A comprehensive review of toxicity of coal fly ash and its leachate in the ecosystem.

Coal fly ash (CFA), a byproduct of coal combustion, is a hazardous industrial solid waste. Its excessive global production, coupled with improper disposal practices, insufficient utilization and limited awareness of its inherent hazards, poses a significant threat to both ecological environment and human health. Based on the physicochemical properties of CFA and its leachates, we elucidate the forms of CFA and potential pathways for its entry into the human body, as well as the leaching behavior, maximum tolerance and biological half-life of toxic elements present in CFA. Furthermore, we provide an overview of current strategies and methods for mitigating the leaching of these harmful elements from CFA. Moreover, we systemically summarize toxic effect of CFA on organisms across various tiers of complexity, analyze epidemiological findings concerning the human health implications resulting from CFA exposure, and delve into the biotoxicological mechanisms of CFA and its leachates at cellular and molecular levels. This review aims to enhance understanding of the potential toxicity of CFA, thereby promoting increased public awareness regarding the disposal and management of this industrial waste.

Assessment of adverse effects of olive mill waste water and olive mill waste contaminated soil on springtail Folsomia candida.

In recent years significant attention has been given to the problem of olive mill waste towards the environment. Still, there is a considerable gap in the knowledge of the impact of the olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and the olive mill waste contaminated soil (OMW CS) on non-target soil organisms. Springtails, as an important group of non-target soil organisms, are frequently used in ecotoxicological research. However, information on olive mill waste impact on the model species Folsomia candida is scarce. Therefore, in this study, we determined the effects of OMWW and OMW CS on survival, reproduction, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and available energy in springtail F. candida. The exposure to different ratios of OMWW and OMW CS showed higher toxicity of OMW CS in terms of survival (LC50 = 32.34% of OMWW; LC50 = 45.36% of OMW CS) and reproduction (EC50 = 10.10% of OMWW; EC50 = 19.44% of OMW CS). Furthermore, neurotoxicity (AChE induction), oxidative stress (SOD, GST, and MDA induction), and changes in available energy (decrease in lipid and carbohydrate content) have been observed. Those negative effects are likely consequences of the high phenol content specific to OMWW and OMW CS. Obtained results indicate that for the ecotoxicological assessment of various wastes it is essential to consider different tier level biomarkers to have a clear insight into the mechanism of action.

The Influence of the Material Structure on the Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Composites Reinforced with Short Fibers Obtained with Additive Technologies.

Additive manufacturing technologies have a lot of potential advantages for construction application, including increasing geometrical construction flexibility, reducing labor costs, and improving efficiency and safety, and they are in line with the sustainable development policy. However, the full exploitation of additive manufacturing technology for ceramic materials is currently limited. A promising solution in these ranges seems to be geopolymers reinforced by short fibers, but their application requires a better understanding of the behavior of this group of materials. The main objective of the article is to investigate the influence of the microstructure of the material on the mechanical properties of the two types of geopolymer composites (flax and carbon-reinforced) and to compare two methods of production of geopolymer composites (casting and 3D printing). As raw material for the matrix, fly ash from the Skawina coal power plant (located at: Skawina, Lesser Poland, Poland) was used. The provided research includes mechanical properties, microstructure investigations with the use of scanning electron microscope (SEM), confocal microscopy, and atomic force microscope (AFM), chemical and mineralogical (XRD-X-ray diffraction, and XRF-X-ray fluorescence), analysis of bonding in the materials (FT-IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis (NMR). The best mechanical properties were reached for the sample made by simulating 3D printing process for the composite reinforced by flax fibers (48.7 MPa for the compressive strength and 9.4 MPa for flexural strength). The FT-IR, XRF and XRD results show similar composition of all investigated materials. NMR confirms the presence of SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedrons in a three-dimensional structure that is crucial for geopolymer structure. The microscopy observations show a better coherence of the geopolymer made in additive technology to the reinforcement and equal fiber distribution for all investigated materials. The results show the samples made by the additive technology had comparable, or better, properties with those made by a traditional casting method.

