Modelling the anthropogenic Hg pollution fingerprint on the marine fishery production worldwide: A preliminary exposure assessment for people living in countries having different income levels.

Mercury is a toxic pollutant that poses risks for the human population, mainly by eating contaminated fish. Mercury is released into the atmosphere from a variety of anthropogenic activities, with levels of emissions and under policy controls that largely vary across the world, leading thus to different relative contributions to the environmental matrices. Establishing the exact sources of this contaminant in the environment is crucial to optimising the policies aimed at mitigating the exposure risks for specific populations or ecosystems.

Triazine Herbicide and NPK Fertilizer Exposure: Accumulation of Heavy Metals and Rare Earth Elements, Effects on Cuticle Melanization, and Immunocompetence in the Model Species .

The increasing use of agrochemicals, including fertilizers and herbicides, has led to worrying metal contamination of soils and waters and raises serious questions about the effects of their transfer to different levels of the trophic web. Accumulation and biomagnification of essential (K, Na, Mg, Zn, Ca), nonessential (Sr, Hg, Rb, Ba, Se, Cd, Cr, Pb, As), and rare earth elements (REEs) were investigated in newly emerged adults of exposed to field-admitted concentrations of a metribuzin-based herbicide and an NPK blend fertilizer. Chemical analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) supported by unsupervised pattern recognition techniques.

Seven-year monitoring of mercury in wet precipitation and atmosphere at the Amsterdam Island GMOS station.

Mercury (Hg) fate and transport research requires more effort to obtain a deep knowledge of its biogeochemical cycle, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere and Tropics that are still missing of distributed monitoring sites. Continuous monitoring of atmospheric Hg concentrations and trend worldwide is relevant for the effectiveness evaluation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM) actions. In this context, Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM) and total mercury (THg) in precipitations were monitored from 2013 to 2019 at the Amsterdam Island Observatory (AMS - 37°48'S, 77°34'E) to provide insights into the Hg pathway in the remote southern Indian Ocean, also considering ancillary dataset of Rn-222, CO, CO, and CH.

Analytical study on the primary and secondary organic carbon and elemental carbon in the particulate matter at the high-altitude Monte Curcio GAW station, Italy.

This study provides a thorough investigation of the trends of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in particulate matter (PM) and PM samples collected at the Monte Curcio Observatory (1780 m a.s.l.

An innovative green protocol for the quantification of benzothiazoles, benzotriazoles and benzosulfonamides in PM using microwave-assisted extraction coupled with solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry.

Benzothiazoles (BTHs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), and benzenesulfonamides (BSAs) are chemicals used in several industrial and household applications. Despite these compounds are emerging pollutants, there is still a lack of information about their presence in outdoor air samples. In this paper, we developed a new method for the quantification of BTHs, BTRs, and BSAs in airborne particulate matter (PM).

Nitrogen dioxide reductions from satellite and surface observations during COVID-19 mitigation in Rome (Italy).

Lockdown restrictions were implemented in Italy from 10 March 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study aims to evaluate air pollution changes, with focus on nitrogen dioxide (NO), before and during the lockdown in Rome and in the surroundings. Significant NO declines were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic with reductions of - 50%, - 34%, and - 20% at urban traffic, urban background, and rural background stations, respectively.

Multiscale assessment of the impact on air quality of an intense wildfire season in southern Italy.

The summer of 2017 in the Calabria Region (South Italy) was an exceptional wildfire season with the largest area burned by wildfires in the last 11 years (2008-2019). The equivalent black carbon (EBC) and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements, recorded at the high-altitude Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Monte Curcio (MCU) regional station, were analyzed to establish the wildfires' impact on air quality, human health, and the ecosystem. A method was applied to identify the possible wildfires that influenced the air quality based on the integration of fire data (both satellite and ground-based) and the high-resolution WRF-HYSPLIT trajectories.

Agrochemical treatments as a source of heavy metals and rare earth elements in agricultural soils and bioaccumulation in ground beetles.

The continuous and extensive application of agrochemicals leads to the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) and rare earth elements (REEs) in agricultural soils and their transfer in the food web with consequent relevant risks for human and ecosystem health. In this study, HM and REE concentrations were quantified in the soil of wheat crop fields conventionally managed in the agricultural areas of Sila Mountain (Southern Italy) and compared with the concentration in a field of wild herbs, used as control. Statistical analyses and principal component analysis suggested that the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers contributes to the accumulation of HMs and REEs in the soil.

Modification of the EPA method 1631E for the quantification of total mercury in natural waters.

To support the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention, the accurate determinations of mercury (Hg) in natural waters is an important but certainly challenging task due to the low concentrations expected in ambient samples. Mercury contamination may occur from many sources such as the unproperly-cleaning of storage bottles or the use of reagents for sample analysis with Hg traces, thus leading the analyst to easily run into errors. In our work, we propose some key modifications to the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) method 1631E aimed at reducing the Hg contamination of reagents, storage containers, and minimizing the carryover effect in the instrumental line of sampling.

A rapid method for the quantification of urinary phthalate monoesters: A new strategy for the assessment of the exposure to phthalate ester by solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry.

In the following work, a new method for the analysis of the phthalate monoesters in human urine was reported. Phthalate monoesters are metabolites generated as a result of phthalate exposure. In compliance with the dictates of Green Analytical Chemistry, a rapid and simple protocol was developed and optimized for the quantification of phthalate monoesters (i.

