Journal of hazardous materials advances最新文献

{"title":"Utilizing UV–Vis spectroscopy to detect and quantify ionizing radiation","authors":"Bryanah Hack,&nbsp;Maxwell Simmons,&nbsp;Mitchell Kovacic,&nbsp;Marissa Krukowski,&nbsp;David Dan","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We report a method for the detection of low activities of β- and γ-emitters via radiation-induced polymerization monitored by Ultraviolet-visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. This technique demonstrates a correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity and polymerization rate, allowing reliable radiometric quantification in aqueous samples (minimum level of detection = 2.88 μCi/L) with an accuracy of approximately 94%.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 101027"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The toxicity of polylactic acid (PLA) nanoplastics and oligomers to Pseudomonas putida is driven by photoaged by-products","authors":"Virginia Gálvez-Blanca ,&nbsp;Miguel Tamayo-Belda ,&nbsp;Gerardo Pulido-Reyes ,&nbsp;Miguel González-Pleiter ,&nbsp;Francisca Fernández-Piñas ,&nbsp;Roberto Rosal","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100964","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100964","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, bioplastics, including biodegradable and bio-based polymeric materials, have been increasingly used in various industries such as packaging and agriculture. Despite their faster fragmentation in the environment, the occurrence and environmental toxicity of realistic nanoplastics (NP; &lt;1000 nm) and oligomers (OL; &lt;50 kDa) remain poorly understood, highlighting the need for further research before their widespread use. In this study, polylactic acid (PLA) microbeads, a biodegradable plastic widely applied in single-use products and agricultural mulching, were fragmented into nanoscale material. Part of the material was exposed to UV irradiation to simulate natural photoaging and to compare its physicochemical and toxicological behavior with the unirradiated counterpart. The chemical composition, colloidal stability, size distribution, morphology, and polymer chain structure of both irradiated (I) and non-irradiated (NI) secondary NP and OL were extensively characterized. The biological effects were evaluated using <em>Pseudomonas putida</em> at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 50 mg/L. NP and OL induced ROS overproduction, metabolic alterations, and changes in membrane potential, likely linked to the toxicity of photoaged PLA by-products and the differential bioavailability of non-irradiated and irradiated materials. At moderate concentrations (≥10 mg/L), irradiated materials caused pronounced oxidative stress, reduced metabolic activity, and cytoplasmic membrane depolarization, indicating the formation of toxic photoaged species. MALDI TOF/TOF analysis confirmed the presence of degradation by-products primarily generated during photoaging. Overall, the results demonstrate that abiotic transformations of biodegradable plastics can produce persistent toxic compounds that pose potential environmental risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100964"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gasification-flameless and N₂O-assisted combustion for ultra-low PCDD/F emissions from chlorine-rich solid recovered fuel","authors":"Sheng-Lun Lin ,&nbsp;Wei Tang ,&nbsp;Yu-Lun Hsieh ,&nbsp;Jhong-Lin Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chlorine‑rich solid recovered fuel (Cl‑SRF) poses persistent risks of polychlorinated dibenzo‑p‑dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) formation and a high operational burden on air‑pollution control systems (APCS). Meanwhile, the valorization of nitrous oxide (N₂O) in waste‑to‑energy systems remains underexplored, creating a gap between emission control needs and oxidant utilization. This study pioneers a \"waste-treats-waste\" strategy by integrating gasification-flameless combustion (GFCM) with N₂O-assisted combustion (NACM) to simultaneously suppress PCDD/Fs and utilize residual N₂O. Pilot‑scale tests with chlorine‑rich SRF (1.58 wt%) show that NACM achieves a 95.7 % reduction in total PCDD/F mass concentration (to 15.3 ng/Nm³) and lowers stack toxicity to 0.044 ng WHO‑TEQ/Nm³, well below stringent limits. GFCM reduced conventional CO and NOx emissions by 36 % and 66 %, respectively, versus diffusion combustion (DCM), while NACM maintains NOx 52 % below DCM and improves thermal homogeneity in the primary chamber. Perfectly stirred reactor kinetic modeling indicates that reactive oxygen radicals from N₂O decomposition inhibit chlorinated precursors with a negligible NOx penalty. Ultimately, this approach enables the safe valorization of high-chlorine waste fuels, demonstrating a robust pathway for a circular economy by converting problematic waste streams into sustainable energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100971"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insight for the excision of amoxicillin using bio-sorbents from effluent: Impact, fate and treatment mechanism for Water Management– A review","authors":"Sathish Sundararaman ,&nbsp;Bagavathy Sudalai Muthu ,&nbsp;Venkat Vignesh Seenuvasan ,&nbsp;D. Prabu ,&nbsp;D. Venkatesan ,&nbsp;J. Aravind Kumar ,&nbsp;M. Kavisri ,&nbsp;Praburaman Loganathan ,&nbsp;Meivelu Moovendhan","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100983","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100983","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The accumulation of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic ecosystems has emerged as a critical environmental and public health concern, leading to water scarcity, deteriorating water quality, and escalating treatment costs in many regions across the globe. This comparative study investigates the utilization of bio-based adsorbents for the efficient removal of pharmaceutical contaminants specifically the antibiotic amoxicillin from wastewater.