Environmental Science & Technology Letters Environ.最新文献

Smoking is a significant contributor to premature death globally. While studies often focus on pollutants like nicotine and PAHs generated during smoking, little attention has been given to characteristic pollutants in cigarette filters, such as phthalates. In the present study, 20 phthalates were analyzed in 45 cigarette filters from seven countries. Phthalates were detectable in all samples, with the total concentrations in the range of 391.23–132216.69 ng/g (median: 1876.61 ng/g). Predominant phthalates included bis(2-butoxyethyl) phthalate (DBEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and bis(2-ethoxyethyl) phthalate (DEEP), which collectively accounted for over 45% of the total concentrations. Daily exposure doses of phthalates from cigarette filters ranged from 30.99 to 10472.61 ng/(kg-bw day), with men’s median intake approximately 1.25 times higher than women’s. The total daily exposure doses varied by country in the order of Russia (median: 5092.72 ng/(kg-bw day)) > Japan (316.25) > China (240.36) > South Korea (199.37) > Switzerland (88.24) > USA (66.35) > Cuba (41.41). Carcinogenic risks associated with phthalate exposure exceeded 1 × 10^–6, indicating significant health risks from this source of human exposure. This study for the first time represents a comprehensive evaluation of phthalate exposure from cigarette filters, confirming substantial risks associated with this overlooked source of human exposure.

Styrofoams are widely used as floats and are likely to be damaged by burrowing animals in mariculture. However, the fate of fragmented Styrofoams and their interaction with organisms are not clear in coastal environments. In the present study, field investigations were conducted in 14 sites along the coast of China from July 2023 to October 2024. Results showed that Styrofoams were buried by sand or soil at a depth of up to 50–60 cm in patchy and belted distribution patterns. The abundances of Styrofoams in the deep layer of sediments ranged from 94 to 3042 items/kg. The buried Styrofoams were bunched by roots of six plant species in three ways, i.e., wrapping, crossing, and clinging. The abundance of bunched foams ranged from 1 to 495 items/plant. Simulation experiments in the laboratory showed that plant roots could interact with Styrofoams after 14 days of exposure and tended to cross through the gaps of foam materials. Our study indicates that the fragmented Styrofoams coming from mariculture floats could remain in the sediments due to the physical and biological factors, providing new insight into the biogeochemical cycle of plastic debris.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00557.].

Sulfate aerosols are critical atmospheric constituents, influencing air quality and climate. Their complex formation processes have been studied predominantly in the context of multiphase chemistry. However, the substantial contribution of gas-phase condensation of sulfuric acid (SA_cond) to sulfate aerosol formation has not been fully recognized, primarily due to the challenges associated with the long-term measurement of gaseous sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). Using the comprehensive data set from the SORPES station, we elucidated the influence of gaseous H₂SO₄ on sulfate aerosol generation across different meteorological and pollution contexts. Our analysis indicates a marked increase in gaseous H₂SO₄ concentrations enhances its role in sulfate formation, with cumulative five-day production accounting for up to 50% of the total sulfate levels. Detailed analysis of stable meteorological conditions revealed that SA_cond initially increases and then stabilizes with higher levels of PM_2.5, while its relative influence on sulfate formation diminishes. This implies that in high-polluted environments, multiphase reactions primarily drive sulfate formation. Given the ongoing efforts to reduce PM_2.5 levels in China, the role of SA_cond in shaping sulfate aerosol profiles is anticipated to become increasingly significant. This underscores the need for a renewed focus on gas-phase processes within the broader context of aerosol formation and atmospheric chemistry.

This study examines the spatial and temporal impacts of the U.S. clean energy grid transition on related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the wastewater treatment industry. By analyzing data from 17,156 water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) and state-specific grid decarbonization scenarios, the results project a 60% reduction in Scope 2 emissions by 2050, driven by the national shift to renewable energy. However, regional disparities are prominent, with northeastern and western states achieving the most significant reductions, while the Ohio Valley and Rockies are likely to experience higher emissions due to the reliance on fossil fuels. This study offers the first assessment of clean grid impacts on the WRRFs and highlights the need for targeted, region-specific strategies across different emission scopes. This research provides insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the wastewater sector, emphasizing the critical role of grid decarbonization in achieving GHG reduction goals.

