Microplastics and microbiota: Unraveling the hidden environmental challenge.

This editorial explores the intricate relationship between microplastics (MPs) and gut microbiota, emphasizing the complexity and environmental health implications. The gut microbiota, a crucial component of gastrointestinal health, is examined in the context of potential microbial degradation of MPs. Furthermore, dysbiosis induced by MPs emerges as a consensus, disrupting the balance of gut microbiota and decreasing diversity. The mechanisms triggering dysbiosis, including physical interactions and chemical composition, are under investigation. Ongoing research addresses the consequences of MPs on immune fun-ction, nutrient metabolism, and overall host health. The bidirectional relationship between MPs and gut microbiota has significant implications for environmental and human health. Despite uncertainties, MPs negatively impact gut microbiota and health. Further research is essential to unravel the complex interactions and assess the long-term consequences of MPs on both environmental and human well-being.

[Health issues related to the environment and the role of caregivers]. / Enjeux de santé en lien avec l'environnement et le rôle des soignants.

The healthcare system and the practice of health care have unprecedented impacts on our environment. High carbon footprint, pollution and its consequences on health, the picture is not glorious. Even if they rarely identify themselves as such, healthcare professionals are key actors in the drive towards more sustainable practices. Their numbers, skills and activities give them privileged access to the population, communities and individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Thanks to their increasingly specialized training, they are in a position to accompany people on their health journey, prevent illness and promote healthy behaviours. These aspects are central to sustainability in healthcare.

[Integrating environmental health into our nursing practices]. / Intégrer la santé environnementale dans les pratiques infirmières.

The healthcare sector accounts for 8% of the national carbon footprint in France. It is imperative to integrate climate and environmental issues into modern healthcare management. Many health professionals are advocating for more eco-responsible care. Each caregiver can reduce the environmental and health impact of their activity, while evolving in a healthy environment. Nurses have a particular responsibility to contribute to sustainable development.

Nanoplastic contamination: Impact on zebrafish liver metabolism and implications for aquatic environmental health.

Nanoplastics (NPs) are increasingly pervasive in the environment, raising concerns about their potential health implications, particularly within aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the impact of polystyrene nanoparticles (PSN) on zebrafish liver metabolism using liquid chromatography hybrid quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) based non-targeted metabolomics. Zebrafish were exposed to 50 nm PSN for 28 days at low (L-PSN) and high (H-PSN) concentrations (0.1 and 10 mg/L, respectively) via water. The results revealed significant alterations in key metabolic pathways in low and high exposure groups. The liver metabolites showed different metabolic responses with L-PSN and H-PSN. A total of 2078 metabolite features were identified from the raw data obtained in both positive and negative ion modes, with 190 metabolites deemed statistically significant in both L-PSN and H-PSN groups. Disruptions in lipid metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and amino acid synthesis were identified. Notably, L-PSN exposure induced changes in DNA building blocks, membrane-associated biomarkers, and immune-related metabolites, while H-PSN exposure was associated with oxidative stress, altered antioxidant metabolites, and liver injury. For the first time, L-PSN was found depolymerized in the liver by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Utilizing an analytical approach to the adverse outcome pathway (AOP), impaired lipid metabolism and oxidative stress have been identified as potentially conserved key events (KEs) associated with PSN exposure. These KEs further induced liver inflammation, steatosis, and fibrosis at the tissue and organ level. Ultimately, this could significantly impact biological health. The study highlights the PSN-induced effects on zebrafish liver metabolism, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the risks associated with NPs contamination in aquatic ecosystems.

Bringing Real Inquiry-Based Science to Diverse Secondary Educational Environments: A Virtual Zebrafish Laboratory to Investigate Environmental Health.

The goal of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee WInSTEP SEPA program is to provide valuable and relevant research experiences to students and instructors in diverse secondary educational settings. Introducing an online experience allows the expansion of a proven instructional research program to a national scale and removes many common barriers. These can include lack of access to zebrafish embryos, laboratory equipment, and modern classroom facilities, which often deny disadvantaged and underrepresented students from urban and rural school districts valuable inquiry-based learning opportunities. An online repository of zebrafish embryo imagery was developed in the Carvan laboratory to assess the effects of environmental chemicals. The WInSTEP SEPA program expanded its use as an accessible online tool, complementing the existing classroom experience of our zebrafish module. This virtual laboratory environment contains images of zebrafish embryos grown in the presence of environmental toxicants (ethanol, caffeine, and nicotine), allowing students to collect data on 19 anatomical endpoints and generate significant amounts of data related to developmental toxicology and environmental health. This virtual laboratory offers students and instructors the choice of data sets that differ in the independent variables of chemical concentration and duration of postfertilization exposure. This enables students considerable flexibility in establishing their own experimental design to match the curriculum needs of each instructor.