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Both agro-based and organism-derived adsorbents exhibit promising characteristics such as high porosity, extensive specific surface area, superior adsorption capacity, and environmental sustainability. These green adsorbents operate through multiple adsorption mechanisms, including π–π interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, and weak van der Waals forces, enabling effective contaminant removal. Unlike synthetic materials, they are renewable, biodegradable, and free from secondary pollution, making them ideal for sustainable water treatment applications.</div></div><div><h3>Result</h3><div>The study further analyses the influence of key production parameters such as activation temperature, pH, precursor type, and surface modification on adsorptive efficiency and compares the performance of agro-waste-based adsorbents with conventional synthetic alternatives.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>By comparing or contrasting the articles, a step by step process for the number of preparation and modification steps of biosorbents is developed that also turns out to be agro-based or natural polymer or microorganism having an incredibly high adsorption capacities and capabilities and it can be used in order to treat organically loaded wastewater more economically, efficiently and effectively than the conventional treatment methods because of their characteristics of high orders such as tolerance to contaminants</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100983"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Innovative approach for determining polypropylene microplastics pollution in calcareous soils: Vis-NIR spectroscopy","authors":"Hasan Mozaffari ,&nbsp;Ali Akbar Moosavi ,&nbsp;Shekoufeh Forouzan ,&nbsp;Sajjad Abbasi","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polypropylene (PP) plastic material is widely used in food packaging and agricultural-related tools, and is a major source of microplastics that degrade into agricultural soils and the environment. Generally, measuring soil microplastics content is laborious, expensive, and time-consuming. Therefore, in the present study, we attempted to indirectly predict the soil PP microplastic content using visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra by applying the partial least square regression (PLSR), principal component regression (PCR), multiple linear regression (MLR), and support vector regression (SVR) models. The experiment was performed using ten calcareous soils of diverse and varied ranges of initial characteristics collected from Fars Province, Iran. The soils were polluted with varying concentrations of PP microplastics (0–5 %wt), based on a normal distribution to obtain ten polluted subsamples for each of the ten studied soils (total of 100 samples). Results illustrated the strong potential of Vis-NIR spectroscopy for predicting soil PP microplastic content in calcareous soils with R²_CV (coefficient of determination related to leave-one-out cross-validation) values of 0.92 and 0.92, and RPIQ_CV (ratio of performance to interquartile range related to leave-one-out cross-validation) values of 4.62 and 4.68 when, respectively, PLSR and PCR were used as predictive models. A 10-variable MLR-based spectrotransfer function, STF (which actually is a kind of pedotransfer function in which only spectral bands are considered as predictors), was derived with R²_CV and RPIQ_CV values of 0.91 and 4.31, respectively, using reflectance values at 448, 528, 1082, 1415, 1724, 1913, 2010, 2221, 2302, and 2345 nm wavelengths as effective and key spectral bands for predicting soil PP microplastic content. However, the SVR method presented lower performances with R²_CV and RPIQ_CV values of 0.89 and 3.88, respectively. Generally, the developed MLR-based STF is simple and practical, and it can be tested and applied to predict PP microplastic content in soils under various conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 101008"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic residues in farmed fish and sediments from cage aquaculture: Insights from Stratum II of the Volta Lake, Ghana","authors":"Samuel O. Dandi ,&nbsp;Øystein Evensen ,&nbsp;Samuel Addo ,&nbsp;Emmanuel D. Abarike ,&nbsp;Seth M. Abobi ,&nbsp;Dzigbodi A. Doke ,&nbsp;Jan L. Lyche ,&nbsp;Stephen Mutoloki ,&nbsp;Amii I. Obiakara-Amaechi ,&nbsp;Elliot H. Alhassan ,&nbsp;Kofitsyo S. Cudjoe ,&nbsp;Regina E. Edziyie ,&nbsp;Samuel Opokuware","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100961","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Introduction&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections and promote fish welfare in Aquaculture. Reports suggest that the use of antibiotics in fish farming often breaches established protocols, frequently accumulating in fish muscles and sediments. These residues are known to be detrimental to the fish, altering antioxidant activity and immune responses, and posing environmental risks. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence, types and quantify, quantify the levels of antibiotic and residues in Nila tilapia (&lt;em&gt;Oreochromis niloticus&lt;/em&gt;) fish muscles and sediment samples, and evaluate the associated health risks to humans and the aquatic ecosystem in Stratum II of Lake Volta, Ghana.