Producción de plásticos biodegradables a partir de bacterias de hábitats salinos aisladas de la Laguna de Ayarza / Production of biodegradable plastics from saline habitats bacteria isolated from Laguna de Ayarza

La contaminación por plásticos petroquímicos es una grave amenaza para el medio ambiente que requiere im-plementar alternativas como los bioplásticos para lograr un desarrollo sostenible. Los polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA) son polímeros utilizados para la producción de plásticos biodegradables y que han llamado la atención como sustitutos de los plásticos de base fósil. Sin embargo, el costo de producción de los PHA constituye una barrera para su producción industrial a gran escala. Las de bacterias de hábitats salinos son microorganismos prometedores para la síntesis de PHA debido a sus características tales como altos requisitos de salinidad que previenen la contaminación microbiana, la alta presión osmótica intracelular que permite una fácil lisis celular para purificar los PHA y la capacidad para usar un amplio espectro de sustratos. La presente investigación planteó determinar las cepas nativas de bacterias halófilas y halotolerantes de la Laguna de Ayarza capaces de producir PHA, establecer la capacidad que tienen de utilizar residuos agrícolas para la producción de PHA y determinar su eficiencia. Esto se logró a través de la inoculación de las cepas productoras de PHA en medios de fermentación con pulpa de café, cáscaras de plátanos y salvado de trigo lo que permitió determinar las cepas más eficientes. Se encontró que las bacterias productoras de PHA pertenecen a las especies: Alcaligenes faecalis, Bacillus idriensis, Bacillus megaterium, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, E. aurantiacum, Pseudomonas cuatrocienegasensis y Sta-phylococcus capitis y que las cepas AP21-14, AP21-10 y AP21-03 mostraron los mejores resultados que podrían ser prometedores para la producción a nivel industrial.

Pollution by petrochemical plastics is a serious threat to the environment that requires the implementation of al-ternatives such as bioplastics to achieve sustainable development. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polymers used for the production of biodegradable plastics and have drawn attention as substitutes for fossil-based plastics. However, the cost of producing PHAs constitutes a barrier to their large-scale industrial production. Bacteria from saline environments bacteria are promising microorganisms for PHA synthesis due to their characteristics such as high salinity requirements that prevent microbial contamination, high intracellular osmotic pressure that allows easy cell lysis to purify PHAs, and the ability to use a broad spectrum of substrates. This research project aimed to determine the native strains of halophilic and halotolerant bacteria from Laguna de Ayarza capable of producing PHA, establish their ability to use agricultural residues for the production of PHA, and determine their efficiency. This was achieved through the inoculation of the PHA-producing strains in fermentation media with coffee pulp, banana peels and wheat bran, which allowed determining the most efficient strains. It was found that the PHA-producing bacteria belong to the species: Alcaligenes faecalis, Bacillus idriensis, Bacillus mega-terium, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, E. aurantiacum, Pseudomonas cuatrocienegasensis and Staphylococcus capitis and that the strains AP21-14, AP21-10 and AP21-03 showed the best results that could be promising for production at an industrial level.

