Emerging Contaminants最新文献

{"title":"Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) microplastics affect angiogenesis and central nervous system (CNS) development of duck embryo","authors":"Axll Ross A. Campos ,&nbsp;Kyan Marlu B. Luza ,&nbsp;Merrah Joy Blaya Subebe ,&nbsp;Carlito Baltazar Tabelin ,&nbsp;Theerayut Phengsaart ,&nbsp;Takahiko Arima ,&nbsp;Reya Seno ,&nbsp;Roselyn Butalid ,&nbsp;Art Brian Escabarte ,&nbsp;Ahmad Reza F. Mazahery ,&nbsp;Gloria Shiela E. Coyoca ,&nbsp;Mylah Villacorte-Tabelin","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prolonged exposure to teratogens is known to cause neural tube defects (NTDs), a severe malformation of the central nervous system (CNS) that significantly contributes to global infant mortality. In recent years, exposure to nanoplastics (NPs) has been linked to faulty neural crest closure and altered neurulation by altering cellular adhesion molecules and accumulation of plastic particles in the neural tube leading to NTDs. However, research on the influence of various types of microplastics (MPs) on malformations of the CNS are still limited. In this study, we investigated whether MPs of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)—a type of plastic commonly used as non-stick coatings of cooking utensils can affect angiogenesis and CNS development using ducks as model organisms. PTFE MPs were administered on Day 3 of duck embryo development at varying concentrations (0.01 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml, 1 mg/ml, and 5 mg/ml), and angiogenesis was evaluated using a chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Gross morphology and histology of the spinal column and brain were analyzed on Days 8 and 18, respectively. FTIR confirmed PTFE's structure, while SEM and DLS analyses showed particle sizes between 300 nm and 5 μm, classifying them as MPs. High concentrations (5 mg/ml) of PTFE MPs treated on duck embryos resulted in a 35 % mortality rate and reduced vascular density, suggesting anti-angiogenic effects. Brain and spinal abnormalities, such as encephalomalacia and spinal cord discontinuities were observed in the PTFE-treated embryos. Based on these results, PTFE is an anti-angiogenic and teratogenic agent affecting the development of duck embryos.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100433"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of lead on dermal exposure of plasticizers in toys and associated risk assessment","authors":"Chaoli Yuan ,&nbsp;Mantuo Huang ,&nbsp;Jiajia wan ,&nbsp;Zijia Hong ,&nbsp;Jiwen Luo ,&nbsp;Lixuan Zeng ,&nbsp;Yu Bon Man ,&nbsp;Bingyan Lan ,&nbsp;Xiaomin Yan ,&nbsp;Yuan Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies reported risk assessment of human exposure to plasticizers in toys through dermal pathways, however, dermal bioaccessibility and percutaneous penetration of plasticizers under effects of lead had been seldom studied. In the present study, dermal bioaccessibility of plasticizers including phthalate esters and alternative plasticizers in toys were examined in artificial sweat and SSSM (synthetic sweat and sebum mixture), and percutaneous penetration of plasticizers were investigated by skin cells under individual plasticizers exposure or combined exposure conditions (plasticizers + lead). The present results indicated that dermal bioaccessibility of plasticizers in SSSM were higher than that in artificial sweat. DEHP (Di-2-ethylhexyl Phthalate) showed highest bioaccessibility among all the plasticizers, DEHT (Di (2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate) showed highest bioaccessibility among all the alternative plasticizers. DEHP and DEHT were selected to perform the cell absorption assay. Skin cell absorption assay demonstrated that MEHP (Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) was the major metabolite of DEHP and the absorption percentage of DEHP was higher than that of DEHT. Compared to individual exposure of plasticizers, the absorption percentage of DEHP and DEHT in skin cells under the combined exposure condition were increased by 12.40 %–14.63 % and 8.35 %–9.84 %, respectively. Risk assessment indicated that the plasticizers in toy would not result in unacceptable risk for children, but the health risk of plasticizers in toys to children under combined exposure condition would be 1.5–2 times higher than that under individual exposure condition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100432"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first survey of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Hulun Lake, China: Occurrence, sources, and environmental impacts","authors":"Jie Li ,&nbsp;Xinlei Li ,&nbsp;Yi Zhu ,&nbsp;Libo Wang ,&nbsp;Shilong Ren ,&nbsp;Rui An ,&nbsp;Qingzhu Zhang ,&nbsp;Guoqiang Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) studies in environmental media have been conducted in heavily industrialized and densely populated areas. However, there has been limited research on legacy and emerging PFAS contamination in cold and arid regions. In the present study, we investigated the concentrations of 30 PFAS compounds in the surface water and sediment of Hulun Lake and its inflowing rivers. The main components in water were short chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in both Hulun Lake (33.57 %) and its inflowing rivers (30.47 %). However, long chain perfluoroalkane sulfonates (PFSAs) and long chain PFCAs accounted for more than half of the total PFAS content in sediment. Total PFAS concentrations (∑₃₀PFAS) ranged from 3.67 to 8.84 ng/L in water, and 0.97–1.73 μg/kg in sediment. Significant spatial differences