Hasil untuk "Environmental pollution"

J. Wilkinson, A. Boxall, D. Kolpin et al.

Significance Despite growing evidence of the deleterious effects on ecological and human health, little is known regarding the global occurrence of pharmaceuticals in rivers. Studies assessing their occurrence are available for 75 of 196 countries, with most research conducted in North America and Western Europe. This leaves large geographical regions relatively unstudied. Here, we present the findings of a global reconnaissance of pharmaceutical pollution in rivers. The study monitored 1,052 sampling sites along 258 rivers in 104 countries of all continents, thus representing the pharmaceutical fingerprint of 471.4 million people. We show that the presence of these contaminants in surface water poses a threat to environmental and/or human health in more than a quarter of the studied locations globally. Environmental exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can have negative effects on the health of ecosystems and humans. While numerous studies have monitored APIs in rivers, these employ different analytical methods, measure different APIs, and have ignored many of the countries of the world. This makes it difficult to quantify the scale of the problem from a global perspective. Furthermore, comparison of the existing data, generated for different studies/regions/continents, is challenging due to the vast differences between the analytical methodologies employed. Here, we present a global-scale study of API pollution in 258 of the world’s rivers, representing the environmental influence of 471.4 million people across 137 geographic regions. Samples were obtained from 1,052 locations in 104 countries (representing all continents and 36 countries not previously studied for API contamination) and analyzed for 61 APIs. Highest cumulative API concentrations were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America. The most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The most frequently detected APIs were carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine (a compound also arising from lifestyle use), which were detected at over half of the sites monitored. Concentrations of at least one API at 25.7% of the sampling sites were greater than concentrations considered safe for aquatic organisms, or which are of concern in terms of selection for antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, pharmaceutical pollution poses a global threat to environmental and human health, as well as to delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Kai Li, Po-Hsuan Hsu, Chi-yang Tsou

This paper studies the asset pricing implications of industrial pollution. A long-short portfolio constructed from firms with high versus low toxic emission intensity within industry generates an average return of 4.42% per annum, which remains significant after controlling for risk factors. We examine several possible explanations for this pollution premium, which include policy uncertainty with respect to environmental regulations, relatedness to existing systematic risks, investors' preference for social responsibility, market sentiment, political connection, and corporate governance. Our empirical evidence suggests that the pollution premium is attributable to environmental policy uncertainty, which constitutes a systematic risk in a general equilibrium model.

T. Walker, Lexi Fequet

-Unsustainable plastic production, use and mismanagement has resulted in increased global plastic pollution and subsequent degradation into micro(nano)plastics in the environment threatening sustainability. Micro(nano)plastic pollution is pervasive and has caused widespread ecological impacts globally, including greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Although downstream strategies to curb plastic pollution exist, they are ineffective in the face of current plastic production and waste generation which is still outpacing existing regulations. Thus, the international community has recognized a more holistic approach is required to reduce plastic and micro(nano)plastic pollution. This critical review highlights studies showing that unsustainable global plastic production has resulted in increasing micro(nano)plastic pollution in all environmental compartments, yet few studies have documented successful micro(nano)plastic pollution prevention or removal techniques. This critical review offers constructive criticism into some strategies to help advance ambitious global plastic and micro(nano)plastic pollution reduction targets for a transition towards a sustainable global plastics future.

Jin Hu

Synergetic control of environmental pollution and carbon emissions (SCEPCE) is essential to green development. The emergence of the digital economy has become a significant component in regional economic growth. Investigating the digital driving mode for SCEPCE in developing countries is crucial. This paper empirically analyzes the effect of establishing big data comprehensive experimental areas (BDCEAs) on air pollutants and carbon emissions using panel data of prefecture-level cities from 2009 to 2020 and the time-varying difference-in-differences method. The research found that (1) BDCEA inhibits pollution and carbon emissions, and the policy effect is sustainable. (2) The synergistic effect is significant, particularly in small and medium-sized cities and old industrial-base cities. The benefit of reducing pollution is only significant in the east. The effect of reducing CO2 emissions is only significant in the west. (3) The pollution reduction effect of digital economic development has the characteristics of an increasing marginal effect, and the marginal effect of its carbon reduction effect is not apparent. (4) The technological innovation and energy efficiency improvement effects are effective mechanisms. This paper enriches the studies on the factors influencing SCEPCE, which will help to realize SCEPCE and the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature in developing countries. However, policy incentives and green development strategies must be fine-tuned to achieve global SCEPCE.

