Search Results (1,157)

Healthcare waste management is a growing environmental and economic challenge due to increasing waste volumes, hazardous materials, and continued reliance on linear disposal methods such as incineration and landfilling. This review aims to examine how circular economy and zero-waste approaches can be applied to healthcare waste management to improve sustainability, resource efficiency, and system performance. A structured narrative review was conducted using peer-reviewed literature obtained from prominent scientific databases, concentrating on circular strategies, zero-waste initiatives, digital technologies, and policy frameworks relevant to healthcare waste systems. The reviewed studies indicate that practices such as improved waste segregation, recycling and material recovery, reusable product design, digital waste tracking, and Extended Producer Responsibility can significantly reduce waste generation, lower environmental impacts, and achieve cost savings, while maintaining infection control and patient safety. However, the review also identifies key barriers to implementation, including regulatory complexity, limited infrastructure, financial constraints, and weak coordination among stakeholders. The novelty of this review lies in its integrated analysis of circular economy and zero-waste strategies through the lens of digital enablement, offering a systems-based framework for transforming healthcare waste management beyond incremental improvements. The findings highlight that successful circular healthcare waste management requires strong institutional leadership, supportive policies, and the integration of digital technologies to enable monitoring, traceability, and decision-making. This review enhances the comprehension of how circular economy principles can facilitate the transition from linear to sustainable healthcare waste systems and provides guidance for policymakers, healthcare managers, and researchers. Future research should focus on evaluating real-world implementation, advancing recyclable and reusable medical materials, and developing standardised indicators to measure circular performance in healthcare settings. Full article

Platinum group elements (PGEs), especially platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh), are analyzed as emerging airborne contaminants in urban environments. This study aimed to monitor the spatial and temporal distribution of PGEs in urban air and to evaluate their potential as indicators of traffic-related emissions. The paper presents a five-year monitoring of Pt, Pd, and Rh mass concentrations in airborne particulate matter collected from three urban locations (North, Center, and South) with different traffic loads in Zagreb, Croatia. Weekly samples were digested in acid under high temperature and high pressure, and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). At the monitoring location South, mass concentrations of all PGEs were generally 20–40% higher than at other locations, consistent with its higher traffic density. The PGEs showed seasonal variability, with 40–60% higher mass concentrations in winter and autumn than in spring and summer. The spatial and temporal distribution of PGE mass concentrations across urban locations demonstrates their potential as indicators of traffic-related activity. Palladium mass concentrations were consistently the highest, as a result of its increased use in modern catalytic converters. These findings underscore the relevance of long-term PGE monitoring for understanding urban atmospheric pollution dynamics within changing environmental conditions. Full article

Tetracycline antibiotics are increasingly detected in aquatic environments because of their ecological risks and persistence, while conventional wastewater treatment processes are often insufficient for their effective removal from water. Here, we introduce a novel 3D graphene oxide-based nanocomposite that stacks Cu-NPs and amino-functionalized MIL-101(Fe) (denoted by Cu/NH₂-MIL-101(Fe)@GO) to effectively remove tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) from environmental water samples. XPS, XRD, TEM, SEM, and FTIR analyses were conducted to characterize the structure and surface morphology of the Cu/NH₂-MIL-101(Fe)@GO nanocomposite. Overall, it was confirmed that GO, NH₂-MIL-101(Fe), and Cu-NPs were successfully incorporated, resulting in a porous material with high access to Cu-related sites as well as oxygen- and nitrogen-based functionalities (such as amino-, hydroxy-, and carboxy-groups). This hybrid system facilitates the adsorption by complementary mechanisms like surface complexation/chelation at Cu and Fe centers with the pH-dependent tetracycline species in electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, and molecule confinement in the metal–organic framework (MOF) pores, and by the synergistic effects at the GO–MOF(Fe)–Cu junction interfaces. The batch adsorption studies showed that the quick and efficient uptake of the two antibiotics at pH 6.5, with removal rates of 99.65–99.83%, was achieved by 15.0 mg of Cu/NH₂-MIL-101(Fe)@GO at an initial concentration of 20 ppm in 40 min at 25 °C. Equilibrium data were found to be well-fitted by the Langmuir isotherm (R² = 0.908–0.909), suggesting monolayer-dominated adsorption with the maximum capacity of 769.8–775.2 mg g⁻¹. The adsorption kinetics was well-described by the pseudo-second order model (R² = 0.9641–0.9749), which agreed with the strong binding between the tetracyclines and active sites of the nanocomposite. The main novelty of this work consists of the design of a single recoverable platform integrating GO-based preconcentration, pore accessibility of NH₂-MIL-101(Fe), and Cu-driven complexation, which led to the strong removal of tetracyclines under a relevant range of water conditions. These findings demonstrate that Cu/NH₂-MIL-101(Fe)@GO could serve as a promising high-efficiency and potentially reusable adsorbent for removing tetracycline from aqueous solution, which provides a more sustainable approach for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. Full article