were apparent between Hulun Lake and its inflowing rivers in both water and sediment samples. Source apportionment revealed that wastewater, aqueous film forming foams, textiles and paper-based food packaging, and paper products and cosmetics were the primary sources of PFAS. The partitioning coefficients of PFCAs were dependent on the carbon chain length. Temperature, conductivity, pH, salinity, chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), As, and oxidation-reduction potential were the main influencing factors in water. Heavy metals (Co, Pb, Cu, Ni, Hg, Cd, and As), TP, salinity, and pH were positively correlated with the PFAS concentration in sediment. Furthermore, Hailar River contributed the majority (99.74 %, ∼15.05 kg/year) of the PFAS mass flux. This is the first study showing PFAS contamination in Hulun Lake and the results suggest that long term monitoring is needed for the effective control of PFAS pollution in this typical cold and arid region of China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100431"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the environmental transformation of alternative chemicals using in silico tools, (bio)degradation testing and suspect screening – A case study of emerging alternative plasticizers","authors":"Ioannis Liagkouridis,&nbsp;Georgios Giovanoulis,&nbsp;Gunnar Thorsén","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chemical safety assessment requires the inclusion of information on potential transformation products. Such information is often lacking for chemicals considered as alternatives making a comprehensive safety assessment for chemical substitution challenging. To address this challenge a methodological framework for investigating the environmental transformation of alternative chemicals is presented. The developed methodology involves the combined use of in silico tools, biodegradation testing and suspect screening analysis for the prediction and identification of environmental transformation pathways and products. The proposed framework was applied on three emerging alternative plasticizers to phthalate esters (i.e., DINCH, DEHA and ATBC) under which major first-, second- and third-step transformation products predicted in silico were also successfully identified experimentally. This allowed for a preliminary evaluation of the performance of in silico tools in terms of the predicted transformation pathways and their likelihood of occurrence. At the same time the fast chemical degradation method showed good potential in identifying the key transformation products. The proposed framework can be used to support safety assessments for chemical substitution. Further application of the developed methodology on different chemical groups along with proper optimization of the individual method components is recommended to showcase its efficacy over a larger application area.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100430"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive review of spinel ferrites and their magnetic composites as highly efficient adsorbents of rare earth elements","authors":"Seyed Faridedin Rafie ,&nbsp;Nidal Abu-Zahra ,&nbsp;Mika Sillanpää","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rare earth elements (REEs), comprising 17 % of known elements, are pivotal in diverse industries. Despite their name, they are not geologically rare but dispersed, posing challenges for economically viable mining. This review explores the environmental and health implications of REEs, emphasizing their emerging status as contaminants in aquatic environments, raising health concerns through the food chain. The necessity to recover REEs from wastewater demands efficient methods, particularly focusing on adsorption. Spinel ferrites (SFs), characterized by superparamagnetism and thermal stability, are gaining prominence in this context. Utilizing metal cations like Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, Zn, and Cu, SF-based magnetic nanocomposites exhibit remarkable efficiency in adsorbing REEs. This article delves into adsorption mechanisms, including electrostatic interactions and ion exchange, highlighting the advantages of stability, biocompatibility, and cost-effectiveness associated with SFs. SF-based nanocomposites, offering scalability and effectiveness at low concentrations, emerge as a promising solution for addressing environmental concerns related to REEs while meeting the escalating demand for these essential elements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100429"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Levels and risk assessment of dl-PCBs and dioxins in soils surrounded by cement plants from industrial areas of Colombia and Spain","authors":"Iñaki Lacomba ,&nbsp;Jenny Palomares-Bolaños ,&nbsp;Ana Juan-García ,&nbsp;Antonio López ,&nbsp;Jesús Olivero-Verbel ,&nbsp;Karina Caballero-Gallardo ,&nbsp;Clara Coscollà ,&nbsp;Cristina Juan","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the concentrations of 17 PCDD/Fs and 12 dl-PCBs congeners in soil samples collected from industrial areas in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) and Valencia (Spain). The aim is to assess the characteristic distribution patterns and the potential risk around cement plants within the selected locations, addressing the lack of data on PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in soils from the two studied areas. Soil samples were analysed using gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). The PCDD/Fs concentrations varied from 0.01 pg g⁻¹ dw to 520.43 pg g⁻¹ dw in Colombia and from 0.01 pg g⁻¹ dw to 