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Increasing use and release of graphene nanomaterials and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in soil environment have polluted the environment and posed high ecological risks. However, little is understood about the interactive effects and mechanism of graphene on the behaviors of PPCPs in soil. In the present study, the effects of reduced graphene oxide nanomaterials (RGO) on the fate of triclosan in two typical soils (S1: silty loam; S2: silty clay loam) were investigated with 14 C-triclosan, high-resolution mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and microbial community structure analysis. The results showed that RGO prolonged the half-life of triclosan by 23.6-51.3 %, but delayed the formation of transformed products such as methyl triclosan and dechlorinated dimer of triclosan in the two typical soils. Mineralization of triclosan to 14 CO 2 was inhibited by 48.2-79.3 % in 500 mg kg -1 RGO in comparison with that in the control, whereas the bound residue was 54.2-56.4 % greater than the control. RGO also reduced the relative abundances of triclosan-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas) in soils. Compared to silty loam, RGO more effectively inhibited triclosan degradation in silty clay loam. Furthermore, the DFT calculations suggested a strong association of the adsorption of triclosan on RGO with the van der Waals forces and π-π interactions. These results revealed that RGO inhibited the transformation of 14 C-triclosan in soil through strong adsorption and triclosan-degrading bacteria inhibition in soils. Therefore, the presence of RGO may potentially enhance persistence of triclosan in soil. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the risk assessment of triclosan in the presence of GNs in soil environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microcystins (MCs) have a significant influence on aquatic ecosystems, but little is known about their terrestrial fate and impact. Here, we investigated the fate of two MCs (MC-LR and MC-RR) in the soil-earthworm system, with consideration of their congener-specific impact on earthworm health, soil bacteria, and soil metabolome. Although MCs had little acute lethal effect on earthworms, they caused obvious growth inhibition and setae rupture. Relative to MC-RR, MC-LR exhibited higher bioaccumulation and the resulting dermal lesions and deformation of longitudinal muscles. While the incorporation of both MCs into soils stimulated pathogenic bacteria and depressed oxidative stress tolerant bacteria, the response among soil nitrification and glutathione metabolism differed between the two congeners. The dissipation kinetics of MCs obeyed the first-order model. Earthworms stimulated soil N-cycling enzyme activities, increased the abundance of MC-degrading bacteria, and promoted bacterial metabolic functions related to glutathione metabolism, xenobiotics biodegradation, and metabolism of amino acids that comprise MCs, which accelerated the dissipation of MC-LR and MC-RR by 227% and 82%, respectively. These results provide evidence of significant congener differences in the terrestrial fate and impact of MCs, which will enable a better understanding of their role in mediating soil functions and ecosystem services., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phytoremediation largely involves microbial degradation of organic pollutants in rhizosphere for removing organic pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates and polychlorinated biphenyls. Microbial community in rhizosphere experiences complex processes of response-adaptation-feedback up on exposure to organic pollutants. This review summarizes recent research on the response and adaptation of rhizosphere microbial community to the stress of organic pollutants, and discusses the enrichment of the pollutant-degrading microbial community and genes in the rhizosphere for promoting bioremediation. Soil pollution by organic contaminants often reduces the diversity of rhizosphere microbial community, and changes its functions. Responses vary among rhizosphere microbiomes up on different classes of organic pollutants (including co-contamination with heavy metals), plant species, root-associated niches (e.g., rhizosphere, rhizoplane and endosphere), geographical location and soil properties. Soil pollution can deplete some sensitive microbial taxa and enrich some tolerant microbial taxa in rhizosphere. Furthermore, rhizosphere enriches pollutant-degrading microbial community and functional genes including different gene clusters responsible for biodegradation of organic pollutants and their intermediates, which improve the adaptation of microbiome and enhance the remediation efficiency of the polluted soil. The knowledge gaps and future research challenges are highlighted on rhizosphere microbiome in response-adaptation-feedback processes to organic pollution