Environment International最新文献

{"title":"Using transcriptomics data and Adverse Outcome Pathway networks to explore endocrine disrupting properties of Cadmium and PCB-126","authors":"Linus Wiklund,&nbsp;Emma Wincent ,&nbsp;Anna Beronius","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Omics-technologies such as transcriptomics offer valuable insights into toxicity mechanisms. However, integrating this type of data into regulatory frameworks remains challenging due to uncertainties regarding toxicological relevance and links to adverse outcomes. Furthermore, current assessments of endocrine disruptors (EDs) relevant to human health require substantial amounts of data, and primarily rely on standardized animal studies. Identifying EDs is a high priority in the EU, but so are efforts to replace and reduce animal testing. Alternative methods to investigate EDs are needed, and so are health risk assessment methods that support uptake of novel mechanistic information.</div><div>This study aims to utilize Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) to integrate transcriptomics data for identifying EDs, by establishing a link between molecular data and adverse outcomes. Cadmium (Cd) and 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) were used as model compounds due to their observed effects on the endocrine system. An AOP network for the estrogen, androgen, thyroid, and steroidogenesis (EATS)-modalities was constructed. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was conducted on zebrafish (<em>Danio rerio</em>) embryos exposed to Cd or PCB126 for 4 days. RNA-Seq data were then linked to the AOP network via Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Enrichment Maps in Cytoscape and the QIAGEN Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software were also used to identify potential ED properties and to support the assessment.</div><div>Potentially EATS-related GO Biological Process (BP) terms were identified for both compounds. A lack of accurate standardized terms in KEs of the AOP network hindered a data-driven mapping approach. Instead, manual mapping of GO BP terms onto the AOP network revealed more connections, underscoring the need for harmonizing AOP development for regulatory use. Both the Enrichment Maps and the IPA results further supported potentially EATS-related effects of both compounds. While AOP networks show promise in integrating RNA-Seq data, several challenges remain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109352"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143495987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Nationwide prediction of pesticide residual levels in soil: Implications on the resulting risk and prioritization framework","authors":"Bin Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongyu Mu ,&nbsp;Hua Li ,&nbsp;Xianghua Zhang ,&nbsp;Guang Yang ,&nbsp;Wenxiu Chen ,&nbsp;Yan Yan ,&nbsp;Wei An ,&nbsp;Min Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pesticides are widely accumulated in agricultural soils in China under successive applications, causing negative impacts on non-target species and environmental qualities. However, a nationwide overview of the residual levels of pesticides in soil, and the ecological risks to non-target soil species are lacking. In this study, we calculated geographically gridded concentrations of 107 pesticide active ingredients (AIs) in soils in China based on the Computational Pesticide Input (CPI) model and further assessed the ecological risks to soil biota. In the end, we proposed an integrated usage-impact model to identify prioritize control pesticides based on the usage, risk and persistence of pesticides. Pesticide concentrations were calculated in a range from 0.01 mg kg⁻¹ to over 185 mg kg⁻¹. Glyphosate is the most prevalent pesticide that exists in most locations. The ecological risks were mostly assessed as medium risk, with extreme high- and high risk found in 1 % and 21 % of soils. Supervision and management of azoxystrbin, boscalid, butachlor and chlorpyrifos need to be prioritized. The results of this study provide guidance to local governments for the designation more accurate risk mitigation strategies across regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109355"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143526063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Toxicity enhancement of microplastics released from food containers through thermal aging: Absorbing more serum proteins thus activating the innate immune response via actin polymerization","authors":"Fang Du ,&nbsp;Meiqian Hou ,&nbsp;Song Lu ,&nbsp;Xiaotian Ding ,&nbsp;Ling Zhang ,&nbsp;Yajie Du ,&nbsp;Zhen An ,&nbsp;Wenwen Cai ,&nbsp;Leicheng Zhao ,&nbsp;Weidong Wu ,&nbsp;Zhiguo Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined the effects of hot high-fat simulants on the physicochemical properties of microplastics (MPs) from polypropylene (PP)-, low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-, and polylactic acid (PLA)-based single-use food container (SUFC) leachates and those of aging on their immunomodulatory effectors. Scenario studies have demonstrated that MPs were released from these three types of SUFCs. LDPE- and PLA-based SUFCs also released cellulose. Among the SUFCs, only the PP leachates particles exhibited a new absorption peak at 1725 cm⁻¹, which aging phenomenon may be attributed to the presence of unstable tertiary carbon atoms. Subsequently, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of removing additive both PP and thermal-aged PP with polystyrene (PS) and carboxyl-modified PS (PS-COOH) polymer backbones as reference materials. The findings indicated that thermal-aged PP and PS-COOH induced comparable innate immune responses, with PS-COOH particles exhibiting a similar size to SUFC percolates. Consequently, PS and PS-COOH were selected as original and thermal-aged MPs, respectively, to evaluate the effects of aging on innate immunity. The results revealed that<!