150.48 pg g⁻¹ dw in Spain. For dl-PCBs, levels ranged from 0.03 pg g⁻¹ dw to 1611.83 pg g⁻¹ dw in Colombia and from 0.06 to 189.64 pg g⁻¹ dw in Spain. Despite the differences observed in concentration terms between the two areas studied, the same pattern of congeners was observed. The hazard index (HI) values for exposure of adults and children in soil were, in overall, smaller than one (HI &lt; 1), while the total cancer risk (TCR) values exceeded the acceptable risk value of 10⁻⁶, which indicate probable non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks resulting from exposure to PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in these areas. The ecological risk was assessed using the Contamination Factor (CF) and the Ecological Risk Index (ERI), revealing significant contamination in the studied areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100427"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142554750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on interaction, feedback, and response between perfluorinated compounds and soil environments","authors":"Jinhang Song ,&nbsp;Jing Song ,&nbsp;Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Chang Che ,&nbsp;Ying Yuan ,&nbsp;Wenbing Tan ,&nbsp;Beidou Xi ,&nbsp;Kunlong Hui ,&nbsp;Juntao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The soil environment plays a crucial role in agricultural production, safeguarding water resources, and maintaining ecological balance. Additionally, the soil environment can regulate climate through carbon cycling and serves as an essential habitat for the survival of animals and humans. Therefore, a green and healthy soil environment forms the bedrock of sustainable development of biological systems and serves as the basic support for socio-economic progress, thereby affecting the survival of every organism. However, with the advancement of human society and technology, numerous emerging pollutants have gradually been identified. Among these pollutants, perfluorinated compounds (PFASs) are known for their high thermal stability, bioaccumulation potential, and strong biological toxicity. PFASs are complex persistent pollutants that infiltrate soil ecosystems through industrial emissions, agricultural practices, and household waste, posing a significant threat to soil environments as well as human health and receiving considerable attention. However, current research mainly focuses on PFASs pollution in water media, with few reports on its interaction with soil environments. Moreover, due to the diversity and heterogeneity of soil environmental factors, the species diversity of PFASs may affect the different responses between different PFASs (short and long chain types) and soil factors. Elucidating these complex relationships is crucial for developing future treatment technologies to remediate PFASs pollution. Therefore, this paper reviews the impacts of PFASs pollution on soil properties and preliminarily compares the response and effect of various environmental factors, such as pH, organic matter, and microbial communities, to PFASs stress. Furthermore, the paper provides a scientific basis and theoretical insights into the processes, transformation mechanisms, and remediation methods related to soil PFASs pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100428"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142554751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Triclosan induces pyroptosis by activation of the caspase-9/3/gasdermin E axis","authors":"Shiqi Wu ,&nbsp;Lei You ,&nbsp;Shan He ,&nbsp;Wenqaing Liu ,&nbsp;Jinlin Lei ,&nbsp;Jiahui Yang ,&nbsp;Xiangyin Luo ,&nbsp;Zhenxiu Ye ,&nbsp;Yonghong Zhang ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Huailan Guo ,&nbsp;Yan Zheng ,&nbsp;Lanlan Zheng ,&nbsp;Chen Li","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high concentrations of TCS in personal care products, and the potential for even greater exposure in occupational settings, raise significant concerns about its cytotoxic effects. Numorous studies highlight the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis in toxicological research on environmental pollutants. However, it remains unclear whether TCS exposure could induce GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of 200 μM TCS on L02 cells and elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in TCS-induced pyroptosis, a novel form of cell death. Our results demonstrate that TCS inhibits the proliferation of L02 cells in a dose-dependent manner and triggers caspase-dependent cell death, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent pyroptosis through the activation of the caspase-9/3/GSDME axis. Furthermore, through transcriptional and metabolomic analyses, we identified alterations in the PI3K-Akt and MAPK cellular signaling pathways, as well as changes in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Our data provide valuable insights into the biotoxicity of high TCS concentrations and establish a theoretical basis for future studies on its impact and risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100425"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142536166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global review of PCBs and chemical flame retardants in e-waste recycling sites: Addressing geographic imbalances","authors":"Moyofoluwa O. Ogunyemi ,&nbsp;Temilola O. Oluseyi ,&nbsp;Aderonke O. Oyeyiola ,&nbsp;Mohamed Abou-Elwafa Abdallah ,&nbsp;Stuart Harrad","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Informal e-waste recycling poses substantial environmental and human health risks due to