and rhizoremediation. This review will hopefully update understanding on response-adaptation-feedback processes of rhizosphere microbiomes and rhizoremediation for the soil with organic pollutants., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics (MPs) usually coexist with heavy metals (HMs) in soil. MPs can influence HMs mobility and bioavailability, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Here, polyethylene and polypropylene MPs were selected to investigate their effects and mechanisms of sorption-desorption, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in paddy soil. Batch experiments indicated that MPs significantly reduced the Cd sorption in soil (p < 0.05). Accordingly, soil with the MPs had lower boundary diffusion constant of Cd (C 1 = 0.847∼ 1 .020) and the Freundlich sorption constant (K F = 0.444-0.616) than that without the MPs (C 1 = 0.894∼ 1 .035, K F = 0.500-0.655). X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses suggested that the MPs reduced Cd chemisorption, by covering the soil active sites and thus blocking complexation of Cd with active oxygen sites and interrupting the formation of CdCO 3 and Cd 3 P 2 precipitates. Such effects of MPs enhanced about 1.2-1.5 times of Cd bioaccessibility and bioavailability in soil. Almost the same effects but different mechanisms of polyethylene and polypropylene MPs on Cd sorption in the soil indicated the complexity and pervasiveness of their effects. The findings provide new insights into impacts of MPs on the fate and risk of HMs in agricultural soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To date, only a handful of bacterial strains that can independently degrade and utilize benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as the sole carbon source has been isolated and characterized. Here, three new bacterial strains-JBZ1A, JBZ2B, and JBZ5E-were isolated from contaminated soil and, using 16S rRNA sequencing, were identified as Brad rhizobium japonicum , Micrococcus luteus , and Bacillus cereus , respectively. The growth ability of each individual strain and a consortium of all strains in the presence of BaP (4-400 µmol·L -1 , pH 7, 37 °C) was identified by the doubling time (dt). The results illustrate that dt decreased with increasing BaP concentrations for individual strains and the consortium. The optimum growth conditions of the consortium were 37 °C, 0.5% NaCl ( w / v ), and pH 7. Under these conditions, the degradation rate was 1.06 µmol·L -1 ·day -1 , whereas that of individual strains ranged from 0.9 to 0.38 µmol·L -1 ·day -1 . B. cereus had the strongest contribution to the consortium's activity, with a degradation rate of 0.9 µmol·L -1 ·day -1 . The consortium could also remove BaP spiked with soil but at a lower rate (0.01 µmol L -1 .day -1 ). High-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry permitted the detection of the metabolites of these strains, and a biodegradation pathway is proposed.

Uptake pathway and accumulation variation of soil and airborne phthalates (PAEs) in plastic greenhouses by vegetables remains unclear. Here, pot experiments of Chinese flowering cabbage were designed to distinguish root or leaf uptake pathways of PAEs, and investigate the mitigation of spraying PAE-degrading strain in PAE accumulation by vegetables. The results showed that leaves of Chinese flowering cabbage grown in plastic greenhouses absorbed more PAEs from air than those of outside greenhouses. Airborne PAEs were mainly stored in leaf surfaces of vegetables grown inside greenhouse, while PAEs absorbed by roots from soil were translocated and mainly stored in mesophyll, especially in cell walls and organelles. PAE concentrations in mesophyll elevated with increasing soil PAE levels, whereas those in leaf surfaces were not influenced by soil PAE levels. The values of bioconcentration factors for leaves inside greenhouses were significantly (1.39-3.47 fold) higher than those outside. PAE-degrading strain (Rhodococcus pyridinivorans XB) sprayed on leaf surfaces could grow well and Rhodococcus was the dominant genus as confirmed by Illumina high-throughput sequencing. PAE-degrading strain effectively reduced PAEs by 12.9%-34.9% in leaf surface, but not those in vegetables grown in high-PAE soil. This study demonstrated mitigation of spraying PAE-degrading strain in PAE accumulation by vegetable leaves from air of plastic greenhouse., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) as an accumulative emerging persistent organic pollutant in crops poses severe threats to human health. Lettuce varieties that accumulate a lower amount of PFOS (low-accumulating crop variety, LACV) have been identified, but the regarding mechanisms remain unsolved. Here, rhizospheric activation, uptake, translocation, and compartmentalization of PFOS in LACV were investigated in comparison with those of high-accumulating crop variety (HACV) in terms of rhizospheric forms, transporters, and