Environmental Science and Pollution Research最新文献

As illicit drug trafficking becomes more widespread, it is increasingly important to assess the extent of drug abuse for health and safety reasons. However, on the one hand, administering questionnaires to consumers is time-consuming and inconclusive, and on the other hand, seizures and clinical data evaluate service performance in response to the flow of illicit drugs rather than the flow itself. Wastewater-based epidemiology has ushered in a new era, but it tends to provide snapshots and encourages the bias of assuming that recalculated consumption is stable between samples. In Mayotte, synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), the main constituents of "chimique," have achieved an unusual status as an iconic hard drug in a disorganized political context. Assuming a "worst-case scenario," i.e., insularity and the specificity of SCRAs drug abuse in Mayotte, this approach aimed to explore the evolution of the nature and concentration of SCRAs, as well as their location. Over the course of a year, eight "chimique" sampling campaigns were conducted in Mayotte, collecting samples from street users and in places of open consumption for 1 week each. Consumers were offered (i) an interview (standard of living, sources of supply, consumption, co-addictions, side effects on health, and social life) and (ii) the opportunity to provide a sample of their "chimique" dose for analysis and to be informed of its composition. The collected "chimique" samples were analyzed using a liquid chromatography method with high-resolution mass spectrometry detection method and (i) "in-house" and (ii) online (HighResNPS) spectral libraries. Illegal drugs were identified during each campaign, for a total of 195 samples (187 cigarettes and 8 powders). Thirteen different SCRAs were observed in association with a plant matrix (tobacco was predominant, mixed or unmixed with cannabis). Co-formulants included cannabinoids, pharmaceuticals/precursors, and/or other new psychoactive substances. The results showed that month after month, the market became more homogeneous due to the products offered by SCRA pharmaceutical manufacturers and the growing hegemony of a gang of traffickers. However, the profile of the samples collected changed rapidly, sometimes becoming unrecognizable from one campaign to the next.

Ports are crucial coastal areas, constantly exposed to contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Maritime activities in the Red Sea, mainly through the Suez Canal, are vital for global trade, with its ports being among the busiest worldwide. This study assessed PAHs in the surficial sediments of six northern Red Sea ports, focusing on sediment quality, toxicity, sources, and factors affecting PAH accumulation. The average concentrations of ∑16PAHs showed the following order: Al-Zaitiya port (558 ng/g dw) > Port Tawfiq (535 ng/g dw) > Safaga port (205 ng/g dw) > Nuweiba port (178 ng/g dw) > Hurghada port (156 ng/g dw) > Sharm El Sheikh port (153 ng/g dw). Port activity and structure were key factors influencing PAH levels. Diagnostic ratios indicated that most PAHs originated from pyrogenic sources, with some stations showing petrogenic origins. The principal component analysis supported these findings. Sediment quality guidelines (SQG) suggested occasional adverse effects. Port Tawfiq had the highest toxic equivalent (TEQ) and mutagenic equivalent (MEQ) quotients, with 72.15 ng TEQ/g dw and 69.53 ng MEQ/g dw, respectively. In contrast, Sharm El Sheikh port showed the lowest values (27.27 ng TEQ/g dw and 25.22 ng MEQ/g dw). Under these criteria, sediments from all six investigated ports are classified within the safe range, reflecting low potential for toxic and mutagenic effects.

Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are used in the manufacture of various items, such as food packaging, non-stick utensils and waterproof textiles, and solvents. The two main substances of this class, which are the most studied and reported, are PFOA-perfluorooctanoic acid and PFOS-perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. The most used method to extract these substances from aqueous matrices employs solid phase extraction (SPE), and in this work we tested the use of low temperature partition extraction (LTPE)-a simpler and cheaper method-to extract PFOA and PFOS from sewage and sludge matrices. Validation of the analytical method, which employed acetonitrile as solvent and LC-MS/MS equipment with Phenyl-Hexyl column, was satisfactory for the analysis of these perfluorinated compounds in both matrices, with the lowest correlation coefficient (r²) equal to 0.9884 for PFOS in sewage samples. In such matrix, the detection and quantification limits of the method were 1.50 µg/L and 4.54 µg/L for PFOA, and 2.11 µg/L and 6.40 µg/L for PFOS, respectively. As for the sludge matrix, the limits of detection and quantification for PFOA were 1.34 µg/kg dw (dry weight) and 4.05 µg/kg dw, whereas for PFOS, they were 0.32 µg/kg dw and 0.96 µg/kg dw. Samples collected at two Brazilian sewage treatment plants (STP) which employ different treatment technologies were analyzed, and PFOA was detected in four sludge samples in the range of 9.09-10.26 µg/kg. On the other hand, PFOS was quantified in all sewage samples (with concentrations ranging from 17.05 to 53.58 µg/L) and all sludge sample in concentrations that varied from 8.14 to 12.50 µg/kg dw. The obtained LQs confirm the applicability of the method for µg-level screening and monitoring of sewage treatment plants, especially in the context of limited analytical resources. Importantly, this represents the first reported application of low-temperature partition extraction (LTPE) for PFAS analysis in sewage and sludge, demonstrating the feasibility and potential of this simplified approach for future environmental investigations.

