First report of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the Indus Drainage System: Occurrence, source and environmental risk.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are of global interest due to their persistence in the aquatic environment. This study assessed the occurrence of PFAAs in the Indus Drainage System and discerned their potential sources and environmental risks for the first time in Pakistan. 13 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) were analyzed to verify the dominant prevalence of short-chain PFAAs in the environment since the phase-out of long-chain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS).

Occurrence, Spatial Distribution and Health Risk of Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in Source Water in the Lower Yangtze River, China.

The occurrence and health risk of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a brominated flame retardant with its three diastereoisomers, in drinking water sources in the lower Yangtze River in China was investigated. Its concentration ranged from 0.58 to 3.

Heavy metals contamination, potential pathways and risks along the Indus Drainage System of Pakistan.

Riverine water exposed to heavy metals (HMs) pollution is a major concern in the world because of its serious effects on ecosystem and human health. This study assessed the pollution status, sources, diffusion and potential risks of Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, Hg and Pb for the first time along the entire Indus Drainage System of Pakistan. The concentrations of nine HMs in the riverine water ranged from 5.

Transport and environmental risks of perfluoroalkyl acids in a large irrigation and drainage system for agricultural production.

The quality of irrigation water and drainage water is essential for local ecosystem and human health in agricultural regions. In this study, the transport analysis, source identification, and environmental risk assessment of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were conducted in the largest irrigation area in northern China. The concentrations of the total PFAAs (ΣPFAA) ranged from 41.

Endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment of China: Which chemicals are the prioritized ones?

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been of great concern as emerging contaminants of aquatic environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify top contaminants so as to allocate better management measures. A list of 77 pharmaceuticals, 20 personal care products (PCPs) and 36 EDCs that were frequently detected in Chinese surface waters was examined in this study.

Drivers of change in China's energy-related CO emissions.

CO emissions are of global concern because of climate change. China has become the largest CO emitter in the world and presently accounts for 30% of global emissions. Here, we analyze the major drivers of energy-related CO emissions in China from 1978 when the reform and opening-up policy was launched.

Hydrogeochemistry and quality of surface water and groundwater in the drinking water source area of an urbanizing region.

The water quality in drinking water source area is essential for human health. Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, the pollutants, especially trace elements, are continuously discharged into aquatic environment and pose a risk to human health. An extensive investigation was carried out in drinking water source area in highly urbanized Tianjin of China.

Assessing the contribution of atmospheric transport and tourism activities to the occurrence of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in an Alpine Nature Reserve.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are ubiquitous in the global environment, even in remote regions. With increasing production and application of PFAAs in China, their distribution patterns have been widely reported, however with less attention to inland northwestern regions. Long-range transport and direct releases from local activities have been regarded as the main reasons for PFAAs distribution in such a remote area.

Urban-rural gradients of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils at a regional scale: Quantification and prediction.

The quantitative study of urban-rural gradients for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is extremely important to understand the behavior of POPs as well as for ecological risk assessment and management. In this study, a practical urban-rural gradient model (URGM) was developed using atmospheric point source diffusion combined with a fugacity approach to test potential mathematical relationships among urban and rural soils. The mean value of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for urban soils (0-2-km sites) was 570.

Simulating transport, flux, and ecological risk of perfluorooctanoate in a river affected by a major fluorochemical manufacturer in northern China.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) have been widely detected and pose potential risks to both human and ecosystem health. Since the probation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) by the Stockholm Convention, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) has frequently been used as a chemical intermediate and processing aid. Owing to a lack of effective treatment technologies for PFOA, surrounding environments have been highly affected.

Prevalent fecal contamination in drinking water resources and potential health risks in Swat, Pakistan.

Fecal bacteria contaminate water resources and result in associated waterborne diseases. This study assessed drinking water quality and evaluated their potential health risks in Swat, Pakistan. Ground and surface drinking water were randomly collected from upstream to downstream in the River Swat watershed and analyzed for fecal contamination using fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli) and physiochemical parameters (potential of hydrogen, turbidity, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, color, odor and taste).