Electronic structure of MAPbI and MAPbCl: importance of band alignment.

Since their first appearance, organic-inorganic perovskite absorbers have been capturing the attention of the scientific community. While high efficiency devices highlight the importance of band level alignment, very little is known on the origin of the strong n-doping character observed in the perovskite. Here, by means of a highly accurate photoemission study, we shed light on the energy alignment in perovskite-based devices.

Mercury concentrations in biota in the Mediterranean Sea, a compilation of 40 years of surveys.

The Mediterranean Region has a long lasting legacy of mercury mining activities and a high density of sub-marine volcanoes that has strongly contributed to its mercury budget. In the last forty years, there have been recorded increases in mercury concentrations in biota that have spurred a growing number of research activities to assess the impact of mercury pollution on human health and environment. Field investigations that quantify mercury concentrations in marine biota have led to a large amount of experimental data scattered in many peer-reviewed publications making it difficult for modelling applications and regional environmental assessments.

Sources of mercury in deep-sea sediments of the Mediterranean Sea as revealed by mercury stable isotopes.

Mercury (Hg) and its stable isotope composition were used to determine the sources of Hg in deep-sea sediments of the Mediterranean Sea. Surface and down-core sediment δHg values varied widely between -2.30 and +0.

The superstatistical nature and interoccurrence time of atmospheric mercury concentration fluctuations.

The probability density function (PDF) of the time intervals between subsequent extreme events in atmospheric Hg concentration data series from different latitudes has been investigated. The Hg dynamic possesses a long-term memory autocorrelation function. Above a fixed threshold in the data, the PDFs of the interoccurrence time of the Hg data are well described by a Tsallis q-Exponential function.

A green approach for organophosphate ester determination in airborne particulate matter: Microwave-assisted extraction using hydroalcoholic mixture coupled with solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Particulate matter (PM) is among the most dangerous air pollutants, and there is a growing concern related to the effects of airborne particles on human health. Their harmful effects can be derived are directly linked to the size of particles themselves and the associated pollutants after they have been taken up by inhalation. In this work was developed a new analytical method for the quantification of organophosphorus esters (OPE) bound to airborne PM.

Feedback mechanisms between snow and atmospheric mercury: Results and observations from field campaigns on the Antarctic plateau.

The Antarctic Plateau snowpack is an important environment for the mercury geochemical cycle. We have extensively characterized and compared the changes in surface snow and atmospheric mercury concentrations that occur at Dome C. Three summer sampling campaigns were conducted between 2013 and 2016.

Multivariate optimization of a microextraction by packed sorbent-programmed temperature vaporization-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for organophosphate flame retardant analysis in environmental aqueous matrices.

In this work, organophosphate ester flame retardant (OPFRs) assay in environmental waters was addressed by using microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Ten OPFRs with different physicochemical properties were taken into account as target compounds for a comprehensive method evaluation. Five MEPS cartridges (i.

Results of an interlaboratory comparison of analytical methods for quantification of anhydrosugars and biosugars in atmospheric aerosol.

An interlaboratory comparison was performed to evaluate the analytical methods for quantification of anhydrosugars - levoglucosan, mannosan, galactosan - and biosugars - arabitol, glucose and mannitol - in atmospheric aerosol. The performance of 10 laboratories in Italy currently involved in such analyses was investigated on twenty-six PM (particulate matter) ambient filters, three synthetic PM filters and three aqueous standard solutions. An acceptable interlaboratory variability was found, determined as the mean relative standard deviation (RSD%) of the results from the participating laboratories, with the mean RSD% values ranging from 25% to 46% and decreasing with increasing sugar concentration.

An overview of the use of artificial neural networks in lung cancer research.

The artificial neural networks (ANNs) are statistical models where the mathematical structure reproduces the biological organisation of neural cells simulating the learning dynamics of the brain. Although definitions of the term ANN could vary, the term usually refers to a neural network used for non-linear statistical data modelling. The neural models applied today in various fields of medicine, such as oncology, do not aim to be biologically realistic in detail but just efficient models for nonlinear regression or classification.

Global Sources and Pathways of Mercury in the Context of Human Health.

This paper reviews information from the existing literature and the EU GMOS (Global Mercury Observation System) project to assess the current scientific knowledge on global mercury releases into the atmosphere, on global atmospheric transport and deposition, and on the linkage between environmental contamination and potential impacts on human health. The review concludes that assessment of global sources and pathways of mercury in the context of human health is important for being able to monitor the effects from implementation of the Minamata Convention targets, although new research is needed on the improvement of emission inventory data, the chemical and physical behaviour of mercury in the atmosphere, the improvement of monitoring network data, predictions of future emissions and speciation, and on the subsequent effects on the environment, human health, as well as the economic costs and benefits of reducing these aspects.

Lagrangian statistics of mesoscale turbulence in a natural environment: The Agulhas return current.

The properties of mesoscale geophysical turbulence in an oceanic environment have been investigated through the Lagrangian statistics of sea surface temperature measured by a drifting buoy within the Agulhas return current, where strong temperature mixing produces locally sharp temperature gradients. By disentangling the large-scale forcing which affects the small-scale statistics, we found that the statistical properties of intermittency are identical to those obtained from the multifractal prediction in the Lagrangian frame for the velocity trajectory. The results suggest a possible universality of turbulence scaling.