Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Apr 16;16(8). Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Ecology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the raw material of 71% of polycarbonate-based resins and 27% of epoxy-based resins which are used for coating metal-based food and beverage cans. Meanwhile, it is taken into account as a typical environmental pollutant. Hormesis may occur in algae exposed to BPA. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 4;673:533-540. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China. Electronic address:

Although seasonality is a key driver of environmental fluctuation in aquatic ecosystems, there exists limited knowledge on the factors controlling the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) across seasons at a watershed scale. Here we used high-throughput quantitative PCR to quantify 285 ARGs conferring resistance to most major classes of antibiotics, reveal their spatial and seasonal distribution patterns, and depict the underlying mechanisms in a subtropical riverine ecosystem under low and high human pressures, in Xiamen city, southeast China. Our results showed that spatial differences in ARG richness and abundance overwhelmed their seasonal variations, with only ARGs that confer resistance to sulfonamide and vancomycin being significantly different across seasons. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2019 Apr 15;11(4). Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Hancock Biological Station and Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, USA.

Eutrophication of inland waters is expected to increase the frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Toxin-production associated with HABs has negative effects on human health and aquatic ecosystem functioning. Despite evidence that flagellates can ingest toxin-producing cyanobacteria, interactions between members of the microbial loop are underestimated in our understanding of the food web and algal bloom dynamics. Read More

Environ Manage 2019 Apr 13. Epub 2019 Apr 13.

Bureau of Land Management, National Operations Center, Denver, CO, 80255, USA.

The concept of ecological integrity has been applied widely to management of aquatic systems, but still is considered by many to be too vague and difficult to quantify to be useful for managing terrestrial systems, particularly across broad areas. Extensive public lands in the western United States are managed for diverse uses such as timber harvest, livestock grazing, energy development, and wildlife conservation, some of which may degrade ecological integrity. We propose a method for assessing ecological integrity on multiple-use lands that identifies the components of integrity and levels in the ecological hierarchy where the assessment will focus, and considers existing policies and management objectives. Read More

Environ Pollut 2019 Apr 4;250:58-67. Epub 2019 Apr 4.

Center for Sensor Technology of Environment and Health, State Key Joint Laboratory of ESPC, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.

Aryl phosphorus-containing flame retardants (aryl-PFRs) have been frequently detected with increasingly used worldwide as one of alternatives for brominated flame retardants. However, information on their adverse effects on human health and ecosystem is insufficient, with limited study on their molecular mode of action in vitro. In this study, the cytotoxicity, DNA damage, mitochondrial impairment and the involved molecular mechanisms of certain frequently detectable aryl-PFRs, including 2-ethylhexyldiphenyl phosphate (EHDPP), methyl diphenyl phosphate (MDPP), bisphenol-A bis (diphenyl phosphate) (BDP), isodecyl diphenyl phosphate (IDPP), cresyl diphenyl phosphate (CDP) and the structurally similar and widely used organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), were evaluated in A549 cells using high-content screening (HCS) system. Read More

Zoology (Jena) 2019 04 1;133:81-87. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address:

Current research highlights the importance of associated microbes in contributing to the functioning, health, and even adaptation of their animal, plant, and fungal hosts. As such, we are witnessing a shift in research that moves away from focusing on the eukaryotic host sensu stricto to research into the complex conglomerate of the host and its associated microorganisms (i.e. Read More

Nanomaterials (Basel) 2019 Apr 9;9(4). Epub 2019 Apr 9.

EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France.

The worldwide increase of graphene family materials raises the question of the potential consequences resulting from their release in the environment and future consequences on ecosystem health, especially in the aquatic environment in which they are likely to accumulate. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the biological and ecological risk but also to find innovative solutions leading to the production of safer materials. This work focuses on the evaluation of functional group-safety relationships regarding to graphene oxide (GO) in vivo genotoxic potential toward tadpoles. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Science , China Agricultural University , Beijing 100193 , China.

