Ruijun Xu , Yi Zheng , Jing Wei , Sirong Wang , Qi Chen , Lu Luo , Yingxin Li , Likun Liu , Xiaohong Jia , Jingxiao Shang , Rui Wang , Qinqin Jiang , Suli Huang , Ziquan Lv , Chunxiang Shi , Gongbo Chen , Yun Zhou , Weiqing Chen , Hong Sun , Yuewei Liu
{"title":"Widowhood disparities in nonaccidental mortality attributable to heat waves and ozone","authors":"Ruijun Xu , Yi Zheng , Jing Wei , Sirong Wang , Qi Chen , Lu Luo , Yingxin Li , Likun Liu , Xiaohong Jia , Jingxiao Shang , Rui Wang , Qinqin Jiang , Suli Huang , Ziquan Lv , Chunxiang Shi , Gongbo Chen , Yun Zhou , Weiqing Chen , Hong Sun , Yuewei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emerging evidence suggests that heat waves and ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) contribute to increased mortality risks. Since widowhood is a common event that can increase individuals' susceptibility to the environment, it is of great importance and interest to elucidate the widowhood disparity in mortality attributable to heat waves and O<sub>3</sub>. We therefore conducted a case-crossover study of 1,214,763 nonaccidental deaths in Jiangsu Province, China, during 2015–2021 to investigate the independent and interactive associations of exposure to heat waves and O<sub>3</sub> with mortality by widowhood status. Grid-level heat waves were defined by multiple combinations of apparent temperature thresholds and durations. Residential heat waves and O<sub>3</sub> exposures were assessed using validated grid datasets. Conditional logistic regression models were applied for exposure-response analyses and evaluations of additive interactions. Exposure to heat waves and O<sub>3</sub> was significantly associated with increased odds of mortality in both widowed (odds ratio for heat waves, 1.25; O<sub>3</sub>, 1.06 per interquartile range increase) and married subjects (1.08; 1.03), and these associations were higher in widowed subjects. A significant synergistic interaction was observed between heat waves and O<sub>3</sub>, which was stronger in widowed subjects (relative excess odds due to interaction, 0.14 vs. 0.03). Up to 6.43% and 3.56% of deaths were attributable to heat waves, O<sub>3</sub> pollution, and their compound events in widowed and married subjects, respectively. Our findings suggest that widowed individuals are more susceptible to heat waves and O<sub>3</sub> and highlight the need to consider differences associated with widowhood disparities in preventing premature deaths due to heat waves and O<sub>3</sub> exposures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100169"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xia Zhu , Huili Yan , Chen Tu , Ruijie Li , Han Zhang , Yuan Li , Shuai Yang , Fangjie Zhao , Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg , Mi Ma , Zhenyan He , Yongming Luo
{"title":"Promoter pLsi1 driven PvACR3 expression in rice enhances arsenic phytoextraction in paddy soils","authors":"Xia Zhu , Huili Yan , Chen Tu , Ruijie Li , Han Zhang , Yuan Li , Shuai Yang , Fangjie Zhao , Willie J.G.M. Peijnenburg , Mi Ma , Zhenyan He , Yongming Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100168","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100168","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Arsenic (As) contamination in paddy soils is a global problem, threatening rice production and food safety. Hyperaccumulator plants have garnered significant attention for their potential to remove pollutants from contaminated soil. However, no natural hyperaccumulators have been found for the phytoremediation of As-contaminated paddy soils under flooding conditions. One promising strategy is to genetically engineer <em>Oryza sativa</em> (rice) to hyperaccumulate As for effective phytoremediation of paddy soil. A key challenge remains in increasing metal accumulation without compromising tolerance. Here, <em>PvACR3</em> from the As hyperaccumulator <em>Pteris vittata</em> was introduced under the control of a rice root-specific promoter <em>pLsi1</em> to create high-As-accumulating and tolerant transgenic remediation rice. The remediation rice strains exhibited robust growth, with shoot As concentration reaching up to 451–557 mg/kg in a hydroponic experiment with 20 μM NaAsO<sub>2</sub> treatment, and 45.9–80.3 mg/kg in pot experiments with moderately As-contaminated paddy soils. Compared to wild-type rice, the <em>pLsi1::PvACR3</em> transgenic rice removed 23.5 times more As from the same paddy soils. By harvesting rice shoots before grain filling, the soil pore water As was almost completely depleted, and the acid-soluble and reducible fractions of As were significantly reduced. This study presents the first transgenic remediation rice characterized by high As accumulation, tolerance, and adaptability to paddy soils under flooding conditions for effective phytoremediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100168"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhuyao Hua , Ya Li , Xin He , Fengxiao Zhu , Sha Chang , Jijie Kong , Changyin Zhu , Chao Wang , Shiyin Li , Huan He , Cheng Gu
