Understanding the Occurrence and Fate of Atmospheric Microplastics and Their Potential Risks to Human Health: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: Plastic pollution has reached an alarming magnitude, defining the contemporary era as the "Plastic Age." Uncontrolled plastic production and inadequate recycling processes have led to widespread contamination of the environment with micro and nanoplastics.

Objective: The study aims to assess the environmental and human health consequences of exposure to microplastic particles (MPs) and their additives among plastic recycling workers in Dhaka.

Hematological, cardiovascular and oxidative DNA damage markers associated with heavy metal exposure in electronic waste (e-waste) workers of Bangladesh.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains hazardous elements such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and other toxic elements that pose significant health risks to the population directly exposed. We recruited 199 e-waste recycling workers and 104 non-exposed workers in Bangladesh and analyzed heavy metals in blood and hair, as well as hematological and cardiovascular parameters including, blood lipids and blood pressure. We fitted quantile regression models at 0.

The unique distribution pattern of PFAS in landfill organics.

PFAS from degrading landfill waste partition into organic matter, leachate, and landfill gas. Driven by the limited understanding of PFAS distribution in landfill organics, we analyzed PFAS across various depths and seven spatially distinct locations within a municipal landfill. The measured PFAS concentrations in organics ranged from 6.

Influence of water chemistry and operating parameters on PFOS/PFOA removal using rGO-nZVI nanohybrid.

Graphene and zero-valent-iron based nanohybrid (rGO-nZVI NH) with oxidant HO can remove perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) through adsorption-degradation in a controlled aquatic environment. In this study, we evaluated how and to what extent different environmental and operational parameters, such as initial PFAS concentration, HO dose, pH, ionic strength, and natural organic matter (NOM), influenced the removal of PFOS and PFOA by rGO-nZVI. With the increase in initial PFAS concentration (from 0.

Blood lead, cadmium and hair mercury concentrations and association with soil, dust and occupational factors in e-waste recycling workers in Bangladesh.

Background: Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities release toxic metals, which pose substantial hazard to the environment and human health. We evaluated metal concentrations in biological and environmental samples, and examined the associations between biological lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) with soil and dust metals, and other possible determinants, among populations exposed and non-exposed to e-waste in Bangladesh.

Methods: A total of 199 e-waste workers and 104 non-exposed individuals were recruited.

Mechanisms and Opportunities for Rational In Silico Design of Enzymes to Degrade Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) present a unique challenge to remediation techniques because their strong carbon-fluorine bonds make them difficult to degrade. This review explores the use of enzymatic design as a potential PFAS degradation technique. The scope of the enzymes included is based on currently known PFAS degradation techniques, including chemical redox systems that have been studied for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) defluorination, such as those that incorporate hydrated electrons, sulfate, peroxide, and metal catalysts.

Modification of Cellulose Acetate Microfiltration Membranes Using Graphene Oxide-Polyethyleneimine for Enhanced Dye Rejection.

Pressure-based membrane processes represent excellent water resource recovery prospects from industrial waste streams. In contrast with conventional pretreatment technologies, studies have shown that membrane pretreatment applications, such as microfiltration (MF), are more cost-effective and improve the results of the overall treatment processes. Hence, enhancing rejection efficiency of MF will enhance the performance of any downstream treatment processes.

Ecological Burden of e-Waste in Bangladesh-an Assessment to Measure the Exposure to e-Waste and Associated Health Outcomes: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Study.

Background: e-Waste is a rapidly growing waste stream worldwide, and Bangladesh is a hub of e-waste handling. Informal e-waste recycling operations involve crude methods for dismantling, repairing, sorting, and recycling electronic goods with bare hands and without personal health protections. Direct inhalation or dermal exposure to toxicants during informal recycling is common.

Long-Term Exposure and Effects of rGO-nZVI Nanohybrids and Their Parent Nanomaterials on Wastewater-Nitrifying Microbial Communities.

