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.

Initial transformation products and their formation mechanisms in the chlorination of the indole moiety in tryptophan (Trp) are investigated using a quantum chemical computational method.

Galaxolide (HHCB) is the most common synthetic musk compound detected in numerous daily products.

Higher AhR activity measured in endangered SLE belugas compared to Arctic belugas was attributed to their exposure to polar contaminants.

We describe a robust and flexible protocol to collect water-soluble chemicals from leaf surfaces for atmosphere-biosphere interaction studies.

Artemisia annua litter produced in soil contaminated with 15 and 30 g kg⁻¹ of petroleum exhibited significantly lower decomposition rates than that from uncontaminated soil.

Coccolithophores are biogeochemically and ecologically important phytoplankton that produce calcium carbonate scales, or coccoliths. Here, we show that one species of coccolithophore grows coccoliths with uneven distribution of Sr, in contrast to current fractionation model theory.

The physiological and biochemical behaviors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were modulated using benzalkonium chloride, potentially through the attenuation of the quorum sensing system.

Adsorption of different organic pollutants by three microplastics before and after weathering.

Direct or indirect consumption of pesticides and their related products by humans and other living organisms without safe dosing may pose a health risk.

Tire wear particles and nickel have detrimental effects on plant health by causing blockage and altering nutrient hemotasis, ultimately reducing plant yield.

Experimental conditions such as extraction methods and storage conditions induce biases on the measurement of the oxidative potential and the bioaccessibility of transition metals from welding fumes.

Glancing-angle laser-induced fluorescence is used to obtain adsorption isotherms of organic pollutants at the air–water interface.

Biodegradation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in compost environment enriched with iron, and gelatin significantly enhanced microbial enzymatic activity, thus accelerating PLA degradation at mesophilic conditions (home/backyard composting setting).

The uptake of total gaseous mercury (TGM) by Korean forest foliage is mainly affected by local wind speed, boosting its passage and absorption. Mercury levels and isotopic signatures in litter and topsoil fluctuate, particularly in areas with high wind speed, temperature, and low elevation.

Estimation of dermal bioaccessibility and characterization of listed-ingredient and residual per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetic products.

This study indicates that in alkaline media, carbonate slightly inhibits ferrihydrite transformation and suppresses goethite formation, but promotes hematite formation, which has important implications for elemental biogeochemical cycles.

This study assesses the environmental impact of the fluoropolymer industry in Europe by making an inventory of their emissions of PFASs and other fluorinated organic substances.

We showed that oligotrophic coastal marine areas are susceptible to the deposition of pollen and aerosols from open-fire biomass burning, which alter Cu-binding organic ligands in the sea surface microlayer.

Using the combination of total analysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify fluoropolymers in a broad range of consumer products.

The results suggest that atmospheric transformation can significantly change the hazard properties of LCMs, emphasizing the importance of atmospheric transformation when evaluating the hazards of LCMs.

To our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the effects of surface water particle content on human norovirus decay rate constants, which will be useful parameters in fate and transport models.

We have developed conventional and machine learning-based mixture QSAR models from the toxicity data of the binary mixtures of fluoroquinolones in E. coli.

We studied the transformation of ⁵⁷Fe-labelled ferrihydrite and lepidocrocite mixed with a flooded paddy soil by using ⁵⁷Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy.

The protonation state of dissolved organic matter (DOM) impacts its structure and function in natural and engineered environmental systems, including DOM's ability to absorb light and form photochemically produced reactive intermediates (PPRI).

Inspired by the adhesion characteristics of mussels, this paper proposed an antifouling strategy of using antioxidants to remove ROS.

Adding mass spectra from complex mixtures of chemicals relevant for exposomics to open spectral libraries such as MassBank and chemical databases like PubChem empowers identification efforts for non-target high resolution mass spectrometry workflows.

Mixtures extracted from beluga traditional food preparations activated oxidative stress response and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor but did not show any hormone-like effects.

Analysis of precipitation finds many emerging PFAS.

The use of glycols is seen in various industries and occupations.

This study describes laboratory experiments on the reaction HOCl with chloride-containing aerosol and aerosol containing selected organic compounds with and without chloride.

This computational work presents a novel similarity-based q-RASAR approach for the development of a global model that can quantitatively and efficiently identify the skin sensitization potential of hazardous chemicals.

After an oil spill, the formation of oil-particle aggregates (OPAs) is associated with the interaction between dispersed oil and marine particulate matter such as phytoplankton, bacteria and mineral particles.

Oxidative methods (TOP and PhotoTOP) were combined with hydrolysis (THP assay) and fluorine sum parameters (EOF and TF) to characterize side-chain fluorinated polymers (SFPs) in functional textiles.

The rate and extent of sorption of trace contaminants to microplastics was monitored in real-time using direct mass spectrometry.

Wildfire activity is increasing in the continental U.S. and can be linked to climate change effects and nutrient emissions, with potential effects on downwind ecosystems.

The effect of humidity on organic hydroperoxide (ROOH) removal from air to real indoor surface films was investigated. A novel flow reactor for studying uptake kinetics of indoor pollutants on indoor materials is introduced.

Methylmercury formed in anoxic reservoirs associates with organic-rich particles and is exported downstream.

We here report chemical characteristics relevant to the fate and transport of the recently discovered environmental toxicant 6PPD-quinone (2-((4-methylpentan-2-yl)amino)-5-(phenylamino)cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione or “6PPDQ”).

An amended in vitro–in vivo extrapolation model that accounts for first pass clearance effects on chemical bioaccumulation in fish. Pre-systemic biotransformation can significantly reduce chemical oral bioavailability, which can reduce dietary chemical bioaccumulation potential.

A robust and quantitative instrument that measures total gas-phase reactive nitrogen (tN_r) has been developed for indoor air quality surveys. It can focus on NO_x, HONO, and NH₃ levels indoors, from the complete tN_r budget, on timescales of 5–20 min.

This work highlights how the pH of the atmospheric aqueous phase can influence the degradation of carboxylic acids during nitrate-mediated photooxidation.

At mercury (Hg)-contaminated sites, streambank erosion can act as a main mobilizer of Hg into nearby waterbodies.

Sunlight exposure can naturally mitigate microplastics pollution in the surface ocean, however it results in emissions of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) whose characteristics and fate remain largely unknown.

Certain PFAS, such as 4:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate, eluted faster from high pH, high sodium columns compared to neutral columns packed with field-collected soil. Other PFAS had more mass eluted from the high pH, high sodium columns.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of man-made fluorinated organic chemicals that can accumulate in the environment.

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.