Understanding how carbon emission responsibilities evolve within interconnected electricity systems is essential for effective environmental governance and sustainable energy transitions. This study develops a carbon-extended multi-dynamic interregional input-output shift-share framework to examine how structural dynamics reshape carbon emission responsibilities in China’s power sector. Using provincial multi-regional input-output data for 31 provinces in 2012, 2015, and 2017, the framework integrates production-based and consumption-based accounting into a unified multi-level analytical structure. The results reveal four key findings. First, production-based emissions are primarily concentrated in central and western power-generation provinces, whereas consumption-based emissions cluster in eastern and central demand centers, reflecting a persistent spatial mismatch between electricity production and consumption. Second, under production-based accounting, the power sector shifts from having a lower emission growth rate than the provincial average to exceeding it, while consumption-based emissions consistently grow more slowly than the provincial average. Third, the national level increasingly dominates emission growth transmission in both accounting perspectives, with stronger influence on the production side and greater provincial heterogeneity on the consumption side. Fourth, structural upgrading becomes increasingly concentrated at the provincial level under both perspectives. These findings highlight the importance of multi-level structural dynamics in shaping carbon responsibility allocation and provide policy-relevant insights for coordinated decarbonization, sustainable electricity transition, and cross-regional carbon governance. This study contributes to the understanding of sustainable development pathways in carbon-intensive energy systems and offers practical implications for achieving low-carbon and sustainable power sector transformation. Full article

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide and has been increasingly reported in aquatic environments, including riverine, estuarine, and coastal systems. However, information on its intestinal effects in benthic marine invertebrates remains limited. In this study, we investigated dose-dependent intestinal responses of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus following acute waterborne glyphosate exposure using integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Sea cucumbers were exposed for 24 h to four nominal glyphosate concentrations: 0, 9.23, 46.15, and 230.77 mg/L. Mortality occurred only in the highest-concentration group, allowing phenotypic stratification of this group into high-dose survivors (HL) and high-dose dead individuals (HD) for downstream multi-omics comparisons. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis indicated clear exposure- and phenotype-associated shifts in intestinal molecular profiles. Differential expression analysis and pathway enrichment showed that low-dose exposure was mainly associated with metabolic and digestion-related adjustments, whereas higher exposure levels were characterized by broader perturbation of immune regulation, stress-response signaling, proteostasis-related processes, and cell fate-associated pathways. Metabolomic profiling further revealed progressive remodeling of lipid, amino acid, energy, redox, and transport-related pathways, with the most extensive alterations observed in HD. Integrated transcriptome–metabolome analysis supported increasingly structured cross-omics covariation with rising exposure severity, highlighting coordinated intestinal system disruption under high-dose glyphosate stress. Overall, these findings demonstrate that acute waterborne glyphosate exposure induces dose-dependent intestinal molecular reprogramming in A. japonicus, with marked divergence between surviving and dead individuals at the highest exposure level. This study provides mechanistic evidence for early intestinal responses to glyphosate in a representative marine deposit-feeding invertebrate and offers a basis for future studies linking controlled exposure experiments with environmentally relevant marine risk scenarios. Full article

Soil salinization is a major abiotic stressor limiting global agricultural and forestry productivity. This study aimed to assess the tolerance of four wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) genotypes (8-A, F-12, F-19, F-15) to salinity stress using the in vitro culture technique. Shoots were exposed to three NaCl concentrations (0—control treatment, 33, and 100 mM) in micropropagation medium under controlled laboratory conditions for 35 days. Morphological parameters, including shoot length, shoot number, survival and multiplication rate, shoot fresh and dry biomass, and shoot water content, were evaluated alongside biochemical markers such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities assessed through ferric reducing–antioxidant power (FRAP), ABTS radical scavenging, DPPH radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO•) scavenging. Consistent with the experimental design, exposure to 100 mM NaCl significantly inhibited shoot growth and biomass accumulation, while survival was comparatively less affected. Genotypic variation was evident, with genotypes F-19 and F-12 demonstrating higher tolerance, maintaining greater growth and antioxidant capacity (FRAP and ABTS) under salt stress compared to more sensitive genotypes like 8-A and F-15. Phenolic and flavonoid contents were also reduced at 100 mM NaCl, suggesting that intense salinity stress limited the biosynthesis and accumulation of these antioxidant compounds. Nitric oxide scavenging activity remained largely unaffected by salinity in all genotypes, which may indicate that the applied stress levels were insufficient to markedly alter this component of the antioxidant response. The genotype F-19 emerged as the strongest salinity-tolerant genotype, retaining superior shoot number, multiplication rate, fresh/dry biomass and stable/increased total phenolic content (TPC) under 100 mM NaCl compared to other genotypes. This integrative in vitro approach effectively distinguished salt-tolerant wild cherry genotypes and offers a valuable screening tool for breeding and selection programmes targeting improved resilience to salinity stress. The findings have practical relevance for forestry, horticulture, landscape architecture and the restoration of salt-affected sites, particularly in the context of climate change. They also align with current European and global priorities focused on identifying genetically suitable reproductive material for resilient afforestation and ecosystem restoration under increased environmental stress. Full article

