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The routine use of chemicals in polar regions contributes to unexpected occurrence of micropollutants, with sewage discharge as a prominent pollution source. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify micropollutants in polar environments near potential point sources using non-target analysis (NTA) with liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry. Seawater samples were collected from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard and Marian Cove, King George Island, in 2023. We tentatively identified 32 compounds with NTA, along with 105 homologous series substances. Of these, 18 substances were confirmed, and 13 were quantified using the internal standard method. Most quantified substances in the Ny-Ålesund, including caffeine, naproxen, and polyethylene glycols (PEGs), exhibited concentrations ranged from 0.9 to 770,000 ng/L. In Marian Cove, the analysis predominantly detected acetaminophen, with concentrations ranging from 13 to 35 ng/L. The findings underscore the presence and spatial distribution of emerging micropollutants resulting from wastewater discharge in polar regions., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Previous studies have investigated the health hazards caused by exposure to the noise of heavy equipment used at construction sites. Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport operates a registration system for construction machinery, and regular safety inspections are mandatory. Although workers inspecting construction machinery vehicles are exposed to unwanted noise, no noise exposure assessment has been made regarding these workers in Korea. The time-weighted average (TWA) daily average noise exposure level among construction machinery inspectors at 18 inspection centers was 75.3 dB(A). Among the inspection steps, the exhaust gas inspection step was found to exhibit the highest noise exposure level, up to 100 dB(A). In Korea, if the noise level of a workplace exceeds 85 dB(A) as a TWA, workers are required to undergo special medical examinations. This study found that special medical examinations were required for two of the 18 target inspection centers (approximately 115 workers) as the 8-hour TWA noise level exceeded 85 dB(A). Therefore, regular noise exposure assessment and special medical examinations for noise are required to prevent inspectors from developing hearing disorders due to noise exposure., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Air and surfaces in the hospital environment are a potential source of exposure to filamentous fungi (FF) that could cause invasive fungal diseases (IFD) in severely immunocompromised patients. The prevalent FF in IFD are species from the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, Scedosporium, and those within the order Mucorales. We have compiled regulations and described the procedures used in the clinical mycology laboratory to assess the presence of FF in areas at risk for the development of IFD. The infection control committees of each establishment implement hospital policies to regulate and control processes aimed at preventing infections. Fungal load monitoring is an important step in this process to validate air quality in order to ensure a clean and protected environment for severely immunocompromised patients., (Copyright © 2024 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: The importance of building ventilation to protect health has been more widely recognized since the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor air ventilation in buildings dilutes indoor-generated air pollutants (including bioaerosols) and reduces resulting occupant exposures. Many countries and organizations have advisory guidelines or mandatory standards for minimum ventilation rates (VRs) to maintain indoor air quality (IAQ). Because directly measuring VRs is often difficult, many IAQ guidelines instead specify indoor concentration limits for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), using CO 2 exhaled by building occupants as an indicator of VR. Although indoor CO 2 guidelines are common, the evidence basis for the various CO 2 limits has not been clear., Objective: To review current indoor CO 2 guidelines worldwide and the supportive evidence provided., Methods: We identified worldwide CO 2 -based guidelines for IAQ or ventilation, along with any supportive evidence provided. We excluded occupational guidelines for CO 2 levels ≥5000 ppm., Results: Among 43 guidelines identified, 35 set single CO 2 concentration limits and eight set multi-tiered limits; 16 mentioned no specific human effect to be controlled, 19 specified only odor dissatisfaction, five specified non-infectious health effects, and three specified airborne infectious disease transmission. The most common indoor CO 2 limit was 1000 ppm. Thirteen guidelines specified maximum CO 2 limits as extended time-weighted averages, none with evidence linking averaged limits to occupant effects. Of only 18 guidelines citing evidence to support limits set, we found this evidence persuasive for eight. Among these eight guidelines, seven set limits to control odor perception. One provided 17 scientifically-based CO 2 limits, for specific example space uses and occupancies, to control long-range COVID-19 transmission indoors., Impact: Many current indoor carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) guidelines for indoor air quality specified no adverse effects intended for control. Odor dissatisfaction was the effect mentioned most frequently, few mentioned health, and three mentioned control of infectious disease. Only one CO 2 guideline was developed from scientific models to control airborne transmission of COVID-19. Most guidelines provided no supportive evidence for specified limits; few provided persuasive evidence. No scientific basis is apparent for setting one CO 2 limit for IAQ across all buildings, setting a CO 2 limit for IAQ as an extended time-weighted average, or using any arbitrary one-time CO 2 measurement to verify a desired VR., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

The chemical burden on the environment and human population is increasing. Consequently, regulatory risk assessment must keep pace to manage, reduce, and prevent adverse impacts on human and environmental health associated with hazardous chemicals. Surveillance of chemicals of known, emerging, or potential future concern, entering the environment-food-human continuum is needed to document the reality of risks posed by chemicals on ecosystem and human health from a one health perspective, feed into early warning systems and support public policies for exposure mitigation provisions and safe and sustainable by design strategies. The use of less-conventional sampling strategies and integration of full-scan, high-resolution mass spectrometry and effect-directed analysis in environmental and human monitoring programmes have the potential to enhance the screening and identification of a wider range of chemicals of known, emerging or potential future concern. Here, we outline the key needs and recommendations identified within the European Partnership for Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) project for leveraging these innovative methodologies to support the development of next-generation chemical risk assessment., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Although air quality has gradually improved in recent years, as shown by the decrease in PM 2.5 concentration, the problem of rising ambient ozone has become increasingly serious. To reduce hazards to human health and environmental welfare exposure to ozone, scientists and government regulators have developed ozone guidelines and standards. These answer the questions of which levels of exposure are hazardous to human health and the environment, and how can ambient ozone exposure be guaranteed, respectively. So what are the basis for the ozone guidelines and standards? This paper reviews in detail the process of revising ozone guidelines and standards by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The present study attempts to explore and analyze the scientific basis and empirical methods for updating guidelines and standards, in a view to guide the future revision process and provide directions for further scientific research. We found many epidemiological and toxicological studies and exposure-response relationships provided strong support for developing and revising the ozone guidelines. When setting standards, ozone exposure has been effectively considered, and the economic costs, health, and indirect economic benefits of standard compliance were reasonably estimated. Accordingly, epidemiological and toxicological studies and the establishment of exposure-response relationships, as well as exposure and risk assessment and benefit-cost estimates of standards compliance should be strengthened for the further update of guidelines and standards. In addition, with the increasing prominence of combined air pollution led by ozone and PM 2.5 , more joint exposure scientific research related to ozone guidelines and standards should be undertaken., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xue and Zhang.)