Ubiquitous vehicle operation leads to the continuous emission of tire additives into the environment via tire wear particles (TWPs) and air emission. Significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the abundant additive chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in tires. This work investigates short-, median-, and long-chain CPs (SCCPs, MCCPs, and LCCPs) in end-of-life and new tires of the same models for sedans, SUVs, trucks, and vans in China. CP levels ranged from 81–245 μg/g (mean 137 μg/g) in 2018 end-of-life tires and 6–183 μg/g (mean 71 μg/g) in 2023 new tires, dominated by SCCPs and MCCPs (mainly C_13–14). A decreasing trend of CPs (2018–2023) was observed in SUV, truck, and van tires. Tire mass evaluation and a simulated air emission experiment indicated that TWP emission and air emission contributed approximately 20% and 6%, respectively, to the total CP loads of tires over their lifespan. TWP emissions made tires significantly more efficient in spreading CPs compared with other CP-containing products. The discharge of CPs from TWPs was estimated at 160 tons per year in China, with a dominant contribution from sedans and heavy trucks. This study enhances understanding of CPs’ presence and environmental emissions in tires and underscores the significant impact of tire-derived CPs.

Fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, and cooking are major emission sources of urban organic aerosols, which have a significant impact on human health and global radiative forcing. This study collected ambient PM_2.5 in Shanghai, China, along with particulate matter from biodiesel/diesel-fueled vehicles, bio-oil pyrolysis, and laboratory-scale experiments conducted using a Miniature Combustion Aerosol Standard (lab-MINICAST) experiments. Targeted MS/MS using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS methodology and machine learning were applied to investigate and decode the light-absorbing chromophores of methanol-extracted organic aerosols. The results showed emissions from biomass burning and vehicles are the main contributors to ambient organic aerosols. CHO compounds accounted for the largest proportion. A fraction of the identified light-absorbing chromophores were long-chain CHO-containing compounds, including fatty acids (C₁₈H₃₄O₂, C₁₈H₃₂O₂, C₁₆H₃₀O₂, C₅H₈O₂, and a subset of C_nH_2nO₂ (12 < n < 25)) and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs, the remaining C_nH_2nO₂ (12 < n < 25)) originatimg from vehicle emissions, accounting for 65.256% of the organic aerosol light-absorbing during nonbiomass burning days, but only accounting for 7.12% of the CHO compounds and 3.06% of the organic aerosols. Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models revealed that all the light-absorbing molecules of the methanol-extracted samples identified in this study typically exhibit higher weights of atomic around oxygen-containing functional groups (>0.5), contrasting with non-light-absorbing substances, which display more uniformly distributed lower atomic weights. This may provide some explanation for the light-absorbing ability of fatty acids and FAMEs.

Ferrate(VI) is a promising chemical agent for wastewater treatment. While targeting various contaminants, it can inevitably react with different water matrix constituents such as nitrogen (N) species. However, the reactions of ferrate(VI) with wastewater N compounds remain poorly understood. This study explores ferrate(VI)-mediated transformations of different N species in a secondary wastewater effluent. Ferrate(VI) oxidation minimally abated total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), while oxidizing dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) into dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), primarily nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^––N), without noticeably altering ammonia nitrogen (NH₃–N) levels. Consequently, ferrate(VI) treatment increased the fraction of bioavailable, soil-leachable NO₃^––N while lowering the portion of less bioaccessible DON. This study reveals the ability of ferrate(VI) to retain overall nitrogen, improve its bioavailability, mitigate the precursors of harmful nitrogenous disinfection byproducts, and enhance nitrogen leachability in soil. These insights highlight the complex impacts of ferrate(VI)-enabled wastewater treatment on human and environmental health, water supply, and nutrient management in agriculture reuse.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are common contaminants of drinking water globally. Due to their large number and diversity, extractable organofluorine (EOF) has been employed as a sum parameter measurement to capture known and unknown PFAS in environmental samples. However, current methods for determining drinking water EOF perform poorly for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and provide limited insights into the nature of unidentified fluorine occurring in samples. To address this, we developed and validated a solid-phase extraction procedure for EOF determination in drinking water with improved TFA recovery, which removes and/or accounts for different species of inorganic fluorine. The method produces two fractions: one containing mostly polar fluorinated substances (e.g., TFA, tetrafluoroborate, and trifluoromethanesulfonate) and another containing longer-chain PFAS. Hexafluorophosphate was distributed across both fractions. Application of the method to Stockholm drinking water revealed a closed fluorine mass balance in fraction I, predominantly (93%) consisting of TFA. In fraction II, however, 67% of the fluorine was unidentified, pointing to unknown fluorinated substance(s) with similar physical–chemical properties to PFAS in this fraction (e.g., perfluorooctanesulfonate). In addition to providing clues for identifying EOF, the method improves estimation of “PFAS Total” for comparison to limits under the European Drinking Water Directive.