Article
Environmental Sciences
Parya Broomandi, Aidana Tleuken, Shaikhislam Zhaxylykov, Amirhossein Nikfal, Jong Ryeol Kim, Ferhat Karaca
Summary: This study evaluates the potential benefits of reduced traffic and urban mobility on the natural deterioration process of materials during the COVID-19 lockdown in twenty-four major cities globally, finding a decrease in material corrosion rates due to the introduced mobility restrictions. The research highlights the need for additional policies and measures to reduce environmental pollution in cities and protect cultural heritage.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Parya Broomandi, Ali Jahanbakhshi, Aram Fathian, Zhuldyz Darynova, Nasime Janatian, Amirhossein Nikfal, Jong Ryeol Kim, Ferhat Karaca
Summary: This study investigates the erosion rate of cultural heritage materials in 37 cities in East Asian countries and suggests that there is still a risk to cultural heritage resources. Additional measures are required to reduce atmospheric pollution and protect sensitive cultural heritage features successfully.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Kristijan Vidovic, Samo Hocevar, Eva Menart, Ivana Drventic, Irena Grgic, Ana Kroflic
Summary: This article reviews the existing knowledge on the influence of particulate matter on atmospheric damage, identifies the main gaps in current understanding, and proposes a redefinition of pollution due to changes in pollution situations. Furthermore, it highlights the lack of systematic studies on the synergy between pollution and atmospheric damage caused by atmospheric particulate matter.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Zhe Song, Jia Liu, Hongxing Yang
Summary: Solar photovoltaic (PV) is a promising and highly cost-competitive technology for sustainable power supply, with continuous global growth. However, air pollution and soiling of PV modules prevail worldwide, potentially reducing solar PV power generation significantly. Soiling losses contribute to most of the total power reduction in most regions except in highly polluted areas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Natalia Rovella, Nevin Aly, Valeria Comite, Luciana Randazzo, Paola Fermo, Donatella Barca, Monica Alvarez de Buergo, Mauro Francesco La Russa
Summary: This study focused on the impact of air pollution on archaeological buildings in Historic Cairo, with an emphasis on the chemical composition of black crusts and their correlation with air pollution sources. The research identified vehicular traffic and industrial activities as the main polluting sources affecting the conservation of the studied sites. By comparing with previous studies, important insights were gained into the primary and secondary sources of pollution contributing to sulphation processes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrea Marchetti, Victoria Beltran, Gert Nuyts, Ferenc Borondics, Steven De Meyer, Marina Van Bos, Jakub Jaroszewicz, Elke Otten, Marjolijn Debulpaep, Karolien De Wael
Summary: Optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) is a noninvasive molecular spectroscopy technique that allows for obtaining chemical information on organic and inorganic samples at a submicrometric scale. In this study, the potential of O-PTIR for characterizing small heritage objects was demonstrated by successfully identifying markers of glass-induced metal corrosion processes in 16th century brass and glass decorative elements.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pasquale Spezzano
Summary: The cost of damage to building facades due to air pollution in Italy is a significant portion of the total maintenance costs, especially damage from particulate matter which has the potential to significantly increase overall external costs. The costs of cleaning window panes due to air pollution are also considerable. Additionally, if atmospheric pollution in densely populated areas in Italy reaches levels similar to those in remote areas, the national cost of facade soiling could potentially be reduced by about 50%.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Concetta Pironti, Maria Ricciardi, Antonio Proto, Raffaele Cucciniello, Antonino Fiorentino, Rosa Fiorillo, Oriana Motta
Summary: The study evaluated indoor air quality to highlight the impact of environmental pollution on cultural heritage. It showed that the carbon isotopic composition of CO2 is a valid tool to monitor environmental pollution at museums and cultural heritage sites.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Franciele O. Campos Rocha, Gisele O. da Rocha, Marcos A. Bezerra, Anne Valesca S. Brito, Indiara dos Santos Sampaio
Summary: Measurements of air pollutants in Brazilian urban centers showed excessive levels of harmful substances such as formaldehyde and benzene. Sewage discharge and emissions from landfills are major contributors to pollution. Vehicle emissions play a significant role in atmospheric acidity. Such studies are important for accurate assessment of exposure risks in different residential areas.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhuoying Li, Jianjiang Lu, Yanbin Tong, Shanman Li, Feifei He
Summary: Environmental pollution has become a growing concern in China due to rapid economic development. This study analyzed atmospheric particulate matter samples from different cities in Xinjiang, China to understand the spatial distribution of microbial communities. The results showed that environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed had a significant impact on microorganisms, while O3 had a negative correlation. Short-range transported air masses had a greater impact on local pollutants and microorganisms.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Anna L. Hodshire, Ellison Carter, James M. Mattila, Vito Ilacqua, Jordan Zambrana, Jonathan P. D. Abbatt, Andrew Abeleira, Caleb Arata, Peter F. DeCarlo, Allen H. Goldstein, Lea Hildebrandt Ruiz, Marina E. Vance, Chen Wang, Delphine K. Farmer