--> <!-->a protein corona formed on both particle types, with more protein adsorption observed on PS-COOH particles. The complex enhanced the phagocytosis of RAW264.7 macrophages and increased the expression of pro-inflammatory genes <em>NOS2</em> and <em>TNF-α</em> through an actin polymerization cross-linking mechanism. In this study, we investigated how thermal-aged MPs affect innate immune responses using PS-COOH as a model system, emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive safety evaluations of MPs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109358"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143528178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Emerging threat to antibiotic resistance: Impact of mycotoxin deoxynivalenol on gut microbiota and clonal expansion of extensively drug-resistant enterococci","authors":"Fengru Deng ,&nbsp;Chuying Yao ,&nbsp;Linyu Ke ,&nbsp;Meichan Chen ,&nbsp;Mi Huang ,&nbsp;Jikai Wen ,&nbsp;Qingmei Chen ,&nbsp;Jun Jiang ,&nbsp;Yiqun Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mycotoxins, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are significant environmental pollutants that pose considerable threats to environmental health and human safety through the food chain. This study is the first to investigate the impact of deoxynivalenol (DON), the most common mycotoxin, on antibiotic resistance dynamics in gut microbiota, demonstrating that DON exposure significantly selects for ARB and ARGs. Results indicated that 80.69 % of the ARGs with the highest increase in the DON group were exclusive to gram-positive bacteria, particularly those related to daptomycin. DON exposure enhanced the expression of virulence factors in gram-positive bacteria and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and membrane permeability, compromising bacterial integrity and amplifying resistance mechanisms. DON also boosted the diversity and co-occurrence of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), potentially facilitating the horizontal transfer of resistance traits. Notably, the dominant bacterial species isolated from broiler gut microbiota was identified as <em>Enterococcus faecalis</em>, which exhibited clonal expansion of sequence type ST123. This ST123 clone accounted for 86 % of the DON group and was associated with an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) phenotype, showing resistance levels exceeding 128 μg/mL to last-resort antibiotics such as daptomycin, vancomycin, and linezolid. Additionally, DON upregulated the expression of critical daptomycin resistance genes (<em>liaR, walK, liaS, mprF</em>, and <em>cls</em>) in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolates. This study highlights the microbiological and environmental hazards that mycotoxins pose to the antibiotic resistance crisis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109353"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143518178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Transcriptome alterations in long-term mining region residents: Insights into immune response and molecular pathways","authors":"Ani Stepanyan ,&nbsp;Arsen Arakelyan ,&nbsp;Jonathan Schug","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109344","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109344","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pollution with metals and metalloids is a global problem that adversely affects human health and environment. Although several studies have reported gene expression changes in response to human exposures to metals, there are a limited number of studies exploring the effect of long-term residence in mining areas. The evidence of increased levels of several essential and non-essential metals in soil, water, and plants in Kapan mining area (Armenia) has been previously demonstrated in several environmental studies. Our study investigated the impact of long-term residence in this mining area on the transcriptome state of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the possible association of transcriptome changes with the blood metallome.</div><div>In total, 58 participants including 27 mining region residents (MRR) and 31 non-mining region residents (NMR) were selected for our study. Transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed by mRNA sequencing. Differential expression analyses were conducted using generalized linear modeling, optimized for participant demographics, cell types, and sequencing technical factors, followed by pathway analysis.</div><div>The study revealed that long-term residence in a mining area is correlated with alterations in the blood transcriptome, with responses varying by sex. The identified transcriptome changes were enriched for pathways related to immune response and RNA translation. These changes correlated with higher blood levels of a mixture of non-essential metals, including arsenic, antimony, nickel, thallium, and beryllium. Additionally, the study identified differences in the transcriptome response between male and female MRR. While females exhibited a stronger immune response, males show dysregulation in ion transport and epigenetic modifications. Our findings contribute to understanding the effects of long-term residence in mining regions and can aid in developing more effective risk assessment and mitigation approaches in target populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109344"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143470912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"What drives metal resistance genes in urban park soils? Park age matters across biomes","authors":"Nan Hui ,&nbsp;Peiyuan Wang ,&nbsp;Lantian Su ,&nbsp;Xinxin Liu ,&nbsp;Bangxiao Zheng ,&nbsp;Heikki Setälä ,&nbsp;D. Johan Kotze ,&nbsp;Ari