{"title":"Quantitative analysis of PBAT microplastics and their degradation products in soil by mass spectrometry","authors":"Zhuyao Hua , Ya Li , Xin He , Fengxiao Zhu , Sha Chang , Jijie Kong , Changyin Zhu , Chao Wang , Shiyin Li , Huan He , Cheng Gu","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global production of biodegradable plastics is increasing, but the degradation behavior of microplastics derived from these items in soil is still scarcely reported. In this study, a method for quantifying soil poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) microplastics was developed, and their degradation behavior in three different soils was investigated. PBAT was quantified by analyzing the content of the monomer terephthalic acid (TPA) released during thermally assisted alkali hydrolysis, using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). For alkali hydrolysis, the use of capped bottle, water bath (90 °C for 30 min), and ultrasonication (100 kHz for 15 min) allowed for high-throughput sample processing in comparison to the use of round-bottom flask, reflux condenser, and stirring heating mantle. After 150 days, 10.8%–11.0% of PBAT microplastics were degraded in the acidic and neutral soils, while 17.1% were degraded in the alkaline soil, in line with the greatest lipase activity changes in the alkaline soil. This may be due to the fact that alkaline conditions favor initial depolymerization of PBAT, facilitating subsequent microbial attack. PBAT degradation products were also monitored, using solvent extraction combined with LC-MS and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. It was found that butanediol (up to 1580 μg/kg) accumulated to a higher level than TPA (about 50 μg/kg), especially in acidic and alkaline soils. Overall, this study, for the first time, precisely quantified the degradation of PBAT microplastics in soil. Further study is needed to better understand the fate of biodegradable microplastics in the soil environment and whether they will persist.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shuhan Lei , Wanjing Liu , Baoshan Xing , Jun Wang , Jiake Xu , Chaoqi Wang , Cheng Zhang , Peng Gao , Jun Wang , Lusheng Zhu
{"title":"Carbon dots as a green alternative for preventing Magnaporthe oryzae infection in rice: Mechanisms of disease resistance","authors":"Shuhan Lei , Wanjing Liu , Baoshan Xing , Jun Wang , Jiake Xu , Chaoqi Wang , Cheng Zhang , Peng Gao , Jun Wang , Lusheng Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100167","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100167","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current study investigates the potential of carbon dots (CDs) as an eco-friendly “plant vaccine” for controlling rice blast disease caused by <em>Magnaporthe oryzae.</em> These CDs offer a promising alternative to commercial fungicides that threaten environmental and human health. Foliar application of CDs (at 100 and 200 mg/L) at the tillering stage enhanced rice blast resistance across the entire life cycle. CDs significantly reduced the leaf blast disease index, with infection rates of 30.8%–49.5%, outperforming the commercial fungicide isoprothiolane (57.3%). CDs significantly increased grain yield (186%–198%), starch content in grains (27.0%–27.5%), and protein content in grains (25.4%–36.1%) relative to infected controls. Moreover, CDs demonstrated lower toxicity to soil organisms (<em>Eisenia fetida</em> and <em>Caenorhabditis elegans</em>) than isoprothiolane. Mechanistically, CDs stabilized chloroplast homeostasis, amplified photosynthesis, and enhanced carbohydrate allocation, thereby synchronously activating systemic resistance through indole acetic and jasmonic acid signaling. These dual agricultural and environmental benefits position CDs as a sustainable crop protection strategy, reconciling food security with ecological safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100167"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yang Shen , Yan Zhao , Xia Meng , Kexin Yu , Gareth J. Williams , Wenchong Du , Jing Cai , Haidong Kan , Jing Hua
{"title":"Early-life residential greenness and sleep disturbances in preschoolers across 551 cities of China","authors":"Yang Shen , Yan Zhao , Xia Meng , Kexin Yu , Gareth J. Williams , Wenchong Du , Jing Cai , Haidong Kan , Jing Hua","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100165","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100165","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The nexus between early-life residential greenness and sleep health in children remains underexplored. This research investigated associations of early-life greenness exposure with sleep outcomes among 101,879 preschoolers from 551 Chinese cities. Sleep status was evaluated using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Greenness was estimated using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) surrounding participants' home during pregnancy and post-birth period. Linear