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methodology&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Muscles of table-sized fish and sediment samples were collected from cage aquaculture farms along the Stratum II of the Lake Volta, Ghana, and analysed using Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) for the presence of antibiotic residues. Variations in residual antibiotic concentrations and basic sediment properties throughout the various strata of the Lake Volta were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a general linear model (GLM). A post-hoc test for multiple comparisons with a significance level of &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05 was performed using Tukey's HSD technique. Potential antibiotic sources were examined using principal component analysis (PCA). Possible risks to human health and the environment were estimated using risk quotients described in the European Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Four antibiotics, namely ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and azithromycin, were identified in both fish muscle and sediments, with Azithromycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin residues being the most frequently detected antibiotics. Except ciprofloxacin which showed higher concentration midstream, the rest showed higher concentrations of the detected antibiotic residues from downstream sites. Risk analysis of antibiotic residues in fish muscle tissues and sediments revealed risk quotients that ranged from 0.0024–0.0382 for humans and from 0.0200 – 0.5713 for the aquatic ecosystem in the Lake.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Discussion and conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The detection of antibiotic residues in both fish muscle and sediment from aquaculture farms along Lake Volta suggests evidence of antibiotic use or contamination in fish farming in the Lake Volta. Though current antibiotic levels may not pose immediate risks, their accumulation, particularly Chloramphenicol, which has been banned for use in aquaculture, could contribute to antimicrobial resistance making it difficult for future treatment of human infection as well as compromising the food quality and safety. Antibiotic residues in fish and sediments from Lake Volta aquaculture signal contamination risks and a potential threat to future infection treatment&lt;/d","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100961"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surface tuning strategy: Functionalized carbon cloth as flexible and disposable sensor for 4-nitrophenol","authors":"Ganesh Pattan-Siddappa ,&nbsp;Saheed E. Elugoke ,&nbsp;Yong Hae Heo ,&nbsp;Sang-Youn Kim ,&nbsp;Eno E. Ebenso","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herein, flexible and disposable electrochemical sensor for 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) was fabricated through the surface oxygen functionalization of a bare carbon cloth electrode (BCCE). The oxygen-functionalized carbon cloth electrode (OFCCE) and the BCCE were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). OFCCE showed higher electronic conductivity and greater electrocatalytic activity for 4-NP reduction than the BCCE. The limit of detection (LOD) of 4-NP at OFCCE was 12.45 nM within a linear dynamic range of 0.16 – 2.65 μM. The percentage recovery of 4-NP from tap water at OFCCE was within the range of 97.80 – 100.73 %. OFCCE demonstrated outstanding anti-interference properties in the presence of notable interferons in addition to its remarkable 92 % peak current retention after 25 days of regular 4-NP electroanalysis at 5 days interval. The low detection limit, good shelf-life and the ease of fabricating OFCCE confirm its suitability for routine 4-NP electroanalysis in water samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 101022"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146022487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trends in quality and risk assessment applicability of microplastic ecotoxicity studies","authors":"Stephanie B. Kennedy ,&nbsp;Ana L. Antonio Vital ,&nbsp;Anna Kukkola ,&nbsp;Ezra Miller ,&nbsp;Andrew Yeh ,&nbsp;Scott Coffin ,&nbsp;Towsif K. Ahmed ,&nbsp;Lidwina Bertrand ,&nbsp;Andrew Barrick ,&nbsp;Win Cowger ,&nbsp;Magdalena M. Mair ,&nbsp;Darragh Doyle","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer 2.0 (ToMEx 2.0) aquatic organism database contains 286 microplastic ecotoxicity studies that have been scored for quality and applicability to risk assessment. The overall reporting quality of microplastic effects studies was assessed, and the relationships between quality scores and various factors, including time, taxonomic group were evaluated. Data uploaded into ToMEx were first evaluated against quality assurance and quality control criteria for the requirements of the database. Each study was given at least three total scores related to: technical quality, applicability to risk assessment, and overall study quality, which is the sum of scores for all criteria. While most studies reliably reported technical criteria, the majority of studies were not rated as applicable to risk assessment. Overall, study quality scores and reporting of technical criteria have not changed over time. However, a weak but significant decline in applicability to risk assessment was observed over time. Additionally, there was a weak, significant positive trend between study quality score and journal impact factors, but no significant correlation between study quality and whether a study found a significant effect. Quality scores varied significantly depending on species, with fish studies generally having lower risk applicability criteria scores and studies with crustaceans, molluscs, and annelids generally having higher scores. This