Single nanomaterials and nanohybrids (NHs) can inhibit microbial processes in wastewater treatment, especially nitrification. While existing studies focus on short-term and acute exposures of single nanomaterials on wastewater microbial community growth and function, long-term, low-exposure, and emerging NHs need to be examined. These NHs have distinctly different physicochemical properties than their parent nanomaterials and, therefore, may exert previously unknown effects onto wastewater microbial communities.

Health consequences of exposure to e-waste: an updated systematic review.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains numerous chemicals harmful to human and ecological health. To update a 2013 review assessing adverse human health consequences of exposure to e-waste, we systematically reviewed studies reporting effects on humans related to e-waste exposure. We searched EMBASE, PsycNET, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PubMed for articles published between Dec 18, 2012, and Jan 28, 2020, restricting our search to publications in English.

Nano-enhanced Dialytic Fluid Purification: CFD Modeling of Pb(II) Removal by Manganese Oxide.

Nano-enhanced dialytic fluid purification is an evolution of biomedical dialysis that has been proposed as a novel method for applying nanomaterials in water treatment. Using nanosized hexagonal birnessite (δ-MnO) in a simplified dialytic system, we demonstrate herein an almost complete removal (98%) of Pb(II) within 3 h of treatment while monitoring environmental variables pH and Eh (redox potential). A mathematical model of the purification process is constructed in COMSOL Multiphysics to demonstrate how nanoadsorption using free-flowing nanoparticles in a dialytic system can be studied theoretically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Probing Heterogeneity in Bovine Enamel Composition through Nanoscale Chemical Imaging using Atom Probe Tomography.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the heterogeneity in chemical composition of bovine enamel using atom probe tomography, and thereby evaluate the suitability of bovine enamel as a substitute for human enamel in in vitro dental research.

Design: Enamel samples from extracted bovine incisor teeth were first sectioned using a diamond saw and then milled into needle-like samples (<100 nm diameter) by focused ion beam (FIB) coupled with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). These samples were analyzed in the atom probe to acquire three-dimensional (3D) images and quantify the atomic chemistry and distribution in bovine enamel.

Stormwater green infrastructures retain high concentrations of TiO engineered (nano)-particles.

Stormwater conveys natural and engineered (nano)-particles, like any other pollutants, from urban areas to water resources. Thus, the use of stormwater green infrastructures (SGI), which infiltrate and treat stormwater, can potentially limit the spread of engineered (nano)-particles in the environment. However, the concentration of engineered (nano)-particles in soil or biofilter media used in SGI has not been measured due to difficulties in distinguishing natural vs.

Detection and quantification of engineered particles in urban runoff.

Urban runoff conveys contaminants including titanium dioxide (TiO), widely used as engineered nanoparticles (e.g., 1-100 nm) and pigments (e.

Next-Generation Multifunctional Carbon-Metal Nanohybrids for Energy and Environmental Applications.

Nanotechnology has unprecedentedly revolutionized human societies over the past decades and will continue to advance our broad societal goals in the coming decades. The research, development, and particularly the application of engineered nanomaterials have shifted the focus from "less efficient" single-component nanomaterials toward "superior-performance", next-generation multifunctional nanohybrids. Carbon nanomaterials (e.

Aggregation Behavior of Inorganic 2D Nanomaterials Beyond Graphene: Insights from Molecular Modeling and Modified DLVO Theory.

We report the comparative aggregation behavior of three emerging inorganic 2D nanomaterials (NMs): MoS, WS, and h-BN in aquatic media. Their aqueous dispersions were subjected to aggregation under varying concentrations of monovalent (NaCl) and divalent (CaCl) electrolytes. Moreover, Suwanee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM) has been used to analyze the effect of natural macromolecules on 2D NM aggregation.

Phenol and Cr(VI) removal using materials derived from harmful algal bloom biomass: Characterization and performance assessment for a biosorbent, a porous carbon, and Fe/C composites.