A 30-Year Study of Impacts, Recovery, and Development of Critical Effect Sizes for Endocrine Disruption in White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) Exposed to Bleached-Kraft Pulp Mill Effluent at Jackfish Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Jackfish Bay is an isolated bay on the north shore of Lake Superior, Canada that has received effluent from a large bleached-kraft pulp mill since the 1940s. Studies conducted in the late 1980s found evidence of reductions in sex steroid hormone levels in multiple fish species living in the Bay, and increased growth, condition and relative liver weights, with a reduction in internal fat storage, reduced gonadal sizes, delayed sexual maturation, and altered levels of circulating sex steroid hormones in white sucker (Catostomus commersonii). These early studies provided some of the first pieces of evidence of endocrine disruption in wild animals. Studies on white sucker have continued at Jackfish Bay, monitoring fish health after the installation of secondary waste treatment (1989), changes in the pulp bleaching process (1990s), during facility maintenance shutdowns and during a series of facility closures associated with changing ownership (2000s), and were carried through to 2019 resulting in a 30-year study of fish health impacts, endocrine disruption, chemical exposure, and ecosystem recovery. The objective of the present study was to summarize and understand more than 75 physiological, endocrine, chemical and whole organism endpoints that have been studied providing important context for the complexity of endocrine responses, species differences, and challenges with extrapolation. Differences in body size, liver size, gonad size and condition persist, although changes in liver and gonad indices are much smaller than in the early years. Population modeling of the initial reproductive alterations predicted a 30% reduction in the population size, however with improvements over the last couple of decades those population impacts improved considerably. Reflection on these 30 years of detailed studies, on environmental conditions, physiological, and whole organism endpoints, gives insight into the complexity of endocrine responses to environmental change and mitigation.

Effect of Environmental Regulation on Industrial Solid Waste Pollution in China: From the Perspective of Formal Environmental Regulation and Informal Environmental Regulation.

To address the concern of environmental pollution, it is necessary to study the effect of environmental regulation on industrial solid waste emission reduction in China. This paper aimed to analyze the effectiveness of provincial environmental regulation (both formal and informal) on the industrial solid waste emission reduction. The results show that both the effect of formal and informal environmental regulations on industrial solid waste emission intensity present an inverted "U" shape. The threshold value of per capita GDP as an indicator variable is CNY 16,299 and CNY 15,572 respectively. The effect on pollution emission reduction will appear when the value is higher than the threshold, and the two-way transmission mechanism between formal and informal environmental regulations does exist. When GDP per capita exceeds CNY 27,961, there is a phenomenon of "rebound" in the effect of informal environmental regulation on pollution reduction. Based on the findings, it was suggested that both formal and informal environmental regulation should be promoted to achieve the goal of industrial solid waste emission reduction. The coordination between formal and informal environmental regulation should be considered when the government makes policies. Different environmental regulation policies should be implemented in different regions. Informal regulation should be enriched and further promoted. Environmental law should play an important role in maintaining the public's participation in environmental regulation to prevent the failure of informal environmental regulation.

Impact of long-term industrial contamination on the bacterial communities in urban river sediments.

BACKGROUND: The contamination of the aquatic environment of urban rivers with industrial wastewater has affected the abiotic conditions and biological activities of the trophic levels of the ecosystem, particularly sediments. However, most current research about microorganism in urban aquatic environments has focused on indicator bacteria related to feces and organic pollution. Meanwhile, they ignored the interactions among microorganisms. To deeply understand the impact of industrial contamination on microbial community, we study the bacterial community structure and diversity in river sediments under the influence of different types of industrial pollution by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology and conduct a more detailed analysis of microbial community structure through co-occurrence networks. RESULTS: The overall community composition and abundance of individual bacterial groups differed between samples. In addition, redundancy analysis indicated that the structure of the bacterial community in river sediments was influenced by a variety of environmental factors. TN, TP, TOC and metals (Cu, Zn and Cd) were the most important driving factors that determined the bacterial community in urban river sediments (P < 0.01). According to PICRUSt analysis, the bacterial communities in different locations had similar overall functional profiles. It is worth noting that the 15 functional genes related to xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism were the most abundant in the same location. The non-random assembly patterns of bacterial composition in different types of industrially polluted sediments were determined by a co-occurrence network. Environmental conditions resulting from different industrial pollutants may play an important role in determining their co-occurrence patterns of these bacterial taxa. Among them, the bacterial taxa involved in carbon and nitrogen cycles in module I were relatively abundant, and the bacterial taxa in module II were involved in the repair of metal pollution. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that long-term potential interactions between different types of industrial pollution and taxa collectively affect the structure of the bacterial community in urban river sediments.