Development of a Phthalate Environmental Reproductive Health Literacy (PERHL) Scale.

BACKGROUND: Substantial evidence exists linking phthalate exposure to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Current US federal regulations of consumer product chemicals place the onus on individuals to mitigate their exposure to phthalates, with assumptions of sufficient environmental health literacy (EHL). Few validated scales for people of reproductive age exist to evaluate phthalate-specific EHL. OBJECTIVES: Our objective is to develop a multidimensional scale characterizing latent factors of phthalate knowledge, risk perception, and self-efficacy to inform individual-level interventions for reducing phthalate exposure. METHODS: We distributed a survey with 31 items to 117 participants in the Environmental Reproductive and Glucose Outcomes (ERGO) cohort who gave birth within the last 5 years. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify underlying latent factors. Internal reliability was assessed via omega hierarchical coefficient. Average sum scores for each latent factor and the overall Phthalate Environmental Reproductive Health Literacy (PERHL) score were calculated. Associations between latent factors, overall PERHL score, and sociodemographic characteristics were explored using linear models. RESULTS: Six latent factors were identified as follows: "Awareness of Phthalate Reproductive Health Impacts," "Uncertainty," "Protective Behavior/Risk Control," "Regulatory Interest," "Awareness of Phthalate Exposure Pathways," and "General Phthalate Knowledge." Each factor demonstrated acceptable to strong internal reliability, with coefficients ranging between 0.63 and 0.93. Non-white participants had lower scores for the "Awareness of Phthalate Reproductive Health Impacts" [ß: -0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.63, -0.07], "Awareness of Phthalate Exposure Pathways" (ß: -0.32, 95% CI: -0.57, -0.07), and "General Phthalate Knowledge" (ß: -0.36, 95% CI: -0.66, -0.06), but no significant difference in scores on "Uncertainty" (ß: 0.17, 95% CI: -0.16, 0.50), "Protective Behavior/Risk Control" (ß: -0.04, 95% CI: -0.36, 0.28), or "Regulatory Interest" (ß: -0.21, 95% CI: -0.51, 0.09). No associations were seen for age or educational attainment and latent or sum factors. DISCUSSION: Six latent factors were identified for the PERHL scale. Non-white race and ethnicity was associated with lower scores for knowledge-related scale factors. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13128.

Environmental health of water bodies from a Brazilian Amazon Metropolis based on a conventional and metagenomic approach.

AIMS: The present study aimed to use a conventional and metagenomic approach to investigate the microbiological diversity of water bodies in a network of drainage channels and rivers located in the central area of the city of Belém, northern Brazil, which is considered one of the largest cities in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS AND RESULTS: In eight of the analyzed points, both bacterial and viral microbiological indicators of environmental contamination-physical-chemical and metals-were assessed. The bacterial resistance genes, drug resistance mechanisms, and viral viability in the environment were also assessed. A total of 473 families of bacteria and 83 families of viruses were identified. Based on the analysis of metals, the levels of three metals (Cd, Fe, and Mn) were found to be above the recommended acceptable level by local legislation. The levels of the following three physicochemical parameters were also higher than recommended: biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity. Sixty-three bacterial resistance genes that conferred resistance to 13 different classes of antimicrobials were identified. Further, five mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance were identified and viral viability in the environment was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Intense human actions combined with a lack of public policies and poor environmental education of the population cause environmental degradation, especially in water bodies. Thus, urgent interventions are warranted to restore the quality of this precious and scarce asset worldwide.

Environmental health, economy, and amenities interactively drive migration patterns among China's older people.

The increasing number of older adult migrants is rapidly changing regional demographic and social structures in China. There is an urgent need to understand the spatial patterns and factors that influence older adults to migrate, especially the role of environmental health. However, this issue has been under-studied. This study focused on intra-provincial and inter-provincial older adult migrants as research subjects, estimated their spatial concentration index based on the iterative proportional fitting approach, and explored the factors influencing their migration using the GeoDetector Model. The results showed the following: (1) In 2015, more than 76% of inter-provincial older adult migrants were distributed in Eastern China, and most intra-provincial older adult migrants were scattered in sub-provincial cities. (2) Compared to factors relating to economy and amenities, environmental health by itself played a relatively weak role in the migration of older adults, but the interaction among environmental health, economy, and amenities was a key driving force of older adult migration. (3) There were significant differences in the dominant environmental health factors between inter-provincial migration and intra-provincial migration, which were temperature and altitude, respectively. Our findings can help policymakers focus on the composition of older adult migrants based on urban environmental health characteristics and rationally optimize older adult care facilities to promote supply-demand matching.

