Emerging Contaminants最新文献

{"title":"Molecular response of Physarum melleum GZ381 to anatase TiO2 nanoparticles: Characteristic and application","authors":"Zhi Zhang ,&nbsp;Cheng Xin Wu ,&nbsp;Qin Hui Lu ,&nbsp;Xiu Yi Liang ,&nbsp;Zhi Cheng Liang ,&nbsp;Yi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100539","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100539","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental pollution caused by nano titanium dioxide (nTiO₂) has become an increasingly pressing issue. Investigating environmental organisms capable of tolerating nTiO₂ stress, along with their molecular responses, can help us combat such pollution. In this study, we used multi-omics approaches, genetic manipulation, and physiological and biochemical methods to analyze the responses of <em>Physarum melleum</em> GZ381—which tolerates anatase-type nTiO₂ (nTiO₂-A) approximately 30 nm in size—and its responsive biomolecules. We observed that the primary molecular response characteristic of GZ381 was related to metabolism. Furthermore, we found that GZ381 utilizes circular RNA08121 in a competitive endogenous RNA network to regulate the transcriptional abundance of many metabolism-related genes, facilitating metabolic reprogramming and conferring obvious anti-nTiO₂-A stress capabilities. Based on these findings, we designed mitigation schemes that markedly enhanced the tolerance of various non-tolerant cells to nTiO₂-A of different sizes (approximately 30, 60, and 90 nm) under light and dark conditions. Overall, this study reports some important biomolecules that can enhance cellular nTiO₂-A resistance and may be used to combat such pollution in the future, deepens the understanding of environmental organisms, especially those tolerant to nTiO₂ stress, and provides new inspiration for combating such pollution challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100539"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unleashing the power of receptor-based assay on high-throughput detection: Assessing the feasibility of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on large-scale antibiotic monitoring","authors":"Yun Yang ,&nbsp;Jinxin Wang ,&nbsp;Lulu Li ,&nbsp;Haofei Yang ,&nbsp;Yu Quan ,&nbsp;Jason Jia Shun Liao ,&nbsp;Wei Ouyang ,&nbsp;Gang Yu ,&nbsp;Li Ling","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100511","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100511","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antibiotics are detected in aquatic environments with heterogeneity in their occurrence and associated risk levels. Thus, high spatiotemporal resolution monitoring in a large scale is essential to better cope with their risks. Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques are sensitive and precise, yet complex, expensive, and time-consuming for antibiotic detection. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is among a mature receptor-based assays that offer a cost-effective alternative and are particularly notable for their high throughput analytical capabilities. However, its high throughput power on environmental monitoring is underutilized. ELISA is remarkably rapid (3800–37,000 tests per day), inexpensive ($1.8 per test, capital costs ranging from $35,000 to $270,000), and ready-to-use (97 commercial kits available) for detecting frequently reported antibiotics. Adopting solid phase extraction decreases their limits of detection to as low as 0.125 ng/L. Their quantification results are robust as they also generally agreed well with those of MS methods. A conservative way at present is to use ELISA for initial screening of large numbers of samples, with subsequent quantification of a small proportion of “positive” samples through MS methods. Yet, the applicability of ELISA can be further improved, such as developing a standardized quantification procedure for ELISA and microfluid chip-based ELISA kits and instruments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100511"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Veterinary antibiotics in contaminated animal manure: Fate, removal challenges, and future perspectives on conventional and emerging technologies","authors":"Chen Ding ,&nbsp;Yun Lang ,&nbsp;Liwen Xiao ,&nbsp;Xinmin Zhan ,&nbsp;Lin Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The pollution caused by veterinary antibiotics (VAs) has become a global concern due to their role in promoting antimicrobial resistance in the environment. Animal manure, often referred to as animal slurry, contains substantial amounts of VAs originating from animal urine and feces. Since animal manure is commonly used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer, understanding the degradation of VAs and ensuring their efficient removal are essential for effective manure management. This article critically reviews the emerging technologies effective in VA removal, such as adsorption, membrane separation, advanced oxidation processes, carbonization, and bioelectrochemical systems. While these technologies have been extensively studied for their ability to remove pharmaceuticals from common water and wastewater, their applicability to real manure treatment remains insufficiently explored. This article outlines the challenges associated with each technology, particularly concerning the complex composition of animal manure. It highlights the potential of these technologies as supplementary or post-treatment options to improve VA removal, particularly during periods of high VA usage for therapeutic purposes. Finally, the article offers several recommendations, including