Body distribution and ecotoxicological effect of nanoplastics in freshwater fish, Zacco platypus.

The increased consumption of plastics worldwide, has led to the emergence of nanoplastics as important environmental pollutants. Despite the presence of nanoplastics in aquatic environments, their effects on ecosystems remain largely unexplored due to the analysis complexity. This study investigated the organ accumulation and toxic effects of 50 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in Zacco platypus (Z.

Distribution and transformation of organophosphate esters in moving bed biofilm reactor.

A moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) uses plastic carriers, called biofilm carrier, to increase their treatment efficiency. Biofilm carrier is made up of plastic, containing the OPEs as flame retardants or plasticizers, so OPEs in biofilm carrier are possible to release from WWTPs to the river. This study investigated the effect of the MBBR process in WWTP on aquatic environments, focusing on OPEs.

Organophosphate esters in Great Lakes fish: An improved analysis to assess concentrations and human exposure via consumption.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are flame retardant and plasticizer chemicals added to electronics, furniture, textiles, and other building materials and consumer products. In this study, fillets of fish often caught by anglers in the North American Great Lakes, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) across four Great Lakes and nearshore fish species near the large urban and industrial centers of Toronto and Hamilton, Canada, were analyzed for 22 OPEs. A rapid microextraction of homogenized tissues with methanol dramatically reduced preparation and sample handling time while achieving recoveries of 69-141%, and the optimized liquid chromatographic separation improved isomeric separations, including aryl-OPEs.

Identification and Toxicity Prediction of Biotransformation Molecules of Organophosphate Flame Retardants by Microbial Reactions in a Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are substances added to plastics, textiles, and furniture, and are used as alternatives to brominated flame retardants. As the use of OPFRs increases in the manufacturing industry, the concentration in the aquatic environment is also increasing. In this study, OPFRs introduced into a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were identified, and the toxicity of biotransformation molecules generated by the biological reaction was predicted.

Identification of biotransformation products of organophosphate ester from various aquatic species by suspect and non-target screening approach.

Organic pollutants that are introduced into the aquatic ecosystem can transform by various mechanisms. Biotransformation is an important process for predicting the remaining structures of pollutants in the ecosystem, and their toxicity. This study focused on triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), which is a commonly used organophosphate flame retardant and plasticizer.

Characterizing biotransformation products and pathways of the flame retardant triphenyl phosphate in Daphnia magna using non-target screening.

Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), one of the organophosphate flame retardants, has been widely used in manufacturing, thereby causing a gradual increase in TPHP concentrations in aquatic environments. However, the information on the biotransformation mechanism of TPHP in invertebrates is lacking. The study identified the biotransformation products of TPHP in Daphnia magna, which showed particularly high toxicity in aquatic organisms, and determined the rates of depuration.

Profiling the decomposition products of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) irradiated using an electron beam.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has been found in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in surface water as a result of domestic uses of textiles, electronics, and surfactants. The detection of PFOS in the aqueous environment has been linked to hazardous biological effects including estrogenicity and genotoxicity. To provide an alternative to conventional processes, one of the radical-based advanced oxidation and reduction processes being tested for treatment of refractory compounds in water, involves the use of an electron beam.

Combined toxic effect of airborne heavy metals on human lung cell line A549.

Many studies have demonstrated that heavy metals existing as a mixture in the atmospheric environment cause adverse effects on human health and are important key factors of cytotoxicity; however, little investigation has been conducted on a toxicological study of a metal mixture from atmospheric fine particulate matter. The objective of this study was to predict the combined effects of heavy metals in aerosol by using in vitro human cells and obtain a suitable mixture toxicity model. Arsenic, nickel, and lead were selected for mixtures exposed to A549 human lung cancer cells.