Effect of industrial wastewater on wheat germination, growth, yield, nutrients and bioaccumulation of lead.

Due to fresh water scarcity, farmers are using polluted water for irrigation. This research was conducted to study the bioaccumulation of Pb in wheat (Cv. Shafaq-2006). The experiment was comprised of seven treatments of lead i.e. 0-1,000 mg Pb/kg. The results revealed that lead severely reduces germination (- 30%), seedling fresh weight (- 74%), seedling dry weight (- 77%), vigor index (- 89%), tolerance index (- 84%), plant height (- 33%), number of leaves (- 41%), root fresh weight (- 50%), shoot fresh weight (- 62%), root dry weight (- 63%), shoot dry weight (- 71%), and root length (- 45%). The physiological parameters also respond negatively like stomatal conductance (- 82%), transpiration rate (- 72%) and photosynthetic rate (- 74%). Similarly, biochemical parameters also showed negative impacts, like carotenoids (- 41), total chlorophyll (- 43), chlorophyll a (- 42) and chlorophyll b (- 53). Yield parameters like the number of seed/plant, seed weight/plant, 1,000 seed weight and harvest index were reduced by 90%, 88%, 44% and 61%, respectively in T6. In addition, protein contents (- 81%), phosphorous (- 60%) and potassium (- 55%) were highly effected in the highest lead concentration (T6). Lead accumulation was extremely higher in seeds (119%) as compared to control plants. Lead bio-accumulation above threshold concentrations in crop parts is a serious human health concern.

Excess sulfur and Fe elements drive changes in soil and vegetation at abandoned coal gangues, Guizhou China.

Coal gangue piles accumulate outside mines and can persist for years, negatively impacting the regional environment. To determine the main cause of soil pollution at coal gangues, several coal gangues in Guizhou Province, China that had undergone natural recovery via native plants for 8 years were investigated in summer 2019. Three plots (2 m × 2 m) from the coal gangue area were selected for the treatment (GP). Control plots that were 100 m away from GP were also investigated in contrast (CK-near). In addition, plots from forest, farmland and lake land that were far from GP and largely undisturbed were also investigated as more extreme contrasts (CK-far). A series of soil indicators that can be affected by coal-gangue, such as heavy metals (Mn, Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb), As, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), sulfur (S) and iron (Fe), were tested for in the plots. Plant species, coverage and height were also analyzed to uncover biodiversity and dominant species information. The results suggested that coal gangue significantly influences soil S, pH and plant species after 8 years of natural recovery. The CK-far plots contained relatively low soil sulfur content, normal pH (close to 7) and abundant plant biodiversity. Generally, pH related positively with both the Patrick (R = 0.79, n = 22, p < 0.001) and Shannon indices (R = 0.67, n = 22, p < 0.001); the soil S related negatively with both the Patrick (R = 0.85, n = 22, p < 0.001) and Shannon indices (R = - 0.79, n = 22, p < 0.001). S content was highest (S = 1.0%) in GP plots, was lower in CK-near plots (S = 0.3%) and was the lowest of all in the plots distant from the coal mine (S = 0.1%, CK-far). S content was negatively correlated with pH. Soil pH decreased significantly, from 7.0 in CK-far, to 5.9 in CK-near, to 4.2 in GP. Soil Fe was 3.4 times higher in GP and CK-near than in CK-far. The excess sulfur and Fe elements and the acidified soil drove changes in soil and vegetation in the coal gangue areas. After 8 years of natural recovery, only a few plants, like Miscanthus floridulus, were able to live near the coal gangue in the area where the soil was still acidic and high in S and Fe.

Impact assessment of bioaugmented tannery effluent discharge on the microbiota of water bodies.

