Themed collection Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts Recent HOT Articles

Antimicrobial resistant organisms can be transmitted to humans through multiple environmental pathways. Monitoring these organisms in multiple environmental reservoirs is an important step towards mitigating adverse health impacts.

We discovered a biological mechanism supporting microbial degradation of bio-based poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) plastic in soils under ambient and future climates.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be measured in real time in gas and aerosol using iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS).

The atmospheric fate of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) has attracted much attention in recent decades due to the role of the atmosphere in global transport of these persistent chemicals.

The uptake of WSOC_g from biomass burning into ALW results in compounds that remain in the particle phase upon drying.

We suggest a re-evaluation of two reaction rate constants to be able to better model iodine emission from the ozonolysis of iodide in the presence of chloride.

Measurements of the kinetics of accretion reactions involving organic compounds typical of those present in atmospheric aerosol particles demonstrate the potential importance of peroxyhemiacetal and ester formation in a single organic phase and in phase-separated organic/aqueous mixtures containing a sulfuric acid catalyst.

We studied the mechanisms of cooking oil decomposition that lead to emission of aldehydes, an important group of air pollutants, from food cooking.

Human presence can affect indoor air quality because of secondary organic compounds formed upon reactions between gaseous oxidant species, e.g., ozone (O₃), hydroxyl radicals (OH), and chemical compounds from skin, exhaled breath, hair and clothes.

Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) are commonly used polyolefins, which have resulted in their accumulation in the environment, and can photodegrade in freshwater systems.

Large fluoropolymer manufacturing plants are major sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment; we measured legacy and emerging PFAS in air to provide insights into near-source PFAS profiles.

The residents are likely to experience harmful thirdhand exposure due to the indoor partitioning of flavoring agents added to the e-cigarettes and hookah tobacco.

Presented data shows that vacuum evaporative concentration of PFAS standards can cause class-specific loss of material that can be mitigated via recovery steps.

Fluorochemicals are a persistent environmental contaminant that require specialized techniques for degradation and capture.

In this study, we report the heterogeneous chemistry of ozone with urban road dust and anti-icer. We present a novel pathway for chlorine activation during ozone uptake by anti-icer and discuss its potential air quality impacts in cold-climate urban regions.

The removal of volatile content enhances the ice nucleation of soot particles by increasing the particle porosity and surface wettability.

Estimates of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) emission from the use of cosmetics in Europe.

Monte Carlo simulations suggest that organic aerosol repartitioning during transport indoors is often kinetically limited due to a low bulk diffusivity, but liquid and some semisolid particles can achieve equilibrium repartitioning during indoor particle lifetimes.

We test the use of sucralose as an oxidative-attenuation tracer to characterize the impact of ISCO for treatment of 1,4-dioxane in groundwater.

The fate-directed risk assessment helps evaluate whether the risk assessment of known constituents is representative for an entire UVCB.

We present a whole-body aquatic food web bioaccumulation model for perfluoroalkyl acids and two alternatives. Results highlight structure-dependent mechanisms, including phospholipid partitioning, blood plasma protein binding, and renal elimination.

Surface precipitation has been shown to occur on rapid time scales in clay and metal oxide mineral systems.

Within-room (between elevated surface dust and floor dust) and within-home (between indoor and outdoor dust) spatial variability in concentrations of HBCDDs were observed.

Spatially resolved atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations from an urban area in the Southern Hemisphere are reported for the first time.

Passive and active air-sampling results from 10 years of monitoring for 28 semivolatile organic compounds at six sites across Europe are compared and recommendations for interpreting passive air-sampler results are offered.

We have developed reaction libraries for predicting transformation products of PFAS in a variety of environmental and biological reaction systems.

Charts display the length of the linear uptake period, the time to equilibrium, and the loss of depuration compounds for the PUF-PAS. Required are only the length, temperature, and wind speed of deployment and the chemical partitioning properties.

Schematic showing how voltammetric microelectrodes were used to profile arctic lake sediments, where different locations contained different distributions of redox-active species.