subcellular distributions of PFOS. The enhanced PFOS desorption from the rhizosphere soils by dissolved organic matter from root exudates was observed with weaker effect in LACV than in HACV. PFOS root uptake was controlled by a transporter-mediated passive process in which low activities of aquaporins and rapid-type anion channels were corrected with low expression levels of PIPs ( PIP1-1 and PIP2-2 ) and ALMTs ( ALMT10 and ALMT13 ) genes in LACV roots. Higher PFOS proportions in root cell walls and trophoplasts caused lower root-to-shoot transport in LACV. The ability to cope with PFOS toxicity to shoot cells was poorer in LACV relative to HACV since PFOS proportions were higher in chloroplasts but lower in vacuoles. Our findings provide novel insights into PFOS accumulation in lettuce and further understanding of multiprocess mechanisms of LACV.

Cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole are anthranilic diamide insecticides acting on ryanodine receptors. In this study, two camel-derived nanobodies (Nbs, named C1 and C2) recognizing cyantraniliprole as well as chlorantraniliprole were generated. C1-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of the two insecticides were developed. The half-maximum signal inhibition concentrations (IC 50 ) of cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole by ELISA were 1.2 and 1.5 ng mL -1 , respectively. This assay was employed to detect these two insecticides in soil and vegetables. The average recoveries of cyantraniliprole from both bok choy (Brassica chinensis L.) and soil samples were 90-129%, while those of chlorantraniliprole were in a range of 89-120%. The insecticide residues in soil and bok choy, which were collected from plots sprayed with cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole, were simultaneously detected by the resulting ELISA and a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, showing a satisfactory correlation. Higher concentrations of chlorantraniliprole than cyantraniliprole were detected in soil and vegetables, which indicates the longer persistence of chlorantraniliprole in the environment.

The exploitation of petroleum oil generates a considerable amount of "produced water or petroleum waste effluent (PWE)" that is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). PWE is characterised by its high salinity, which can be as high as 30% NaCl, thus the exploitation of biodegradation to remove PAHs necessitates the use of active halophilic microbes. The strain 10SBZ1A was isolated from oil contaminated soils, by enrichment experiment in medium containing 10% NaCl (w/v). Homology analyses of 16S rRNA sequences identified 10SBZ1A as a Staphylococcus haemoliticus species, based on 99.99% homology (NCBI, accession number GI: MN388897). The strain could grow in the presence of 4-200 μmol l-1 of BaP as the sole source of carbon, with a doubling time of 17-42 h. This strain optimum conditions for growth were 37 oC, 10% NaCl (w/v) and pH 7, and under these conditions, it degraded BaP at a rate of 0.8 μmol l-1 per day. The strain 10SBZ1A actively degraded PAHs of lower molecular weights than that of BaP, including pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene. This strain was also capable of removing 80% of BaP in the context of soil spiked with BaP (10 μmol l-1 in 100 g of soil) within 30 days. Finally, a metabolic pathway of BaP was proposed, based on the identified metabolites using liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a halophilic BaP degrading bacterial strain at salinity > 5% NaCl., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests

Phthalates are plasticizers and are ubiquitously detected in the environment, frequently at mg/kg levels. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on germination, growth, enzyme activity, phytohormone homeostasis and bacterial communities of two cultivars of Brassica rapa var. chinensis. The germination rate was decreased up to 20% compared to the control, and the growth of the vegetables was severely inhibited at the early stage when exposed to DBP at 20 mg/kg. Antioxidant defense enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased upon exposure to DBP. A dose-response of auxin (IAA) was observed after a 2 d exposure. Gibberellin (GA3) and abscisic acid (ABA) responded at day 10 under DBP stress. GA3 did not show a clear dose-response effect and ABA increased about 3 times as the DBP concentration increased from 2 to 20 mg/L. Microbial population shifts were observed, especially in rhizosphere soil and roots. No obvious change occurred for the α diversity of rhizospheric bacteria among different treatments. Chao1, Shannon and Simpson indices of the root endophytic bacteria showed a decreasing trend with increasing DBP supplementation, while all the indices increased in shoot endophytic bacteria in comparison to the control. The results indicated that exposure to DBP may compromise the