mixed-effect and random-effects logistic regression models were used to assess associations of greenness with CSHQ scores and sleep disturbance, respectively. Mediation effects of air pollution and residential distance to major roads were examined. Both prenatal and postnatal greenness exposures were significantly associated with better sleep outcomes. Specifically, an interquartile range increment in NDVI within the 250-m buffer during the entire pregnancy and from birth to investigation was associated with reductions in the total CSHQ score by 0.21 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14, 0.28) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.15, 0.29), respectively. Corresponding odds ratios for sleep disturbance were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94, 0.98) for both periods. These associations remained consistent when considering larger buffers (500-m and 1000-m), and employing other greenness metrics like EVI and growing-season NDVI. The association between postnatal greenness exposure and sleep disturbance was partially mediated by PM<sub>2.5</sub>, residential distance to major roads, NO<sub>2</sub>, and SO<sub>2</sub>. Children living in Northern China, breastfed for <6 months, or with more educated mothers showed greater benefits from greenness. Increased early-life greenness exposure appears to positively influence childhood sleep health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoshu Hou , Yuchen Deng , Lu Qin , Xin Xie , Yilan Sun , Gang Yan , Miao Li
{"title":"Synergistic strategies for pollution and carbon emission reduction in China's wastewater treatment: A comprehensive tiered assessment and benchmarking framework","authors":"Xiaoshu Hou , Yuchen Deng , Lu Qin , Xin Xie , Yilan Sun , Gang Yan , Miao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's dual-carbon goals challenges wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), requiring integrated pollution control and carbon emission reduction. Critical gaps hinder China's strategies for WWTPs, particularly in identifying upgrade needs, optimizing performance, and assessing the local benchmark plants as references. This study addresses these gaps through greenhouse gas (GHG) emission accounting and impact factor analysis, using monthly data from 2232 WWTPs across China. A tiered assessment methodology was developed to evaluate the synergy between pollution reduction and carbon mitigation, including indicators, methodologies, and assessment criteria. Results indicate that indirect emissions from electricity and chemical consumption accounted for 59.9% of total GHG emissions. Key factors influencing these indirect emissions included plant scale, treatment processes, geographic area, operational load, electricity consumption, and influent quality. Through the tiered assessment, WWTPs were classified into three categories: priority control (861 plants), general control (730 plants), and maintenance (641 plants). Furthermore, 222 benchmark plants were identified as exhibiting optimal synergy between pollution control and carbon reduction. For 80% of the benchmark plants, the ranges for carbon emission intensity, influent COD, influent C/N ratio, electricity consumption intensity, and operating load were 0.258–0.482 kg CO<sub>2</sub>e/t, 175–338 mg/L, 6.13–10.9, 0.149–0.260 kWh per tonne of influent, and 88.0%–110%, respectively. Achieving these benchmark standards across all WWTPs could lead to a 30% reduction in total GHG emissions. Finally, the study proposes targeted policies to enhance the synergy between pollution control and carbon reduction strategies in China's urban wastewater treatment systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 2","pages":"Article 100155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144189477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Five strategies to engage the Global South in energy transition dialogues","authors":"Muhammad Salar Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100158","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lead exposure in the 21st century: Modeling a path from crisis to prevention","authors":"Danlin Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100159","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global data center expansion and human health: A call for empirical research","authors":"Yu Tao , Peng Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100157","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 3","pages":"Article 100157"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reinterpretation of a new ChatGPT-empowered, easy-to-use machine learning paradigm: An aide-memoire","authors":"Ilker Sengul , Demet Sengul","doi":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eehl.2025.100156","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":29813,"journal":{"name":"Eco-Environment & Health","volume":"4 2","pages":"Article 100156"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144167316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}