This paper addresses the problem of nonparametric regression for functional time series, a setting complicated by the infinite-dimensional nature of the covariates, temporal dependence, and potential for outliers. We propose a new robust estimator that combines three powerful ideas: (i) k-nearest neighbors (kNN) for adaptive localization in the functional space; (ii) local linear smoothing to reduce bias; and (iii) $\mathcal{M}$-estimation to ensure resilience against atypical observations. The key theoretical contribution establishes the almost-complete convergence of the proposed estimator under mild conditions that account for the functional geometry, weak dependence (via quasi-association), and robustness constraints. The obtained rate of convergence explicitly reveals the interplay between the functional concentration, dependence strength, and local smoothness of the model. A simulation study demonstrates that this method offers superior stability and predictive accuracy compared to classical alternatives, particularly under heavy-tailed errors and data contamination. The practical relevance of the approach is further illustrated through a one-step-ahead prediction application to a real-world environmental dataset of hourly NOx measurements. Full article

The intensive use of agricultural inputs and the increasing incorporation of nano-materials into crop management practices raise concerns about their ecotoxicological interactions in plant systems. This study evaluated phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in Allium cepa L. under experimental nano-agrochemical exposure scenarios combining two conventional nitrogen fertilizers—ammonium sulfate (AS) and urea—with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Biological responses were assessed across fertilizer concentrations (0.03–0.5 g/L), applied individually, simultaneously, and sequentially, to identify modulatory effects of AgNPs on plant proliferative activity and genomic stability. Results showed the relative stability of morphophysiological indicators associated with root growth, whereas cytogenetic biomarkers exhibited selective alterations under specific conditions. Significant increases in genetic damage markers were detected at intermediate ammonium sulfate concentrations, suggesting sublethal phytotoxicity windows not reflected by macroscopic growth parameters. In addition, modulation of the mitotic index and absence of generalized genotoxic effects in most combined or sequential treatments indicate that AgNPs primarily acted as modulators of proliferative responses rather than direct cytotoxic agents. Overall, these findings highlight the dynamic and non-linear nature of nano-agrochemical interactions in plant systems and underscore the importance of multibiomarker approaches for the early detection of genomic instability. The results provide experimental evidence relevant to the environmental risk assessment of nano-enabled fertilization strategies under realistic mixed-exposure scenarios. This study contributes to advancing the ecotoxicological understanding of emerging agricultural technologies and supports the need for further mechanistic research and field-based evaluations to guide the safe and sustainable use of nanomaterials in crop production. Full article

Substituted p-phenylenediamines (PPDs) and their quinone derivatives (PPD-Qs) are emerging contaminants associated with tire-related antioxidants and antiozonants and have raised increasing concern because of their potential environmental effects. However, information on their occurrence in estuarine systems, particularly their combined distribution in water and sediment, remains limited in the Pearl River Estuary. In this study, 30 water samples and five sediment samples collected from the Pearl River Estuary were analyzed for selected PPDs and PPD-Qs. Four target compounds were detected in water, whereas nine were found in sediments, indicating broader occurrence in the sediment phase. The total concentration of PPDs ranged from below the detection limit to 17.6 ng/L in water and from 0.140 to 1.37 ng/g in sediments. In water, 6PPD and 6PPD-Q showed relatively high detection frequencies, while elevated IPPD concentrations were observed at several sites near urbanized coastal areas. In sediments, the highest ΣPPDs level was recorded in Shenzhen Bay. The observed spatial patterns suggest that mixed anthropogenic inputs may influence the occurrence of these compounds in the estuary, although direct source attribution requires further investigation. Overall, this study provides preliminary baseline information on the occurrence and phase-specific distribution of PPDs and PPD-Qs in the Pearl River Estuary and supports future investigations into their environmental fate and ecological relevance. Full article