The "double-carbon" policy is a new opportunity for the transformation of China's production sector. With steady economic growth, each province has proposed specific policies aimed at cleaner production. However, the interactions between regions and the complex linkages between industries have hindered the implementation of the "double-carbon" policy. In order to address this issue, we introduced a complex network framework with multiple industries at a national level. The framework aimed to clarify whether there is fluctuation diffusion in China's multi-province multi-industry carbon emission system, to identify key industries and regions, and to answer the question of "who" is the most effective in governance. The results showed that the fluctuations of industrial carbon emissions had a cross-regional diffusion effect in China indeed. The diffusion capacity of industry fluctuation depends on whether the industry is located at a "hub" position in the network. Hub industries with strong capacity can spread the carbon emission fluctuation of themselves and upstream or downstream industries to the whole country through regional interactions. This characteristic of the hub industry should be taken into account in governance to maximize the effectiveness of emission reduction. Shandong and Inner Mongolia, as important provinces for the production of intermediate products and energy chemicals in China, had a greater role to play in global carbon supply push from their hub industries than in the demand pull. The pulling capacity of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to the national carbon demand side was greater than that of Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. These findings might have implications for environmental and economic policymaking, particularly with regard to cross-provincial coordinated systemic solutions and policy anchors for synergy with industries., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) degrades and obstructs the integrity of freshwater ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to monitoring water hyacinth's spatial extent, its determinants, and its effects on water quality in Lake Victoria, Uganda. The specific objectives of this paper are to (i) assess the spatial extent and distribution of water hyacinth; (ii) examine the determinants of water hyacinth distribution, and (iii) assess its impact on water quality. High-resolution satellite images (2016-2019) were obtained and used to monitor the spatial extent of the water hyacinth, a household survey was conducted to examine the determinants of the water hyacinth's extent and patterns while water samples were drawn and analysed for physicochemical properties. Results show that the coverage and distribution of water hyacinth varied over space and time. Water hyacinth coverage primarily increased with a decrease in water surface area. The perceived factors that triggered the water hyacinth spread included the morphology of the Bay, effluent discharge, strong winds, speed of water current, water-level changes, ferry navigation, and construction activities at the shore. Water parameters significantly impacted by hyacinth were pH, TP, BOD, COD, DO, turbidity, and transparency. This study recommends the strict development and implementation of integrated weed control measures, catchment management plans, and point and nonpoint pollution source control., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Hussein Kiyemba et al.)

We evaluated the diagnostic performances of 2 media (BCYE, MWY) on 951 Legionella-positive hospital water samples. MWY allowed detecting Legionella in 89.2% of samples, but in 10.8% (103/951) Legionella was found on BCYE plates only. In samples where Legionella was isolated with other microorganisms (663/951), MWY was essential to detect the majority of positive samples (349/663, 52.6%), as fewer plates resulted unreadable; however, in those containing Legionella only, a higher frequency of positive samples was recorded with BCYE (94.8%, 273/288) compared to MWY (85.1%, 245/288). Considering the 484 concordant positive samples, overall Legionella counts were significantly higher on BCYE (P = 0.0029), with 47% of samples showing higher counts on BCYE compared to MWY plates. Furthermore, discordant samples (positive on only one medium) showed different relative proportions between Legionella pneumophila and non-pneumophila, the latter being found more frequently on BCYE only (P = 0.0296).Our findings confirm the appropriateness of the ISO 11731:2017 update., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Many guidelines consider supraglottic airway use to be an aerosol-generating procedure. This status requires increased levels of personal protective equipment, fallow time between cases and results in reduced operating theatre efficiency. Aerosol generation has never been quantitated during supraglottic airway use. To address this evidence gap, we conducted real-time aerosol monitoring (0.3-10-µm diameter) in ultraclean operating theatres during supraglottic airway insertion and removal. This showed very low background particle concentrations (median (IQR [range]) 1.6 (0-3.1 [0-4.0]) particles.l -1 ) against which the patient's tidal breathing produced a higher concentration of aerosol (4.0 (1.3-11.0 [0-44]) particles.l -1 , p = 0.048). The average aerosol concentration detected during supraglottic airway insertion (1.3 (1.0-4.2 [0-6.2]) particles.l -1 , n = 11), and removal (2.1 (0-17.5 [0-26.2]) particles.l -1 , n = 12) was no different to tidal breathing (p = 0.31 and p = 0.84, respectively). Comparison of supraglottic airway insertion and removal with a volitional cough (104 (66-169 [33-326]), n = 27), demonstrated that supraglottic airway insertion/removal sequences produced <4% of the aerosol compared with a single cough (p < 0.001). A transient aerosol increase was recorded during one complicated supraglottic airway insertion (which initially failed to provide a patent airway). Detailed analysis of this event showed an atypical particle size distribution and we subsequently identified multiple sources of non-respiratory aerosols that may be produced during airway management and can be considered as artefacts. These findings demonstrate supraglottic airway insertion/removal generates no more bio-aerosol than breathing and far less than a cough. This should inform the design of infection prevention strategies for anaesthetists and operating theatre staff caring for patients managed with supraglottic airways., (© 2021 The Authors. Anaesthesia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association of Anaesthetists.)

Competing Interests: Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and have no interests to declare.

