times could aggravate the interaction between CeO₂ NPs and algae, elevating 8.13%, 12.13%, and 20.51% Ce distribution on the algal cell surface or intracellularly, compared to a single exposure. This study is the first to investigate the effects of ENM exposure times on algal photosynthesis, providing new insights into the assessment of the risks these materials pose to real-world aquatic environments.

This study innovatively evaluated ecological civilization in China from the perspective of environment and health. A Composite Environmental Health Index (CEHI) was constructed based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) and Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) models. Results showed that significant and sustained improvements were observed in the ecological environment after ecological civilization, while economic development continued to progress at a steady pace. However, the advancement in population health (impact subsystem), exhibited comparatively modest progress, potentially linked to issues such as demographic aging and the enduring consequences of past exposure to environmental pollutants. At the provincial level, the regional development was uneven. The CEHI performance was highest in the eastern regions, followed by the central regions, with the western regions showing the least progress. Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang emerged as top performers with higher CEHI scores, which can be attributed to their favorable geographical positioning and the response subsystem. Conversely, northeastern regions (Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning) and northwestern regions (Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai) experienced limited advancements in post-ecological civilization implementation. For these underperforming regions, there is a pressing need to intensify efforts aimed at enhancing their response subsystems. In summary, China's pursuit of ecological civilization has yielded significant successes, potentially offering valuable insights for other nations striving for sustainable development. The ecological civilization model's integration of ecological environmental protection into economic, political, cultural, and social constructs may serve as a meaningful reference for the sustainable development of other countries.

Currently, many countries and regions worldwide face the challenge of declining population growth due to persistently low rates of female reproduction. Since 2017, China's birth rate has hit historic lows and continued to decline, with the death rate now equaling the birth rate. Concerns have emerged regarding the potential impact of environmental contaminants on reproductive health, including pregnancy loss. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like phthalate esters (PAEs), bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS), and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have raised attention due to their adverse effects on biological systems. While China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) for national economic and social development included the treatment of emerging pollutants, including EDCs, there are currently no national appraisal standards or regulatory frameworks for EDCs and their mixtures. Addressing the risk of EDC mixtures is an urgent matter that needs consideration from China's perspective in the near future. In this Perspective, we delve into the link between EDC mixture exposure and pregnancy loss in China. Our focus areas include establishing a comprehensive national plan targeting reproductive-aged women across diverse urban and rural areas, understanding common EDC combinations in women and their surrounding environment, exploring the relationship between EDCs and pregnancy loss via epidemiology, and reconsidering the safety of EDCs, particularly in mixtures and low-dose scenarios. We envision that this study could aid in creating preventive strategies and interventions to alleviate potential risks induced by EDC exposure during pregnancy in China.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous contaminants, especially in the soil and groundwater of contaminated sites and landfills. Notably, 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′,6,6′-decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), one of the most frequently and abundantly detected PBDE congeners in the environment, has recently been designated as a new pollutant subject to rigorous control in China. Colloid-facilitated transport is a key mechanism for the release of PBDEs from surface soils and their migration in the aquifer, but the effects of hydrodynamic conditions, particularly transient flow, on colloid-facilitated release of PBDEs are not well understood. Herein, we examined the effects of typical transient flow conditions on the release characteristics of colloids and BDE-209 from surface soil collected from an e-waste recycling site by undisturbed soil core leaching tests involving multiple dry–wet cycles (with different drying durations) and freeze–thaw cycles. We observed significant positive correlations between BDE-209 and colloid concentrations in the leachate in both the dry–wet and freeze–thaw leaching experiments, highlighting the critical role of colloids in facilitating BDE-209 release. However, colloids mobilized during the dry–wet cycles contained higher contents of BDE-209 than those in the freeze–thaw cycle tests, and the difference was primarily due to the more intensive disintegration of soil aggregates and elution of newly formed inorganic colloidal particles (mainly primary silicate minerals such as quartz and albite) with low BDE-209 content during the freeze–thaw process. These findings underscore the necessity of considering transient flow conditions when assessing the fate and risks of PBDEs at contaminated sites.

Soil metabolomics is an emerging approach for profiling diverse small molecule metabolites, i.e., metabolomes, in the soil. Soil metabolites, including fatty acids, amino acids, lipids, organic acids, sugars, and volatile organic compounds, often contain essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur and are directly linked to soil biogeochemical cycles driven by soil microorganisms. This paper presents an overview of methods for analyzing soil metabolites and the state-of-the-art of soil metabolomics in relation to soil nutrient cycling. We describe important applications of metabolomics in studying soil carbon cycling and sequestration, and the response of soil organic pools to changing environmental conditions. This includes using metabolomics to provide new insights into the close relationships between soil microbiome and metabolome, as well as responses of soil metabolome to plant and environmental stresses such as soil contamination. We also highlight the advantage of using soil metabolomics to study the biogeochemical cycles of elements and suggest that future research needs to better understand factors driving soil function and health.

The establishment of ecological risk thresholds for arsenic (As) plays a pivotal role in developing soil conservation strategies. However, despite many studies regarding the toxicological profile of As, such thresholds varying by diverse soil properties have rarely been established. This study aims to address this gap by compiling and critically examining an extensive dataset of As toxicity data sourced from existing literature. Furthermore, to augment the existing information, experimental studies on As toxicity focusing on barley-root elongation were carried out across various soil types. The As concentrations varied from 12.01 to 437.25 mg/kg for the effective concentrations that inhibited 10% of barley-root growth (EC₁₀). The present study applied a machine-learning approach to investigate the complex associations between the toxicity thresholds of As and diverse soil properties. The results revealed that Mn-/Fe-ox and clay content emerged as the most influential factors in predicting the EC₁₀ contribution. Additionally, by using a species sensitivity distribution model and toxicity data from 21 different species, the hazardous concentration for x% of species (HCx) was calculated for four representative soil scenarios. The HC5 values for acidic, neutral, alkaline, and alkaline calcareous soils were 80, 47, 40, and 28 mg/kg, respectively. This study establishes an evidence-based methodology for deriving soil-specific guidance concerning As toxicity thresholds.

The association between the exposure of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and serum uric acid (UA) levels remained uncertain. In this study, to investigate the combined effects of OCP mixtures on hyperuricemia, we analyzed serum OCPs and UA levels in adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005–2016). Four statistical models including weighted logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS), quantile g-computation (QGC), and bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to assess the relationship between mixed chemical exposures and hyperuricemia. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential modifiers. Among 6,529 participants, the prevalence of hyperuricemia was 21.15%. Logistic regression revealed a significant association between both hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and trans-nonachlor and hyperuricemia in the fifth quintile (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.08–2.19; OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.05–2.39, respectively), utilizing the first quintile as a reference. WQS and QGC analyses showed significant overall effects of OCPs on hyperuricemia, with an OR of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.09–1.44) and 1.20 (95% CI: 1.06–1.37), respectively. BKMR indicated a positive trend between mixed OCPs and hyperuricemia, with HCB having the largest weight in all three mixture analyses. Subgroup analyses revealed that females, individuals aged 50 years and above, and those with a low income were more vulnerable to mixed OCP exposure. These results highlight the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations from OCPs and to properly evaluate the health effects of multiple exposures on hyperuricemia using mutual validation approaches.