Heterogeneity and Contribution of Microplastics From Industrial and Domestic Sources in a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Xiamen, China

Plastic-related industrial discharge is suspected as a significant source of microplastics (MPs) in the influent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, little is known about the characteristics of MPs in industrial wastewater. Taking the Haicang WWTP in Xiamen, China, as an example, this study compared MPs in industrial wastewater with the domestic one in terms of abundance, particle size, polymer type, shape and color. Wentworth modulus, grain size parameters and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed to describe the MP difference between those two. It was found that the abundance of MPs in industrial wastewater was more than twice that in domestic wastewater, and the flux of MPs discharged into the aquatic environment through industrial wastewater was about 3.2 times that of domestic wastewater. The main shapes of MPs in industrial wastewater and domestic wastewater were fiber and granule, respectively. The proportion of polyester (PES) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in industrial wastewater was higher than that in domestic wastewater, related to the type of factories served by the WWTP. Compared with domestic wastewater, the rough surface of MPs in industrial wastewater was more complex and diverse, which might have a high capability of adsorbing other pollutants, thereby causing more significant harm to the environment. Our results supported that industrial sources of MPs are the priority areas in environmental management, and immediate action is taken to prevent industrial-sources MPs from entering the environment.

Nitrosamines and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Smoke-Cured Bacon (Larou) of Artisanal and Industrial Origin

The aim of this study was to compare the nitrosamines (NAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of Chinese smoke-cured bacon (Larou) of artisanal and industrial origin. The results showed that the average pH and Aw values of family-made Larou products were lower than those of industrial Larou, which was opposite to the TBARS level. The contents of residual nitrite and PAH4 in two artisanal Larou were significantly higher than those of the other groups (p < 0.05). The highest NA content (10.78 μg/kg) was found in family-made Larou. A correlation analysis indicated that the relationships between residual nitrite contents and total PAH8 contents (τ = 0.692, p < 0.01) and total NAs contents (τ = 0.805, p < 0.01) were characterized with a positive correlation. A principal component analysis indicated that the Larou from the industrial sources had similar safety attributes, and was more stable than the Larou processed in an artisanal manner. Our data suggest that Larou produced in industrial conditions is suitable for consumption.

Pathophysiological effects of cadmium(II) on human health-a critical review

Cadmium(II) is an omnipresent environmental toxicant emitted from various industrial sources and by anthropogenic sources such as smoking. Cadmium(II) enters our body through various sources including contaminated food and drinks and from active or passive smoking. It spares no organs in our body and the calamities it invites include primarily nephrotoxicity, osteotoxicity, teratogenicity, endocrine disruption, hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity above all. It brings about a bolt from the blue in the cellular biochemistry by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), disrupting the factors involved in the repair of DNA lesions and many other toxic nuisances otherwise by modulating the cell signalling machinery and acting as a potent carcinogen above all. In this review, we have tried to decipher some of the mechanisms played by cadmium(II) in exhibiting its toxic effects on various system of our body.

A Baseline Study On The Occurrence And Distribution of Microplastics In The Highly Polluted Metropolitan River Cooum, Chennai, India.

The current research aimed to determine the distribution of micro plastics in surface sediments and water from Chennai's Cooum River. The fiber dominates the Cooum River's surface sediments and water, followed by beads and fragments. Both the sediment and the water contain a high concentration of <1mm size micro plastics. The distribution counts of micro plastics in the Cooum River are significantly low compare to those found in the St. River Lawrence and Amazon river brazil. The distribution of micro plastics in riverine environments is strongly influenced by waste water discharge from domestic and industrial sources, as well as waste dumping near riverbanks.

An Integrated Approach for Source Apportionment and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Subtropical Agricultural Soils, Eastern China

Unreasonable human activities may cause the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in the agricultural soil, which will ultimately threaten the quality of soil environment, the safety of agricultural products, and human health. Therefore, the accumulation characteristics, potential sources, and health risks of HMs in agricultural soils in China’s subtropical regions were investigated. The mean Hg, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd concentrations of agricultural soil in Jinhua City have exceeded the corresponding background values of Zhejiang Province, while the mean concentrations of determined 8 HMs were less than their corresponding risk-screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land in China. The spatial distribution of As, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb were generally distributed in large patches, and Hg, Zn, and Cd were generally sporadically distributed. A positive definite matrix factor analysis (PMF) model had better performance than an absolute principal component–multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model in the identification of major sources of soil HMs, as it revealed higher R2 value (0.81–0.99) and lower prediction error (−0.93–0.25%). The noncarcinogenic risks (HI) of the 8 HMs to adults and children were within the acceptable range, while the carcinogenic risk (RI) of children has exceeded the safety threshold, which needs to be addressed by relevant departments. The PMF based human health risk assessment model indicated that industrial sources contributed the highest risk to HI (32.92% and 30.47%) and RI (60.74% and 61.5%) for adults and children, followed by agricultural sources (21.34%, 29.31% and 32.94% 33.19%). Therefore, integrated environmental management should be implemented to control and reduce the accumulation of soil HMs from agricultural and industrial sources.