The paper aims to propose a new method to evaluate the occupational exposure risk for examiners involved in dynamic olfactometry. Indeed, examiners are possibly exposed to hazardous pollutants potentially present in odorous samples. A standardized method to evaluate the examiners' occupational safety is not yet available and the existing models present some critical aspect if applied to real odorous samples (no uniform reference concentrations applied and presence of compounds for which no toxicity threshold is available). A deepening of assessment procedure to evaluate the occupation exposure risk for olfactometric assessors is necessary. This paper proposes a standardized approach for risk assessment in dynamic olfactometry. The proposed approach allows the quantification synthetic and conservative risk indices. In this model, the use of the hazard index for the odorous mixture was proposed to assess the non-carcinogenic risk; the calculation of the inhalation risk was applied to estimate the carcinogenic risk. Different databases can be used to retrieve proper occupational exposure limits, according to the proposed hierarchical basis. These implementations allow obtaining the complete characterization of real samples which can be used to calculate the minimum dilution factor for protecting the panellists' health., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper analyzes hourly PM2.5 measurements from government-controlled and U.S. embassy-controlled monitoring stations in five Chinese cities between January 2015 and June 2017. We compare the two datasets with an impulse indicator saturation technique that identifies hours when the relation between Chinese and U.S. reported data diverges in a statistically significant fashion. These temporary divergences, or impulses, are 1) More frequent than expected by random chance; 2) More positive than expected by random chance; and 3) More likely to occur during hours when air pollution concentrations are high. In other words, relative to U.S.-controlled monitoring stations, government-controlled stations systematically under-report pollution levels when local air quality is poor. These results contrast with the findings of other recent studies, which argue that Chinese air quality data misreporting ended after a series of policy reforms beginning in 2012. Our findings provide evidence that local government misreporting did not end after 2012, but instead continued in a different manner. These results suggest that Chinese air quality data, while still useful, should not be taken entirely at face value., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Identifying the animal reservoirs from which zoonotic viruses will likely emerge is central to understanding the determinants of disease emergence. Accordingly, there has been an increase in studies attempting zoonotic "risk assessment." Herein, we demonstrate that the virological data on which these analyses are conducted are incomplete, biased, and rapidly changing with ongoing virus discovery. Together, these shortcomings suggest that attempts to assess zoonotic risk using available virological data are likely to be inaccurate and largely only identify those host taxa that have been studied most extensively. We suggest that virus surveillance at the human-animal interface may be more productive., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) generates and maintains thousands of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) to serve commerce worldwide. Many SRMs contain metrologically traceable mass fractions of known organic chemicals and are commercially available to aid the analytical chemistry community. One such material, NIST SRM 1957 Organic Contaminants in Non-Fortified Human Serum, was one of the first materials issued by NIST with measurements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) listed on the Certificate of Analysis and was commercially available in 2009. Since the release of SRM 1957, nearly 400 units have been sold to date, and over 50 publications related to PFAS measurements have included this material for multiple analytical purposes, such as a quality control material, for interlaboratory comparison, as an in-house comparison tool, for inter- and intra-day measurement accuracy, as an indicator of isomeric patterns of PFAS, and for other uses. This perspective details the ways SRM 1957 is utilized by the analytical community and how data have been reported in the literature. A discussion on accurately comparing SRM data to generated data is included. Furthermore, we conducted an in-depth investigation around additional applications for NIST SRMs, such as a matrix-matched reference material, and for the identification of targeted compounds during high-resolution mass spectrometry data collection. Ultimately, this manuscript illustratively describes the ways to utilize a NIST SRMs for chemicals of emerging concern.

In 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a Dermal Slope Factor (DSF) for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) of 0.006 (μg/day) -1 (USEPA 2014a). It would make cancer risk estimates associated with soil contact 100 times greater than those from soil ingestion and would predict that a large fraction of skin Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCCs) and Squamous Cell Carcinomas (SCCs) worldwide are caused by low level dermal exposures to PAHs, such as BaP. This is not logical given that sunlight (ultraviolet radiation (UV)) exposure is the generally recognized cause of BCCs and SCCs. This paper critically evaluates the proposed DSF. First, a reality check is performed using EPA standard risk assessment methods and comparing the results to actual BCC and SCC rates in the U.S. population. Then, the biological plausibility of the mechanism by which PAHs might cause human skin cancer is evaluated by exploring the generally recognized etiology of human skin cancer and comparing the genetic mutation signatures of rodent skin tumors caused by PAH exposures to those of human skin cancers. It is concluded that scientific flaws resulted in a proposed DSF value that greatly overestimates the skin cancer risk for humans dermally exposed to BaP in soil., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Environmental (e)DNA, as a general approach in aquatic systems, seeks to connect the presence of species' genetic material in the water and hence to infer the species' physical presence. However, fisheries managers face making decisions with risk and uncertainty when eDNA indicates a fish is present but traditional methods fail to capture the fish. In comparison with traditional methods such as nets, electrofishing and piscicides, eDNA approaches have more sources of underlying error that could give rise to false positives. This has resulted in some managers to question whether eDNA can be used to make management decisions because there is no fish in hand. As a relatively new approach, the methods and techniques have quickly evolved to improve confidence in eDNA. By evaluating an eDNA based research programmes through the pattern of the eDNA signal, assay design, experimental design, quality assurance and quality control checks, data analyses and concurrent search for fish using traditional gears, the evidence for fish presence can be evaluated to build confidence in the eDNA approach. The benefits for fisheries management from adopting an eDNA approach are numerous but include cost effectiveness, broader geographic coverage of habitat occupancy, early detection of invasive species, non-lethal stock assessments, exploration of previously inaccessible aquatic environments and discovery of new species hidden beneath the water's surface. At a time when global freshwater and marine fisheries are facing growing threats from over-harvest, pollution and climate change, we anticipate that growing confidence in eDNA will overcome the inherent uncertainty of not having a fish in hand and will empower the informed management actions necessary to protect and restore our fisheries., (© 2019 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

The air pollution associated with PM 2.5 kills 7 million people every year in the world, especially threatening the health of children in developing countries. However, the current air quality standards depend mainly on particle size. PM 2.5 contains many carcinogenic/mutagenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives such as nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated PAHs. Among them, environmental standards and guidelines have been set for benzo[a]pyrene by few countries and international organizations. Recent research reports showed that these pollutants are linked to diseases other than lungs, and new methods have been developed for determining trace levels of not only PAHs but also their derivatives. It is time to think about the next-generation environmental standards. This article aims to (a) describe recent studies on the health effects of PAHs and their derivatives other than cancer, (b) describe new analytical methods for PAH derivatives, and (c) discuss the targets for the next-generation standards., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Respirable dust can pass beyond ciliated airways of the respiratory tract and influence adverse health effects. Health effects can be studied using samples generated from bulk dust segregation. Because previous segregation methods diverge from size-selection criteria of the international convention for respirable particles (ICRP), a method was developed to approximate the ICRP. The method was compared to an ideal sampler by measuring the sample collection bias. The comparison shows that the uncertainty due to the bias was 0.10 based on European Standard EN13205:2014 criteria, which indicates that the segregator effectively follows the ICRP. Respirable particle size distributions were confirmed by an aerodynamic particle sizer and by computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy. Consequently, a systematic way to generate respirable powders for health effects studies and chemical analyses was developed.