S. Sarkodie

P. Grennfelt, Anna Engleryd, M. Forsius et al.

Because of its serious large-scale effects on ecosystems and its transboundary nature, acid rain received for a few decades at the end of the last century wide scientific and public interest, leading to coordinated policy actions in Europe and North America. Through these actions, in particular those under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, air emissions were substantially reduced, and ecosystem impacts decreased. Widespread scientific research, long-term monitoring, and integrated assessment modelling formed the basis for the policy agreements. In this paper, which is based on an international symposium organised to commemorate 50 years of successful integration of air pollution research and policy, we briefly describe the scientific findings that provided the foundation for the policy development. We also discuss important characteristics of the science–policy interactions, such as the critical loads concept and the large-scale ecosystem field studies. Finally, acid rain and air pollution are set in the context of future societal developments and needs, e.g. the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We also highlight the need to maintain and develop supporting scientific infrastructures.

M. Krueger, H. Harms, D. Schlosser

J. Kaushal, Madhu Khatri, S. Arya

Pesticides have been used in the field of agriculture ever since their role in protection of crops from pests which include four different categories namely insects, mites, rodents and animals has been identified. Organophosphate pesticides are one of the most extensively applied insecticides in the field of agriculture such that around 40% of all the pesticides that are produced and used commercially belong to this category. The main toxicological effect of these pesticides when exposed to a living being encompasses the irremediable inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme which is involved in the neurotransmission of signals and hence its inhibition causes impairment of the respiratory tract and neuromuscular transmission. Apart from being used as a pesticide, organophosphates have also been applied as herbicides to some extent. The residues of these highly toxic chemicals have found route into the underground water system by seeping into the ground, in rivers where the agricultural run off water is disposed, and in the air when sprayed on the crops hence posing a threat to all the living strata exposed to these chemicals in various ways which are discussed further. Many significant studies have been carried out in order to evaluate the health risks associated with these pesticides which commonly include acute neurological disorders. This review emphasizes on the toxicological effects of organophosphate pesticides and the recent methods of detection that are used to identify trace amounts of organophosphate pesticides along with strategies which are used for their degradation.

P. Klepac, I. Locatelli, S. Korošec et al.

ABSTRACT There is a growing number of studies on the association between ambient air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes, but their results have been inconsistent. Consequently, a comprehensive review of this research area is needed. There was a wide variability in studied pregnancy outcomes, observed gestational windows of exposure, observed ambient air pollutants, applied exposure assessment methods and statistical analysis methods Gestational duration, preterm birth, (low) birth weight, and small for gestational age/intrauterine growth restriction were most commonly investigated pregnancy outcomes. Gestational windows of exposure typically included were whole pregnancy period, 1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester, first and last gestational months. Preterm birth was the outcome most extensively studied across various gestational windows, especially at the beginning and at the end of pregnancy. Particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide were the most commonly used markers of ambient air pollution. Continuous monitoring data were frequently combined with spatially more precisely modelled estimates of exposure. Exposure to particulate matter and ozone over the entire pregnancy was significantly associated with higher risk for preterm birth: the pooled effect estimates were 1.09 (1.03–1.16) per 10 &mgr;g/m3 increase in particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 &mgr;m or less (PM10),1.24 (1.08–1.41) per 10 &mgr;g/m3 increase in particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 &mgr;m or less (PM2.5), and 1.03 (1.01–1.04) per 10 ppb increase in ozone. For pregnancy outcomes other than PTB, ranges of observed effect estimates were reported due to smaller number of studies included in each gestational window of exposure. Further research is needed to link the routine pregnancy outcome data with spatially and temporally resolved ambient air pollution data, while adjusting for commonly defined confounders. Methods for assessing exposure to mixtures of pollutants, indoor air pollution exposure, and various other environmental exposures, need to be developed.

Xiaoru Chang, Yuying Xue, Jiangyan Li et al.