Effluents are commonly discharged into water bodies, and in order for the process to be as environmentally sound as possible, the potential effects on native water communities must be assessed alongside the quality parameters of the effluents themselves. In the present work, changes in the bacterial diversity of streamwater receiving a tannery effluent were monitored by high-throughput MiSeq sequencing. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters and acute toxicity were also evaluated through different bioassays. After the discharge of treated effluents that had been either naturally attenuated or bioaugmented, bacterial diversity decreased immediately in the streamwater samples, as evidenced by the over-representation of taxa such as Brachymonas, Arcobacter, Marinobacterium, Myroides, Paludibacter and Acinetobacter, typically found in tannery effluents. However, there were no remarkable changes in diversity over time (after 1 day). In terms of the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters analyzed, chemical oxygen demand and total bacterial count increased in response to discharge of the treated effluents. No lethal effects were observed in Lactuca sativa L. seeds or Rhinella arenarum embryos exposed to the streamwater that had received the treated effluents. All of these results contribute to the growing knowledge about the environmental safety of effluent discharge procedures.

Sawmill Activities Near the Lagos Lagoon, Nigeria: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Embryotoxic Evaluations of Sediment Extracts Using Clarias gariepinus.

The physicochemical parameters and 16 priority PAHs in surface water, porewater and sediment at a sawmill wastes-impacted and High-Rise study sites on the Lagos lagoon in Nigeria were assessed. Further, the embryotoxic effects of sediment organic and porewater extracts from the study sites were evaluated in Clarias gariepinus (African sharptooth catfish) embryos for 26 h. High molecular weight PAHs dominated the PAHs profile especially in the sediment. Source apportionment of the PAHs in the three environmental matrices revealed mainly pyrogenic sources. Developmental abnormalities and decreased hatching success were observed in C. gariepinus embryos exposed to extracts from the Okobaba site compared to High-Rise study site. The results demonstrate the potential though non-significant ecological risk of sawmill activities near the lagoon on water quality and fisheries. Further studies are recommended to provide holistic evidence-based information to promote sustainable fisheries in the lagoon in support of the UN SDGs 13 (climate action) and 14 (life below water).

Inorganic fraction of oil sands process-affected water induces mammalian macrophage stress gene expression and acutely modulates immune cell functional markers at both the gene and protein levels.

The focus of the present study was to examine the acute immunotoxic properties of oil sands process-affected waters (OSPW) using the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. Specifically, we used a quantitative PCR assay to monitor changes in the expression of stress, cytokine, and antimicrobial enzyme genes in activated macrophages following acute (i.e. < 24 h) exposure of the cells to whole OSPW and its fractions. Overall, our data shows that OSPW inorganic fraction (IF) significantly induces the expression of genes associated with oxidative stress and DNA damage and that the OSPW-IF also significantly augmented cytokine gene expression. These effects are similar to what was observed following whole OSPW exposures, which contrasts the minimal effects observed when cells were treated with equivalent doses of the OSPW organic fraction (OF). Surprisingly, OSPW-IF had reciprocal effects on gene and protein expression levels of two key macrophage enzymes (e.g. inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) synthase and arginase), which indicates that components within OSPW-IF have the unique ability to alter the overall functional states of macrophage by polarizing them towards an alternatively activated status; concomitant with the reciprocal depression of iNOS levels and enhanced expression and activity of arginase. Collectively, these findings show that at sub-lethal exposure doses, the inorganic constituents of OSPW have significant immunotoxicological properties that could potentially affect innate cellular defense responses of exposed animals.

Impact assessment of legacy wastes from ancient mining activities on current earthworm community.