Quantitation using mass spectrometry (MS) is a routine approach for multiple analytes, including small molecules and peptides. Electrospray-based MS platforms are typically employed, as they provide highly reproducible outputs for batch processing of multiple samples. Quantitation using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometry, while less commonly adopted, offers the ability to monitor analytes at significantly higher throughput and lower cost compared with ESI MS. Achieving accurate quantitation using this approach requires the development of appropriate sample preparation, spiking of appropriate internal standards, and acquisition to minimize spot-to-spot variability. Here we describe the preparation of samples for accurate quantitation using MALDI-ToF MS. The methodology presented shows the ability to quantitate perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) from contaminated water.

Dinoflagellates are an important group of phytoplanktons, characterized by two dissimilar flagella and distinctive features of both plants and animals. Dinoflagellate-generated harmful algal blooms (HABs) and associated damage frequently occur in coastal areas, which are concomitant with increasing eutrophication and climate change derived from anthropogenic waste and atmospheric carbon dioxide, respectively. The severe damage and harmful effects of dinoflagellate phycotoxins in the fishing industry have been recognized over the past few decades, and the management and monitoring of HABs have attracted much attention, leaving aside the industrial application of their valuable toxins. Specific modes of action of the organisms' toxins can effectively be utilized for producing beneficial materials, such as Botox and other therapeutic agents. This review aims to explore the potential industrial applications of marine dinoflagellate phycotoxins; furthermore, this review focuses on their modes of action and summarizes the available knowledge on them.

Sanitary risk inspection protocols are often used to identify contamination hazards at water sources; however, different observers sometimes struggle to record hazards consistently. This study aimed to assess the effect of inter-observer variation in hazard observations on the strength of relationships between observed hazards and the bacterial contamination of water sources, particularly relationships with animal-related hazards. In a longitudinal study, five surveyors independently recorded hazards at 93 water sources used by 234 households in Siaya County, Kenya, in both wet and dry seasons. One surveyor collected samples from sources for subsequent Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci testing. The relationship between each surveyor's hazard observations and high bacterial contamination was examined using logistic regression. After controlling for water source type and preceding rainfall; percentage scores for animal-related hazards were significantly related to high contamination with enterococci and E. coli for one surveyor (odds ratio 1.02; 95% confidence intervals 1.00-1.03 for both parameters), but not for the remaining four surveyors. The relationship between observed contamination hazards and the microbiological contamination of water sources is sensitive to variation in hazard recording between surveyors. Sanitary risk protocols should be designed to enable robust and consistent observation of hazards.

Since the publication of the last American Heart Association scientific statement on air pollution and cardiovascular disease in 2010, unequivocal evidence of the causal role of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5 , or particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter) in cardiovascular disease has emerged. There is a compelling case to provide the public with practical personalized approaches to reduce the health effects of PM 2.5 . Such interventions would be applicable not only to individuals in heavily polluted countries, high-risk or susceptible individuals living in cleaner environments, and microenvironments with higher pollution exposures, but also to those traveling to locations with high levels of PM 2.5 . The overarching motivation for this document is to summarize the current evidence supporting personal-level strategies to prevent the adverse cardiovascular effects of PM 2.5 , guide the use of the most proven/viable approaches, obviate the use of ineffective measures, and avoid unwarranted interventions. The significance of this statement relates not only to the global importance of PM 2.5 , but also to its focus on the most tested interventions and viable approaches directed at particulate matter air pollution. The writing group sought to provide expert consensus opinions on personal-level measures recognizing the current uncertainty and limited evidence base for many interventions. In doing so, the writing group acknowledges that its intent is to assist other agencies charged with protecting public health, without minimizing the personal choice considerations of an individual who may decide to use these interventions in the face of ongoing air pollution exposure.

To develop a library-dependent method of tracking fecal sources of contamination of beaches on the Atlantic coast of southwestern France, a library of 6368 Escherichia coli isolates was constructed from samples of feces, from 40 known human or animal sources collected in the vicinity of Arcachon Bay in 2010, and in French Basque Country, Landes, and Béarn, between 2017 and 2018. Different schemes of source identification were tested: use of the complete or filtered reference library; characterization of the isolates by genotypic or proteomic profiling based on ERIC-PCR or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, respectively; isolate by isolate assignment using either classifiers based on the Pearson similarity or SVM (support vector machine). With the exception of one source identification scheme, which was discarded since it used self-assignment, all tested schemes resulted in low rates of correct classification (<35%) and significant rates of incorrect classification (>15%). The heterogeneous coverage of E. coli genotypic diversity between sources and the uneven distribution of E. coli genotypes in the library likely explain the difficulties encountered in identifying the sources of fecal contamination. Shannon diversity index of sources ranged from 0 for several wildlife species sampled once to 3.03 for sewage treatment plant effluents sampled on various occasions, showing discrepancies between sources. The uneven genotypic composition of the library was attested by the value of the Pielou index (0.54), the high proportion of nondiscriminatory genotypes (>91% of the isolates), and the very low proportion of discriminatory genotypes (<3%). Since efforts made to constitute such a library are not affordable for routine analyses, the results question the relevance of developing such a method for identifying sources of fecal contamination on such a coastline.

