Article
Engineering, Environmental
Filip Mercl, Zdenek Kosnar, Petr Marsik, Martin Vojtisek, Jakub Dusek, Jirina Szakova, Pavel Tlustos
Summary: The study found that the application of biosolids as fertilizer had an impact on the transfer of pharmaceuticals to lettuce. Torrefaction and pyrolysis treatment altered the pharmaceutical content in biosolids as well as their translocation ability to plants.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
David M. Kennes-Veiga, Lorena Gonzalez-Gil, Marta Carballa, Juan M. Lema
Summary: This review focuses on the metabolic activities, mechanisms, and enzymatic activities involved in the biotransformation of organic micropollutants in wastewater treatment plants under different redox environments. Common methodologies for studying such enzymes, including in vitro enzyme assays, enzymatic inhibitors, analysis of transformation products, and various -omic techniques, are discussed. Perspectives on major challenges and future research requirements to enhance the biotransformation of organic micropollutants are proposed.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Khang Huynh, Elizabeth Leonard, Juang-Horng Chong, Cristi Palmer, Nishanth Tharayil
Summary: The plant uptake and metabolism of the insecticide cyantraniliprole was studied in tomato plants, revealing that mature leaves contained the highest residues, followed by flowers and immature fruits. Metabolism of cyantraniliprole primarily occurred in the foliage, with various metabolites identified in flowers and fruits. Major transformation pathways included ring closure, N-demethylation, and glycosylation, with additional minor phase-I, phase-II, and breakdown metabolites also observed. Overall, there was a tissue-specific accumulation of metabolites of cyantraniliprole in tomato plants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sunil Paul M. Menacherry, Radka Kodesova, Helena Svecova, Ales Klement, Miroslav Fer, Antonin Nikodem, Roman Grabic
Summary: The accumulation and distribution of different pharmaceuticals in onion, spinach, and radish plants grown in six soil types were investigated. Neutral molecules showed higher accumulation and translocation to plant leaves compared to ionic molecules. The accumulation of carbamazepine (CAR) and its metabolite in plant leaves indicated the potential risk of pharmaceutical entrance into the food chain.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ines Leitao, Luisa L. Martins, Luisa Carvalho, M. Conceicao Oliveira, M. Matilde Marques, Miguel P. Mourato
Summary: The study found that contamination of lettuce plants with acetaminophen (ACT) can induce oxidative stress and increase stress indicators, while also causing significant changes in the enzymatic activities related to the antioxidative system. Additionally, ACT has a specific impact on the glutathione cycle in contaminated leaves, and induces an antioxidative response in lettuce plants with significant increases in anthocyanin content.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Noor A. Aly, James N. Dodds, Yu-Syuan Luo, Fabian A. Grimm, MaKayla Foster, Ivan Rusyn, Erin S. Baker
Summary: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pose risks to human health and the environment, requiring effective assessment methods. Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is commonly used, but challenges arise from the diverse range of chemical classes, necessitating multiple time-consuming analyses for different types of POPs. Ion mobility spectrometry coupled with MS (IMS-MS) shows potential as a rapid screening technique for assessing a variety of POP compounds and their metabolites.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abhishek Jamloki, Vijay Laxmi Trivedi, M. C. Nautiyal, Prabhakar Semwal, Natalia Cruz-Martins
Summary: This article explores the poisonous plants of the Indian Himalayas and highlights their importance in treating various ailments.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dong-Jin Son, Chang-Soo Kim, Jun-Won Park, Jae-Ho Lee, Soo-Hyung Lee, Sun-Kyoung Shin, Dong-Hwan Jeong
Summary: Overconsumption of pharmaceuticals is causing negative impacts on human and wildlife endocrine systems. Previous studies have investigated the occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but the understanding of their removal mechanism in both liquid and solid phases is limited. This study assessed pharmaceuticals in both liquid and solid phases in three municipal WWTPs with different treatment configurations, providing valuable information for the evaluation of the fate of pharmaceuticals in biological processes of WWTPs.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joerg Schlingemann, Sebastian Hickert, Giorgio Blom, Grace Kocks, Leonardo Allain
Summary: The letter to the editor of Heliyon raises concerns about the methodology and sample preparation used in an article published in 2021. The reported nitrite measurements are higher than those observed by the authors, and they wish to discuss these findings with the article authors.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jessica I. Nieto-Juarez, Ricardo A. Torres-Palma, A. M. Botero-Coy, Felix Hernandez
Summary: The study revealed that the wastewater treatment processes in major Peruvian cities such as Lima are not efficient in removing pharmaceutical substances, posing severe environmental risks. Additional treatment methods are needed to ensure more effective elimination of these compounds.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