Environmental Justice and Health in Nigeria.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified 17 goals to achieve by the year 2030, with many of these goals directly or indirectly linked to environmental justice. Health outcomes remain poor in Nigeria; the country ranks low in environmental quality despite supporting environmental treaties and laws. The burden of diseases in the country is in part related to poor environmental quality and is linked to environmental justice issues, such as mining, energy exploration, transport emission, poor waste management, and proliferation of slum settlement. RECENT FINDINGS: Previous studies found that living in proximity to mines and environmental degradation of land and water disrupts means of livelihood and causes poor health outcomes among children and adults. Specifically, health issues like respiratory illness, malaria, kidney disease, and high blood pressure are likely consequences of proximity to mine waste. Few published studies are available for a developing country like Nigeria, although the link between environmental justice and health in Nigeria is clear enough to require action on the part of the government and polluting industries. This paper reviewed the concept and coverage of environmental justice in the Nigerian context and its impact on health. Addressing environmental injustices related to mining and other environmental issues can accelerate health gains through conscious and concerted efforts towards preserving the environment. Also, the right of everyone to a sustainable city regardless of socioeconomic class and geographical location can only be secured through environmental justice.

Comparison of maternal venous blood metabolomics collected as dried blood spots, dried blood microsamplers, and plasma for integrative environmental health research.

Use of capillary blood devices for exposome research can deepen our understanding of the intricate relationship between environment and health, and open up new avenues for preventive and personalized medicine, particularly for vulnerable populations. While the potential of these whole blood devices to accurately measure chemicals and metabolites has been demonstrated, how untargeted metabolomics data from these samplers can be integrated with previous and ongoing environmental health studies that have used conventional blood collection approaches is not yet clear. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive comparison between relative-quantitative metabolite profiles measured in venous blood collected with dried whole blood microsamplers (DBM), dried whole blood spots (DBS), and plasma from 54 mothers in an ethnically diverse population. We determined that a majority of the 309 chemicals and metabolites showed similar median intensity rank, moderate correlation, and moderate agreement between participant-quantiled intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for pair-wise comparisons among the three biomatrices. In particular, whole blood sample types, DBM and DBS, were in highest agreement across metabolite comparison metrics, followed by metabolites measured in DBM and plasma, and then metabolites measured in DBS and plasma. We provide descriptive characteristics and measurement summaries as a reference database. This includes unique metabolites that were particularly concordant or discordant in pairwise comparisons. Our results demonstrate that the range of metabolites from untargeted metabolomics data collected with DBM, DBS, and plasma provides biologically relevant information for use in independent exposome investigations. However, before meta-analysis with combined datasets are performed, robust statistical approaches that integrate untargeted metabolomics data collected on different blood matrices need to be developed.

An Investigation into the Prevalence of Methamphetamine Related Enquiries to Local Government Environmental Health Officers.

Methamphetamine contamination of residential properties remains a serious public health concern for members of the public. External stakeholders including Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and testing and remediation technicians are engaged on investigating whether contamination has occurred from manufacturing or smoking processes. More specifically, local council EHOs are responsible for managing clandestine drug laboratories when notified by police and also for responding to public enquiries. However, the full scope of these contaminated properties is not seen by any single stakeholder, making it very challenging to quantify these situations. To evaluate the prevalence of methamphetamine related enquiries from the general public to EHOs, this study surveyed and interviewed officers from around Australia. It was found that public enquiries were infrequent with only 6% of respondents having received enquiries in the last month, which indicates that people are seeking information from other sources. Interestingly, there were case study scenarios that also mentioned issues with awareness and the flow of information. Concerns regarding difficult cases, police notifications, and site visits were also highlighted. The results of this study provide a benchmark of how methamphetamine related cases are managed and highlight the need for trustworthy information that is available to EHOs, governments, industry members, and the public in a unified location.

High toxicity of agro-industrial wastewater on aquatic fauna of a South American stream: Mortality of aquatic turtles and amphibian tadpoles as bioindicators of environmental health.