Cationic polymers (CPs) are widely used chemicals for wastewater treatment applications and in various "down-the-drain" household products. The aquatic toxicity of CPs results from an electrostatic interaction with negatively charged cell surfaces. These effects are greatly mitigated by the binding affinity of CPs to total organic carbon (TOC) in surface water. Consequently, baseline aquatic toxicity tests of CPs using clean lab water (TOC < 2 mg/L) typically overestimate toxicity and risk which is greatly mitigated at higher environmentally relevant OC levels. However, the point at which mitigation begins is not well defined and low-level TOC in lab water may influence the baseline toxicity outcome. Similarly, divalent cations, quantified as water hardness, may modulate the electrostatic binding between OC and CP. Although standard guidelines define limits for lab water hardness and TOC, the consequences of variability within those limits on test outcome is unknown. We investigated the impact of part-per-billion (ppb) additions of TOC to lab water at different hardness levels on CP acute toxicity to Daphnia magna and Raphidocelis subcapitata. In both species, the acute toxicities of CPs with different molecular weight and charge density varied by > 10-fold in response to slight changes in TOC and water hardness, although parameters were maintained within guideline limits. When determining the baseline aquatic toxicity of CPs, the lab water should be standardized at the lowest biologically tolerable hardness and TOC at a reliably measurable level (>1 - < 2 mg/L) to reduce variability and increase the reliability of the toxicity estimate., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: The authors are employed or financed by BASF SE, a manufacturer of cationic polymers., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A key step in deriving an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) is assessing the reliability and relevance of the underpinning ecotoxicity data. While the assessment of data reliability is relatively well established, the detailed evaluation of data relevancy is a more recent development. We applied broadly accepted relevancy criteria to a series of non-standard ecotoxicity studies on diclofenac, focusing on some aspects that should be accounted for in studies used in EQS derivation. Specific relevancy issues include potential experimental bias, claimed 'significant effects' that are indistinguishable from controls, or within the range of normal, and lack of environmental applicability. We highlight that rigorous, comprehensive and, where necessary, specialist assessment of data relevancy for studies potentially applicable for EQS setting is critical if studies are to be appropriately used regulatory decision-making. We provide recommendations for researchers and environmental practitioners to ensure robust accounting of relevancy in non-standard studies is undertaken.

Objectives: More than 90% of the global population live in areas exceeding the PM 2.5 air quality guidelines (AQGs). We provide an overview of the ambient PM 2.5 -related burden of disease (BoD) studies along with scenario analysis in the framework of the WHO AQG update on the estimated reduction in the BoD if AQGs were achieved globally., Methods: We reviewed the literature for large-scale studies for the BoD attributed to ambient PM 2.5 . Moreover, we used the latest WHO statistics to calculate the BoD at current levels and the scenarios of aligning with interim targets and AQG levels., Results: The most recent BoD studies (2010 onwards) share a similar methodology, but there are differences in the input data which affect the estimates for attributable deaths (2.9-8.9 million deaths annually). Moreover, we found that if AQGs were achieved, the estimated BoD would be reduced by up to 50% in total deaths worldwide., Conclusions: Understanding the BoD across countries, especially in those that do not align with the AQGs, is essential in order to inform actions to reduce air pollution globally.

This study presents the heavy metal results obtained during Finnish interlaboratory comparison (ILC) measurements made during 2019. The aim of this measurement campaign was to verify the skills of accredited emission measurement teams and also to evaluate the challenges that stack testing teams face in the future when emission levels decrease. ILCs have been organized in Finland since the 1970s. ILCs provide an important platform for stack testing teams so that they can verify their measurement skills and also for the dissemination of knowledge. The knowledge about the measurement standards and their requirements has improved among stack testing teams during past years in Finland. As emission levels get lower, they still need to pay more attention to some quality assurance procedures, e.g. to method and field blanks. Based on the observations of this ILC for heavy metals it can be noted that the challenges that stack testing teams face are related to the fact that no guidance is given in the standard reference methods EN 13211 and EN 14385 for example on the calculation of measurement uncertainties and how results below limit of quantification should be taken into account. These reference methods were suitable for their purpose at the time they were validated. However, emission levels are now more stringent and it is challenging to measure them with acceptable uncertainty criteria. As a consequence, there is a clear need for harmonized approaches in Europe for consistent implementation of standards and regulations. Key issues where guidance should be provided include realistic measurement uncertainties at low concentration levels, reporting low concentrations and guidance on how measurement uncertainties should be taken into account when the results are used for compliance assessment. The overall aim is to ensure that even with low emission levels, the emission measurement results would be transparent and robust throughout the EU. Implications : Interlaboratory comparison measurements between stack testing teams are the most important tool to verify the quality of the measurements. Participation in an appropriate ILC is often mandatory to successfully achieve accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025. Such campaigns also provide an efficient platform for dissemination of knowledge. In addition, ILCs can be used to clarify the challenges that teams nowadays face when measuring low emission levels, thus creating important information for the revision work of standards.

The widespread nanomaterial use in commercial products has fed significant concern over environmental health and safety ramifications. Initially, little was known as to how these highly reactive particulates interacted with biological systems. Nanomaterials have introduced complexities not normally considered in traditional safety assessments of chemicals and therefore have generated uncertainty in the reliability of standard tests of safety. Advances in understanding the potential impacts of nanomaterials have occurred since their introduction, particularly for those used in the greatest quantities in commerce. The impact of characteristics such as charge, size, surface functionalization, chemical composition, and certain transformations on the potential effect of nanomaterials in the environment continue to move the field forward. However, generalizations of risk based on any one factor across nanomaterials is not possible. Estimating risk also remains difficult due to the introduction of materials that are new and more complex, minimal information on the specific molecular interactions of nanomaterials and organisms, and the need for more tools for measuring the dynamics of nanomaterial state and fate in complex matrices. Finally, exposure estimates are difficult due to difficulty of environmental monitoring which may be exacerbated by lack of information on nanomaterials in products and new uses in the marketplace., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Allergic contact dermatitis is a delayed type IV hypersensitivity skin reaction to external stimuli. Patterns of dermatitis depend on allergen exposure and patch testing is the gold standard to identify causal agents. The American Contact Dermatitis Society identifies an "Allergen of the Year" in order to highlight facts about particular allergens, which may range from showing increasing prevalence of disease, to documenting low levels of relevant allergic reactions. This article reviews the allergens of the year from 2000 to 2020 with an emphasis on clinical relevance. Categories of allergens include adhesives, dyes, medications, metals, preservatives, rubber accelerators, surfactants, and other skin care product ingredients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest None declared., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Rangeland ecosystems cover 3.6 billion hectares globally with 239 million hectares located in the United States. These ecosystems are critical for maintaining global ecosystem services. Monitoring vegetation in these ecosystems is required to assess rangeland health, to gauge habitat suitability for wildlife and domestic livestock, to combat invasive weeds, and to elucidate temporal environmental changes. Although rangeland ecosystems cover vast areas, traditional monitoring techniques are often time-consuming and cost-inefficient, subject to high observer bias, and often lack adequate spatial information. Image-based vegetation monitoring is faster, produces permanent records (i.e., images), may result in reduced observer bias, and inherently includes adequate spatial information. Spatially balanced sampling designs are beneficial in monitoring natural resources. A protocol is presented for implementing a spatially balanced sampling design known as balanced acceptance sampling (BAS), with imagery acquired from ground-level cameras and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). A route optimization algorithm is used in addition to solve the 'travelling salesperson problem' (TSP) to increase time and cost efficiency. While UAS images can be acquired 2-3x faster than handheld images, both types of images are similar to each other in terms of accuracy and precision. Lastly, the pros and cons of each method are discussed and examples of potential applications for these methods in other ecosystems are provided.