D. Zabka, A. Vojs Stanova, I. Horakova, A. Butor Skulcova, R. Grabic, V. Spalkova, M. Gal, T. Mackul'ak
Summary: As WWTPs cannot completely remove all psychoactive pharmaceuticals, these compounds become part of the aquatic ecosystem. Our study reveals that certain compounds like codeine or citalopram have low elimination efficiency (<38%), while compounds like venlafaxine, oxazepam, or tramadol have almost no elimination efficiency. This accumulation of compounds in the wastewater treatment process may be the cause of the lower elimination efficiency. The study focuses on the potential use of aquatic plants to remove these problematic psychoactive compounds.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY B-ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dong-Jin Son, Chang-Soo Kim, Jun-Won Park, Soo-Hyung Lee, Hyen-Mi Chung, Dong-Hwan Jeong
Summary: This study evaluated the spatial variations of fifteen pharmaceuticals in the unit processes of four full-scale municipal WWTPs by analyzing solid and liquid samples. Different pathways for pharmaceutical removal were investigated, with acetaminophen and caffeine showing a significant decrease in mass loading in the biological treatment process, while ibuprofen exhibited a temporary increase possibly due to deconjugation. Adsorption by biosolids was the major removal mechanism for selected antibiotics in WWTPs. The use of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was found to be effective in reducing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater due to its high concentration of biosolids acting as adsorbents.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Biology
Zareen Narayanan, Bernard R. Glick
Summary: Scientists are using new genetic tools to engineer crop varieties with improved traits. By manipulating the plants' genetic makeup, they can develop plants that produce valuable compounds. This plant-based biomanufacturing method offers a more sustainable and cost-effective approach compared to traditional manufacturing processes.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Prangya R. Rout, Tian C. Zhang, Puspendu Bhunia, Rao Y. Surampalli
Summary: Emerging contaminants (ECs) are unregulated anthropogenic chemicals that persist in the environment and are considered contaminants of emerging environmental concerns. Major classes of ECs include pharmaceuticals and personal care products, surfactants, plasticizers, pesticides, fire retardants, and nanomaterials. In wastewater treatment plants, EC removal efficiency ranges from 20-50% in the primary treatment step, 30-70% in the secondary treatment step, and >90% in the tertiary treatment step.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Inga R. Grin, Daria V. Petrova, Anton V. Endutkin, Chunquan Ma, Bing Yu, Haiying Li, Dmitry O. Zharkov
Summary: Base excision DNA repair is an important pathway in safeguarding the genome of plants, and understanding their repair mechanisms is crucial for developing new crop varieties.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Irena Stepanikova, Vojtech Thon, Ondrej Mikes, Jana Klanova
Summary: This study reveals that prenatal and postnatal life events exposure are risk factors for the development of wheezing in children. Prenatal stress contributes to wheeze directly and also through postnatal events, respiratory infections, and maternal depression.
PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ondrej Mikes, Anne Lise Brantsaeter, Helle Katrine Knutsen, Liv Elin Torheim, Julie Bienertova Vasku, Tomas Prusa, Pavel Cupr, Karel Janak, Ladislav Dusek, Jana Klanova
Summary: This study investigated dietary patterns in a Czech pregnancy cohort and found that the 'unhealthy' pattern was associated with lower birth weight and length, as well as higher cephalisation index, while the 'healthy/traditional' pattern showed no association with any birth outcomes, highlighting the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy.
JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefan Trapp, Marie Christine Laursen, Frieda Hammershoi Petersen
Summary: The study found that dumping electric scooter batteries in ponds did not release significant amounts of toxic metals nickel, cobalt, and copper, indicating good sealing of the batteries and minimal threat to aquatic organisms.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Russell Davenport, Pippa Curtis-Jackson, Philipp Dalkmann, Jordan Davies, Kathrin Fenner, Laurence Hand, Kathleen McDonough, Amelie Ott, Jose Julio Ortega-Calvo, John R. Parsons, Andreas Schaffer, Cyril Sweetlove, Stefan Trapp, Neil Wang, Aaron Redman
Summary: This paper discusses the challenges and limitations facing current methods for evaluating the persistence of chemical substances and the scientific advances that are helping to address these issues. The advancements mentioned include a deeper understanding of microbial composition, benchmarking tools and reference substances, analytical methods for quantification at environmentally relevant concentrations, modeling tools for predicting microbial biotransformation, and modeling approaches for deriving more generally applicable biotransformation rate constants. However, the translation of these advancements into regulatory practice and the development of new OECD test guidelines need improvement and acceleration.