Propiconazole is a triazole fungicide that has been widely used in agriculture and has been detected in the aquatic environment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of propiconazole exposure on lipid metabolism in the early life stages of zebrafish for 120 h postfertilization (hpf). Using the early life stages of zebrafish to address scientific questions is lower in cost, more efficient, and suitable to meeting current legislation than those in other traditional fish species. Read More

Ecology 2019 Apr 1:e02720. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd. BIO 302, Orlando, FL, 32816.

Coastal wetlands are susceptible to loss in both health and extent via stressors associated with global climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. Peat collapse may represent an additional phenomenon contributing to coastal wetland loss in organic-rich soils through rapid vertical elevation decline. However, the term "peat collapse" has been inconsistently used in the literature, leading to ambiguities regarding the mechanisms, timing, and spatial extent of its contribution to coastal wetland loss. Read More

Front Microbiol 2019 11;10:454. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China.

Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies allow a more complete study of microbial plankton community composition and diversity, especially in the rare microbial biosphere. The DNA extraction of plankton is a key step for such studies; however, little is known about its influences on the abundant or rare microbial biosphere. Our aim was to quantify the influences of different DNA extraction kits on abundant and rare plankton in the surface waters of a reservoir and provide a reference for the comparisons between microbial community studies with different extraction methods. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Jun 19;670:523-538. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, NL CP 64849, Mexico. Electronic address:

Aquatic ecosystem contaminated with toxic pollutants and heavy metals due to the rapid growth of industrialization has become a top-priority global concern exhibiting highly adverse effects on human health and the environment. Many treatment techniques have been envisioned for the removal of these toxic contaminants from the aqueous environment. Among these techniques, magnetic separation has attracted burgeoning research attention owing to its simplicity, eco-friendly nature, large surface area, electron mobility, and excellent performance for removing water contaminants. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Jun 11;670:508-522. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address:

This study investigated the trophic transfer of four common toxic metals (Cd, Cr, Cu and Hg) in the food web and assessed their potential ecological risks in Laizhou Bay, a spawning area for fishery populations in the Bohai Sea, North China. Based on the predation relations of 43 species that were representatives of the main trophic levels (TLs), a simplified food web was constructed using stomach content analysis and stable nitrogen isotope ratio (δN) analysis. Using copepods as the baseline species (TL = 2. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Jul 20;175:236-242. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

L I I D O. Laboratorio de Inmunopatología. Córdoba, Argentina.

Cyanobacteria can produce potent natural toxins known as cyanotoxins. Blooms of cyanobacteria, produced mainly as result of the pollution of water bodies with excessive amounts of phosphorus, represent a severe environmental problem; not only do they affect the normal equilibrium of the aquatic ecosystem but may also affect animal and human health. The occurrence of algal blooms have been increasing globally (it has been recently reported in at least 100 countries) and it has been considered by WHO as an emerging public health issue. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Mar 11;16(5). Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany.

Wastewater discharge is one of the main sources of micropollutants within the aquatic environment. To reduce the risks for the aquatic environment, the reduction of the chemical load of wastewater treatment plant effluent is critical. Based on this need, additional treatment methods, such as ozonation, are currently being tested in several wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2019 Apr 18;53(7):3347-3365. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Institute for Environmental Sciences , University of Koblenz-Landau , Fortstraße 7 , D-76829 Landau , Germany.

Fungicides are indispensable to global food security and their use is forecasted to intensify. Fungicides can reach aquatic ecosystems and occur in surface water bodies in agricultural catchments throughout the entire growing season due to their frequent, prophylactic application. However, in comparison to herbicides and insecticides, the exposure to and effects of fungicides have received less attention. Read More

Mar Pollut Bull 2019 Mar 25;140:188-197. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Department of Life Science, Rama Devi Women's University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Electronic address:

Microfibers are emerging pollutants with widespread distribution in the environment and have adverse ecological impacts. Approximately 2 million tonnes of microfibers are released into the ocean every year from various sources, of which 700,000 micro fleeces are released from each garment through domestic laundry. Microfibers are the major marine pollutant throughout the world estimating 13 million tonnes of coastal synthetic fabric waste entering the ocean each year, out of which 2. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 18;666:508-524. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, km 380, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.

