Breaking boundaries: Artificial intelligence for pesticide detection and eco-friendly degradation.

Pesticides are extensively used agrochemicals across the world to control pest populations. However, irrational application of pesticides leads to contamination of various components of the environment, like air, soil, water, and vegetation, all of which build up significant levels of pesticide residues. Further, these environmental contaminants fuel objectionable human toxicity and impose a greater risk to the ecosystem. Therefore, search of methodologies having potential to detect and degrade pesticides in different environmental media is currently receiving profound global attention. Beyond the conventional approaches, Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with machine learning and artificial neural networks are rapidly growing branches of science that enable quick data analysis and precise detection of pesticides in various environmental components. Interestingly, nanoparticle (NP)-mediated detection and degradation of pesticides could be linked to AI algorithms to achieve superior performance. NP-based sensors stand out for their operational simplicity as well as their high sensitivity and low detection limits when compared to conventional, time-consuming spectrophotometric assays. NPs coated with fluorophores or conjugated with antibody or enzyme-anchored sensors can be used through Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectrometry, fluorescence, or chemiluminescence methodologies for selective and more precise detection of pesticides. Moreover, NPs assist in the photocatalytic breakdown of various organic and inorganic pesticides. Here, AI models are ideal means to identify, classify, characterize, and even predict the data of pesticides obtained through NP sensors. The present study aims to discuss the environmental contamination and negative impacts of pesticides on the ecosystem. The article also elaborates the AI and NP-assisted approaches for detecting and degrading a wide range of pesticide residues in various environmental and agrecultural sources including fruits and vegetables. Finally, the prevailing limitations and future goals of AI-NP-assisted techniques have also been dissected.

Contamination of textile dyes in aquatic environment: Adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystem and human health, and its management using bioremediation.

Textile dyes are the burgeoning environmental contaminants across the world. They might be directly disposed of from textile industries into the aquatic bodies, which act as the direct source for the entire ecosystem, ultimately impacting the human beings. Hence, it is essential to dissect the potential adverse outcomes of textile dye exposure on aquatic plants, aquatic fauna, terrestrial entities, and humans. Analysis of appropriate literature has revealed that textile dye effluents could affect the aquatic biota by disrupting their growth and reproduction. Various aquatic organisms are targeted by textile dye effluents. In such organisms, these chemicals affect their development, behavior, and induce oxidative stress. General populations of humans are exposed to textile dyes via the food chain and drinking contaminated water. In humans, textile dyes are biotransformed into electrophilic intermediates and aromatic amines by the enzymes of the cytochrome family. Textile dyes and their biotransformed products form the DNA and protein adducts at sub-cellular moiety. Moreover, these compounds catalyze the production of free radicals and oxidative stress, and trigger the apoptotic cascades to produce lesions in multiple organs. In addition, textile dyes modulate epigenetic factors like DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase to promote carcinogenesis. Several bioremediation approaches involving algae, fungi, bacteria, biomembrane filtration techniques, etc., have been tested and some other hybrid systems are currently under investigation to treat textile dye effluents. However, many such approaches are at the trial stage and require further research to develop more efficient, cost-effective, and easy-to-handle techniques.

Parabens as the double-edged sword: Understanding the benefits and potential health risks.

Parabens are globally employed as important preservatives in pharmaceutical, food, and personal care products. Nonetheless, improper disposal of commercial products comprising parabens can potentially contaminate various environmental components, including the soil and water. Residues of parabens have been detected in surface water, ground water, packaged food materials, and other consumer items. Long-term exposure to parabens through numerous consumer products and contaminated water can harm human health. Paraben can modulate the hormonal and immune orchestra of the body. Recent findings have correlated paraben use with hypersensitivity, obesity, and infertility. Notably, parabens have also been detected in the samples of breast cancer patients, suggesting a potential cross-talk between parabens and carcinogenesis. Therefore, the present article aims to dissect the significance of parabens as a preservative in several consumer products and their impact of chronic exposure to human health. This review encompasses various facets of paraben, including its sources, mechanism of action at the molecular level, and sheds light on its toxicological implications on human health.