Micro‐ and nanoplastics are generated from plastics and have negative impacts on the environment due to their high level of fragmentation. They can originate from various sources such as fragments, fibers and foams. The large proportion of the waste and resistance to degradation means micro‐ and nanoplastics have become a serious global environmental problem, but there are few studies on their potential toxicity for human health. In this review, we discussed routes of exposure and the potential effects of micro‐ and nanoplastics to human health. Human beings could mainly be exposed to micro‐ and nanoplastics orally and by inhalation. The possible toxic effects of plastic particles are due to the potential toxicity of plastics themselves, and their combined toxicity with leachable additives and adsorbed contaminants. The potential risks for human health focused on their gastrointestinal toxicity and liver toxicity. The toxic mechanisms could involve oxidative stress, inflammatory reactions and metabolism disorders. More studies are needed to carry out and explore the potential toxicological mechanisms of micro‐ and nanoplastics and evaluate the combined toxicity of their adsorbed contaminants.

Bo Yuan, Yuan Li, Jiachao Li et al.

CPVG (Utility-scale photovoltaic generation) is expanding rapidly worldwide, yet its cumulative ecological effects remain insufficiently quantified. This review synthesizes current evidence to clarify how CPVG influences ecosystems through linked mechanisms of energy redistribution, biogeochemical cycling disturbance, and ecological responses. CPVG alters surface radiation balance, modifies microclimate, and disrupts carbon–nitrogen–water fluxes, thereby driving vegetation shifts, soil degradation, and biodiversity decline. These impacts accumulate across temporal scales—from short-term construction disturbances to long-term operational feedbacks—and propagate spatially from local to regional and watershed levels. Ecological outcomes differ substantially among deserts, grasslands, and agroecosystems due to contrasting resilience and limiting factors. Based on these mechanisms, we propose a multi-scale cumulative impact assessment framework integrating indicator development, multi-source monitoring, coupled modelling, and ecological risk tiering. A full-chain mitigation pathway is further outlined, emphasizing optimized siting, disturbance reduction, adaptive management, and targeted restoration. This study provides a systematic foundation for evaluating and regulating CPVG’s cumulative ecological impacts, supporting more sustainable solar deployment.

B. Sures, M. Nachev, C. Selbach et al.

Environmental parasitology deals with the interactions between parasites and pollutants in the environment. Their sensitivity to pollutants and environmental disturbances makes many parasite taxa useful indicators of environmental health and anthropogenic impact. Over the last 20 years, three main research directions have been shown to be highly promising and relevant, namely parasites as accumulation indicators for selected pollutants, parasites as effect indicators, and the role of parasites interacting with established bioindicators. The current paper focuses on the potential use of parasites as indicators of environmental pollution and the interactions with their hosts. By reviewing some of the most recent findings in the field of environmental parasitology, we summarize the current state of the art and try to identify promising ideas for future research directions. In detail, we address the suitability of parasites as accumulation indicators and their possible application to demonstrate biological availability of pollutants; the role of parasites as pollutant sinks; the interaction between parasites and biomarkers focusing on combined effects of parasitism and pollution on the health of their hosts; and the use of parasites as indicators of contaminants and ecosystem health. Therefore, this review highlights the application of parasites as indicators at different biological scales, from the organismal to the ecosystem.

Xueyuan Wang, Chunting Zhang, Zhijian Zhang

Using firm establishment-level data combined with provincial socio-economic characteristic panel data in China for the period of 2011-2015, this study seeks to empirically examine the impact of environmental regulation on location choices of polluting firms. The results of the conditional logit model provide compelling evidence that environmental regulations do affect the location choice of firms in polluting industries. Instead of supporting the pollution haven effect, our results consistently confirm the Porter effect at the country level. This result is robust when taking endogeneity problem into account, adopting various model specifications and estimation strategies, using alternative measurements of environmental regulation and location choices, and subsampling excluding international political events. However, the results also show divergent effect of environmental regulation on location choices for heterogeneous firms. Specifically, polluting firms in eastern region prefer to invest in provinces with stringent environmental policies but those in other regions, especially in northeastern region, choose to locate in provinces with lax environmental regulation. While water-dependent polluting firms with a low level of footlooseness are more likely to enter locations with loose environmental regulation, air pollution-intensive firms tend to locate in provinces with tight environmental legislation. These results have policy implications for transitional China as well as other developing countries with similar experience.