The SeaSCAPE campaign replicated the marine atmosphere in the laboratory to investigate the links between biological activity in the ocean and the properties of primary sea spray aerosols, volatile organic compounds, and secondary marine aerosols.

Quantitative conversion of NTO to ATO by reduced wood biochar can occur repeatedly through recharging of the biochar's electron storage capacity.

Hydrogeologic transport contributes to limited organic chemical contamination in a region of intense gas extraction, even 10 years post-development.

We measured perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in proglacial rivers and along a non-glacial freshwater continuum to investigate the role of snow and ice melting in their transport and fate within the Lake Hazen watershed (82° N).

We incubated a novel fluorosurfactant with wastewater treatment plant sludge and identified smaller PFAS biotransformation products with lower bioaccumulation potential compared to the starting material.

PCA model of ATR-FTIR spectra discriminates plastic types and predicts photochemical age under long-term natural and artificial weathering conditions.

Aqueous PFAS concentrations fluctuate seasonally and precursor concentrations rapidly decline within the surface-water/groundwater boundary, indicating that transport through this boundary can affect spatial and temporal PFAS composition.

Measured membrane lipid–water distribution ratios (D_MLW) circumvent unreliable K_OW values for surfactants in tier 1 screening for the bioconcentration potential.

This paper concludes that mass absorption cross-section (MAC) values in London, UK have changed over time. It provides possible explanations and highlights implications for the interpretation of long-term trends.

The aqueous phase oxidation of ammonia and alkyl amines by OH is pH-dependent and can impact their atmospheric lifetime.

Fugitive emissions of mercury from unknown point and/or nonpoint sources are underestimated in current inventories.

The human polymorphic enzyme CYP2A6 is primarily responsible for catalyzing the oxidation and activation of one PFAS, the 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol.

Application of an aerosol dynamics model to estimate emission rates and fates of sub-500 nm particles in a test house.

Levels of PCBs and some PBDEs in Lagos house dust have declined, demonstrating the efficacy of restrictions on these chemicals. In contrast, deca-BDE levels show no clear decline; implying its more recent restriction has yet to be fully effective.

Black carbon and brown carbon emissions were investigated for different indoor activities and during periods of no activity in a test house as a part of the HOMEChem study.

(1) Physicochemical characterisation of single particles collected in an FeMn/SiMn furnace hall. (2) Bioaccessibility of manganese in particulate matter tested in terms of dissolution in Gamble solution.

ESI and APPI were highly complementary for characterizing refinery wastewater dissolved organic matter.

Strontium and caesium are fission products of concern at many nuclear legacy sites. In this study we used a novel approach to EXAFS spectra to determine the details of Cs and Sr surface complexation in clayey soils.

Plastic waste has the potential for significant consequences on various ecosystems; yet, there are gaps in our understanding of the interaction of bacteria with polymer additives.

New COSMO-RS-trained fragment contribution models provided quantum chemically based predictions for a range of chlorinated paraffin congener groups and mixtures regarding partition properties and their temperature dependence.

Soil-based risk assessment shows a U.S. city to exceed federal acceptable risk levels for both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health outcomes in many areas, with total risk and soil contamination being correlated with socioeconomic factors.

Municipal wastewater effluent is a significant year-round point source of neonicotinoids to a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream, leading to ecological exposure conditions of concern that persist downstream.

Quarterly PFOS concentrations (pg m⁻³) in ambient PM_2.5 in North Carolina, US. Highest concentrations were measured during July–September.

Stationary and personal passive sampling provides complementary information on the inhalation exposure to gaseous elemental mercury among Norwegian e-waste workers, and Ghanaian artisanal gold miners and community members.

The heavy metal pollution induced by agricultural land use change has attracted great attention.

Non-targeted analysis of polar organic pollutants using high resolution/accurate mass (HR/AM) mass spectrometry has been conducted in waters of San Francisco (SF) Bay to assess occurrence of emerging contaminants and inform future monitoring and management activities.