fitness of the leafy vagetables and alter the endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria, which might further affect the nutrients of the vegetables and alter ecosystem functions., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) is a class of prevalent pollutants in agricultural soil, threating food safety through crop uptake and accumulation of PAEs. Accumulation of PAEs varies largely among crop species and cultivars. Nevertheless, how root exudates affect PAE bioavailability, dissipation, uptake and accumulation is still not well understood. In the present study, desorption and pot experiments were designed to investigate how root exudates from high-(Peizataifeng) and low-(Fengyousimiao) PAE accumulating rice cultivars affect soil PAE bioavailability, dissipation, and accumulation variation. Rice root exudates including low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) of Peizataifeng and Fengyousimiao could enhance desorption of two typical PAE compounds, di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), from aged soil to their available fractions by increasing soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), thus improving their bioavailability in soil. Peizataifeng produced twice higher amounts of oxalic acid, critic acid and malonic acid in root exudates, and exhibited stronger effects on enhancing desorption and bioavailability of DBP and DEHP than Fengyousimiao. Higher (by about 50%) total organic carbon contents of root exudates from Peizataifeng led to higher (by 10-30%) soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen than Fengyousimiao, and thus promoted more PAE dissipation from soil than Fengyousimiao. Nevertheless, higher (by 20-50%) soil DOC and significantly higher PAE bioavailability in the soils planted Peizataifeng resulted in greater (by 53-93%) PAE accumulation in roots and shoots of Peizataifeng than Fengyousimiao, confirming by higher (by 1.82-3.48 folds) shoot and root bioconcentration factors of Peizataifeng than Fengyousimiao. This study reveals that the difference in root exudate extent and LMWOAs between Peizataifeng and Fengyousimiao differentiates PAE accumulation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Frequent cyanobacterial blooms in the eutrophic waters produce a variety of toxins such as the monocyclic heptapeptide microcystins, greatly harming aquatic ecosystems and human health. However, little information of microcystins in agricultural fields is known. This field study of three common microcystin variants (MC-LR, MC-RR, and MC-YR) in vegetables (n = 161), soils (n = 161) and irrigation water samples (n = 23) collected from southern China regions affected by cyanobacteria blooms, shows their prevalence with total concentrations up to 514 μg/L water, 187 μg/kg soil (dry weight) and 382 μg/kg vegetable (fresh weight). MC-RR was the primary variant in all types of samples, accounting for 51.3-100% of total microcystin concentrations. Significant concentration-dependent correlations (p < 0.05) demonstrated that microcystin-contained irrigation waters were the major source of microcystin accumulation in both vegetables and soils. Meanwhile, intracellular-microcystins in irrigation water was found to play an important role in microcystins bioaccumulation in vegetables for the first time. Most vegetable samples (≥60%), particularly celery posed moderate or high human health risk via diet based on toxicity equivalents of the microcystins and reference dose for MC-LR (0.04 μg/kg/d), showing high food safety hidden dangers. Soil microcystins, especially MC-RR in 46.4-88.3% of soils could pose high ecological risks. This study highlights the potential high ecological and human health risks of microcystins in the real soil-vegetable systems of areas affected by cyanobacteria blooms, implying the profound significance and urgent need of investigation on microcystins in terrestrial ecosystems., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Di- n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is a prevalent pollutant in agricultural soils due to use of plastic film. This study focused on sorption mechanism, kinetics, and isotherms of DBP to six paddy soil particle-size fractions (i.e., coarse sand, fine sand, coarse silt, fine silt, clay, and humic acid fractions). DBP sorption involved in both boundary layer diffusion and intraparticle diffusion, following pseudo-second-order kinetics. DBP sorption was a spontaneous physical process, which fit the Freundlich model. Hydrophobic and ionic interaction relevant to the organic matter content, cation exchange capacity, surface area, and pore volume of soil fractions played key roles in DBP sorption. DBP was strongly adsorbed to humic acid and the sorption was reversely associated with soil particle sizes. DBP may exhibit higher mobility and bioavailability in a soil-crop system at lower temperature (15 °C), due to the lower log K oc values.