The aim of this study was to characterize an aquatic system of Santa Fe province (Argentina) receiving wastewater from agro-industrial activities (mainly dairy) by in situ assessment (fauna mortality, physicochemical, microbiological, and pesticide residues measurement), and ecotoxicity bioassays on amphibian tadpoles. Water and sediment samples were obtained from the Los Troncos Stream (LTS), previous to the confluence with the "San Carlos" drainage channel (SCC), and from the SCC. Biological parameters (mortality and sublethal biomarkers) were used to evaluate ecotoxicity during 10-day exposure of Rhinella arenarum tadpoles to LTS and SCC samples. Nine pesticides were detected in both LTS and SCC. Chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia, and coliform count recorded in SCC greatly exceeded limits for aquatic life protection. At SCC and LTS after the confluence with SCC, numerous dying and dead aquatic turtles (Phrynops hilarii) were recorded. In the ecotoxicity assessment, no mortality of tadpoles was observed in LTS treatment, whereas total mortality (100%) was observed in SCC treatments in dilution higher than 50% of water and sediment. For SCC, median lethal concentration and the 95% confidence limits was 18.30% (14.71-22.77) at 24 h; lowest-observed and no-observed effect concentrations were 12.5% and 6.25%, respectively. Oxidative stress and neurotoxicity were observed in tadpoles exposed to 25% SCC dilution treatment. In addition, there was a large genotoxic effect (micronuclei test) in all sublethal SCC dilution treatments (6.25%, 12.5%, and 25%). These results alert about the high environmental quality deterioration and high ecotoxicity for aquatic fauna of aquatic ecosystems affected by agro-industrial wastewater. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Great mortality of turtles was observed in a basin with a high load of agro-industrial wastewater. San Carlos Channel (SCC), where effluents are spilled, is environmentally deteriorated. The water-sediment matrix of SCC caused 100% lethality in tadpoles. SCC dilutions caused neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity on tadpoles.

Cohort profile: China undergraduate cohort for environmental health study.

The China Undergraduate Cohort (CUC) is an ambispective cohort study with its major purpose to better understand the effects of lifetime environmental exposures on health outcomes. We recruited 5322 college students with an average age of 18.3 ± 0.7 years in China from August 23, 2019 to October 28, 2019. Follow-up surveys were conducted annually. The dataset comprises individual demographic data (e.g. age, sex, height, weight, birth date, race, home address, annual family income, contact information), health-related behavior data (smoking status, smoking cessation, passive smoking exposure, drinking habit, physical activity, dietary status), lifestyle data (physical exercise, dietary habit, length of time spent outdoors), disease history (respiratory disease history, cardiovascular disease history, urinary system disease history, etc.), mental health status data (sleep quality, self-reported stress, anxiety and depression symptoms), lung function and blood samples data. Preliminary results from our cohort have found the association between air pollution, summer heat and mercury exposure and lung function among young adults in China.

Pre-emergence herbicides widely used in urban and farmland soils: fate, and potential human and environmental health risks.

We determined the distribution, fate, and health hazards of dimethenamid-P, metazachlor, and pyroxasulfone, the effective pre-emergence herbicides widely used both in urban and agricultural settings globally. The rate-determining phase of sorption kinetics of these herbicides in five soils followed a pseudo-second-order model. Freundlich isotherm model indicated that the herbicides primarily partition into heterogeneous surface sites on clay minerals and organic matter (OM) and diffuse into soil micropores. Principal component analysis revealed that soil OM (R2, 0.47), sand (R2, 0.56), and Al oxides (R2, 0.33) positively correlated with the herbicide distribution coefficient (Kd), whereas clay (R2, ‒ 0.43), silt (R2, ‒ 0.51), Fe oxides (R2, ‒ 0.02), alkaline pH (R2, ‒ 0.57), and EC (R2, ‒ 0.03) showed a negative correlation with the Kd values. Decomposed OM rich in C=O and C-H functional groups enhanced herbicide sorption, while undecomposed/partially-decomposed OM facilitated desorption process. Also, the absence of hysteresis (H, 0.27‒0.88) indicated the enhanced propensity of herbicide desorption in soils. Leachability index (LIX, < 0.02-0.64) and groundwater ubiquity score (GUS, 0.02‒3.59) for the soils suggested low to moderate leaching potential of the herbicides to waterbodies, indicating their impact on water quality, nontarget organisms, and food safety. Hazard quotient and hazard index data for human adults and adolescents suggested that exposure to soils contaminated with herbicides via dermal contact, ingestion, and inhalation poses minimal to no non-carcinogenic risks. These insights can assist farmers in judicious use of herbicides and help the concerned regulatory authorities in monitoring the safety of human and environmental health.

Chemodiversity in freshwater health.

Dissolved organic matter may offer a way to track and restore the health of fresh waters.