Environmental Diagnosis through a Flow Cytometric Approach.

In an era when ecological and environmental needs and responsibilities apply pressure on the world's countries and sustainability takes centre stage, ecologic/environmental (E/E) laboratories stand as beacons of scientific inquiry, innovating, optimising, and applying various tests for a better knowledge of our natural resources and the quality status of ecosystems. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the use of flow cytometry (FC) as a tool for assessing environmental quality, mainly using living organisms and their biological changes as bioindicators. Cytometric approaches applied to both marine and terrestrial ecosystems ensure the detection of biochemical and functional status of the cells composing either an organ thereof or the organism itself.

Effects of TiO ultraviolet filter and sunscreens on coastal dune plant performance and competitive interactions.

Ultraviolet filters (UVFs) added to sunscreens (SS) are emerging contaminants in marine environments due to their adverse effects on organisms and ecosystems. UVFs have also been detected in beach-dune systems, but their influence on resident organisms has not been explored yet. Native plants are fundamental components of coastal dunes, and these ecologically/economically important systems are currently among the most threatened globally.

New geochemical data for defining origin and distribution of mercury in groundwater of a coastal area in southern Tuscany (Italy).

A geochemical study was conducted in a coastal plain in the Orbetello Lagoon area in southern Tuscany (Italy), acquiring new data on groundwater, lagoon water, and stream sediment for insights into the origin, distribution, and behaviour of mercury in a Hg-enriched carbonate aquifer. The main hydrochemical features of the groundwater are ruled by the mixing of Ca-SO and Ca-Cl continental fresh waters of the carbonate aquifer and Na-Cl saline waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Lagoon of Orbetello. Groundwater had highly variable Hg concentrations (< 0.

Sensitivity of to Nanosilver for Environmental Applications.

Nanosilver applications, including sensing and water treatment, have significantly increased in recent years, although safety for humans and the environment is still under debate. Here, we tested the environmental safety of a novel formulation of silver nanoparticles functionalized with citrate and L-cysteine (AgNPcitLcys) on freshwater cnidarian as an emerging ecotoxicological model for the safety of engineered nanomaterials. AgNPcitLcys behavior was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), while Ag release was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Ecologically based methods for promoting safer nanosilver for environmental applications.

Nanosilver, widely employed in consumer products as biocide, has been recently proposed as sensor, adsorbent and photocatalyst for water pollution monitoring and remediation. Since nanosilver ecotoxicity still pose limitations to its environmental application, a more ecological exposure testing strategy should be coupled to the development of safer formulations. Here, we tested the environmental safety of novel bifunctionalized nanosilver capped with citrate and L-cysteine (AgNPcitLcys) as sensor/sorbent of Hg in terms of behaviour and ecotoxicity on microalgae (1-1000 µg/L) and microcrustaceans (0.