Jumpponen","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109369","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109369","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although resistance genes are a global concern in ecosystems, the underlying factors responsible for their worldwide dissemination, especially in urban greenspaces, are poorly known. To investigate metal and metal resistance genes (MRGs) accumulation in urban parks, we used ICP-MS to analyze metal concentrations and GeoChip functional gene arrays to analyze MRGs abundances in vegetation types with labile and recalcitrant litter across urban parks and non-urban reference sites in three distinct climatic regions: Boreal (Finland), Temperate (Baltimore, USA), and Tropical (Singapore). Our results indicate that metal concentrations and MRGs abundances in park soils increase with park age across climatic zones, especially so for the dominant metals − Fe and Al − accounting for more than 90% of the total metal content, and others, e.g., Mn, Zn, and Pb. Correspondingly, Fe and Al resistance genes were the most abundant MRGs, representing 23% of all detected MRGs. Vegetation type affected metals and MRGs only in the boreal region, not in temperate or tropical regions, suggesting that vegetation context is not generalizable across climatic zones. Our analyses also indicate that the distribution of resistance genes is only weakly affected by soil properties, but largely associated with accumulation of metals from traffic and industrial sources. Our data further indicate that MRGs and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are co-selected by metal accumulation. The pattern of MRG abundance between old and young parks is similar to that of ARGs, indicating a potential risk for human health in old urban parks. Our findings emphasize the importance of park age and the corresponding cumulative effects of anthropogenic activities as a driver of metal and MRG dynamics in urban soils globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109369"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143560871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Gestational exposure to nanoplastics disrupts fetal development by promoting the placental aging via ferroptosis of syncytiotrophoblast","authors":"Zhuan Chen,&nbsp;Mingmeng Zheng,&nbsp;Teng Wan,&nbsp;Jie Li,&nbsp;Xiangyi Yuan,&nbsp;Li Qin,&nbsp;Lu Zhang,&nbsp;Tong Hou,&nbsp;Cuiqing Liu,&nbsp;Ran Li","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Micro(nano)plastics (MNPs), are emerging environmental pollutants that have garnered widespread attention. Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that MNPs exposure during pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and miscarriage. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that exposure to a high dose (1 μg·mL⁻¹) of 100 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (NPs) from gestational day (GD) 0 to GD17 significantly decreased fetal weight and increased the number of resorptions compared to the control group. Moreover, fetal weight was significantly lower in the high-dose group than in the low-dose (0.1 μg·mL⁻¹) group. Meanwhile, ferroptosis and senescence were observed in placentas from mice exposed to high dose of NPs. <em>In vitro</em> experiments using human syncytiotrophoblast (STB) cells differentiated from BeWo cells, we found that NPs caused ferroptosis and senescence in STB cells. Subsequent investigations revealed that the inhibition of the ferroptosis signaling by ferrostain-1 (Fer-1) or deferiprone (DFP) ameliorated senescence induced by NPs in human STB cells. Furthermore, alleviating placental senescence using Fer-1 significantly improves fetal weight loss caused by NPs exposure during pregnancy in mice. Taken together, our results demonstrated that NPs exposure during pregnancy activated the ferroptosis pathway in placental STB, resulting in senescence of STB, which may attribute to the NPs-induced IUGR. This study not only elucidated the mechanistic link between NPs exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes but also highlighted the necessity for targeted interventions to protect fetal health, underscoring the broader implications for environmental and public health policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109361"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143570315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Polystyrene nanoplastics trigger ferroptosis in Nrf2-deficient gut via ether phospholipid accumulation","authors":"Boxuan Liang ,&nbsp;Xiyun Huang ,&nbsp;Zhiming Li ,&nbsp;Yuji Huang ,&nbsp;Yanhong Deng ,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Chen ,&nbsp;Yizhou Zhong ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Yang ,&nbsp;Yu Feng ,&nbsp;Ruobing Bai ,&nbsp;Bingchi Fan ,&nbsp;Hongyi Xian ,&nbsp;Hao Li ,&nbsp;Shiyue Tang ,&nbsp;Zhenlie Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread environmental presence of nanoplastics (NPs) raises significant concerns about their health impacts, particularly on the gastrointestinal system, as NPs are primarily ingested. While previous studies have linked NP-induced intestinal toxicity to oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, the specific mechanisms of cell death remain unclear. Here, we showed that environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) induced ferroptosis, a form of lipid peroxidation-driven cell death, in intestinal epithelial cells. Using intestinal epithelial-specific <em>Nrf2</em>-deficient mice (<em>Nrf2^fl/fl-Vil^Cre+</em>) and human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells, we demonstrated that <em>Nrf2</em>, a key oxidative stress regulator, play a protective role against PS-NP-induced ferroptosis. PS-NP exposure disrupted ether phospholipid metabolism, leading to the accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acid-ether phospholipids and heightened lipid