Pyraclostrobin has been widely and long-termly applicated to agricultural fields. The removal of pyraclostrobin from ecological environment has received wide attention. In this study, using sequential enrichments with pyraclostrobin as a sole carbon source, two microbial communities (HI2 and HI6) capable of catabolizing pyraclostrobin were obtained from Hawaiian soils. The microfloras analysis indicated that only Proteobacteria and Bacteroides could survive in HI2-soil after acclimatization, whereas the number of Proteobacteria in HI6-soil accounted for more than 99%. The percentages of Pseudomonas in the HI2 and HI6 microfloras were 69.3% and 59.3%, respectively. More than 99% of pyraclostrobin (C 0  = 100 mg L -1 ) was degraded by the HI2 and HI6 microorganisms within five days. A unique metabolite was identified by high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). A metabolic pathway involving carbamate hydrolysis was proposed. The tertiary amine group of pyraclostrobin was hydrolyzed to primary amine group with the decarboxylation, which facilitated pyraclostrobin detoxification because carboxylester was an important functional group. The metabolic mechanism suggested that Pseudomonas expressing carboxylesterase might be able to degrade carbamate chemicals. Therefore, Pseudomonas might be an ideal candidate for expression and cloning of carbamate-degrading gene in genomics studies. The current study would have important implications in detoxification and bioremediation of carbamates through the CN bond cleavage of methyl carbamate., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Arsenic (As) is ubiquitously present in the environment. The toxicity of As is related to its forms. This study was designed to compare the translocation and transformation of four As species from soil to rice, and metabolism in rats for four arsenic species. A set of 26550 data was obtained from pot experiments of rice plants grown in soil fortified with four As species, and 4050 data were obtained from rat experiments in which 81 rats were administered with the four As species. The total As in grain from the methyl arsenate fortified soil was 6.1, 4.9, and 5.2 times that from As(III), As(V), and dimethyl arsenate fortified soil, respectively. The total As in husk was 1.2-7.8 times greater than that in grain. After oral administration of each As species to rats, 83-96% was accumulatively excreted via feces and urine, while 0.1-16% was detected in blood. The translocation, transformation, and metabolism of different forms of arsenic vary greatly.

The organohalogenated contaminants (OCs) including 12 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 7 indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 7 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were determined in soils collected from Kenya, Eastern Africa. The total OCPs fell in the range of n.d-49.74 μg kg(-1) dry weight (dw), which was dominated by DDTs and endosulfan. Identification of pollution sources indicated new input of DDTs for malaria control in Kenya. The total PCBs ranged from n.d. to 55.49 μg kg(-1) dw, dominated by penta- and hexa-PCBs, probably associated with the leakage of obsolete transformer oil. The soils were less contaminated by PBDEs, ranging from 0.19 to 35.64 μg kg(-1) dw. The predominant PBDE congeners were penta-, tri- or tetra-BDEs, varying among different sampling sites. Risk assessment indicated potential human health risks posed by OCs in soils from Kenya, with PCBs as the most contributing pollutants. The local authorities are recommended to make best efforts on management of OC pollution, particularly from DDTs and PCBs to meet the requirement of Stockholm Convention., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Acute toxicity, bioaccumulation, and elimination of herbicide clomazone in the earthworm Eisenia fetida were investigated in the different exposure systems. The LC50 values of clomazone on earthworms were 5.6 μg cm(-2) in the contact filter paper test (48 h), 174.9 mg kg(-1) (7 days) and 123.4 mg kg(-1) (14 days) in artificial soil test, respectively. Clomazone could rapidly bioaccumulate in earthworms and reached the highest concentration after 3 days exposure, with the maximum concentrations of 9.0, 35.3 and 142.3 mg kg(-1) at 10.0, 40.0 and 160.0 mg kg(-1) of clomazone, respectively. Clomazone uptake showed a good correlation with exposure concentration. After the 14th day, clomazone declined to minimum value. About 74%-80% of accumulated clomazone was eliminated within 1 day after exposed to clomazone-free soil. However, a trace amount of clomazone persisted for a relatively long time in earthworms.

