Research on pollution identification and safety thresholds based on the olfactory effect on a halogenated hydrocarbon contaminated site.

To effectively address odor control issues at sites contaminated with halogenated hydrocarbons, it is essential to establish an odor risk prediction system for evaluating potential risks that may impact future planning. This research focuses on a representative halogenated hydrocarbon-contaminated site, examining the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of key pollutants in soil gas. By analyzing odor contribution rates, the study identifies significant odorants in soil gas, which enables the derivation of both probabilistic and deterministic safety thresholds for soil and groundwater based on olfactory effects.

Risk assessment and source analysis of heavy metals in soil around an asbestos mine in an arid plateau region, China.

Asbestos is widely used in construction, manufacturing, and other common industrial fields. Human activities such as mining, processing, and transportation can release heavy metals from asbestos into the surrounding soil environment, posing a health hazard to the mining area's environment and its surrounding residents. The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent of ecological and human health damage caused by asbestos pollution, as well as the primary contributors to the contamination, by examining a large asbestos mine and the surrounding soil in China.

Differences in the perceptions of patients with primary biliary cholangitis and physicians from various hospital departments: An online survey.

Objectives: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in perceptions of PBC among physicians from different hospital departments and patients with PBC.

Methods: An online survey regarding the general knowledge, diagnosis, and management of PBC was completed by physicians and patients.

Comprehensive distribution characteristics and factors affecting the migration of chromium in a typical chromium slag-contaminated site with a long history in China.

The contamination of abandoned chromium slag-contaminated sites poses serious threats to human health and the environment. Therefore, improving the understanding of their distribution characteristics and health risks by multiple information is necessary. This study explored the distribution, accumulation characteristic, and the role in the migration process of chromium.

Derivation of human health and odor risk control values for soil ammonia nitrogen by incorporating solid-liquid partitioning, ammonium/ammonia equilibrium: A case study of a retired nitrogen fertilizer site in China.

Nitrogen fertilizer supports agricultural intensification, but its manufacturing results in substantial contaminated sites. Ammonia nitrogen is the main specific pollutant in retired nitrogen fertilizer sites with potential human health and odor risks. However, few studies focus on ammonia nitrogen risk assessment at contaminated sites, particularly considering its solid-liquid partitioning process (K) and ammonium/ammonia equilibrium process (R) in the soil.

Determining priority control toxic metal for different protection targets based on source-oriented ecological and human health risk assessment around gold smelting area.

Determining the priority control source and pollutant is the key for the eco-health protection and risk management around gold smelting area. To this end, a case study was conducted to explore the pollution characteristics, source apportionment, ecological risk and human health risk of toxic metals (TMs) in agricultural soils surrounding a gold smelting enterprise. Three effective receptor models, including positive matrix factorization model (PMF), ecological risk assessment (ERA), and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) have been combined to apportion eco-human risks for different targets.

Can we redevelop ammonia nitrogen contaminated sites without remediation? The key role of subsurface pH in human health risk assessment.

Nitrogen fertilizer supports global food production, but its manufacturing results in substantial ammonia nitrogen (AN) contaminated sites which remain largely unexplored. In this study, ten representative AN contaminated sites were investigated, covering a wide range of subsurface pH, temperature, and AN concentration. A total of 7232 soil samples and 392 groundwater samples were collected to determine the concentration levels, migration patterns, and accurate health risks of AN.

Natural attenuation of BTEX and chlorobenzenes in a formerly contaminated pesticide site in China: Examining kinetics, mechanisms, and isotopes analysis.

Groundwater contamination from abandoned pesticide sites is a prevalent issue in China. To address this problem, natural attenuation (NA) of pollutants has been increasingly employed as a management strategy for abandoned pesticide sites. However, limited studies have focused on the long-term NA process of co-existing organic pollutants in abandoned pesticide sites by an integrated approach.

An Analysis of the Spatial Characteristics and Transport Fluxes of BTEX in Soil and Atmospheric Phases at a Decommissioned Steel Mill Site in China with a Long History.

BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), as characteristic pollutants in chemical plant sites, are widely present in the environment and pose a serious threat to the health and safety of nearby residents. Studying the spatial distribution characteristics and transport fluxes of BTEX in soil and air at contaminated sites and the health risks they pose to humans is of great significance for fine pollution control and environmental management. This study took a typical decommissioned steel plant as a case study.

Washed microbiota transplantation for Clostridioides difficile infection: A national multicenter real-world study.

Objectives: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been recommended for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of washed microbiota transplantation (WMT), a new method of FMT, for CDI across various medical settings.

Methods: This multicenter real-world cohort study included CDI patients undergoing WMT.

Asbestos-Environment Pollution Characteristics and Health-Risk Assessment in Typical Asbestos-Mining Area.

Asbestos has been confirmed as a major pollutant in asbestos-mining areas that are located in western China. In general, asbestos-fibre dust will is released into the environment due to the effect of intensive industrial activities and improper environmental management, such that the health of residents in and around mining areas is jeopardised. A typical asbestos mining area served as an example in this study to analyse the content and fibre morphology of asbestos in soil and air samples in the mining area.

Spatiotemporal characteristics and dynamic risk assessment of a multi-solvents abandoned pesticide-contaminated site with a long history, in China.

With the development of the economy and the adjustment of urban planning and layout, abandoned pesticide sites are widely distributed in major and medium cities in China. Groundwater pollution of a large number of abandoned pesticide-contaminated sites has caused great potential risks to human health. Up to now, few relevant studies concerned the spatiotemporal variation of risks exposure to multi-pollutants in groundwater using probabilistic methods.

Prediction of Dichloroethene Concentration in the Groundwater of a Contaminated Site Using XGBoost and LSTM.

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) are widely used in agriculture and industries and have become one of the most common groundwater contaminations. With the excellent performance of the deep learning method in predicting, LSTM and XGBoost were used to forecast dichloroethene (DCE) concentrations in a pesticide-contaminated site undergoing natural attenuation. The input variables included BTEX, vinyl chloride (VC), and five water quality indicators.

A new insight into the influencing factors of natural attenuation of chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater: A long-term field study of a retired pesticide site.

Natural attenuation of contaminants has been increasingly applied as a strategy to manage the retired pesticide manufacturing sites due to the increasing restrictions on the reuse of contaminated sites in China. However, the influencing factors to enhance natural attenuation for chlorinated hydrocarbons in retired pesticide sites were not well studied. In this paper, monitoring of pollutants, environmental factors and microbial community was conducted from 2016 to 2021 in a retired pesticide site in Jiangsu Province undergoing natural attenuation, where the groundwater was severely contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Assessing the environmental impacts and costs of biochar and monitored natural attenuation for groundwater heavily contaminated with volatile organic compounds.

Although biochar (BC) and monitored natural attenuation (MNA) are regarded as green technologies for remediating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contaminated groundwater, their life cycle environmental impacts and costs have not been systematically quantified. This work assessed the primary and secondary environmental impacts and the cost of three options for remediating the groundwater at a closed pesticide manufacturing plant site, which was contaminated by high levels of multiple VOCs and is undergoing MNA. The studied options include a combination of MNA and BC (MNA + BC), BC, and pump and treat (PT).

Ecological-health risks assessment and source apportionment of heavy metals in agricultural soils around a super-sized lead-zinc smelter with a long production history, in China.

Smelting activities are considered as the primary cause of heavy metal (HM) accumulation in soils, and the human health around the smelter has been a great concern worldwide. In this study, a total of 242 agricultural soil samples were collected around a large scale Pb/Zn smelter in China, and eight HMs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) were analyzed to assess HMs status, ecological -health risks, and identify source. Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to evaluate the probabilistic health risks, and positive matrix factorization (PMF) was employed to identify sources.

Source apportionment and health risk assessment of chemicals of concern in soil, water and sediment at a large strontium slag pile area.

Strontium (Sr) is an alkaline earth metal that has adverse effects on bone tissue, but received little attention compared to other often-studied metals. This study analyzed the contents/concentrations of Sr, barium (Ba), sulfate (SO), sulfide (S), and six common metals in 209 multi-media samples, including slag, soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment, collected at a large Sr slag pile area. Sr was the dominant chemical of concern (COC) in the soil and groundwater, with contents/concentrations being 35.

