Assessing the impact of two conventional wastewater treatment plants on small streams with effect-based methods.

Sixty percent of discrete surface water bodies in Europe do not meet the requirements for good ecological and chemical status and in Germany, the situation is even worse with over 90% of surface water bodies failing to meet the threshold. In addition to hydromorphological degradation, intensive land use and invasive species, chemical pollution is primarily considered to be responsible for the inadequate ecological status of the water bodies. As a quantitatively important source of micropollutants, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent an important entry path for chemical stressors.

Cryptic species complex shows population-dependent, rather than lineage-dependent tolerance to a neonicotinoid.

Cryptic species are rarely considered in ecotoxicology, resulting in misleading outcomes when using a single morphospecies that encompasses multiple cryptic species. This oversight contributes to the lack of reproducibility in ecotoxicological experiments and promotes unreliable extrapolations. The important question of ecological differentiation and the sensitivity of cryptic species is rarely tackled, leaving a substantial knowledge gap regarding the vulnerability of individual cryptic species within species complexes.

Uncovering the Grinnellian niche space of the cryptic species complex .

Background: The discovery of cryptic species complexes within morphologically established species comes with challenges in the classification and handling of these species. We hardly know to what extent species within a species complex differ ecologically. Such knowledge is essential to assess the vulnerability of individual genetic lineages in the face of global change.

Endocrine disrupting activity in sewage sludge: Screening method, microbial succession and cost-effective strategy for detoxification.

Sewage sludge (SS) presents a high agronomic potential due to high concentrations of organic matter and nutrients, encouraging its recycling as a soil conditioner. However, the presence of toxic substances can preclude this use. To enable the safe disposal of this waste in agriculture, SS requires additional detoxification to decrease the environmental risks of this practice.

Occurrence and in vitro toxicity of organic compounds in urban background PM.

This study describes the chemical composition and in vitro toxicity of the organic fraction of fine particulate matter (PM) at an urban background site, which receives emissions either from Frankfurt international airport or the city centre, respectively. We analysed the chemical composition of filter extracts (PM) using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a high-resolution mass spectrometer, followed by a non-target analysis. In parallel, we applied the bulk of the filter extracts to a Microtox and acetylcholinesterase-inhibition assay for in vitro toxicity testing.

The Occurrence of Intersex in Different Populations of the Marine Amphipod in North-West Brittany - A Longterm-Study.

In the past two decades, an increasing body of studies has been published on the intersex phenomenon in separate-sexed crustaceans from marine and freshwater ecosystems. Various causes are being considered that could have an influence on the occurrence of intersex. Besides genetic factors, environmental conditions such as photoperiodicity, temperature, salinity and parasitism, but also environmental pollution with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are discussed.

Enhanced in vitro toxicity of plastic leachates after UV irradiation.

Plastics can release numerous chemicals and thereby, contribute to the chemical pollution in aquatic systems. To which extent environmental degradation processes influence the release of plastic chemicals, is currently unknown and subject of research. We therefore evaluated aqueous leachates of 12 differently formulated plastics (e.

Post-treatment of ozonated wastewater with activated carbon and biofiltration compared to membrane bioreactors: Toxicity removal in vitro and in Potamopyrgus antipodarum.

Wastewater treatment plants are major point sources of (micro)pollutant emissions and advanced wastewater treatment technologies can improve their removal capacity. While abundant data on individual advanced treatment technologies is available, there is limited knowledge regarding the removal performance of ozonation combined with multiple post-treatments and stand-alone membrane bioreactors. This is especially true for the removal of in vitro and in vivo toxicity.

Are bioplastics and plant-based materials safer than conventional plastics? In vitro toxicity and chemical composition.

Plastics contain a complex mixture of known and unknown chemicals; some of which can be toxic. Bioplastics and plant-based materials are marketed as sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. However, little is known with regard to the chemicals they contain and the safety of these compounds.

Patients receiving dialysis do not have increased energy needs compared with healthy adults.

Background: Patients receiving dialysis are thought to have increased energy needs due to stress from the dialysis process or uraemic toxins. However, certain conditions may induce hypometabolic states potentially leading to unwanted weight gains when increased calorie intake is recommended.

Objectives: Since there is conflicting research, this study aims to assess total energy expenditure (TEE) of patients receiving dialysis through analysis of resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical activity levels.