Groundwater is a vital source of fresh water for human consumption, cooking, and irrigation. In populations with endemic goiter, high nitrate concentrations have been reported in groundwater, raising concerns about its impact on thyroid function. This study evaluated the effects of chronic exposure to groundwater on Xenopus laevis larvae throughout the entire metamorphic process, focusing on thyroid function. Larvae were divided into three groups: control (C, drinking water), groundwater-exposed (G), and positive control (PC, drinking water plus potassium perchlorate). Metamorphic progression, thyroid histology, and sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) protein expression were assessed. Metamorphosis was completed in 100% of C, 37.7% of G, and 0% of PC larvae. At NF stage 60, G showed reduced wet weight and snout-to-tail length compared to C and PC, whereas hind limb length did not differ significantly. At NF stage 62, G had lower wet weight than C, and PC exceeded C; hind limb length was greater in G and PC than in C. Thyroid histology revealed hyperplasia, epithelial hypertrophy, and colloid depletion in G and PC at both stages. NIS protein expression increased at NF stage 60 in G and PC relative to C but was suppressed at NF stage 62. Groundwater contained nitrates (24-83 mg/L). These results indicate that nitrate-contaminated groundwater disrupts thyroid function in Xenopus laevis, highlighting potential environmental and regulatory concerns.

The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has made illicit drugs a major health issue. The largest family of NPS is that of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs). Due to their widespread use, security authorities are working to strengthen their protocols for detecting, managing, and preventing abuse. Wastewater-based epidemiology, which focuses on drug metabolites, complements seizures and questionnaires in this regard. In this context, we present data on ADB-BUTINACA, a SCRA detected during the "Chasse-marée" study conducted in Mayotte, a French overseas territory located in the Mozambique Channel. The aim of this article is to identify and select ADB-BUTINACA metabolites relevant as target residues of this SCRA to estimate population exposure from wastewater. Using LC-HRMS, this SCRA (along with other SCRAs) was detected in "Chimique" samples (the term used for illicit substances in circulation in Mayotte) on 24 occasions during seven of the eight sampling campaigns conducted as part of the study (2022-2023). We then conducted a study on its metabolism using in vitro human liver microsome incubation experiments and LC-HRMS analysis and discussed its most relevant biomarker. Among the 26 metabolites identified, two resulting from the mono-hydroxylation of the n-butyl tail of ADB-BUTINACA (C₁₈H₂₆N₄O₃, HRMS target [M+H]⁺ m/z 347.2078) are considered the most promising biomarkers. This assessment is based on the relatively high intensity of the chromatographic peak observed in vitro (41.7% and 34.2%, respectively) and on the assumption that this type of product is persistent in wastewater. Their practical analytical relevance in subsequent studies still needs to be validated by assessing their toxicological significance and stability in wastewater. These two metabolites constitute an initial proposal for targets for monitoring ADB-BUTINACA in wastewater, subject to verification of their persistence, in order to improve knowledge of these compounds.

The rapid depletion of groundwater across India has been revealed through data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, particularly in the northern plains. In India, groundwater supports more than 60% of the irrigated area. The impact of seasonal precipitation and land use land cover change (LULCC) on groundwater was investigated through a correlation analysis of multi-source datasets. The data comprised of regional-level monthly precipitation data from ECMWF Reanalysis v5 (ERA5), LULCC data from the NASA MODIS satellite sensor, and groundwater storage estimates derived from the GRACE satellites' Center for Space Research (CSR) RL06 Mascon solutions alongside the global land data assimilation system (GLDAS) products. Analysis revealed substantial variability in seasonal precipitation, with the steepest declines observed in northeastern India. Significant expansions in land use types were found for croplands (9%), deciduous broadleaf forests (53%), mixed forests (21%), and urban areas (5%). In northern regions, a negative correlation between groundwater levels and both urbanization and cropland expansion was observed. Moreover, the relationship between seasonal precipitation and groundwater storage demonstrated marked regional and temporal differences. These findings underscore the necessity for integrated water management strategies, including optimizing and diversifying water sources for agriculture, promoting aquifer recharge, and enhancing wastewater treatment practices.