peroxidation in the intestines of <em>Nrf2^fl/fl-Vil^Cre+</em> mice. This accumulation increased the susceptibility of intestinal epithelial cells to ferroptosis. Additionally, a high-fat diet further exacerbated this effect, suggesting that individuals with reduced NRF2 activity and poor dietary habits may be especially vulnerable to PS-NP-induced intestinal damage. Our findings offered new insights into the molecular mechanisms of NP-induced intestinal toxicity and underscored the health risks posed by environmental PS-NP exposure, particularly in populations with compromised antioxidant defenses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109367"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143570314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Multi-omics association pattern between gut microbiota and host metabolism of a filter-feeding fish in situ exposed to microplastics","authors":"Jun-Nan Huang ,&nbsp;Cong-Cong Gao ,&nbsp;Hong-Yu Ren ,&nbsp;Bin Wen ,&nbsp;Zhuo-Nan Wang ,&nbsp;Jian-Zhong Gao ,&nbsp;Zai-Zhong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in water environments and can affect gut microbiota and host metabolism of fish, but whether changes in host metabolism under MPs are mediated by gut microbiota remains unclear. Here, silver carp, a filter-feeding fish with important ecological functions, was <em>in-situ</em> exposure to environmentally relevant MPs. Multi-omics analysis and fecal microbiota transplantation were used to reveal the metabolic responses of carp along gut-liver-muscle axis. After three months of <em>in situ</em> exposure to MPs, community structure of gut microbiota of carp was reshaped, and five dominate phyla were significantly changed, including increased Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi and Planctomycetota but decreased Firmicutes and Fusobacteriota. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was further performed between these phyla and liver transcription spectrum, showing that the hub gene module contained up-regulated <em>hppD</em>, <em>maiA and plg</em> and activated ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis and phenylalanine metabolism. By fecal microbiota transplantation, the key gene module associated with core microbiota phyla of carp was verified in germ-free zebrafish. Interestingly, up-regulated <em>hppD</em>, <em>maiA and plg</em> and enriched phenylalanine metabolism were also observed in this module. Subsequently, metabolome performed in carp liver also shared activated phenylalanine metabolism, including increased <em>trans</em>-cinnamic acid and L-tyrosine. Furthermore, high-associated mapping showed that the differentially expressed metabolites (gamma-aminobutyric acid, ornithine and L-serine) related to amino acid metabolism in carp muscle were significantly accompanied with increased L-tyrosine in its liver. Overall, MPs exposure could change gut microbiome of silver carp and alter host metabolism especially amino acid metabolism along the gut-liver-muscle axis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109360"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143528283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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":"Fine particulate matter pollution in the Sichuan Basin of China from 2013 to 2020: Sources, emissions, and mortality burden","authors":"Xianyu Yang ,&nbsp;Bingzheng Ben ,&nbsp;Wenlei Wang ,&nbsp;Bin Long ,&nbsp;Yan Xie ,&nbsp;Kai Wu ,&nbsp;Xiaoling Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109366","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envint.2025.109366","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution is a critical air quality concern which poses threats to public health. Despite strict air pollution control measures implemented in China since 2013, PM_2.5 exceedances and region-wide PM_2.5 episodes are still frequently observed in the Sichuan Basin (SCB) located in southwestern China. Here, we examine ambient PM_2.5 pollution within the SCB from 2013 to 2020, focusing on emission sources, trends, and health outcomes. By integrating ambient measurements, emission inventories, and the health impact model, our findings reveal a notable decrease in PM_2.5 levels across the basin, with the Chengdu Plain showing a significant reduction of 56 μg/m³ in 2020 compared to 2013. Despite these improvements, it is still challenging for densely populated cities to attain the national air quality standards. We highlight a 46.8 % reduction in PM_2.5 emissions from 2013 to 2020, driven largely by decreased emissions from residential and industrial sources, which accounted for an average of 38.6 % and 50.3 % of total reduced emissions, respectively. In contrast, the decreases of NO<em>_x</em> emissions (26.0 %) were less pronounced compared to PM_2.5 due to modest reductions from industrial and transportation sectors. Health impact assessments at 1 km × 1 km using the GEMM model attributes 157,637 deaths to long-term PM_2.5 exposure in the SCB for 2017, with stroke and ischemic heart disease identified as leading causes. Further analysis indicates that significant variations in population density could greatly amplify the health impacts of long-term PM_2.5 exposure, highlighting the need to prioritize PM_2.5 reduction strategies specifically targeting megacities to maximize health benefits. These findings underscore the critical need for ongoing emission reduction efforts and the implementation of targeted pollution control measures to further improve air quality and reduce mortality burden in the SCB.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":308,"journal":{"name":"Environment International","volume":"197 ","pages":"Article 109366"},"PeriodicalIF":10.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143546846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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}