Alexander D. Kolesnik

We present a diffusion model of surface soil pollution from a stationary source based on the symmetric stochastic motion at finite speed in the plane $\Bbb R^2$, also called the planar Markov random flight, whose lifetime is a random variable with given distribution. We consider a heavy-particle model, in which the lifetime is supposed to be an exponentially-distributed random variable, and obtain an explicit formula for the stationary probability density of the pollution process expressed in terms of McDonald functions with variable indices. We also study a light-particle model, in which the lifetime is a gamma-distributed random variable. In this case, the stationary probability density of the pollution process is given in the form of a definite integral calculated numerically, as well as in the form of a functional series composed of the hypergeometric functions with variable coefficients. These stationary densities are plotted in a figure and numerically calculated tables that demonstrate the behaviour of the pollution process on long time intervals. Some remarks on the pollution model based on asymmetric finite-velocity planar stochastic motion are also given.

Xu Fan, Zhihao Wang, Yuetan Lin et al.

Air pollutants pose a significant threat to the environment and human health, thus forecasting accurate pollutant concentrations is essential for pollution warnings and policy-making. Existing studies predominantly focus on single-pollutant forecasting, neglecting the interactions among different pollutants and their diverse spatial responses. To address the practical needs of forecasting multivariate air pollutants, we propose MultiVariate AutoRegressive air pollutants forecasting model (MVAR), which reduces the dependency on long-time-window inputs and boosts the data utilization efficiency. We also design the Multivariate Autoregressive Training Paradigm, enabling MVAR to achieve 120-hour long-term sequential forecasting. Additionally, MVAR develops Meteorological Coupled Spatial Transformer block, enabling the flexible coupling of AI-based meteorological forecasts while learning the interactions among pollutants and their diverse spatial responses. As for the lack of standardized datasets in air pollutants forecasting, we construct a comprehensive dataset covering 6 major pollutants across 75 cities in North China from 2018 to 2023, including ERA5 reanalysis data and FuXi-2.0 forecast data. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art methods and validate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture.

Guangyuan Yao

China has been grappling with an air pollution crisis for several years, causing significant impacts on public health and the environment. As the official English-language publication in China, China Daily serves as an essential medium for disseminating the Chinese government's messaging to the international community regarding environmental governance and policy. This study aims to examine the discourse on air pollution in the official English-language newspaper, China Daily, between 2016 and 2022. The research seeks to answer questions about how China Daily constructs the discourse on pollution, how it shapes public perception of China's environmental governance, and what sociopolitical factors influence China's response to environmental challenges. The study suggests that China's commitment to addressing environmental issues through policy measures and sound governance offers a promising outlook for a cleaner and sustainable future.

Rubia Truppel, Anderson D’Oliveira, Laura Canale et al.

This review investigates and analyzes the state of the art on scientific evidence related to educational interventions to improve air quality indoors and outdoors through a mapping review. The review followed proposed guidelines for mapping reviews in environmental sciences and the steps described in the Template for a Mapping Study Protocol. The search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cinahl, and Google Scholar with no language restrictions, and was completed in January 2025. Three filters were applied: search, selection with inclusion and exclusion criteria (PECOS strategy), and data extraction. Two independent reviewers assessed article eligibility, and disagreements were resolved by a third researcher. Twenty-four studies that met the eligibility criteria were included. Five research questions were answered. Studies published between 1977 and 2024 were included, totaling 7289 participants aged 12 to 85. The geographic distribution was concentrated in China (five studies) and the United States (four studies), followed by South Korea, India, Australia, and other countries, with fewer publications. The methodological predominance was experimental studies; observational studies were also analyzed, although less frequently. The period with the greatest increase in the number of publications was between 2020 and 2024. The educational methods most commonly used in the studies were lectures and the delivery of information leaflets. Particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 μm and 10 μm (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) were the most widely investigated pollutants in the studies. From our analyses, it was observed that the educational interventions to improve air quality, adopted in the selected studies, resulted in the acquisition of knowledge about the environmental effects and the importance of individual actions. The changes in behavior included the adoption of more sustainable practices and an improvement in air quality in the environment, with a significant reduction in pollutant emissions. We conclude that interventions through environmental education demonstrate great potential to improve air quality. Based on the mapped evidence, governments and global policymakers can use this information to develop new strategies or improve existing ones to reduce air pollution in affected environments and regions.