Imidacloprid is the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide in the world and shows widespread environment and human exposures. A phage clone designated L7-1 that selectively binds to imidacloprid was selected from a commercial phage display library containing linear 7-mer randomized amino acid residues. Using the clone L7-1, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for imidacloprid was developed. The half-maximum signal inhibition concentration (IC50) and the limit of detection (LOD) of the phage ELISA for imidacloprid were 96 and 2.3 ng ml(-1), respectively. This phage ELISA showed relatively low cross-reactivity with all of the tested compounds structurally similar to imidacloprid, less than 2% with the exception of 6-chloronicotinic acid, a metabolite of imidacloprid that showed 11.5%. The average recoveries of the phage ELISA for imidacloprid in water and soil samples were in the ranges of 74.6 to 86.3% and 72.5 to 93.6%, respectively. The results of the competitive phage ELISA for imidacloprid in the fortified samples agreed well with those of a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The simple phage-displayed peptide technology has been proven to be a convenient and efficient method for the development of an alternative format of ELISA for small molecules., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study was designed to determine concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil samples collected from Midway Atoll and evaluate their potential risks to human health. The total concentrations of 16 PAHs ranged from 3.55 to 3200 µg kg(-1) with a mean concentration of 198 µg kg(-1). Higher molecular weight PAHs (4-6 ring PAHs) dominated the PAH profiles, accounting for 83.3% of total PAH mass. PAH diagnostic ratio analysis indicated that primary sources of PAHs in Midway Atoll could be combustion. The benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration (BaPeq) in most of the study area (86.5%) was less than 40 µg kg(-1) BaPeq and total incremental lifetime cancer risks of PAHs ranged from 1.00×10(-10) to 9.20×10(-6) with a median value of 1.24×10(-7), indicating a minor carcinogenic risk of PAHs in Midway Atoll.

Chlorantraniliprole (CAP) is a new anthranilic diamide insecticide acting with high efficacy on ryanodine receptors of most of the species within the Lepidoptera order and has been used worldwide. To monitor its residue in food and environmental samples, we developed an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA), based on monoclonal antibodies. The established icELISA possesses a concentration of producing 50% inhibition (IC50) of 1.60ng/mL. In addition, the assay had the average recoveries of 79-119% when CAP was fortified in tap water, soil, spinach (Spinacia oleracea), and rape (Brassica campestris). Moreover, the icELISA results of spinach samples were confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Overall, we demonstrate that the developed immunoassay could be used as the quick and convenient determination method of CAP residues in environmental and agricultural samples., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Concentrations of 28 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were assessed in soils from the Midway Atoll in the central North Pacific Ocean. The analytical procedure involved the application of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and gas chromatography coupled with ion trap mass spectrometric detection (GC/ITMS) for identification and quantification. Among the 28 PCB congeners studied, 26 of them, except CB195 and CB209, were detected in the analyzed samples at different frequencies. The total concentrations of 28 indicator PCBs (ΣPCBs) ranged from 2.6 to 148.8 ng g⁻¹ with an average value of 50.7 ng g⁻¹ and median of 39.5 ng g⁻¹. Sources and congeners' pattern of PCB were investigated in the soil of Midway Atoll. The principal component analysis indicated that the compositions of PCBs in most of the soil samples were similar. The total concentrations of PCBs were used to assess the cancer risk probabilities in humans via ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation of soil particles. Very low cancer risk was found in all soil samples caused by ΣPCBs.