advancements in animal manure collection, the importance of VA removal to mitigate antimicrobial resistance, and the potential for integrating multiple technologies to optimize VA removal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100515"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of anti-androgen cyproterone acetate on sperm characteristics, testosterone level, testicular and liver histology in male goldfish (Carassius auratus)","authors":"Hamed Abdollahpour ,&nbsp;Milad Karimzadeh ,&nbsp;Naghmeh Jafari Pastaki ,&nbsp;Hosseinali Zamani","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100507","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cyproterone acetate (CA), a synthetic anti-androgen, was injected intraperitoneally into fish at two doses (5 and 50 mg/kg body weight) to evaluate its effects on physiological, biochemical, and reproductive parameters. A total of 180 fish were divided into three groups: Control (C), low-dose (LCA), and high-dose (HCA), with two replicates per group. Fish were observed daily for behavior, and water quality was controlled throughout the study. After 28-days of exposure, blood samples were collected to analyze plasma biochemical parameters. Sperm motility, concentration, and histological analyses of testes and liver tissues were also conducted. Results showed a significant dose-dependent decrease in cholesterol, triglycerides, and testosterone levels in the CA-treated groups, with the highest reduction observed in the HCA group (P &lt; 0.05). Sperm motility was significantly reduced in the low-dose (66.1 ± 2.2 %) and high-dose (36.5 ± 3.9 %) groups compared to the control group (79.5 ± 2.2 %). Similarly, sperm concentration and motility time were significantly reduced in the CA-treated groups (P &lt; 0.05). The gonadosomatic index (GSI) also decreased significantly in the treated groups, with the HCA group showing the lowest GSI (P &lt; 0.05), indicating impaired gonadal development. Histological analysis of the testes revealed delayed spermatogenesis, with the HCA group predominantly showing immature gonadal stages (Stage II), and a significant reduction in spermatocytes and spermatozoa. Liver histology indicated necrosis, cell death, blood congestion, and vacuolization in both the LCA and HCA groups, particularly at the high dose (P &lt; 0.05), suggesting hepatotoxicity. In conclusion, CA exerted significant endocrine-disrupting effects in fish, impairing sperm motility, gonadal development, and liver function in a dose-dependent manner. The high-dose treatment caused pronounced effects, including hepatocellular injury and a severe decline in reproductive health. These findings highlight the potential risks of cyproterone acetate as an endocrine disruptor and emphasize the importance of its effects on aquatic species, particularly in ecotoxicological assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100507"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atmospheric detection, prevalence, transmission, health and ecological consequences of antibiotic resistance genes and resistant bacteria: A comprehensive review","authors":"Liang Fan ,&nbsp;Chun Chen ,&nbsp;Haijie Zhang ,&nbsp;Yang Zeng ,&nbsp;Tiejun Li ,&nbsp;Rui Gao ,&nbsp;Junling Li ,&nbsp;Yanqin Ren ,&nbsp;Zhenhai Wu ,&nbsp;Fang Bi ,&nbsp;Yangxi Chu ,&nbsp;Hong Li ,&nbsp;Jingnan Hu ,&nbsp;Jian Xu ,&nbsp;Yisheng Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally atmospheric transmission of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) poses a serious challenge to human health and the environment. Thus, a comprehensive and systematic review was established to focus on the detection and analytical methods, distribution characteristics, transmission mechanisms, potential impact on human health and ecological environment of ARGs and ARB in the atmosphere. Emerging methods, such as machine learning and deep learning in artificial intelligence, as well as isothermal amplification methods, have considerably improved the detection efficiency of ARGs and ARB in the atmosphere, along with conventional methods such as Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), PCR derivative methods, and metagenomic sequencing. ARGs and ARB are widely detected in various atmospheric environment, significantly in hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, animal farms, wastewater treatment plants, municipal solid waste landfills and densely populated indoor environments. They can be transferred over extensive distances in the atmosphere <em>via</em> bioaerosols, with their distribution and survival markedly affected by meteorological and climatic factors as well as air contaminants. The transmissions of ARGs and ARB may alter microbial community structures, impact biodiversity, and enhance human exposure risks via inhalation, skin contact, and ingestion. This review synthesizes ARGs and ARB in the atmosphere and provides scientific evidence for policy development and further research, which should focus on the development of intelligent and accurate detection methods, construction of cross-media transmission mechanism and global model, establishment of global health risk assessment system to face the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100514"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144089109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-targeted screening and characterization of organic pollutants in wastewater from an industrial park in China","authors":"Xu Tan,&nbsp;Shanwei Sun,&nbsp;Song Hou,&nbsp;Linlin Wu,&nbsp;Yangwei Bai,&nbsp;Hongbo Xi,&nbsp;Jian