Summary: Analytical capabilities in atmospheric chemistry provide new opportunities to investigate indoor air. The HOMEChem campaign studied the impact of common activities on indoor air and evaluated potential risks. Activities like cooking and cleaning quickly change the composition of indoor air, increasing levels of high-risk compounds and health risks associated with air contaminants.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas Visez, Mona Hamze, Klervi Vandenbossche, Florent Occelli, Patricia de Naidai, Yeny Tobon, Tomas Hajek, Marie Choel
Summary: Ozone can worsen allergy symptoms to certain pollens. The study investigated the uptake of ozone by different types of pollens and found that it varied greatly among the tested taxa. Tree pollens generally captured more ozone than herbaceous pollens, and lipids seemed to act as a protective barrier. After inhalation, pollen-transported ozone could exacerbate allergic symptoms through oxidative stress and local inflammation. The mechanism of pollen-induced oxidative stress could explain the aggravation of allergic symptoms during episodes of ozone pollution.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matthew M. Coggon, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Brian C. McDonald, Jessica B. Gilman, Rebecca H. Schwantes, Nader Abuhassan, Kenneth C. Aikin, Mark F. Arend, Timothy A. Berkoff, Steven S. Brown, Teresa L. Campos, Russell R. Dickerson, Guillaume Gronoff, James F. Hurley, Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, Abigail R. Koss, Meng Li, Stuart A. McKeen, Fred Moshary, Jeff Peischl, Veronika Pospisilova, Xinrong Ren, Anna Wilson, Yonghua Wu, Michael Trainer, Carsten Warneke
Summary: Decades of air quality improvements have reduced motor vehicle emissions, with VCPs now responsible for half of petrochemical VOCs in major urban areas. VCP emissions are widespread in US and European cities, impacting air quality, as illustrated by significant emissions in New York City. The study shows that VCP emissions, especially fragranced VCPs, have a significant impact on ozone levels in urban areas.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Georgios Kouremadas, John Christodoulakis, Costas Varotsos, Yong Xue
Summary: Construction materials undergo deterioration when exposed to the atmosphere, depending on the exposure time and location. Dose-Response Functions (DRFs) have been developed to estimate this deterioration, but previous DRFs only used ground-based measurements as input. This study presents a new tool named Satellite Sensed Data Dose-Response Functions (SSD-DRFs), which uses satellite data as input and overcomes the limitation of ground-based data. The developed SSD-DRFs for carbon steel, zinc, limestone, and modern glass materials provide more reliable corrosion/soiling estimates than traditional DRFs. Additionally, the research discovered a synergistic relationship between different corrosion mechanisms on material surfaces.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael K. Gagan, Halmar Halide, Raden Cecep Eka Permana, Rustan Lebe, Gavin B. Dunbar, Alena K. Kimbrough, Heather Scott-Gagan, Dan Zwartz, Wahyoe S. Hantoro
Summary: The Maros-Pangkep karst in southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia, is home to some of the oldest rock art in the world. This study reveals that most of the damage to the art was already present before 1950 CE and explains the role of anthropogenic sulfur emissions in promoting the decay of the rock art. The current threats to the art come from vandalism and sulfur emissions from diesel-powered vehicles.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Toshimi Nakajima, Mao Kuragano, Makoto Yamada, Ryo Sugimoto
Summary: This study compared the contribution of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to river nutrient budgets at nearshore and embayment scales, and found that SGD-derived nutrients become more important at larger spatial scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fan Liu, Lei Zhang, Chongyang Zhang, Ziguang Chen, Jingguang Li
Summary: NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves used for household heating have become a significant source of indoor pollution in Chinese urban areas. The high indoor concentration of NO2 poses potential health risks to residents. It is urgently necessary to establish relevant regulations and implement emission reduction technologies to reduce NO2 emissions from wall-mounted gas stoves.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Letter
Environmental Sciences
Hans Peter H. Arp, Raoul Wolf, Sarah E. Hale, Sivani Baskaran, Juliane Gluege, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Ian T. Cousins, Harrie Timmer, Roberta Hofman-Caris, Anna Lennquist, Andre D. Bannink, Gerard J. Stroomberg, Rosa M. A. Sjerps, Rosa Montes, Rosario Rodil, Jose Benito Quintana, Daniel Zahn, Herve Gallard, Tobias Mohr, Ivo Schliebner, Michael Neumann
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Philomina Onyedikachi Peter, Binessi Edouard Ifon, Francois Nkinahamira, Kayode Hassan Lasisi, Jiangwei Li, Anyi Hu, Chang-Ping Yu
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) in sediments from Yundang Lagoon, China. The results show four distinct fluorescent components, with protein-like substances being the most prevalent. Additionally, the total fluorescence intensity and LREE concentrations exhibit a synchronized increase from Outer to Inner to Songbai Lake core sediments. The findings demonstrate a strong correlation between DOM content and pollution levels.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Surya Gupta, Pasquale Borrelli, Panos Panagos, Christine Alewell
Summary: The objective of this study is to incorporate soil hydraulic properties into the erodibility factor (K) of USLE-type models. By modifying and improving the existing equations for soil texture and permeability, the study successfully included information on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) into the calculation of K factor. Using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm, two independent K factor maps with different spatial resolutions were generated. The results show that the decrease in K factor values has a positive impact on the modeling of soil erosion rates.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jesmin Akter, Wendy J. M. Smith, Yawen Liu, Ilho Kim, Stuart L. Simpson, Phong Thai, Asja Korajkic, Warish Ahmed
