Themed collection Environmental exposure and impacts

This perspective article reports the possible relationships between climate change and the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and vice versa.

We propose a framework based on exposure models for semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) to describe the emission and transport of, and exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in indoor environments.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial solvent and a common environmental contaminant. Reactive metabolites of TCE disrupt placental cell functions important for pregnancy health.

We present a perspective on how models based on the equilibrium criteria of fugacity and chemical activity can contribute to evaluation of persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity criteria.

We review how chemical properties govern human exposure to environmental chemicals through different routes from different sources.

The review examines literature relevant to environmental fate, transformation, and toxicity, and human exposure and health risks of neonicotinoid insecticides.

Herein, recent studies were evaluated to obtain regulation results in relation to puberty status and phthalate exposure in children.

Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a common contaminant in both occupational and community settings.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile organic solvent, released into the environment from industrial sites. It contaminates ground water and soil and poses a vapor intrusion hazard for residential and commercial buildings.

Indoor dampness causes mold growth. The likelihood of such molds being clinically relevant Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. is higher in coastal homes with history of indoor flooding. Fungal surveillance in flood prone homes is therefore critical.

Emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were investigated in human milk from Stockholm (Sweden), and the cities of Shanghai, Jiaxing, and Shaoxing (China).

Short term exposure to very low concentrations of CuO NPs can have an impact on freshwater ecological processes.

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.

This work shows the applicability of non-target screening for prioritizing environmental contaminants in the ovarian follicular fluid, identifying both substances associated to embryo quality and with high calculated hazard to humans.

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.

Isocyanates are reactive compounds found in industrial processes and are still challenging to evaluation as contaminants. A simple airborne methylene diphenyl diisocyanate generation system can be used in the comparison studies of evaluation methods.

This investigation provides insights into the modulation of glucosinolate-related pathways and may be useful for improving plant tolerance to ZnO NP-induced toxicity and growth inhibition.

Systematic description of more than 200 uses of PFAS and the individual substances associated with each of them (over 1400 PFAS in total).

This study aims (1) to determine seasonal and spatial distribution of THMs in chlorinated groundwater containing low levels of organic matter (0.4–0.8 mg L⁻¹) and low to high levels of bromine (40–380 μg L⁻¹), and (2) to evaluate the multi-route cancer risks associated with THMs.

Agriculture is a source of natural estrogens such as 17β-estradiol in streams, but in our study concentrations never exceeded European environmental quality standards for more than a day.

Organophosphorus pesticide (OPP) pollutants in the environment pose toxicity risks to living organisms, and the possible toxicity mechanism needs to be further clarified.

The in situ manufacture of cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) plastic liners in damaged sewer pipes is an emerging mobile source of anthropogenic air pollution.

Human nails can be used as a suitable indicator of human exposure to PCBs and PBDEs.

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment.

Blending of oxygenated additives with gasoline has been advocated to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to reduce hazardous health effects of gaseous emissions and particulate matter (PM) emitted by internal combustion (IC) engines in the transport sector worldwide.

In epidemiological studies, levels of PM_2.5 need to be estimated over time and space.

The concentrations of the heavy metals Hg, As, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn in soil, groundwater, air, and locally produced grain (wheat and corn) and vegetables were determined in a village near a battery factory in Xinxiang, Henan Province, China.

This study assesses aerosol chemical composition PM1 (<1 μm) with the state-of-the-art techniques inside and outside of an occupied residence.

29 surface farmland soil samples were collected to investigate the spatial distribution and composition characteristics of 13 organophosphorus flame retardants, 11 polybrominated diphenyl esters and 8 novel brominated flame retardants.

The protection of Dongting Lake is important because it is an overwintering and migration route for many rare and endangered birds of East Asia and Australasia, but an assessment of heavy metal contamination in West Dongting Lake is lacking.

The aim of this study was to analyze the accumulation of nonylphenols (NPs) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in the muscles, liver, and bile of flounder (Platichthys flesus), cod (Gadus morhua), and eels (Anguilla anguilla).

Temporal trends (1996–2017) of suspect- and target-per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and total fluorine (TF) were determined in first-time mothers from Uppsala, Sweden.

Paddy soil accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world's cultivated area and faces a serious threat from nickel (Ni).

This study presents a novel framework for estimating safe swimming distances at beaches and is the first participatory environmental science study to experimentally test strategies for increasing volunteer retention.

In order to improve human health risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), demography/life-style/physiological factors and drinking water PFAA concentrations were investigated as possible determinants of child serum PFAA concentrations.

In exploration of congenital heart defects produced by TCE, Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 alpha (HNF4a) transcriptional activity was identified as a central component.

A new formation pathway has been identified for dichloroacetonitrile, a halogenated semivolatile drinking water disinfection by-product, from activated aromatic compounds.

Embryonic exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of TCE disrupts development, morphology, heart rate, and behavior in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model system.

Predicted toxicity has been used to determine if a treatment process is either beneficial or detrimental to the overall DBP toxicological profile of water samples. Selection of the DBPs to measure is important and may result in biased conclusions.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an environmental contaminant associated with immune-mediated inflammatory disorders and neurotoxicity.

Quaternary ammonium compounds were found at substantial levels in wastewater effluents and sediment samples with wastewater treatment practices and usage rates determining their environmental prevalence.

Estimation of naturally occurring radionuclide (NORM) uptake in biota is an important step in environmental impact and risk assessments.

Ultraviolet disinfection could effectively inactivate the antibiotic resistant bacterium vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecalis, but had a limited removal efficiency for the antibiotic resistance gene–vanB gene.

In the rhizosphere, plant root exudates can mediate the toxicity of antibiotics on microorganisms, yet the mechanisms are poorly understood.

A screening procedure for the identification of potential emerging chemical risks in the food and feed chain developed in a previous EFSA-sponsored study was applied to 15021 substances registered under the REACH regulation at the time of evaluation.

A quantitative microbial risk assessment framework is used to derive risk-based surface water quality thresholds for coliphages.

Analytical methodologies were developed for two emerging PFAS, F3-MSA and HFPO-DA, in order to assess their occurrence and levels in Dutch and Belgian waters and evaluate human health risks due to their presence in drinking water.

Substantial differences in PFAA profiles were associated with significant differences in fatty acid and amino acid profiles.

This work determines the components of aqueous film forming foam responsible for disrupting microbial community functions.

The present work assesses the exposure of a child cohort to PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS from 1 year to 10.5 years of age.

In addition to PPARα and PPARγ, PPARβ/δ mediated pathway might also be a potential adverse outcome pathway for PFASs.

Free-ranging prawns showed substantial spatial and temporal variation in PFOS concentrations, most likely driven by behavioural and physiological factors.