Concentrations of legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (e.g., DDE and DDD), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were determined in 111 soil samples from the Midway Atoll. OCPs were found in all samples analyzed, with predominance of α-HCH, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT. The total concentrations ranged from 0 to 127 ng g(-1) with a median concentration of 17 ng g(-1) for HCHs and 1.4 to 643 ng g(-1) with a median concentration of 168 ng g(-1) for DDTs. The possible degradation pathways and potential sources of DDTs and HCHs were investigated. The total concentrations of DDTs and HCHs were used to evaluate the cancer risk probabilities in humans via ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation of soil particles. Very low cancer risk was found in all soil samples caused by ΣDDTs and ΣHCHs., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fenoxaprop-ethyl is a selective aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicide used widely to control annual and perennial grasses. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) against fenoxaprop-ethyl (FE), designated as 3E6B9C, was produced and had very low cross-reactivity with some of its structural analogs, such as clodinafop-propargyl, diclofop-methyl, lactofen, and quizalofop-p-ethyl. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) was developed. The concentration of R-(+)-fenoxaprop-ethyl (R-FE) producing 50% of inhibition (IC(50)) and the working range of icELISA were 3.1 ng/mL and 0.6-29 ng/mL, respectively. This assay is also sensitive to R-fenoxaprop, S-(-)-fenoxaprop-ethyl, and metamifop with IC(50) of 3.4, 2.7, and 3.5 ng/mL, respectively. The recoveries of R-FE in soil samples with the icELISA were 86-102%.

An aerobic, mesophilic bacterium, strain JA40T, was isolated from soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls collected from Johnston Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. The strain formed yellow-pigmented colonies on heterotrophic media. The cells were Gram-negative, non-motile, non-sporulating rods. The strain reduced nitrite to nitrous oxide, the DNA G+C content was 64 mol% and the dominant fatty acids were 15 : 0 iso, 17 : 1 iso cis7 and 11 : 0 iso 3-OH. DNA sequencing of 1457 nt of the 16S rRNA gene established that JA40T belongs in the genus Pseudoxanthomonas within the Xanthomonadaceae branch of the Gammaproteobacteria. Strain JA40T can be differentiated from other mesophilic species in the genus on the basis of its physiological and biochemical characteristics and distinctive fatty acid profile. Thus strain JA40T (=ATCC BAA-1031T=CIP 108476T) is the type strain of a novel species of the genus Pseudoxanthomonas, for which the name Pseudoxanthomonas kalamensis sp. nov. is proposed.

Bromacil and hexazinone have been heavily used to control weeds in the pineapple fields in central Oahu, Hawaii, USA, since 1970s and 1980s, respectively. The last application prior to this study was at a rate of 0.6 kg active ingredient (a.i.) ha(-1) for hexazinone and 1.8 or 3.4 kg (a.i.) ha(-1) for bromacil in the six study fields during June-October 1998. Soils were collected from 0 to 1860 cm below the surface in January-May 1999 to survey the residue profiles of the two herbicides. Stratoprobe sampling showed to be an efficient and convenient method for deep soil cores. Bromacil was detected in all the soil samples above 60 cm (105-1338 ng g(-1) dry weight) and in 74% of the samples above 400 cm (26-473 ng g(-1)). Trace amounts of bromacil (90-113 ng g(-1)) were detected in some of the samples collected from as deep as 1540 cm. Hexazinone was detected in three of the six fields at 0-60 cm only (86-107 ng g(-1) dry weight). The more frequent detection of bromacil at higher concentrations than hexazinone is related to the prolonged higher application rates of bromacil in the fields and its higher persistence and mobility in soil.