Summary: The choice of workflow in wastewater surveillance has a significant impact on SARS-CoV-2 concentrations, while having minimal effects on HF183 and no effect on HAdV 40/41 concentrations. Certain components in the workflow can be interchangeable, but factors such as buffer type, chloroform, and homogenization speed can affect the recovery of viruses and bacteria.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Luo, Xueting Yang, Diwei Wang, Hongmei Xu, Hongai Zhang, Shasha Huang, Qiyuan Wang, Ningning Zhang, Junji Cao, Zhenxing Shen
Summary: Atmospheric PM2.5, which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), is associated with cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality. The study found that both the mass concentration of PM2.5 and the DTT activity were higher during the heating season than during the nonheating season. Combustion sources were the primary contributors to DTT activity during the heating season, while secondary formation dominated during the nonheating season. The study also revealed that biomass burning had the highest inherent oxidation potential among all sources investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Erin L. Murphy, Leah R. Gerber, Chelsea M. Rochman, Beth Polidoro
Summary: Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for marine organisms. This study uses a trait-based framework to develop a vulnerability index for marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles in Hawai'i. The index ranks 63 study species based on their vulnerability to macroplastic pollution, providing valuable information for species monitoring and management priorities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kenji Maurice, Amelia Bourceret, Sami Youssef, Stephane Boivin, Liam Laurent-Webb, Coraline Damasio, Hassan Boukcim, Marc-Andre Selosse, Marc Ducousso
Summary: Growing pressure from climate change and agricultural land use is destabilizing soil microbial community interactions. Little is known about microbial community resistance and adaptation to disturbances, hindering our understanding of recovery latency and implications for ecosystem functioning. This study found that anthropic disturbance and natural disturbance have different effects on the topology and stability of soil microbial networks.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunhao Li, Yali Feng, Haoran Li, Yisong Yao, Chenglong Xu, Jinrong Ju, Ruiyu Ma, Haoyu Wang, Shiwei Jiang
Summary: Deep-sea mining poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human health by disturbing sediment and transmitting metal ions through the food chain. This study developed a new regenerative adsorption material, OMN@SA, which effectively removes metal ions. The adsorption mechanism and performance of the material for metal ion fixation were investigated.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Medici, Margherita Lavorgna, Marina Isidori, Chiara Russo, Elena Orlo, Giovanni Luongo, Giovanni Di Fabio, Armando Zarrelli
Summary: Valsartan, a widely used antihypertensive drug, has been detected in high concentrations in surface waters due to its unchanged excretion and incomplete degradation in wastewater treatment plants. This study investigated the degradation of valsartan and identified 14 degradation byproducts. The acute and chronic toxicity of these byproducts were evaluated in key organisms in the freshwater trophic chain.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiang Lin, Lianbao Chi, Qing Yuan, Busu Li, Mingbao Feng
Summary: This study investigated the photodegradation behavior and product formation of two representative pharmaceuticals in simulated estuary water. The study found that the formed transformation products of these pharmaceuticals have potential toxicity on marine organisms, including oxidative stress and damage to cellular components.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hua Fang, Dongdong Jiang, Ye He, Siyi Wu, Yuehong Li, Ziqi Zhang, Haoting Chen, Zixin Zheng, Yan Sun, Wenxiang Wang
Summary: This study revealed that exposure to lower levels of air pollutants led to decreased pregnancy rates, with PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO emerging as the four most prominent pollutants. Individuals aged 35 and above exhibited heightened susceptibility to pollutants.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali Shaan Manzoor Ghumman, Rashid Shamsuddin, Amin Abbasi, Mohaira Ahmad, Yoshiaki Yoshida, Abdul Sami, Hamad Almohamadi
Summary: In this study, inverse vulcanized polysulfides (IVP) were synthesized by reacting molten sulfur with 4-vinyl benzyl chloride, and then functionalized using N-methyl D-glucamine (NMDG). The functionalized IVP showed a high mercury adsorption capacity and a machine learning model was developed to predict the amount of mercury removed. Furthermore, the functionalized IVP can be regenerated and reused, providing a sustainable and cost-effective adsorbent.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rita Bonfiglio, Renata Sisto, Stefano Casciardi, Valeria Palumbo, Maria Paola Scioli, Erica Giacobbi, Francesca Servadei, Gerry Melino, Alessandro Mauriello, Manuel Scimeca
Summary: This study investigated the presence of aluminum in human colon cancer samples and its potential association with biological processes involved in cancer progression. Aluminum was found in tumor areas of 24% of patients and was associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell death. Additional analyses revealed higher tumor mutational burden and mutations in genes related to EMT and apoptosis in aluminum-positive colon cancers. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of aluminum toxicity may improve strategies for the management of colon cancer patients.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)