Ubiquitous exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has caused serious concerns about the ability of these chemicals to affect neurodevelopment, among others. Since endocrine disruption (ED)-induced developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) is hardly covered by the chemical testing tools that are currently in regulatory use, the Horizon 2020 research and innovation action ENDpoiNTs has been launched to fill the scientific and methodological gaps related to the assessment of this type of chemical toxicity. The ENDpoiNTs project will generate new knowledge about ED-induced DNT and aims to develop and improve in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models pertaining to ED-linked DNT outcomes for chemical testing. This will be achieved by establishing correlative and causal links between known and novel neurodevelopmental endpoints and endocrine pathways through integration of molecular, cellular, and organismal data from in vitro and in vivo models. Based on this knowledge, the project aims to provide adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for ED-induced DNT and to develop and integrate new testing tools with high relevance for human health into European and international regulatory frameworks.

The aim of the study is to analyze the potential occupational hazards of fluorouracil (FU) and doxorubicin (DOX). The literature review was based on factual and bibliographic scientific databases of the available peer-reviewed journals and the so-called gray literature. In Poland, the process of determining the acceptable levels of occupational exposure for selected anticancer drugs has been underway since 2014, and the basis for determining the maximum allowable concentration values is usually the concentration equivalent to 0.1% of the lowest therapeutic dose found in the literature. In addition, uncertainty coefficients are used, which take into account the mechanism of action of the cytostatics, the dynamics of metabolism, the assessment of classification and labeling for carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic, reproductive toxicity, organ toxicity, the ability to accumulate cytostatics, the assessment of cumulative effects with other cytostatics, the physicochemical form and data completeness. Where possible, the risk of additional cancer is estimated. Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens at work (the carcinogens and mutagens directive ‒ CMD) is a key legal solution in the field of public health in the European Union, focused on the issue of occupational cancer. These cytostatics, FU and DOX, are genotoxic and are classified as hazardous. Life-threatening heart damage is a serious side effect of both FU and DOX. The analysis has shown that the inclusion of dangerous drugs in the list of substances subject to the requirements of the CMD is completely justified. The cytostatics classification and labeling procedure should be harmonized throughout the European Union, which will ensure a reliable and credible risk management in this area. Med Pr. 2020;71(3):363-73., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

This survey evaluates whether the Cystic Fibrosis (CF)-specific infection prevention and control (IPC) recommendations released by the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) in 2012 have been implemented in specialized German CF facilities. Of 35 participating centers (response rate 32.7%), 37% care for more than 100 patients and 44% treat mainly adults. Clinics for adult CF patients report a shortage of qualified personnel for intensified environmental cleaning. Some hospitals struggle to provide single patient rooms with an adjacent sanitary area to segregate CF patients strictly. Most centers offer at least one decolonization cycle (including systemic and inhalative antibiotics) to patients colonized with MRSA. In CF centers in Germany, the KRINKO IPC recommendations are considered helpful by the attending physicians and thoroughly implemented. There is room for improvement concerning strict segregation of inpatients with CF in single patient rooms, in particular in large CF centers mainly caring for adults., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2019 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Low-density polyethylene sheets are used as passive samplers for aquatic environmental monitoring to measure the freely dissolved concentration (C free ) of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). Freely dissolved HOCs in water will partition into the polyethylene until a thermodynamic equilibrium is achieved; that is, the HOC's activity in the passive sampler is the same as its activity in the surrounding environment. One way to evaluate the equilibrium status or estimate the uptake kinetics is by using performance reference compounds (PRCs). A fractional equilibrium (f eq ) can be determined for target HOCs, under the assumption that PRC desorption from the passive sampler occurs at the same rate as for the unlabeled target HOCs. However, few investigations have evaluated how effectively and accurately PRCs estimate target contaminant C free under in situ conditions. In the present study, polyethylene passive samplers were preloaded with 6 13 C-labeled polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as PRCs; deployed in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, USA; and collected after 30-, 56-, 99-, and 129-d deployments. Using this unique temporal sampling design, PRC results from each deployment were fit to a diffusion model to estimate the C free of 27 PCB congeners and compare the results between the different deployment times. Smaller PCBs had variable concentrations over the 4 deployments, whereas mid-molecular weight PCBs had consistent C free measurements for all deployments (relative standard deviation <20%). High-molecular weight PCBs had the largest C free estimates after 30 d; these estimates and their standard deviations decreased with longer deployment times. These findings suggest that when targeting PCBs with more than 6 chlorines or contaminants with a log octanol-water partition coefficient ≥6.5, a deployment time longer than 30 d may be prudent. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1165-1173. © 2020 SETAC., (© 2020 SETAC.)