Mineral resource exploitation by human societies throughout history led to the deposit of mining and smelting wastes and the subsequent contamination of surrounding soils by trace metals. After several centuries, the impact of these legacy hazardous wastes may remain a cause of environmental concern, especially for indigenous soil invertebrate populations such as earthworms. Therefore, we conducted a passive biomonitoring campaign in a former metallurgical district (Vosges Mountains, eastern France). According to community descriptors, we evidenced a significant decrease of anecic and endogeic earthworm density in the former mining stations. To link these results to soil contamination and bioaccumulation levels in earthworm tissues, we propose an original modelling approach using nonlinear mixed-effects regression models. Beyond a dose-response relationship between metal internal concentrations and their levels in soils, we highlighted contrasted behaviors according to ecological groups (epianecics and endogeics most impacted). We interpreted these results in relation to some eco-physiological features without completely exclude the influence of textural characteristics of soil, especially for deep-burrowing species such as anecic strict. Nonetheless, the presence of earthworm populations currently living in highly contaminated sites and handling elevated internal concentrations raises the question of the acquisition of genetic adaptive traits and the trophic transfers of metals.

Measuring the biological impact of drilling waste on the deep seafloor: An experimental challenge.

The depletion of traditional oil fields is driving the oil & gas industry to explore new exploitation sites previously considered as unprofitable. Deep-sea oil fields represent one of these new areas of exploitation. Well drilling during exploration and production operations generate large quantities of drilling waste whose biological impact on the deep-sea floor remains largely unknown. Because of the harsh abiotic factors characterizing this environment, the evaluation of this impact remains challenging. High hydrostatic pressure is the prominent factor which will affect in-situ biological processes. This review will examine the feedback on the various strategies used to evaluate the biological impact of deep-sea drilling waste deposition as well as the current technological limitations. Given the complexity of this issue, a good perspective strategy would be to trend towards the research and development of more relevant bioassays, especially considering the crucial factor of hydrostatic pressure.

Temporal dynamic of anthropogenic fibers in a tropical river-estuarine system.

Anthropogenic fibers, gathering synthetic fibers, artificial fibers and natural fibers are ubiquitous in the natural environment. Tremendous concentrations of anthropogenic fibers were previously measured in the tropical Saigon River (Vietnam), i.e. a river impacted by textile and apparel industries. In the present study, we want to examine the role of contrasted seasonal variation (e.g., dry and rainy seasons), via the rainfall and monthly water discharges, and of water's physico-chemical conditions on the concentrations of anthropogenic fibers in the surface water. The one year and half monthly survey evidenced that concentrations of anthropogenic fibers varied from 22 to 251 items L-1 and their variations were not related to rainfall, water discharge or abiotic factors. However, their color and length distribution varied monthly suggesting variations in sources and sinks. Based on the 2017 survey, we estimated an annual emission of anthropogenic fibers from the river to the downstream coastal zone of 115-164 × 1012 items yr-1.

Biological treatment of coke plant effluents: from a microbiological perspective.

During coke production, large volume of effluent is generated, which has a very complex chemical composition and contains several toxic and carcinogenic substances, mainly aromatic compounds, cyanide, thiocyanate and ammonium. The composition of these high-strength effluents is very diverse and depends on the quality of coals used and the operating and technological parameters of coke ovens. In general, after initial physicochemical treatment, biological purification steps are applied in activated sludge bioreactors. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the anaerobic and aerobic transformation processes and describes key microorganisms, such as phenol- and thiocyanate-degrading, floc-forming, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, which contribute to the removal of pollutants from coke plant effluents. Providing the theoretical basis for technical issues (in this case the microbiology of coke plant effluent treatment) aids the optimization of existing technologies and the design of new management techniques.

Acid mine drainage in an Indian high-sulfur coal mining area: Cytotoxicity assay and remediation study.

