Search

There is increasing public concern regarding the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during wastewater treatment, their persistence during the treatment process and their potential impacts on the receiving water bodies. In this study, we used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine the abundance of nine ARGs and a class 1 integron associated integrase gene in 16 wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents from ten different European countries. In order to assess the impact on the receiving water bodies, gene abundances in the latter were also analysed. Six out of the nine ARGs analysed were detected in all effluent and river water samples. Among the quantified genes, intI1 and sul1 were the most abundant. Our results demonstrate that European WWTP contribute to the enrichment of the resistome in the receiving water bodies with the particular impact being dependent on the effluent load and local hydrological conditions. The ARGs concentrations in WWTP effluents were found to be inversely correlated to the number of implemented biological treatment steps, indicating a possible option for WWTP management. Furthermore, this study has identified bla(OXA-58) as a possible resistance gene for future studies investigating the impact of WWTPs on their receiving water. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. German Federal Ministry of Education and ResearchFederal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) [02WU1351A]; project STARE -Stopping Antibiotic Resistance Evolution [WaterJPI/0001/2013]; project HYREKA (BMBF)Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF); Working Group 5: Wastewater Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern from Norman activities; NIVA's Strategic Research Initiative on Emerging Environmental Contaminants (Research Council of Norway) [208430] The study has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [02WU1351A]. CMM, TB, TS, DFK acknowledge the national funding agencies through the project WaterJPI/0001/2013 STARE -Stopping Antibiotic Resistance Evolution and the project HYREKA (BMBF). This work was supported by Working Group 5: Wastewater Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern from Norman activities (http://www.norman-network.net/?q=node/106).CS acknowledges the financial support from NIVA's Strategic Research Initiative on Emerging Environmental Contaminants (Research Council of Norway; contract no. 208430).

There is increasing public concern regarding the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during wastewater treatment, their persistence during the treatment process and their potential impacts on the receiving water bodies. In this study, we used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine the abundance of nine ARGs and a class 1 integron associated integrase gene in 16 wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents from ten different European countries. In order to assess the impact on the receiving water bodies, gene abundances in the latter were also analysed. Six out of the nine ARGs analysed were detected in all effluent and river water samples. Among the quantified genes, intI1 and sul1 were the most abundant. Our results demonstrate that European WWTP contribute to the enrichment of the resistome in the receiving water bodies with the particular impact being dependent on the effluent load and local hydrological conditions. The ARGs concentrations in WWTP effluents were found to be inversely correlated to the number of implemented biological treatment steps, indicating a possible option for WWTP management. Furthermore, this study has identified blaOXA-58 as a possible resistance gene for future studies investigating the impact of WWTPs on their receiving water.

A stakeholder needs assessment, carried out under the EU-EURAC and EU-ENEN-II projects, clearly showed that, at the European level, there are a significant and constant need for post-graduates with skills in radiochemistry, radioecology, radiation dosimetry and environmental modelling and a smaller, but still important, demand for radiobiologists and bio-modellers. Most of these needs are from government organizations. If only the nuclear industry is considered, then the largest demand is for radio chemists and radiation protection dosimetry experts. Given this spectrum of need and existing capacity in the areas of radiobiology it was concluded that the needs identified would be most efficiently met by three new degree programs:European MSc Radiation Protection,European MSc Analytical Radiochemistry,European MSc Radioecology. All three master programs would be developed using the framework provided by the Bologna Convention and the lecturing could be shared among specialist Scientists within a network of collaborating universities. Therefore, educational plans have been developed for the above MSc degrees. These plans envisage each degree comprising three modules that are common to all the degrees (3 × 10 ECTS credits), three specialist modules (3 × 10 ECTS credits) and a research project (1 × 60 ECTS credits). The courses should be aimed, not only to fill the identified European post-graduate education gap in radiological sciences, but also to provide a modular structure that is easily accessed by stakeholders for CPD training. It is anticipated that the European Masters will meet the academic training requirements of qualified experts", as defined by the European Commission and the IAEA. At the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) a pilot MSc in Radioecology has successfully been initiated in collaboration with UK and France. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Substance-related monitoring is an essential tool within environmental risk assessment processes. The soundness of policy decisions including risk management measures is often directly related to the reliability of the environmental monitoring programs. In addition, monitoring programs are required for identifying new and less-investigated pollutants of concern in different environmental media. Scientifically sound and feasible monitoring concepts strongly depend on the aim of the study. The proper definition of questions to be answered is thus of pivotal importance. Decisions on sample handling, storage and the analysis of the samples are important steps for the elaboration of problem-oriented monitoring strategies. The same applies to the selection of the sampling sites as being representative for scenarios to be investigated. These steps may become critical to handle for larger international monitoring programs and thus trigger the quality of their results. This stud y based on the work of an IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) task group addresses different kinds and approaches of substance-related monitoring of different compartments of soil, groundwater and surface water, and discusses their advantages and limitations. Further important aspects are the monitoring across policies and the monitoring data management using information systems.

In view of the significance of environmental analytical data, it is essential that the quality of both sampling strategy and analysis be assured and that procedures used, as well as all relevant additional information, are reported. There is a minimum level of information required in order to guarantee the fitness-for-use of the data. Emanating from discussions on the fundamental problems of the analysis of environmental samples for chemical or biological contaminants, a general guidance is given regarding the minimum information that should be provided to adequately describe the sampling strategy, method of sampling, sample properties, handling between sampling and analysis (including storage conditions, pretreatments, homogenization, subsampling), and the analytical methodology (including calculation and validation procedures). Special attention and specific guidance are given for the environmental compartments soil, pore water, groundwater, inland surface water, sediment, seawater, precipitation water, and air.

The World Health Organization Global Action Plan recommends integrated surveillance programs as crucial strategies for monitoring antibiotic resistance. Although several national surveillance programs are in place for clinical and veterinary settings, no such schemes exist for monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. In this transnational study, we developed, validated, and tested a low-cost surveillance and easy to implement approach to evaluate antibiotic resistance in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by targeting cefotaxime-resistant (CTX-R) coliforms as indicators. The rationale for this approach was: i) coliform quantification methods are internationally accepted as indicators of fecal contamination in recreational waters and are therefore routinely applied in analytical labs; ii) CTX-R coliforms are clinically relevant, associated with extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), and are rare in pristine environments. We analyzed 57 WWTPs in 22 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America. CTX-R coliforms were ubiquitous in raw sewage and their relative abundance varied significantly (

The majority (80%) of e-waste generated globally are recycled informally in developing countries. Informal recycling involves the use of crude methods (such as open burning, dismantling, and repair) to recover valuable materials without adequate precaution to health and the environment, thus hazardous e-waste chemicals are released into the environment. However, informal e-waste recycling has offered employment opportunities, access to affordable electronic devices, and conversation of natural resources. Informal e-waste recycling is prevalent in developing countries due to lack of infrastructure for e-waste recycling and weak enforcement of the legislation. This research investigates the current impact of informal e-waste recycling in Nigeria as a case study. This may offer opportunities for appropriate e-waste recycling management strategies suited for low resource settings to reduce the environmental and health effects of unsafe e-waste recycling. This research revealed high levels of both organic and inorganic chemicals at the e-waste sites in this order: Burning > Dismantling > Repair > Control sites. There is low health risk awareness, high injury prevalence, and exposure to both cancer and non-cancer risks among e-waste workers. Recommendations were: 1.Public education on the dangers of informal e-waste recycling 2.Banning of open burning of e-waste 3.Further toxicological studies the workers.