Aquatic contamination in agricultural areas is a global problem, characterized by a complex mixture of organic and inorganic pollutants whose effects on biota are unpredictable and poorly investigated. In this context, in the present study, the Neotropical fish Prochilodus lineatus was confined in situ for 120 days in two sites with different levels of anthropic impact: 1) a fish hatchery station, within the State University of Londrina (reference site - REF) and 2) an agro-ecosystem area in one of the most productive regions of southern Brazil (experimental site - EXP). We evaluated multiple biomarkers at different levels of biological organization, such as biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes, oxidative damages, DNA damages and liver histopathology. Read More

J Infect Public Health 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Division of Bacteriology, National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, (Indian Council of Medical Research), P-33, Scheme-XM, CIT Road, Beliaghata, Kolkata 700 010, India. Electronic address:

Background: Environmental diarrheagenic enteropathogens, effect of surrounding attributes and disease dynamicity remains far from being conclusively explored. Population flux, poor sanitation and hygienic practice poses potential health threat in diarrhoea endemic tropical countries like India. We aim to identify environmental attributes, seasonality of water-borne enteropathogens and health risk assessment off the river Ganges. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 13;665:797-809. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill St., Montreal, QC H2E 2E7, Canada.

Multiple metabolic, immune and reproductive effects have been reported in fish residing in effluent-impacted sites. Natural stressors such as parasites also have been shown to impact the responses of organisms to chronic exposure to municipal effluent in the St. Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada). Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 02 13;16(4). Epub 2019 Feb 13.

State Key Laboratory for Urban and Regional Ecological, Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China.

Landscape change is an important aspect of coastal ecological conservation and has an essential influence on the sustainable development of the coastal economy. With remoting-sensing (RS) images between 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015, using geographic information system (GIS) technologies, we examined ecosystem spatial changes in the Bohai coastal zone. Results showed that wetlands, mainly constituted by reservoirs/ponds, were the dominant landscape types. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 8;665:213-225. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Jinan Survey Bureau of Hydrology and Water Resources, Jinan 250013, PR China.

Global algal blooms have been severely threatening safety of drinking water and development of socio-economy. Effective prevention and accurate control of algal blooms require a quantitative assessment of the influence of human activities and identification of priority areas. However, previous studies on the quantitative assessment of the effects of human activities on algal communities are lacking, severely hindering the effective and precise control of algal blooms. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 May 13;173:110-117. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China. Electronic address:

The prevalence of microplastics in global waters raises the concern about their potential effects on aquatic biota. In aquatic environment, microplastics are almost ubiquitously present in all compartments from surface water to benthic sediment, making them accessible to a wide range of aquatic biota occupying different habitats. Exposure to microplastics may induce detrimental implications to the health of aquatic organisms. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 13;9(1):1998. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.

Conservation requires rapid action to be effective, which is often difficult because of funding limitations, political constraints, and limited data. Turtles are among the world's most endangered vertebrate taxa, with almost half of 356 species threatened with extinction. In Australia's Murray River, nest predation by invasive foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was predicted to drive turtle declines in the 1980s. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Feb 6;653:1458-1512. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

University of Vienna, Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

Radiostrontium is released to the environment from routine and accidental discharge and acts on living organisms either from external sources or after absorption. When incorporated by plants, it enters the food chain and causes primary threat to human health and the environment. Understanding the mechanisms of plants for strontium uptake and retention is therefore essential for decision making concerning agriculture: are uptake rates low enough so that plants can serve as food? Or is radiostrontium accumulated so that plants should not be eaten but could be probably used for extracting strontium from water and soil in hot spots of pollution? The review presents a summary of studies about the origin of stable and radioactive strontium in the environment and effects coming from both internal and external exposure of plants. Read More

Conserv Physiol 2019 6;7(1):coz003. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Intermittent-flow respirometry is widely used to measure oxygen uptake rates and subsequently estimate aerobic metabolic rates of aquatic animals. However, the lack of a standard quality-control software to detect technical problems represents a potential impediment to comparisons across studies in the field of evolutionary and conservation physiology. Here, we introduce 'FishResp', a versatile R package and its graphical implementation for quality-control and filtering of raw respirometry data. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 11;660:1449-1458. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

NSERC-Industrial Chair on Drinking Water, Polytechnique de Montréal, Canada.