contamination by flame retardants (FRs) and related chemical additives. This study systematically reviews the status of research on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) in e-waste recycling sites, with a particular focus on concentration levels and geographic disparities in data availability. Only a few studies have been conducted in Africa and South America and there are significant gaps. This geographic imbalance and other factors impede accurate assessment and comprehensive understanding of global e-waste pollution and associated risks. In examining the concentrations of PCBs and FRs, the study finds notable variations across different countries. For instance, high levels of these toxic chemicals were reported in China and India, which are major hubs for e-waste recycling in Asia. Concentrations in these regions often exceed international safety standards, posing severe risks for workers and local communities. Conversely, data from Africa and South America are sparse, despite the growing presence of informal e-waste recycling activities in these continents. Factors driving these differences include the prevalence of informal recycling practices, variations in waste import volumes, regulatory gaps, and disparities in technological capacity for safe waste management. In developing countries, weaker enforcement of environmental laws and reliance on rudimentary recycling methods lead to higher levels of contamination. However, developed nations with stricter regulations and advanced technologies exhibit lower concentrations of these pollutants. While high concentrations of FRs are documented in environmental matrices, human biomonitoring and epidemiological studies are needed to correlate environmental concentrations with health outcomes, particularly for workers at e-waste sites. In summary, this review emphasizes the critical need for broader geographical coverage, standardized methodologies, and robust regulatory frameworks to mitigate the significant health and environmental risks associated with FRs and PCBs in e-waste recycling sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100426"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142573434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sewage sludge as soil amendment in arid soils - A trace metal, nutrient and trace organics perspective","authors":"Saif Uddin ,&nbsp;Mohammad Zaman ,&nbsp;Karell Martínez-Guijarro ,&nbsp;Mohammad Al-Murad ,&nbsp;Montaha Behbehani ,&nbsp;Nazima Habibi ,&nbsp;Ahmed Al-Mutairi","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100420","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2024.100420","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sewage sludge management has emerged as a critical environmental challenge due to the large volumes generated globally. Valorization techniques, including energy production and agricultural applications, offer sustainable solutions, particularly in regions with low soil fertility. The sewage sludge utilization in the Middle East region is low. This paper presents a pragmatic risk-based assessment using the risk-based corrective action approach to evaluate sludge application in desert soils. This methodology focuses on the source-pathway-receptor interaction and assesses the likelihood of contaminants posing a real threat. In arid desert regions like Kuwait, where soil organic content and moisture are extremely low, the application of sewage sludge presents a feasible option to enhance soil quality and valorize unutilized sludge dumps which pose significant environmental concerns but are left to desiccate in the absence of any environmental regulation towards its utilization and due to religious apprehensions. Since the sludge characterization is not well detailed a brief review of the available data was included to establish the bounds of various organic, metal and nutrients that were used for generating the model. This study examines the changes in the physico-chemical properties of desert soils following sludge application, focusing on the likely fate of trace metals and organic contaminants. The alkaline desert soils of Kuwait, with a pH range of 7.7–8.9, are particularly suitable for sludge application due to the low mobility of metals in alkaline conditions. Additionally, sludge application lowers soil pH, improving conditions for plant growth. The region's deeper water table and scant annual precipitation (&lt;0.15 m) further reduce the risk of groundwater contamination and deeper soil profile contamination. The presence of organic content, nitrates, Zn, and Cu in sludge can promote native vegetation growth. However, trace organic contaminants, including PAHs, PCBs, and pharmaceuticals, pose a potential risk to soil contamination, but since the geological section shows intervening impervious layers the contamination is going to be localized, even if there is sufficient leachable fraction. Given the minimal risk of contamination under the unique conditions of arid regions, this approach highlights the potential for eco-friendly sludge valorization, that will improve vegetation cover and arrest the suspended particulate suspension. However, before the large-scale implementation of this modelled concept, a detailed experimental study on the pilot scale or lysimeters is recommended to assess the long-term impacts of sludge application and to obtain data that can inform policy guidelines for sustainable sludge management in desert environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 100420"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142536164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}