2,3′,4,4′,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118) is a persistent environmental pollutant associated with adverse female reproductive outcomes; however, its effects on uterine function and epigenetic regulation remain incompletely understood. This study investigated whether PCB118 disrupts uterine decidualization and angiogenesis through miRNA-mediated regulatory pathways. Human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to an environmentally relevant, non-cytotoxic concentration of PCB118. Decidualization and angiogenesis were evaluated in vitro, and underlying mechanisms were investigated using molecular and miRNA-based approaches. In vivo validation of miR-542-3p expression was performed in pregnant mice following PCB118 exposure. PCB118 exposure was associated with reduced expression of decidualization markers, including prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), as well as impaired angiogenic capacity in HUVECs. PCB118 treatment was accompanied by increased miR-542-3p expression, which was associated with decreased integrin-linked kinase (ILK) levels and changes in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and total Smad2 protein abundance. ILK overexpression partially restored decidualization and angiogenesis-related phenotypes, supporting a functional involvement of ILK in these processes. Consistently, elevated miR-542-3p expression was observed in murine endometrial tissues following PCB118 exposure, suggesting physiological relevance in vivo. PCB118 exposure is associated with impaired decidualization and angiogenesis, potentially involving dysregulation of the miR-542-3p/ILK signaling axis, suggesting a potential role for epigenetic modulation in PCB118-associated reproductive dysfunction. Full article

Qinghai Province shoulders the heavy responsibility of serving as China’s ecological security barrier. In the process of implementing the “ecological priority” strategy, the green development of grassland animal husbandry in Qinghai Province plays an especially important driving role. To systematically reveal the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics and core driving mechanism of Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) and provide a decision-making basis for the green transformation and high-quality development of regional animal husbandry, this paper, based on relevant data from 2010 to 2024 in Qinghai Province, constructs a measurement and influencing factor index system for the GTFP of grassland animal husbandry. Then, it conducts a systematic analysis of the temporal evolution and spatial differentiation characteristics of the GTFP of grassland animal husbandry in Qinghai Province using methods such as trend surface analysis and standard deviation ellipse. Subsequently, the influencing factors are discussed through the geographic detector model. The research findings are as follows: (1) During the study period, the GTFP of grassland animal husbandry in Qinghai Province shows an overall upward trend. Spatially, it presents a regional pattern of “strong in the north and stable in the south,” with the migration center moving towards the northeast and the distribution becoming more concentrated. (2) The level of fiscal support for agriculture, accessibility of transportation, the degree of environmental governance and the degree of digitalization play core driving roles in the process of GTFP climbing in grassland animal husbandry. (3) Interaction analysis shows that the explanatory power of any two influencing factors in the study area is higher than that of a single factor, and the interaction between the level of fiscal support for agriculture and the degree of environmental governance is the most significant. Therefore, the key to improving the GTFP of grassland animal husbandry in Qinghai Province lies in the coordinated allocation and linkage of financial support for agriculture and environmental governance. At the same time, this study can provide reference value for the green transformation and high-quality development of plateau grassland animal husbandry. Full article

This study examines the evolution of the scientific literature on mining and heavy metals, with a particular focus on biosanitary risks associated with childhood exposure. The research integrates a systematic literature review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology, combined with a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications, international epidemiological data, and an evaluation of the socio-environmental context in Ecuadorian mining regions. The PRISMA-based screening process was applied to identify, filter, and select relevant peer-reviewed studies, enabling the delimitation of a focused corpus of literature, with particular attention given to scientific contributions produced by Latin American researchers and institutions. The results reveal a significant concentration of knowledge production among a limited number of countries and institutions, the dominance of English as the main language of scientific communication, and the centrality of journals in environmental sciences and toxicology. While notable progress has been made in identifying contaminants and exposure pathways, governance structures, territorial disparities, and policy implementation processes remain insufficiently explored. In Ecuador, the rapid growth of mining concessions in ecologically sensitive zones presents potential threats to children’s neurocognitive development, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing surveillance, biomonitoring programs, and preventive public health measures. The study emphasizes the importance of strengthening regional research capacity and fostering more equitable international scientific collaborations to ensure that knowledge production is responsive to local contexts and effectively safeguards vulnerable populations. Full article