Because of the semi-volatile nature of diisocyanates (being airborne in both physical vapor and particulate phases), their high reactivity and low occupational exposure limits, diisocyanate exposure evaluation has been challenging for industrial hygienists and laboratories. The objective of this study was to compare the toluene diisocyanate (2,4 and 2,6 isomers, TDI) concentration measured by five methods in a flexible polyurethane foam factory using different collection or derivatization approaches. The methods used were: OSHA 42 modified (filter, 1-(2-pyridyl)piperazine) (OSHA), Asset EZ4-NCO (denuder and filter, dibutylamine) (Asset), Iso-Chek (double-filter, 9-(N-methylaminomethyl) anthracene and 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine), DAN (filter, 1,8-diaminonaphthalene), and CIP10 (centrifugation, 1,2-methoxyphenylpiperazine). Particle real-time monitoring for concentration and size distribution was performed in parallel to improve the understanding of the potential bias between methods. The comparison study was performed over 3 days, providing 18 replicates for each of the 5 methods. Isocyanate concentrations collected for each sampling method were compared using linear mixed effect modeling. Compared to OSHA, which yielded the highest concentrations overall, the Asset and DAN methods provided the smallest biases (-29% (95% CI [-52;-6]) and -45% (95% CI [-67;-23]), respectively), while the CIP10 and Iso-Chek methods provided the largest biases (-82% (95% CI [-105;-66]) and -96% (95% CI [-118;-75]), respectively). The substantial bias of Iso-Chek and CIP10 seemed to be explained by the predominance of TDI in the form of sub-micron particles that were inadequately captured by these two methods due to their sampling principle, which are particle filtration without derivatizing agent and centrifugation respectively. Asset and DAN performance seemed to decrease as the sampling time increased. While DAN's bias could be related to a reagent deficiency on the filter, the disparities between OSHA and Asset, both considered as reference methods, highlight the fact that the mechanisms of collection, derivation and extraction do not seem to be completely controlled. Finally, an upward trend has been observed between concentrations of particles below 300 nm in size and concentration levels of TDI. It has also been observed that TDI levels increased with the TDI foam index produced at the facility.

Investigations into environmental monitoring (EM) excursions can be prolonged and do not always result in clear root causes or corrective and preventative actions. This article outlines how biofluorescent particle counting (BFPC) can be used in investigations to eliminate the inherent delays of culture-based methods. The application for investigations supplements routine EM, acting as a risk-reduction tool enabling real-time detection of viable microorganisms in air samples and supporting root cause analysis and remedial actions. The article includes guidance on how to use the technology, a real case study involving a mold excursion, and examples of business benefits achieved by various companies., (© PDA, Inc. 2020.)

Major air pollutants include particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, etc. Recent posts have confirmed that air pollution has a variety of adverse health effects on people's health.For professional people, because of occupational hazards of these major atmospheric pollutants also exist in the workplace, is likely to suffer from the double hazards of occupational hazards and air pollutants in the workplace, if similar pollutants are present in the home, the daily exposure concentration of the occupational population may be significantly higher than that of the general population. Exposure limits and testing methods for major atmospheric pollutants (particulate matter or dust, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide) are set by relevant standards in workplace air, ambient air and indoor air. However, due to different places and different management departments, there are differences in the detection methods of the same indicators, which brings difficulties to estimate the total daily exposure level. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the "consistency" of the detection method of relevant pollutants in the air, in order to provide scientific basis for estimating the daily exposure level of pollutants in different populations.

The environmental neurotoxin β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) may represent a risk for human health in case of chronic exposure or after short-term exposure during embryo development. BMAA accumulates in freshwater and marine organisms consumed by humans. It is produced by marine and freshwater phytoplankton species, but the range of producers remains unknown. Therefore, analysing the phytoplankton composition is not sufficient to inform about the risk of freshwater contamination by BMAA. Filter-feeders mussels have accumulation capacities and therefore appear to be relevant to monitor various pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. We investigated the suitability of the freshwater mussels Dreissena polymorpha and Anodonta anatina for monitoring BMAA in water. Both species were exposed to 1, 10, and 50 μg of dissolved BMAA/L daily for 21 days, followed by 42 days of depuration in clean water. On days 0, 1, 7, 14, and 21 of exposure and 1, 7, 14, 21 and 42 of depuration, whole D. polymorpha and digestive glands of A. anatina were sampled, and the total BMAA concentration was measured. D. polymorpha accumulated BMAA earlier (from day 1 at all concentrations) and at higher tissue concentrations than A. anatina, which accumulated BMAA from day 14 when exposed to 10 μg BMAA/L and from day 7 when exposed to 50 μg BMAA/L. As BMAA accumulation by D. polymorpha was time and concentration-dependent, with a significant elimination during the depuration period, this species may be able to reflect the levels and dynamics of water contamination by dissolved BMAA. The species A. anatina could be used for monitoring water concentrations above 10 μg BMAA/L., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose of Review: Baker's allergy and asthma continue to represent an important contributor of occupational asthma globally. This review identified recent studies related to the prevention of baker's allergy and asthma., Recent Findings: Studies with respect to regulatory exposure standards, workplace control measures aimed at reduction of flour dust exposures, surveillance programmes (exposure monitoring, medical surveillance) and workplace information, education and training programmes were identified., Summary: Detailed knowledge on risk factors and detection methods to assess exposure and early identification of high-risk workers exist, but workplace control measures remain sub-optimal because they are rarely multifaceted. This is compounded by the lack of health-based exposure standards globally. Exposure level monitoring and medical surveillance are integral to assessing effectiveness of preventive strategies. Triage systems for optimizing the efficiency of medical surveillance programmes show promise, but need replication in different contexts. Future studies need to focus on evaluating the relevance and quantification of peak exposures in increasing risk; developing standardized respiratory questionnaires for medical surveillance; and further exploration of serial fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements as an adjunct to allergic sensitization for the early identification of baker's asthma and assessing the long-term impact of interventions.

We conducted an exploratory analysis of 15 water-quality parameters collected countrywide during 1982-2016 to better understand human impacts on aquatic ecosystems in Japan. We used the Mann-Kendall test to identify temporal trends. On the basis of this analysis, we identified and ranked the sites for future management where there were trends toward lower water quality. The study showed general improvement of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, Escherichia coli counts, n-hexane extracts, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total zinc. We concluded that management of wastewater has been effective throughout Japan, but with the caveat that conditions have deteriorated at some sites, which should be the focus of studies aimed at identifying the causes of the lower water quality. Concentrations of chloroform, formaldehyde, nonylphenol, and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are toxic environmental pollutants that can have adverse effects on human and ecosystem health, showed significant increasing or decreasing temporal trends at only a few monitoring sites. Sites where concentrations of these toxicants increased should be targeted for further study to determine whether remedial actions are needed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

For manufacturers of both sterile and nonsterile pharmaceuticals, there is an expectation that the manufacturing process is performed in a manner that prevents extraneous contamination so that the products are provided in a safe, integral, pure, and unadulterated form. As part of that process, cleaning and disinfection are an absolute necessity. Although cleaning and disinfection support control of microbial contamination through preventive and corrective action, specific compendia methods do not currently exist. The intent of this paper is to provide a general guidance on how to perform disinfectant efficacy validation and implementation. This includes how to make sure the concepts are understood, how to interpret facility data and utilize it to demonstrate control awareness for your facilities, and how to leverage the data to reduce redundancies in validation or verification. This paper represents the thoughts and best practices of the authoring team and their respective companies and provides an efficient way to qualify disinfectants without impacting the quality of the study. If you choose to follow the recommendations in this paper, you must ensure that the appropriate rationale is sound and the scientific data is documented. It is the belief of the authoring team that only then will this approach meet regulatory requirements., (© PDA, Inc. 2020.)