Heavy oil, which is a bottom product of crude oil having an API gravity of 10°-23°, is sticky and highly viscous in nature. When heavy oil is exposed to soil due to any accidental leakage or transportation, the physical and chemical nature of heavy oil makes it reside in the pores of soil for a prolonged time, which creates an environmental problem. It is challenging to recover this heavy oil from the contaminated soil, but once it is recovered, it can be a highly valuable resource. Among the available techniques, the ultrasound method is effective and environmentally friendly, which could recover oil with slight alteration in its properties. In this work, ultrasound is used to investigate the feasibility of reducing the consumption of surfactant/alkaline chemicals to recover heavy oil and to increase the recovery efficiency. The influence of ultrasound intensity, surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate), alkaline (sodium carbonate) concentration, and the combined impact of sodium dodecyl sulfate with sodium carbonate on the recovery of oil from soil has been investigated. Heavy oil recovery was found to be more effective at 2 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate, 3 wt% sodium carbonate, and 100% ultrasound intensity. Compared with the individual influence of surfactant and alkaline, the combined effect of surfactant and alkaline provided higher recovery of 92% with an ultrasound power of 100% in 60 min. The API gravity of the separated heavy oil has been increased from 16° to 26.42° due to ultrasonication. The chemical characterization of separated oil from contaminated soil has been studied with GC-MS and FT-IR analysis.

Plastics pose a threat to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to slow degradation and pervasive presence. Bio-degradable plastics, such as Poly(Butylene Succinate-co-Adipate) (PBSA), offer potential solutions, but their impact in marine environment remains uncertain. This study explores the diversity of fungi associated with the carcasses of the marine copepod Acartia tonsa and their ability to degrade PBSA. The fungal strains belonging to Cladosporium, Fusarium, and Stemphylium were isolated, for the first time, from the copepod carcasses. Among these, Cladosporium psychrotolerans MUT6786 demonstrated significant carboxyl-ester hydrolase activity, enabling the degradation of PBSA in both emulsified and granule forms. Notably, in PBSA granules incubated with C. psychrotolerans a weight reduction of 80.5% occurred over 92 days of incubation. Progressive surface erosion and chemical alterations of the granules were confirmed with infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) and stereomicroscopy. Furthermore, thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses indicated selective hydrolysis of the amorphous polymer fraction. Molecular weight analyses further highlighted surface-specific degradation without significant changes to the bulk polymer structure. Moreover, the reduction of Carbonyl Index during 60 days of incubation provides additional evidence of the ability of C. psychrotolerans to hydrolyze the ester bonds. The findings highlight the importance of zooplankton-associated microbiomes in biopolymer degradation, offering insights into leveraging marine fungi for environmental restoration of bioplastics in aquatic ecosystems.

Groundwater quality near municipal dump yards is often degraded by leachate migration. This study analyzes and forecasts groundwater quality around the Kundrathur landfill in Chennai, India, using observations from 30 wells collected during the dry, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons from 2020 to 2024. This research evaluates 13 physicochemical indicators, including pH, turbidity, DO, TDS, BOD, COD, TSS, chlorides, and sulfates, using an IoT/WSN buoy and laboratory validation. Further, this research also proposed a hybrid pipeline, a neural basis expansion analysis for interpretable time series forecasting (N-BEATS) neural network for initial temporal prediction with adaptive moment estimation optimizer (ADAM) for short-term time-series prediction, followed by a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to handle measurement uncertainty, and a Monte Carlo simulation for long-term probabilistic projections. N-BEATS (with Adam optimization) achieved 88% accuracy, MAE 0.0535, MSE 0.0105, Pearson correlation (r) 0.9502, RMSE 0.1024, and R² 0.8048, outperforming GRU (82% accuracy, MAE 0.0663, MSE 0.0110, r 0.9140, RMSE 0.1048) and LSTM (78% accuracy, MAE 0.0737, MSE 0.0124, r 0.9095, RMSE 0.1134). Short-term FIS outputs are provided for 387 days, while Monte Carlo projections explore multi-decadal behavior (e.g., layer-2 mean WQI ≈ 49.78 in the North and 48.89 in the East), consistent with a northeast-directed contamination trend visualized in QGIS. This work supports local groundwater protection and contributes to achieving SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).