The occurrence of micropollutants in water resources is raising substantial concerns, worldwide. These pollutants may have adverse impacts on the aquatic ecosystem and human health. Even though activated carbon is commonly used as an adsorbent to remove micropollutants from water, its low removal of hydrophilic components, energy-intensive regeneration procedure and slow adsorption can impair its applicability. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 24;664:89-98. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Department of Ecosystem Analysis, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address:

Although the effects of pharmaceuticals on aquatic organisms have been widely investigated during the last decades, toxic effects, especially delayed toxicity, during the developmental stage at environmental relevant concentrations were rarely known. In this study, a sensitive assay based on behavioral alterations was used for studying the delayed toxicity during the developmental stage on zebrafish embryos. Eight pharmaceuticals that were frequently detected with concentrations ranging from ng/l to μg/l were screened for this study. Read More

Environ Pollut 2019 Apr 26;247:890-897. Epub 2019 Jan 26.

State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. Electronic address:

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging contaminant and are confirmed to be ubiquitous in the environment. Adverse effects of MPs on aquatic organisms have been widely studied, whereas little research has focused on soil invertebrates. We exposed the soil springtail Folsomia candida to artificial soils contaminated with polyethylene MPs (<500 μm) for 28 d to explore the effects of MPs on avoidance, reproduction, and gut microbiota. Read More

PLoS Genet 2019 02 8;15(2):e1007943. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia.

Marine ecosystems are changing rapidly as the oceans warm and become more acidic. The physical factors and the changes to ocean chemistry that they drive can all be measured with great precision. Changes in the biological composition of communities in different ocean regions are far more challenging to measure because most biological monitoring methods focus on a limited taxonomic or size range. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2019 Feb 8;191(3):139. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kigali Campus, P.O. Box 3373, Kigali, Rwanda.

Rwanda is a heavily overpopulated country that also suffers from overstocking with livestock, especially following the return of war refuges after the civil war (1991-1995). At present, approximately 20% of the human population in Nyagatare District in northeastern Rwanda has no access to clean drinking water and sanitation. We used a biotic index based on the presence of selected families of aquatic macroinvertebrates, derived from the "Tanzania River Scoring System" (TARISS), to assess water quality at N = 55 sites in the Mutara grasslands in Nyagatare District. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2019 Feb 7;12(1):74. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK.

Background: Many mosquito-borne diseases exhibit substantial seasonality, due to strong links between environmental variables and vector and pathogen life-cycles. Further, a range of density-dependent and density-independent biotic and abiotic processes affect the phenology of mosquito populations, with potentially large knock-on effects for vector dynamics and disease transmission. Whilst it is understood that density-independent and density-dependent processes affect seasonal population levels, it is not clear how these interact temporally to shape the population peaks and troughs. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 May 23;222:564-583. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Centre for Safety of Substances and Products, P.O. Box 1, 3720, BA Bilthoven, the Netherlands.

Exposure science, in its broadest sense, studies the interactions between stressors (chemical, biological, and physical agents) and receptors (e.g. humans and other living organisms, and non-living items like buildings), together with the associated pathways and processes potentially leading to negative effects on human health and the environment. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019 Apr 6;26(10):9500-9507. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Sediments are reservoirs and sources of DDTs to the aquatic ecosystem. However, the role of sediment particulate matter and benthic organisms in transferring DDTs remains unclear. In this study, microcosms were built up with different groups to simulate a freshwater system with DDT-contaminated sediment and organisms. Read More

MBio 2019 02 5;10(1). Epub 2019 Feb 5.