Opencast mining causes significant environmental concern due to acid mine drainage (AMD) caused by the oxidation of pyrites and other sulfur-bearing minerals. The present study intends to determine the seasonal variability of AMD in the affected area of the Ledo opencast mining, the cytotoxicity of the AMD, and the AMD remediation process. The physicochemical properties of the collected samples were analyzed by using laboratory-based methods and sophisticated instrumental tools. The cytotoxicity study of AMD water was performed by using different cell lines such as normal rat muscle and human carcinoma cells. The study demonstrates that the mine water samples have high conductivity (1.30-2.49 ms cm-1) with high total dissolved solids (1068-1339 ppm) which can change the ionic composition of water. The concentration level of trace elements are also found to be higher than the permissible limit during monsoon season. A simple laboratory-based remediation process of AMD has been carried out in the current study by using size segregated pulverized limestone and the process reveals the decrease in elemental concentrations of AMD water. This study will be useful to develop a remediation technique to minimize the concentration levels of hazardous elements and ions in the AMD water.

Microbial use for azo dye degradation-a strategy for dye bioremediation.

Azo dyes are aromatic compounds with one to many -N=N- groups as well as the leading class of synthetic dyes utilised in commercial solicitations. Azo dyes, released in the environment through textile effluents, have hazardous effects on the aquatic as well as human life. Their persistence and discharge into the environment are becoming a global concern; thus, the remediation of these contaminants has acquired great attention. The current review comprehensively discusses some of the main aspects of biodegradation of azo dyes. A variety of physicochemical approaches has already been utilised for treatment of textile effluents counting filtration, coagulation and chemical flocculation. Though these conventional techniques are effective, yet they are lavish and also comprise formation of concentrated sludge that makes a secondary disposal problem. In this regard, microbial usage is an effective, economical, bio-friendly and ecologically benign approach.

Cancer incidence and congenital anomalies evaluation in the contaminated sites of Sesto San Giovanni - the SENTIERI Project.

The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research defines national priority contaminated sites (NPCSs) as land where hazardous substances are likely to pose a risk to human health. SENTIERI was the first national project evaluating the health status of residents in NPCSs. We have extended, for the site of Sesto San Giovanni, the evaluation to cancer incidence and congenital anomalies (CAs). We have found an overall significant negative association between living in the NPCS and overall cancer incidence in all ages and no association in paediatric, adolescent and young adults' population. We have found an excess risk for bladder cancer, leukaemia, lymphoid leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in men and for lung and breast cancer in women. For the paediatric and adolescent population, we have found an excess in embryonic tumours. Total CAs were not different from expected, while we have found excesses regarding ear, face and neck, digestive system and chromosomal defects.

Early succession on slag compared to urban soil: A slower recovery.

Slag, waste from the steel-making process, contains large amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron and other heavy metals. Because of its composition, high pH and low water retention ability, slag is considered inhospitable to plants. Nevertheless, the spontaneously generated plant communities on slag are surprisingly diverse, but the assembly and structure of such communities are poorly studied. Previous studies suggest reduced rates of succession due to low growth rate and slow accumulation of topsoil. To investigate whether slag communities display similar patterns, we used two former industrial sites on the South Side of Chicago, IL, both with high pH (8-9.2) sand content (80%) and calcium concentration (> 9000 ppm). We removed all vegetation from both slag and non-slag plots to test whether recovery differed over one growing season (4 months). To directly assess plant growth, selected focal species were planted on both sites and harvested. We show that recovery from removal differed at slag and non-slag sites: the recruitment process on slag, measured by percent vegetative cover and number of species in plots, was significantly slower at 6-8 weeks of the manipulation and beyond, suggesting a potential stage-dependent effect of slag on plant growth. Certain slag plots recorded less cover than non-slag plots by >30% at maximum difference. Functional trait analysis found that graminoid and early successional species preferentially colonized slag. Overall, slag plots recovered more slowly from disturbance, suggesting a slow succession process that would hinder natural recovery. However, slag also has the potential to serve as plant refugia, hosting flora of analogous habitats native to the area: one of our industrial sites hosts nearly 80% native species with two species of highest Floristic Quality Index (10). Restoration efforts should be informed by the slow process of natural recovery, while post-industrial sites in urban areas serve as potential native plant refugia.