Bioremediation of PAHs and heavy metals co-contaminated soils: Challenges and enhancement strategies.

Systemic studies on the bioremediation of co-contaminated PAHs and heavy metals are lacking, and this paper provides an in-depth review on the topic. The released sources and transport of co-contaminated PAHs and heavy metals, including their co-occurrence through formation of cation-π interactions and their adsorption in soil are examined. Moreover, it is investigated that co-contamination of PAHs and heavy metals can drive a synergistic positive influence on bioremediation through enhanced secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), production of biosynthetic genes, organic acid and enzymatic proliferation.

Distribution, source identification and health risk assessment of PFASs in groundwater from Jiangxi Province, China.

There is an urgent need to investigate on the distribution and fate of short-chain analogues and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in groundwater, and little research on their source apportionment and health risks through the drinking water exposure pathway has been carried out. In present study, the concentration and source of 22 PFASs, including five alternatives: 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), potassium 9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonate (F-53B), hexafluoropropylene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) and ammonium 4, 8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoate (ADONA), were analyzed in 88 groundwater samples from wells in Jiangxi Province, southeastern China. The total PFASs concentration (ΣPFASs) in groundwater varied from 1.

Source apportionment and crop bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl acids and novel alternatives in an industrial-intensive region with fluorochemical production, China: Health implications for human exposure.

Due to their great environmental hazards, the widely used legacy perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are gradually restricted, and novel alternatives are being developed and applied. For efficient control of emerging environmental risks in agricultural production, we systematically studied the source apportionment in field soils and bioaccumulation characteristics in multiple crops of 12 PFAAs and five novel alternatives in an industrial-intensive region of China, followed by human exposure estimation and health risk assessment. Compared with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), shorter-chained PFAAs and novel alternatives have become the dominant components in local soils and crops, indicating their wide application.

Degradation and mechanism of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid by thermally activated persulfate in aqueous solutions.

Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), an alternative of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), has been detected frequently in environmental media worldwide. It has been reported that HFPO-DA is equal to or more toxic than PFOA, as well as more recalcitrant to degradation. In this study, the efficient degradation of HFPO-DA was achieved by the thermally activated persulfate (TAP) system, but the influence of co-contaminants in the field can be significant.

Occurrence, source apportionment, plant bioaccumulation and human exposure of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in soil and plant leaves near a landfill in China.

In this study, 17 legacy and emerging PFASs were investigated in soil and plant leaves near a valley-type landfill, which has been in operation for over 20 years. ΣPFASs concentrations ranged from 5.31 to 108 ng/g dw and 11.

Legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in multi-media around a landfill in China: Implications for the usage of PFASs alternatives.

To date, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in environmental media surrounding landfills have not attracted much attention. In this study, six legacy PFASs, six short-chain analogues and five emerging alternatives were investigated in groundwater, surface water and sediment samples taken in the vicinity of a valley-type landfill, which had been in operation for over 20 years. Total PFAS concentrations of 110-236 ng/L, 17.

Efficient sorptive removal of F-53B from water by layered double hydroxides: Performance and mechanisms.

Chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonates (trade name F-53B) has been detected in various environmental matrices, and reported to be equally or more toxic than perfluorooctane sulfonate. Efficient sorptive removal of F-53B from water by two types of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), NO-LDH and sodium dodecyl sulfate modified NO-LDH (SDS-LDH), was demonstrated in this study. Both LDHs removed F-53B in several minutes and had sorption capacities of over 860 mg/g.

Sustainable remediation of diesel-contaminated soil by low temperature thermal treatment: Improved energy efficiency and soil reusability.

Thermal treatment can effectively remediate diesel-contaminated soil, but is considered unsustainable because of its energy-intensive nature and potential to damage soil properties. Here, we used low temperature thermal treatment (LTTT) as an energy-efficient technique to remediate diesel-contaminated soil. The impacts of LTTT on the physiochemical and ecological properties of soils were investigated to evaluate the reusability of heated soil.