College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia

Marine invertebrates often host diverse microbial communities, making it difficult to identify important symbionts and to understand how these communities are structured. This complexity has also made it challenging to assign microbial functions and to unravel the myriad of interactions among the microbiota. Here we propose to address these issues by applying evidence from model systems of host-microbe coevolution to complex marine invertebrate microbiomes. Read More

J Environ Manage 2019 Apr 2;236:118-124. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

Department of Urban System Engineering, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology (GNTECH), Dongjin-ro 33, Jinju, Gyeongnam 52725, South Korea; Department of Environmental Engineering, GNTECH, Dongjin-ro 33, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 52725, South Korea. Electronic address:

Lead (Pb) and Cu are the most common pollutants found in industrial effluents which affect ecosystem and human health. To remove Pb and Cu from aquatic system, cost-effective and environmentally friendly adsorbents are required. Therefore, the study evaluated the adsorption of Pb and Cu by waste plant materials and their biochars. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 15;663:465-478. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) at the US Environmental Protection Agency, 960 College Station Rd, Athens, GA 30605, United States of America.

The protection of listed species through the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) process is encumbered by the number and diversity of species that need protection and the limited data available to inform assessments. Ecological communities within isolated ecosystems often contain a number of biologically diverse endemic, endangered, and threatened species, as well as providing numerous ecosystem services (ES). We propose an approach that develops community-level protection goals using isolated wetlands that includes both listed species and Service Providing Units (SPUs) that drive ES for ecological risk assessments (ERAs). Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 May 25;663:297-306. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Analytical, Environmental and Geochemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address:

Mercury (Hg) is one of the primary health concerns in natural and urbanised environments due to past and present natural and anthropogenic emissions. Its environmental cycle is driven by redox reactions, microbial metabolism and organic matter (OM) interactions, which may all lead to formation of bioaccumulative organic Hg species; methylmercury (MeHg), with damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health. Hence, Hg lability and bioavailability has been the focus of many investigations and assessed with a variety of chemical proxies in order to improve understanding of the conditions that lead to enhanced bioavailability of Hg and its species. Read More

Water Res 2019 Apr 22;153:121-133. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China; School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, 2000, NSW, Australia.

Global aquatic ecosystems are essential to human existence and have deteriorated seriously in recent years. Understanding the influence mechanism of habitat variation on the structure of the food-web allows the effective recovery of the health of degraded ecosystems. Whereas most previous studies focused on the selection of driving habitat factors, the impact of habitat variation on the food-web structure was rarely studied, resulting in the low success rate of ecosystem restoration projects globally. Read More

Mol Ecol 2019 Mar;28(5):1170-1182

Microbial Ecology Group, National Research Council - Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), Verbania, Italy.

Notwithstanding the fundamental role that environmental microbes play for ecosystem functioning, data on how microbes react to disturbances are still scarce, and most factors that confer stability to microbial communities are unknown. In this context, antibiotic discharge into the environment is considered a worldwide threat for ecosystems with potential risks to human health. We therefore tested resilience of microbial communities challenged by the presence of an antibiotic. Read More

Environ Sci Technol 2019 Mar 11;53(5):2549-2558. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Deltares , P.O. Box 85467, 3508 AL Utrecht , The Netherlands.

Knowledge regarding partitioning behavior and bioaccumulation potential of environmental contaminants is important for ecological and human health risk assessment. While a range of models are available to describe bioaccumulation potential of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) in temperate aquatic food webs, their applicability to tropical systems still needs to be validated. The present study involved field investigations to assess the occurrence, partitioning, and bioaccumulation behavior of several legacy and emerging HOCs in mangrove ecosystems in Singapore. Read More

Acc Chem Res 2019 Feb 28;52(2):379-388. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Chemistry , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , MB Canada , R3T 2N2.

Mercury (Hg) is a global environmental contaminant. Major anthropogenic sources of Hg emission include gold mining and the burning of fossil fuels. Once deposited in aquatic environments, Hg can undergo redox reactions, form complexes with ligands, and adsorb onto particles. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 9;9:3074. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Immunology and Animal Health Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

In recent years, the unique properties of nanoparticles have fostered novel applications in various fields such as biology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and others. Unfortunately, their rapid integration into daily life has also led to environmental concerns due to uncontrolled release of nanoparticles into the aquatic environment. Despite increasing awareness of nanoparticle bioaccumulation in the aquatic environment, much remains to be learned about their impact on aquatic organisms and how to best monitor these effects. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 May 21;222:29-37. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

University of Limoges, PEIRENE, EA 7500, F-87000 Limoges, France.