Lake Erie experiences annual harmful algal blooms (HAB), but generated HAB biomass may provide a waste-based precursor for environmental remediation materials. Three classes of materials (i.e.

Magnetic graphene oxide-nano zero valent iron (GO-nZVI) nanohybrids synthesized using biocompatible cross-linkers for methylene blue removal.

GO and nZVI have been used for removing different contaminants from aqueous solution; however, difficulty in the separation of GO, and the aggregation propensity of nZVI particles prevent them from having efficient practical applications. In this study, a green synthesis method was performed to prepare nanohybrids of GO and nZVI to provide an adsorbent with high adsorption efficiency that can be removed from aqueous solution easily by magnetic separation. GO-nZVI nanohybrids were synthesized by using biocompatible cross linkers named 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) and -hydroxysuccinimide (NHS).

Modeling the Transport of the "New-Horizon" Reduced Graphene Oxide-Metal Oxide Nanohybrids in Water-Saturated Porous Media.

Little is known about the fate and transport of the "new-horizon" multifunctional nanohybrids in the environment. Saturated sand-packed column experiments ( n = 66) were therefore performed to investigate the transport and retention of reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-metal oxide (FeO, TiO, and ZnO) nanohybrids under environmentally relevant conditions (mono- and divalent electrolytes and natural organic matter). Classical colloid science principles (Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory and colloid filtration theory (CFT)) and mathematical models based on the one-dimensional convection-dispersion equation were employed to describe and predict the mobility of RGO-FeO, RGO-TiO, and RGO-ZnO nanohybrids in porous media.

Carboxymethylcellulose Mediates the Transport of Carbon Nanotube-Magnetite Nanohybrid Aggregates in Water-Saturated Porous Media.

Carbon-metal oxide nanohybrids (NHs) are increasingly recognized as the next-generation, promising group of nanomaterials for solving emerging environmental issues and challenges. This research, for the first time, systematically explored the transport and retention of carbon nanotube-magnetite (CNT-FeO) NH aggregates in water-saturated porous media under environmentally relevant conditions. A macromolecule modifier, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), was employed to stabilize the NHs.

Importance of doping, dopant distribution, and defects on electronic band structure alteration of metal oxide nanoparticles: Implications for reactive oxygen species.

Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are considered to have the potency to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), one of the key mechanisms underlying nanotoxicity. However, the nanotoxicology literature demonstrates a lack of consensus on the dominant toxicity mechanism(s) for a particular MONP. Moreover, recent literature has studied the correlation between band structure of pristine MONPs to their ability to introduce ROS and thus has downplayed the ROS-mediated toxicological relevance of a number of such materials.

Aggregation Kinetics of Higher-Order Fullerene Clusters in Aquatic Systems.

The aggregation kinetics of nC60 and higher-order fullerene (HOF) clusters, i.e., nC70, nC76, and nC84, was systematically studied under a wide range of mono- (NaCl) and divalent (CaCl2) electrolytes and using time-resolved dynamic light scattering.

Change in Chirality of Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Can Overcome Anionic Surfactant Stabilization: A Systematic Study of Aggregation Kinetics.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes' (SWNT) effectiveness in applications is enhanced by debundling or stabilization. Anionic surfactants are known to effectively stabilize SWNTs. However, the role of specific chirality on surfactant-stabilized SWNT aggregation has not been studied to date.

Mechanistic lessons learned from studies of planktonic bacteria with metallic nanomaterials: implications for interactions between nanomaterials and biofilm bacteria.

Metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are used in numerous applications and have high likelihood of entering engineered and natural environmental systems. Careful assessment of the interaction of these NPs with bacteria, particularly biofilm bacteria, is necessary. This perspective discusses mechanisms of NP interaction with bacteria and identifies challenges in understanding NP-biofilm interaction, considering fundamental material attributes and inherent complexities of biofilm structure.