analysis highlights uncertainties underlying the current state of knowledge regarding microplastic ecotoxicity, data gaps in the microplastic ecotoxicity literature, and provides a framework for assessing aggregated microplastic ecotoxicity data quality and their applicability to risk assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100942"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145618468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First evidence of CuPANotic cell death in fish gut upon environmentally relevant co-exposure to Copper and PVC microplastics","authors":"Jumman Bakhasha ,&nbsp;Vaishnavi Saxena ,&nbsp;Neeti Arya ,&nbsp;Pradeep Kumar ,&nbsp;Kamlesh K. Yadav ,&nbsp;Dana Kühnel ,&nbsp;Abha Trivedi","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastic-metal interactions represent a critical but underexplored dimension of aquatic ecotoxicology. Here, we provide the first validation of a novel CuPANoptosis (Cuproptosis and PANoptosis) paradigm in fish, uncovering how polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) intensifies copper (Cu²⁺)-induced toxicity in <em>Channa punctatus</em>. Fish were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of PVC-MPs (0.5 mg/L) and copper (0.85 mg/L), individually and in combination, for 60 days. PVC-MPs acted as potent vectors, enhancing copper bioavailability, tissue retention, and translocation across intestinal barriers, resulting in exacerbated oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mechanistically, FDX1-mediated Cu⁺ reduction accelerated abnormal protein lipoylation and aggregation, collapsing TCA cycle function and triggering cuproptosis. Strikingly, this cuproptotic activation integrated with apoptotic, pyroptotic, and necroptotic pathways, forming an interconnected programmed cell death circuitry ‘CuPANoptosis’. The co-exposure group exhibited maximal ROS accumulation, lipid peroxidation, GSH depletion, and severe disruption of intestinal architecture, including vacuolization, villi detachment, and widespread cellular damage, with all key alterations showing high statistical significance (<em>p &lt;</em> 0.05)<strong>.</strong> Transcriptional and protein-level analyses revealed upregulation of key mediators including <em>fdx1, dlat, dlst, bax, nlrp3, ripk1</em>, and <em>caspases</em>, validating synchronized activation of multiple cell death pathways. These findings highlight that PVC-MPs act as dynamic carriers amplifying copper-induced toxicity and unveil a previously unrecognized mechanism of gut injury. Collectively, our study provides the first transformative framework for understanding MP-metal synergy in aquatic systems, emphasizing urgent ecological risks and the need for targeted mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100956"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urinary phthalate metabolites and central precocious puberty in girls: Evidence for luteinizing hormone mediation","authors":"Iman Al-Saleh ,&nbsp;Rola Elkhatib ,&nbsp;Afaf Alsagheir ,&nbsp;Habiba Sultana ,&nbsp;Khalid Alhusayn ,&nbsp;Saleh Aldgither ,&nbsp;Syed N Alvi ,&nbsp;Yara Aljerayed ,&nbsp;Mawadah Baali ,&nbsp;Edward Devol","doi":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is growing concern that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may contribute to the rising incidence of central precocious puberty (CPP). This case-control study examined whether urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and bisphenol A (BPA) are associated with CPP risk. We recruited 77 girls (20 with idiopathic CPP and 57 age-matched controls) between 2021 and 2025 from a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Urinary EDCs were quantified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and serum reproductive hormones, including luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and cortisol, were assessed. Although urinary BPA and phthalate levels did not differ significantly between groups, LH correlated positively with several DEHP metabolites among CPP cases (rs = 0.34–0.45, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05). Specifically, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)-related metabolites—mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (MECPP), mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP), and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP)—were most consistently associated. Logistic regression suggested an increased risk trend for the molar sum of three DEHP metabolites (∑₃DEHP; OR = 2.18; 95 % CI: 0.86–5.52) and the sum of high-molecular-weight (HMW) phthalates (∑HMW; OR = 1.91; 95 % CI: 0.77–4.78), though not statistically significant. Cortisol levels did not differ between groups, but in CPP cases, moderate positive correlations were observed with MECPP and monobenzyl phthalate. BPA showed no significant associations with reproductive hormones or cortisol. Mediation analysis indicated borderline indirect effects via LH for several DEHP metabolites (MEOHP, MEHHP) and monobutyl phthalate (M<em>n</em>BP). Although M<em>n</em>BP showed the largest effect estimate, MEOHP was the most statistically suggestive (indirect effect = 0.79, <em>p</em> = 0.077). In conclusion, DEHP-related phthalates may influence early pubertal development through LH-mediated pathways. This study is novel in identifying LH as a potential mediator and detecting cortisol–phthalate correlations in CPP cases, underscoring the need for larger longitudinal cohorts with repeated biomonitoring to validate these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73763,"journal":{"name":"Journal of hazardous materials advances","volume":"21 ","pages":"Article 100955"},"PeriodicalIF":7.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}