Surface water pollution by trace metal elements constitutes problems for both public and terrestrial/aquatic ecosystem health. Myriophyllum alterniflorum (alternate watermilfoil), an aquatic macrophyte known for bioaccumulating this type of pollutant, is an attractive species for plant biomonitoring within the scope of environmental research. The two metal elements copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) are considered in the present study. Read More

Environ Pollut 2019 Feb 28;245:1022-1030. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Southern Zhejiang Water Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Watershed Science and Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China. Electronic address:

Metal contamination in aquatic environments is a severe global concern to human health and aquatic ecosystems. This study used several risk assessment indices, to evaluate metal (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Cr) environmental risk of riverine surface sediments across the rural-urban interface of the rapidly developing Wen-Rui Tang River watershed in eastern China. Risk assessments were determined for 38 sites based on the potential ecological risk index (RI), consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and risk assessment code (RAC). Read More

Aquat Toxicol 2019 Mar 9;208:146-156. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (CSIC), Campus Rio San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. Electronic address:

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic ecosystem has become a topic of growing interest in recent years. In this study, the marine clam Ruditapes philippinarum was exposed during 14 days to concentrations close to those found in the environment: (15 μg L) of carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DCF) and ibuprofen (IBU), three pharmaceuticals widely used worldwide and commonly found within the aquatic environment. Additionally, exposure was followed by a depuration phase (7 days). Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019 Mar 23;26(8):7390-7404. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Security for the Water Source Region of Mid-line of the South-to-North Diversion Project of Henan Province, Nanyang Normal University, 1638 Wolong Road, Nanyang, Henan Province, China.

The fate and risk assessment of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is an important environmental health issue. The toxic effects, mechanisms, and modes of action of Ag NPs on aquatic organisms have been extensively determined in the laboratory. However, knowledge gaps and discrepancies exist between laboratory studies and realistic environmental research; such inconsistencies hinder the development of health and safety regulations. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 17;171:781-789. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Fiocruz, Departamento de Saneamento e Saúde Ambiental, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP), Av. Brasil, 4.365, Manguinhos, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address:

Contaminants of emerging concern have become an important environmental problem, especially pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), since, after use, these drugs return to the environment, contaminating aquatic ecosystems. Some may display the ability to bioaccumulate and biomagnify throughout the food chain, leading to potential environmental and human deleterious effects which are, however, still largely unknown. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two psychotropic drugs commonly found in the environment, carbamazepine (CBZ) and clonazepam (CZP), both isolated and co-administrated, on oxidative stress biomarkers and essential metal homeostasis in Danio rerio fish specimens. Read More

Environ Int 2019 Mar 17;124:336-353. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, N.L. CP 64849, Mexico. Electronic address:

The widespread occurrence and adverse environmental and health-related impacts of various types of emerging contaminants (ECs) have become an issue of high concern. With ever increasing scientific knowledge, socio-economic awareness, health-related problems and ecological apprehensions, people are more concerned about the widespread ECs, around the globe. Among ECs, biologically active compounds from pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, biomedical, personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and flame-retardants are of paramount concern. Read More

Mar Pollut Bull 2019 Jan 16;138:11-18. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Faculty of Marine Technology, Chonnam National University, Chonnam 550-749, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Risk assessment of heavy metals is important for the health evaluation of inhabiting species in aquatic ecosystem. This study investigated whether chitin exoskeleton of mud crab Macrophthalmus japonicus is affected by heavy metals in estuary sediments in Korea. We compared heavy metal concentrations and analyzed the expression of M. Read More

Water Res 2019 Apr 2;152:47-60. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, D-60438, Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.

The assessment of water quality is crucial for safeguarding drinking water resources and ecosystem integrity. To this end, sample preparation and extraction is critically important, especially when investigating emerging contaminants and the toxicity of water samples. As extraction methods are rarely optimised for bioassays but rather adopted from chemical analysis, this may result in a misrepresentation of the actual toxicity. Read More