Background: Cephalosporins, widely used β-lactam antibiotics, are becoming significant environmental pollutants, primarily due to their high use and persistence. They are released into the environment mainly through wastewater treatment plants, agricultural runoff, and hospital discharge, with particularly high concentrations recorded in effluents. Conventional wastewater treatment methods have inadequate removal efficiency, while advanced treatments, such as ozonation, activated carbon adsorption, and advanced oxidation processes, although more efficient, may produce toxic by-products. Recent studies emphasize the importance of improved detection and monitoring techniques and advocate for stricter effluent regulations. Despite growing research attention, important knowledge gaps remain, including limited long-term field monitoring, insufficient data on environmentally realistic exposure scenarios, and incomplete assessment of transformation-product toxicity. Methods: The search strategy used the SCOPUS and PUBMED databases with the keywords “cephalosporin” AND “aquatic environment”, resulting in 341 records. After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 110 peer-reviewed English-language studies meeting predefined thematic inclusion criteria and relevant to the occurrence, environmental fate, ecotoxicological effects, antimicrobial resistance, and removal of cephalosporins in aquatic environments were included in the narrative synthesis. Results: The literature on cephalosporins in aquatic environments has expanded significantly from 1978 to 2025, prompted by concerns about pharmaceutical contamination and antibiotic resistance. Studies from 2016 to 2025 used advanced and multidisciplinary monitoring techniques, revealed key pollution sources such as wastewater treatment plants and hospitals, and correlated antibiotic residues with resistance genes, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and mitigation efforts. Ecotoxicological and fate studies further indicate that transformation processes may generate products with altered or increased toxicity, complicating environmental risk assessment. Conclusions: The literature shows increasing attention to cephalosporins in aquatic environments, reporting associations with antimicrobial resistance and adverse effects on aquatic organisms, including potential toxicity from transformation products. This review highlights the need for integrated monitoring, standardized toxicity assessment, and improved treatment strategies within a One Health framework. Full article

The persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic environments requires efficient and sustainable treatment technologies. In this study, the electrochemical degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was investigated using a grid-shaped Ti₄O₇ Magnéli-phase anode under electro-oxidation (EO) and electro-oxidation coupled with electro-Fenton (EO-EF) conditions. Structural characterization confirmed the predominance of Ti₄O₇ in the electrode material. At an initial concentration of 2 ppm, PFOS was rapidly and almost completely removed under both EO and EO-EF, whereas PFOA exhibited slower degradation kinetics, identifying it as the kinetically limiting compound. Coupling EO with electro-Fenton mainly enhanced the degradation kinetics, particularly for PFOA, while final removal efficiencies remained comparable. The influence of initial concentration was further examined, showing that lowering the PFOA concentration to 0.2 ppm, representative of environmentally relevant levels, enabled nearly complete removal within 300 min. Fluoride ion monitoring under optimized EO-EF conditions confirmed partial defluorination, demonstrating that PFOA removal is accompanied by C-F bond cleavage. These findings highlight the respective roles of EO and EO-EF processes and support the potential of Ti₄O₇-based anodes for energy-competitive PFAS remediation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Glyphosate-based formulations are globally pervasive pollutants increasingly recognized as potential contributors to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental microbiomes. Although glyphosate is designed to inhibit plant 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, it also affects microbial metabolism, stress response, and genetic exchange. This review synthesizes the pathways through which glyphosate, its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and commercial mixtures influence resistance-associated phenotypes and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance (ABR). Methods: A critical synthesis of the literature was conducted to evaluate the mechanistic and ecological interactions between glyphosate exposure and bacterial resistance in soil, aquatic, and host-associated microbiomes. Results: Experimental evidence showed that sublethal glyphosate exposure induced oxidative stress, altered membrane permeability, activated multidrug efflux pumps, and promoted tolerance phenotypes that could modify antibiotic susceptibility. It also enhances mutation rates and horizontal gene transfer processes associated with the emergence of resistance under controlled conditions. At the community level, glyphosate exposure is associated with microbiome restructuring and enrichment of resistance determinants, often without major shifts in overall diversity of the microbiome. These effects have been reported at environmentally relevant concentrations, although the evidence remains largely derived from laboratory and mesocosm studies. Conclusions: Glyphosate acts as both a biochemical modulator of resistance-related phenotypes and an environmental selective pressure that shapes microbial communities. Its widespread use and environmental persistence position it as a context-dependent contributor to the emergence and dissemination of AMR through interacting mechanistic and ecological pathways. Integrating AMR endpoints into pesticide risk assessments and surveillance frameworks is warranted, in addition to expanded field-based validation. Full article