Multimedia fate and transport simulation of perfluorooctanoic acid/ perfluorooctanoate in an urbanizing area.

Strong global demand leads to significant production of fluoropolymers (FP) in China which potentially release large quantities of perfluorooctanoic acid/perfluorooctanoate (collectively called PFOA/PFO) to the environment. Modelling the fate and transport of PFOA/PFO provides an important input for human health risk assessment. Considering the effects of urbanization and existing forms of PFOA/PFO, this study used the modified multispecies Berkeley-Trent-Urban-Rural model to simulate the transfer behavior of PFOA/PFO in the Bohai Rim, China.

Distribution, source, and risk of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in urban and rural soils around the Yellow and Bohai Seas, China.

Between 1945 and 1983, China was the world's largest producer of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the second largest producer of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). The provinces of Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, and Jiangsu around the Yellow and Bohai Seas have a long history of production and usage of OCPs and PCBs. To investigate their residual concentration, distribution, risk level, and temporal degradation, 7 OCPs and 7 indicator PCBs were determined in surface soils collected around the Yellow and Bohai Seas.

An overview of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDs) in environmental media with focus on their potential risk and management in China.

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are the subject of recent interest and potential risk assessment particularly in China due to its ubiquitous existence in a variety of environmental media. This paper reviews the recent studies conducted on HBCDs in different environmental media (air, soil, water, river sediment, sewage sludge, biota and daily food) in China. At the same time, human health risks via food and occupational exposure of HBCDs in production plants, expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) plants were assessed.

Potential effects of changes in climate and emissions on distribution and fate of perfluorooctane sulfonate in the Bohai Rim, China.

Climate change and emissions rates of contaminants are expected to affect distribution and fate of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the environment, however, studies on these combined factors are rare. In this study, Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) is used as an example to assess how those two factors synthetically affect fate and disposition of POPs in the Bohai Rim of China by using the Berkeley-Trent-Urban-Rural (BETR-Urban-Rural) model. We set up three climate change scenarios and four emission scenarios to conduct the simulations.

Pollution pathways and release estimation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in central and eastern China.

China has gradually become the most important manufacturing and consumption centre for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in the world, and inadvertently become the world's major contamination hotspots. However, a systematic analysis of pollution pathways for PFOS/PFOA into the different environmental compartments and their quantification in China has yet to be carried out. This study focused on PFOS and PFOA release into the environment in the central and eastern region of China, which accounts for the vast majority of national emission.

Identify biosorption effects of Thiobacillus towards perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): Pilot study from field to laboratory.

The concentration of Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and the bacterial community composition along the Xiaoqing River were explored with HPLC-MS/MS and Illumina high-throughput sequencing in present study. The results showed that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the predominant PFAAs in all sediment samples, and high level of PFOA could lead to an evident increase in the abundance of Thiobacillus. Thiobacillus was identified with the survival ability in high concentrations of PFOA accordingly.

Effects of Perfluorooctane sulfonate on immobilization, heartbeat, reproductive and biochemical performance of Daphnia magna.

In recent years, Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was widely detected in Yellow-Bohai Sea and other areas, causing a series of adverse effects in aquatic organisms. However, present studies of its chronic and acute toxicity on aquatic organisms were far more inadequate. Therefore, in the present study, Daphnia magna was used to investigate PFOS toxicity on their immobilization, heartbeat, reproductive and biochemical performance in acute, subchronic and chronic exposure.

Using hydrodynamic model to predict PFOS and PFOA transport in the Daling River and its tributary, a heavily polluted river into the Bohai Sea, China.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are extremely persistent in the environment, and have the potential for long-range transport. The present study focused on the Daling River and its tributary, a larger river flowing into Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea. Recent studies have shown the elevated levels of PFOS and PFOA in the Daling River.