Industrial odour pollution and human health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the association between residential or occupational short- and long–term exposure to odour pollution from industrial sources and the health status of the exposed population. Methods The searches were conducted in Medline, EMBASE and Scopus in April 2021. Exposure to an environmental odour from industrial sources in population resident near the source or in workers was considered. We considered outcomes for which there was a biological plausibility, such as wheezing and asthma, cough, headache, nausea and vomiting (primary outcomes). We also included stress-related symptoms and novel outcomes (e.g. mood states). Risk of bias was evaluated using the OHAT tool. For primary outcomes, when at least 3 studies provided effect estimates by comparing exposed subjects versus not exposed, we pooled the study-specific estimates of odour-related effect using random effects models. Heterogeneity was evaluated with Higgins I2. Results Thirty studies were eligible for this review, mainly cross-sectional (n = 23). Only one study involved school-age children and two studies involved workers. Only five studies reported odour effects on objective laboratory or clinical outcomes. Animal Feeding Operations and waste were the most common industrial sources. The overall odds ratios in exposed versus not exposed population were 1.15 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.29) for headache (7 studies), 1.09 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.30) for nausea/vomiting (7 studies), and 1.27 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.44) for cough/phlegm (5 studies). Heterogeneity was a moderate concern. Overall, the body of evidence was affected by a definitely high risk of bias in exposure and outcome assessment since most studies used self-reported information. Conclusions Findings underline the public health importance of odour pollution for population living nearby industrial odour sources. The limited evidence for most outcomes supports the need for high quality epidemiological studies on the association between odour pollution and its effects on human health.

Urban aerosol chemistry at a land–water transition site during summer – Part 1: Impact of agricultural and industrial ammonia emissions

This study characterizes the impact of the Chesapeake Bay and associated meteorological phenomena on aerosol chemistry during the second Ozone Water-Land Environmental Transition Study (OWLETS-2) field campaign, which took place from 4 June to 5 July 2018. Measurements of inorganic PM2.5 composition, gas-phase ammonia (NH3), and an array of meteorological parameters were undertaken at Hart-Miller Island (HMI), a land–water transition site just east of downtown Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay. The observations at HMI were characterized by abnormally high NH3 concentrations (maximum of 19.3 µg m−3, average of 3.83 µg m−3), which were more than a factor of 3 higher than NH3 levels measured at the closest atmospheric Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN) site (approximately 45 km away). While sulfate concentrations at HMI agreed quite well with those measured at a regulatory monitoring station 45 km away, aerosol ammonium and nitrate concentrations were significantly higher, due to the ammonia-rich conditions that resulted from the elevated NH3. The high NH3 concentrations were largely due to regional agricultural emissions, including dairy farms in southeastern Pennsylvania and poultry operations in the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware–Maryland–Virginia). Reduced NH3 deposition during transport over the Chesapeake Bay likely contributed to enhanced concentrations at HMI compared to the more inland AMoN site. Several peak NH3 events were recorded, including the maximum NH3 observed during OWLETS-2, that appear to originate from a cluster of industrial sources near downtown Baltimore. Such events were all associated with nighttime emissions and advection to HMI under low wind speeds (< 1 m s−1) and stable atmospheric conditions. Our results demonstrate the importance of industrial sources, including several that are not represented in the emissions inventory, on urban air quality. Together with our companion paper, which examines aerosol liquid water and pH during OWLETS-2, we highlight unique processes affecting urban air quality of coastal cities that are distinct from continental locations.

Development of a new emission reallocation method for industrial sources in China

An accurate emission inventory is a crucial part of air pollution management and is essential for air quality modelling. One source in an emission inventory, an industrial source, has been known with high uncertainty in both location and magnitude in China. In this study, a new reallocation method based on blue-roof industrial buildings was developed to replace the conventional method of using population density for the Chinese emission development. The new method utilized the zoom level 14 satellite imagery (i.e. Google®) and processed it based on hue, saturation, and value (HSV) colour classification to derive new spatial surrogates for province-level reallocation, providing more realistic spatial patterns of industrial PM2.5 and NO2 emissions in China. The WRF-CMAQ-based PATH-2016 model system was then applied with the new processed industrial emission input in the MIX inventory to simulate air quality in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) area (formerly called Pearl River Delta, PRD). In the study, significant root mean square error (RMSE) improvement was observed in both summer and winter scenarios in 2015 when compared with the population-based approach. The average RMSE reductions (i.e. 75 stations) of PM2.5 and NO2 were found to be 11 µg m−3 and 3 ppb, respectively. Although the new method for allocating industrial sources did not perform as well as the point- and area-based industrial emissions obtained from the local bottom-up dataset, it still showed a large improvement over the existing population-based method. In conclusion, this research demonstrates that the blue-roof industrial allocation method can effectively identify scattered industrial sources in China and is capable of downscaling the industrial emissions from regional to local levels (i.e. 27 to 3 km resolution), overcoming the technical hurdle of ∼ 10 km resolution from the top-down or bottom-up emission approach under the unified framework of emission calculation.