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefan Trapp, Andreas Libonati Brock, Matthias Kastner, Andreas Schaffer, Dieter Hennecke
Summary: This study evaluated the accuracy and precision of the MTB method for estimating biomass and bioNER formed from the degradation of organic chemicals using experimental data. The results showed that the MTB method provides a robust model for determining the potential amounts of biomass and bioNER formed.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lou-Anne Chevrollier, Marja Koski, Jens Sondergaard, Stefan Trapp, Denis Worlanyo Aheto, George Darpaah, Torkel Gissel Nielsen
Summary: The study found high concentrations of metals in plankton from the coast of Ghana, particularly for Mn, Mo, Zn, and Fe. All metals significantly bioaccumulated, with the accumulation increasing from smaller to larger size fractions, suggesting biomagnification.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Libor Sulc, Tomas Janos, Daniel Figueiredo, Ilse Ottenbros, Petr Senk, Ondrej Mikes, Anke Huss, Pavel Cupr
Summary: This study investigated urinary levels of 12 pesticide metabolites among 110 parent-child pairs and found that children had significantly higher levels of metabolites compared to adults, with higher concentrations in winter samples. Exposure mainly occurred through diet, and environmental exposure had less of an impact. Risk assessment showed overall low risk, but the worst-case scenario highlighted the need for continuous evaluation of pesticide exposure in children.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiaxin Li, Chongchao Yao, Bo Song, Zhihao Zhang, Andreas Libonati Brock, Stefan Trapp, Jing Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful design of a novel MFC anode which improved power density and elemental sulfur recovery by enriching sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria. This approach has the potential for enhancing power generation and sulfide removal efficiency.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ondrej Mikes, Ondrej Sanka, Aneta Rafajova, Jelle Vlaanderen, Jie Chen, Gerard Hoek, Jana Klanova, Pavel Cupr
Summary: Vulnerable windows in child development, both in utero and after birth, are crucial for understanding the relationship between environment and health. The ELSPAC birth cohort, based in Brno, Czechia, provides valuable longitudinal data on health and life events. Air quality concentration maps for the 1990s in Central Europe are currently unavailable, so new models were developed using Czech air quality monitoring data to assess exposure to air pollutants. These models will be useful not only for ELSPAC studies, but also for other Czech and Central European cities during that time period.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiao Liu, Steffen Kuemmel, Stefan Trapp, Hans Hermann Richnow
Summary: This study investigated the transformation mechanisms of hexachlorocyclohexaneisomers (HCHs) within tree trunks using multielement compound-specific isotope analysis (ME-CSIA) and enantiomer fractionation. The results demonstrated that alpha-HCH was transformed in different growth ring sections, indicating varying mechanisms. This study provides new insights into the transformation of HCHs in trees and its implications for phytoscreening and dendrochemistry.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefan Trapp, Junxuan Shi, Landi Zeng
Summary: Plant uptake of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is a potential pathway for human exposure. A widely used plant uptake model has been expanded to consider processes relevant for polar and ionizable substances, providing an alternative approach for chemical risk assessment and environmental fate evaluation of PPCPs.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ilse Ottenbros, Erik Lebret, Carolin Huber, Arjen Lommen, Jean-Philippe Antignac, Pavel Cupr, Libor Sulc, Ondrej Mikes, Tamas Szigeti, Szilvia Kozepesy, Inese Martinsone, Zanna Martinsone, Lasma Akulova, Olga Pardo, Sandra F. Fernandez, Clara Coscolla, Susana Pedraza-Diaz, Martin Krauss, Laurent Debrauwer, Kevin Wagner, Rosalie Nijssen, Hans Mol, Chiara Maria Vitale, Jana Klanova, Borja Garlito Molina, Nuria Leon, Roel Vermeulen, Mirjam Luijten, Jelle Vlaanderen
Summary: This study investigated the probability of exposure to pesticide mixtures in five European countries and found that humans are exposed to various pesticides through diet and the environment. Living in an agricultural area, being a child, and the season of urine sampling can affect the detection of pesticides. The study also showed differences in pesticide exposure between adults and children.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yu-Xi Feng, Peng Tian, Cheng-Zhi Li, Qing Zhang, Stefan Trapp, Xiao-Zhang Yu
Summary: Plant kingdoms are facing environmental challenges from salinity, pollution, elevated CO2, and temperature due to industrialization and climate change. A hydroponics-based experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature and CO2 on the uptake and translocation of sodium chloride (NaCl) and cadmium nitrate (Cd(NO3)(2)center dot 4H(2)O) by rice seedlings. Results showed that Cd and Na exposure inhibited plant growth, but high temperature and medium/high CO2 mitigated these effects. Increasing temperatures and higher CO2 stimulated growth rates, while Na concentration decreased with higher CO2 and Cd concentration was highest at medium CO2. Coexposure experiments suggested that Cd concentration in roots slightly declined with additional Na, especially at high temperature. This study highlights how climate change can impact mineral and toxic element distribution and plant tolerance in rice plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andreas Libonati Brock, Kristin Kostadinova, Emma Mork-Pedersen, Fides Hensel, Yifeng Zhang, Borja Valverde-Perez, Colin A. Stedmon, Stefan Trapp
Summary: Marine dead zones, caused by hypoxia, have been expanding and threatening coastal marine life. In order to protect the marine environment from the formation of dead zones, sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) were tested for their ability to reduce the release of sulfide from sediments. The study found that both steel electrodes and charcoal-amended electrodes could effectively reduce sulfide concentrations in bottom water, as well as phosphate concentrations and ammonium.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dieter Hennecke, Mike Kruse, Joana Braeutigam, Boris Meisterjahn, Judith Klein, Daniela Classen, Stefan Trapp, Matthias Kaestner, Andreas Libonati Brock, Andreas Schaeffer
Summary: This article discusses non-extractable residues (NER) produced by chemicals during degradation testing and their inclusion in environmental persistence assessment. Different types of NER can be experimentally distinguished, and residues of the parent substance in type I NER can be identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ADVANCES
(2023)