Xu,&nbsp;Changsheng Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100519","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100519","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial parks are significant sources of complex water pollution, making it challenging to trace pollutant origins and ensure water quality. This study established a non-targeted screening workflow and compound persistence, mobility, and toxicity (PMT) assessment method to identify and characterize organic pollutants in wastewater from a chemical industrial park in Central China. Among the 255 compounds identified, some aromatic ketones and phthalate esters raised concerns due to their potential health effects. PMT assessment revealed 2 PMT/vPMT (v = very) compounds, 36 potential PMT/vPMT compounds, and 50 potential PT/vPT or PM/vPM compounds. Exposure-discharge modeling indicated the wastewater treatment plant's limited efficiency in treating the predominantly aromatic pollutants. Traceability analysis identified 23 characteristic pollutants from eight enterprises. This study provides valuable insights for identifying unknown compounds, evaluating industrial wastewater discharge standards, and enabling precise management of water pollution in industrial parks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100519"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144116678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined impacts of organophosphate pesticide and polyamide microplastics on growth, hematology, and immune responses in juvenile striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)","authors":"Sheik Istiak Md Shahriar ,&nbsp;Naimul Islam ,&nbsp;Farhan Jamil Emon ,&nbsp;Vaskar Nepal ,&nbsp;Saleha Khan ,&nbsp;Md Shahjahan","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organophosphate pesticides and microplastics are two major threats to freshwater ecosystems. Individually, their impacts on aquatic animals are well established, but their combined effects remain poorly understood. Yet, in the Anthropocene, multiple pollutants simultaneously affect aquatic organisms, and their combined effects may not be additive. It is therefore important to study the interactive effects of multiple stressors on aquatic animals. This study examined the effects of sub-lethal concentrations of the pesticide fenitrothion (0.60 mg/L) and polyamide microplastics (10 mg/L) on survival, growth, hematology, and immune-gene expression in juvenile striped catfish (<em>Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</em>) over 28 days. Fish were exposed to microplastics (MP), fenitrothion (Fen), both stressors combined (Fen + MP), or neither (control). Co-exposure to fenitrothion and microplastics (Fen + MP) led to increased microplastic accumulation, reduced growth performance (weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed efficiency), lower survival rates, and significant hematological changes, including elevated glucose (143.89 mg/dL) and reduced hemoglobin (7.30 g/dL). Cellular and nuclear abnormalities, such as micronuclei and teardrop-shaped cells, were most pronounced in Fen + MP treatments. Histo-pathological analysis revealed severe tissue damage in gills, liver, kidney, and intestines under co-exposure. Immunologically, Fen + MP upregulated interleukin-1β (IL-1β) expression but downregulated major histocompatibility complex-II (MHC-II) and interferon genes (IFN-α2, IFN-β2). These findings highlight that combined exposure to the chosen pesticides and microplastics exacerbates physiological, cellular, and immune impairments in striped catfish, posing significant risks to their health and survival.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100520"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144195530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis reveals hepatic lipid metabolism disruption in Japanese quail under polystyrene microplastics exposure","authors":"Xinxin Zhang,&nbsp;Lingyang Jing,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Pei,&nbsp;Qingyu Zhang,&nbsp;Hongfeng Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs) become a global concern due to their impacts on human and wildlife health. In this study, we attempted to determine the hepatotoxic effects of MPs exposure on birds by using a laboratory model animal-Japanese quail (<em>Coturnix japonica</em>) through integrating transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis. Seven-day old female chicks were exposed to low concentrations (0.02 mg/kg, 0.4 mg/kg) and high concentration (8 mg/kg) polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) of environmental relevance in the feed for 35 days. The results showed that 0.02 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure caused increasing food and water intake with weight gain and liver lipid droplets accumulation while 8 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure induced decreasing food and water intake with weight loss. Moreover, both microstructural damage and ultrastructural injury indicated liver malfunction by PS-MPs exposure. PS-MPs also led to hepatic oxidative stress. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomic analysis showed lipid metabolism disturbance in the liver of PS-MPs exposure. Transcriptomic results also showed molecular signaling pathway disruption in the liver of PS-MPs exposure. Especially, lipid metabolism including peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, fatty acid oxidation, primary bile acid synthesis and triglyceride metabolism were disrupted by PS-MPs exposure. The present study concluded MPs exposure might have hormetic effects on bird development and it posed risks to bird health with low dose MPs may induce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease while high dose MPs may cause severe histopathological injury and oxidative damage. This study underscored the importance of evaluating the chronic effects of microplastics on birds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100548"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144738553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of tire microplastics on aerobic granular sludge performance","authors":"Job Oliver Otieno ,&nbsp;Piotr Jachimowicz ,&nbsp;Magdalena Zielińska ,&nbsp;Weronika Irena Mądzielewska ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Cydzik-Kwiatkowska","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100513","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100513","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although tire microplastics (TMPs) constitute a substantial portion of microplastic entering wastewater treatment plants, there is a knowledge gap regarding the influence of TMPs on aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems, which, being more resilient than activated sludge, are becoming increasingly important in modern wastewater treatment. This study investigated the effect of TMPs in wastewater (50, 100, 250, and 500 mg/L) on AGS performance and microbiome. TMPs did not affect organics and phosphorus removal, however, total nitrogen removal was significantly higher (about 9 %) at 500 mg TMPs/L compared to the control. TMPs improved biomass settling, but this was due to TMP accumulation (TMPs comprised over 50 % of biomass at 500 mg TMP/L) rather than improved granulation. The biomass yield coefficient was five times lower at 500 mg TMP/L than in the control. TMPs elevated dehydrogenase activity (free radical generation) and increased the abundance of microbes involved in polyP synthesis and nitrogen metabolism. TMP presence increased the microbiome potential in terms of antibiotic resistance genes (<em>cmd</em> and <em>marR</em>) and the abundance of hydrolases, which degrade rubber-associated ester bonds, and significantly increased the abundance of MP-degraders belonging to genera <em>Ideonella, Rhodobacter</em>, <em>Xanthobacter,</em> and <em>Hydrogenophaga</em>. This study demonstrates that while TMPs in wastewater do not impair nutrient removal by AGS, their accumulation significantly degrades biomass properties, complicating sludge management and disposal. Furthermore, TMPs alter the AGS microbiome's composition and metabolic potential. These findings highlight the importance of integrating AGS systems into urban wastewater treatment, optimizing sludge management strategies, and developing targeted approaches to address the challenges posed by TMPs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100513"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Occurrence of micropollutants and enterobacteria in Ticino Valley: an insight of water contamination in an agricultural area with highly anthropogenic impact","authors":"Aurora Piazza ,&nbsp;Francesca Merlo ,&nbsp;Aseel AbuAlshaar ,&nbsp;Francesca Piscopiello ,&nbsp;Federica Maraschi ,&nbsp;Alice Bernini ,&nbsp;Melissa Spalla ,&nbsp;Michela Sturini ,&nbsp;Roberta Migliavacca ,&nbsp;Giorgio Pilla ,&nbsp;Antonella Profumo","doi":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100509","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100509","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the groundwater quality of an aquifer located in medium-populated area of the Ticino Valley with strong agricultural vocation. Two monitoring campaigns were carried out according to the phases of rice cultivation (pre- and post-flooding) on the subsurface and surface irrigation network, Ticino River and wastewater effluents, highlighting a diffuse contamination. The isotopic analyses evidenced mixing phenomena, with both contributions from local rainfall and irrigation network. Combining chemical and microbiological approaches, the anthropogenic impact was evaluated by analysing a selection of traditional and emerging pollutants, such as pesticides, antibiotics and hormones, and assessing the extent of enterobacterial contamination and potential antibiotic resistance genes. Most of the investigated contaminants were found in concentrations from 0.1 ng/L to 632 ng/L, with the exception of Glyphosate and AMPA up to 5 and 20 μg/L, respectively. Even at these low concentrations, contamination of water resources is a serious issue because long-term exposure to such pollutants may cause detrimental effects. The most frequently detected pesticide was the fungicide Tricyclazole, while glucocorticoid Dexamethasone was the most frequent steroid hormone. Noteworthy is the ubiquity of Trimethoprim and a recurrent presence of fluoroquinolones. The occurrence of antibiotics at most sites, although at very low levels, is of environmental and public health concern, as they exert a selective pressure on bacterial populations, allowing the development of antibiotic resistant microbes, as highlighted by microbiological investigations. Indeed, a high microbial load was found in both campaigns, in particular in those sampling sites close to wastewater treatment plants, with the β-lactams and quinolones classes of antibiotics as the most affected by the phenomenon of resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11539,"journal":{"name":"Emerging Contaminants","volume":"11 3","pages":"Article 100509"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}