Tabulations of numerical concentration-based environmental benchmarks are commonly used to inform decisions on managing chemical exposures. Benchmarks are usually set at levels below which there is a low likelihood of adverse effects. Given the widespread use of tables of benchmarks, it is reasonable to expect that they are adequately reliable and fit for purpose. The degree to which a derived benchmark reflects an actual effect level or statistical randomness is critically important for the reliability of a numerical benchmark value. These expectations may not be met for commonly-used benchmarks examined in this study. Computer simulations of field sampling and toxicity testing reveal that small sample size and confounding from uncontrolled factors that affect the interpretation of toxic effects contribute to uncertainties that might go unrecognized when deriving benchmarks from data sets. The simulations of field data show that it is possible to derive a benchmark even when no toxicity is present. When toxicity is explicitly included in simulations, imposed effect threshold levels could not always be accurately determined. Simulations were also used to examine the influence of mixtures of chemicals on the determination of toxicity thresholds of chemicals within the mixtures. The simulations showed that data sets that appear large and robust can contain many smaller data sets associated with specific biota or chemicals. The sub-sets of data with small sample sizes can contribute to considerable statistical uncertainty in the determination of effects thresholds and can indicate that effects are present when they are absent. The simulations also show that less toxic chemicals may appear toxic when they are present in mixtures with more toxic chemicals. Because of confounding in the assignment of toxicity to individuals chemicals within mixtures, simulations showed that derived toxicity thresholds can be less than the actual toxicity thresholds. A set of best practices is put forward to guard against the potential problems identified by this work. These include conducting an adequate process of determining and implementing Data Quality Objectives (DQOs), evaluating implications of sample size, designing appropriate sampling and evaluation programs based on this information, using an appropriate tiered evaluation strategy that considers the uncertainties, and employing a weight of evidence approach to narrow the uncertainties to manageable and identified levels. The work underscores the importance of communicating the uncertainties associated with numerical values commonly included in tables for screening and risk assessment purposes to better inform decisions., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Radiogenic strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) have long been used in analyses of paleomobility within Mesoamerica. While considerable effort has been expended developing 87Sr/86Sr baseline values across the Maya region, work in central Mexico is primarily focused on the Classic period urban center of Teotihuacan. This study adds to this important dataset by presenting bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr values across central Mexico focusing on the Basin of Mexico. This study therefore serves to expand the utility of strontium isotopes across a wider geographic region. A total of 63 plant and water samples were collected from 13 central Mexican sites and analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr on a Thermo-Finnigan Neptune multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS). These data were analyzed alongside 16 published 87Sr/86Sr values from two additional sites within the region of interest. A five-cluster k-means model was then generated to determine which regions of the Basin of Mexico and greater central Mexico can and cannot be distinguished isotopically using 87Sr/86Sr values. Although the two clusters falling within the Basin of Mexico overlap in their local 87Sr/86Sr ranges, many locations within the Basin are distinguishable using 87Sr/86Sr values at the site-level. This study contributes to paleomobility studies within central Mexico by expanding knowledge of strontium isotope variability within the region, ultimately allowing researchers to detect intra-regional residential mobility and gain a greater understanding of the sociopolitical interactions between the Basin of Mexico and supporting outlying regions of central Mexico., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The concentrations of thirteen metals (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) were analyzed in waters and sediments of the Badovci Lake. The total metal concentrations in the water followed the descending order: Fe > Al > Mn > Cu > Ba > Zn > As > Ni > Pb > V > Co > Cd > Cr, and the total metal content in the sediments also followed the descending order: Fe > Al > Mn > Ni > Cr > Pb > Ba > Zn > V > Cu > As > Co > Cd. According to EC 98/83, Al, Fe, and Mn at some sampling sites exceeded safety limits for drinking water, whereas other elements were at acceptable levels. The total content of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and V in the sediments exceeded the target values of the New Dutch List. Using pollution indicators such as the contamination factor (CF) and geoaccumulation index (I geo ), most of the samples were unpolluted to moderately polluted by Cu, Cr, Pb, V, and Ni. The values of the pollution load index (PLI) were more than one (>1), indicating progressive deterioration of the sediment quality. The enrichment factor (EF) for all the studied metals suggests their enrichments in sediments of the Badovci Lake. Most of the elements were found in the residual fraction strongly bonded to the crystalline component. Pb, Mn, and Cu were bound in the organic and exchangeable components. The extent of pollution by heavy metals in sediments of the Badovci Lake implies that the environmental condition is relatively stable, and attention should be paid to metals bonded in the extractable and organic phases. It is recommended to periodically monitor water and sediment quality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Avni Malsiu et al.)

Self-contamination should not be underestimated when quantifying microplastics (MPs) in environmental matrices. Standardised and validated methodologies for MP sampling, extraction, and analysis are lacking. The various applications of plastics in our society have made them ubiquitous, even in clothing, rendering MP self-contamination inevitable. In the present study, we sampled lake sediment, snow, and ice, purposefully wearing red overalls composed of cotton; fibres from which we could quantify using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), serving as an indication of possible self-contamination from clothes. The suitability of cotton as a representation of MP contamination was also evaluated. For all detected fibres, 25 ± 1%, 20 ± 7%, and 8 ± 6% for snow, ice, and sediment, respectively, originated from sampling attire. These findings demonstrate that self-contamination can play a significant role when quantifying MP pollution, highlighting that sampling conducted to date might have overestimated the presence of MP or even contaminated MP-free samples., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)