Marta Jaskulak, Malwina Zimowska, Marta Rolbiecka et al.

The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, posing a significant public health concern due to its association with various chronic diseases and healthcare costs. In addition to traditional risk factors such as diet and physical activity, emerging evidence suggests that environmental pollutants, termed obesogens, may contribute to the obesity epidemic. Obesogens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that can alter lipid homeostasis, promote adipogenesis, and disrupt metabolic regulation, leading to increased adiposity and obesity risk. This review explores available data from human studies published in the last decade, along with the mechanisms underlying obesogenic action, including their effects on adipocyte differentiation, adipose tissue development, and metabolic regulation. Overall, 75 studies were analyzed. Early-life exposure during critical developmental windows has been shown to increase obesity risk later in life, potentially through epigenetic modifications and transgenerational effects. Epidemiological studies provide evidence of associations between prenatal or early-life exposure and increased obesity risk in offspring. Additionally, study found more consistent associations between exposure to some EDCs (including phthalates, parabens, and bisphenols) and obesity or metabolic outcomes in children and women, while results for other chemicals (i.e. PFAS and organochlorine pesticides) were more heterogeneous, especially in adolescents and adults. Key findings indicate consistent associations between phthalate exposure and obesity in children, with mixed results for adults. Future research should focus on elucidating the full spectrum of obesogens, their mechanisms of action, and their implications for obesity risk across generations. This knowledge will inform preventive strategies and public health interventions aimed at addressing the obesity epidemic and its associated health burden.

Tingchao He, Yuqi Deng, Nobutaka Ohgami et al.

Background: Exposure to arsenic increases the risk of hypertension. Indeed, a high level of arsenic in human serum, a reliable biomarker of arsenic exposure, was shown to be linked to increased prevalence of hypertension among a study of Japanese residents. However, no beneficial food that decreases the risk of arsenic-mediated hypertension has been determined by considering intake scores of multiple foods. Methods: The comprehensive effects of combined beverage intake on the risk of hypertension, mediated by decreased levels of total arsenic in fasting serum, were investigated among the same group of 2706 residents. Results: Our generalized linear regression analysis for each beverage showed significant negative associations of serum arsenic levels with milk and vegetable juice intake scores among 11 beverages. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) analyses of combined beverage intake scores reveal that milk was the beverage most strongly associated with lower serum arsenic levels. Subsequent causal mediation analysis further showed that increased milk intake reduced the prevalence of arsenic-mediated hypertension by lowering serum arsenic levels. Additionally, our cell-free assay revealed the adsorption-modifying effect of milk on arsenic components in a popular fish meat. An in vivo assay confirmed that milk intake significantly decreased total serum arsenic levels in mice. Conclusions: Our multidisciplinary approach, combining epidemiological, chemical and animal studies, suggests that milk consumption has a beneficial effect in reducing the prevalence of arsenic-induced hypertension by decreasing arsenic absorption. Considering the global trend for increased consumption of fish meat with high levels of total arsenic, milk may be globally useful for reducing the risk of arsenic-mediated hypertension.

Y. Hao, Zhiqiang Gai, Guanpeng Yan et al.

The massive development of the Chinese economy is being hindered by the deteriorating air pollution problem. Many methods have been used by the Chinese government to solve this environmental dilemma, out of which environmental decentralization is one of the important measures. The transparency of environmental decentralization may be weakened by the existence of the corruption problem, resulting in further deterioration of the air pollution problem. To examine this problem, the provincial panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2016 is selected and the spatial measurement method is used to study the relationship between environmental decentralization, government corruption, and air pollution. The results indicate that air pollution in different provinces of China is spatially dependent. Local environmental decentralization has a significant inhibitory effect on air pollution, while local air pollution is not inhibited by neighbor's environmental decentralization. However, air quality is significantly deteriorated by local or neighbor's corruption problem. After adding the interaction item of environmental decentralization and government corruption as the adjusting variable, it is found that the inhibitory effect of local environmental decentralization on air pollution is weakened by the problem of local government corruption, while the government corruption of neighbor does not have this effect. In addition, both local and neighbor's environmental decentralization have heterogeneous effects on air pollution from the spatial dynamic threshold regression results with regional corruption as the threshold variable.