Environmental Pollution最新文献

{"title":"Homosalate and UVB co-exposure triggers metabolic disruption and impairs energy homeostasis and antioxidant defenses in early life stages of yellowstripe goby (Mugilogobius chulae).","authors":"Yimeng Wang, Jinzhi Ren, Yufei Zhao, Xiangping Nie, Ying Peng, Caixia Gao, Simin Xia, Yongxue Sun, Jianjun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129336","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129336","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Homosalate (HMS), an organic UV filter, is a widespread aquatic contaminant that bioaccumulates in marine organisms, but its combined toxicity with UVB radiation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the embryonic responses of the marine fish Mugilogobius chulae to HMS and UVB-HMS co-exposure across an environmentally relevant (3 μg L^-1) and a sub-lethal threshold concentration (300 μg L^-1). Multi-scale toxicity endpoints-spanning molecular (ATP levels and ATPase activity), physiological indices (oxidative stress and lipid metabolism markers), and organismal phenotypes (hatching and early-life phenotypes)-were integrated with untargeted metabolomics to evaluate the ecological risks of HMS. The results showed that single HMS exposure altered energy balance and induced endocrine disruption. UVB radiation markedly enhanced HMS-induced developmental toxicity, leading to impaired hatching. Significant interaction terms confirmed the potentiation by UVB of elevated heart rate, altered spontaneous movement, and phenotypic lipid accumulation under HMS exposure. Physiological responses exhibited divergent patterns across exposure levels, with low-dose co-exposure inducing prominent energy disruption and oxidative stress. Under environmentally relevant exposure, metabolomic analyses showed that combined UVB-HMS exposure triggered broader metabolic rewiring and pronounced oxidative responses, including altered TCA cycle intermediates, enhanced antioxidant defense, and disturbed lipid metabolism, which corresponded to observable lipid accumulation in larvae. Compared with HMS single exposure, UVB exacerbated disruptions in energy metabolism and further impaired neural signaling. Overall, these findings demonstrate that UVB radiation can potentiate HMS toxicity, providing a scientific foundation for ecological risk assessment under multi-stressor scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129336"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190320","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":"Evaluating the effects of breathing zone and anatomical completeness on respiratory particle inhalation and deposition in human respiratory tract.","authors":"Jie Li, Xueren Li, Jiaqi Fan, Ziqi Chen, Yidan Shang, Xiaochuan Li, Xiang Fang, Liang Yuan, Bingyou Jiang, Xinjian He, Jiyuan Tu","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128807","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128807","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As the interface between environmental exposure and respiratory intake, the breathing zone is often simplified in respiratory CFD models, while the broader influence of model completeness on airflow and particle deposition remains insufficiently quantified. In this study, a comprehensive human respiratory model (hereinafter referred to as the \"all-in-one model\") encompassing the upper and lower respiratory tracts and the throat region was initially constructed and integrated with a spherical breathing zone. The effect of the breathing zone was evaluated by developing six computational models with varying anatomical completeness. Three particle release approaches were implemented, including nostril inlet release, volumetric release within the breathing zone, and surface-based release on the breathing zone boundary. The Eulerian-Lagrangian approach was adopted, and total and regional particle deposition patterns were carefully analyzed. The results revealed that the breathing zone, together with varying anatomical completeness, significantly alters airflow development in the nasal vestibule, valve region, and posterior turbinate zones, with sectional peak velocities reduced by up to 12%. While total nasal deposition for 10μm particles varies moderately (14.55%-45.55%), substantial regional discrepancies are observed, with nasal vestibule deposition differing by up to 14-fold between models with and without the breathing zone. Particle release strategy further influences deposition predictions, as nostril inlet release produces 956%-1345% higher vestibule deposition compared with breathing-zone-based release. These findings demonstrate that neglecting the breathing zone and adopting simplified particle release strategies can substantially degrade assessment accuracy. Incorporating physically consistent breathing zone representations is essential for improving the accuracy and reliability of CFD-based respiratory exposure assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"128807"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148589883","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":"Size-dependent Effects of Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics on Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Mice: Overlooked Axial Site-Specific Heterogeneity and Radial Mucosal-Luminal Compartment Divergence.","authors":"Junsheng Liu, Shuxi Chen, Jiahong Huang, Daohui Lin, Luqing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129351","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129351","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accumulating evidence links micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) exposure to gastrointestinal (GI) health impairment, especially via gut microbiota disruption. However, most studies focus on fecal or cecal luminal microbiota, neglecting the inherent spatial heterogeneity of the GI tract and distinct mucosal versus luminal microbial niche responses. In this study, multi-omics was applied to investigate the effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 100 nm) and microplastics (PS-MPs, 5 μm) on mouse GI microbiota following 4-week drinking water exposure. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that MNPs altered mucosal microbiota across the stomach, jejunum, and cecum in a size- and site-specific manner: PS-MPs predominantly disrupted gastric mucosal communities, while PS-NPs dominated perturbations in the jejunal and cecal mucosa. Correlation analysis showed that these microbial dysbioses were significantly associated with hepatorenal functional impairment, as evidenced by elevated serum γ-glutamyl transferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities. Strikingly, metagenomic sequencing showed that, in stark contrast to mucosal microbiota, PS-MPs exerted more pronounced effects on the structural and functional profiles of cecal luminal microbiota than PS-NPs. Consistently, untargeted metabolomics identified more differential metabolites in cecal contents of PS-MPs-exposed mice (288) than PS-NPs-exposed counterparts (213). Our results demonstrate that microbial niche heterogeneity and size-dependent effects are critical determinants of MNP gastrointestinal toxicity, which must be incorporated into health risk assessment to guide evidence-based pollution management.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129351"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190426","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":"From atmosphere to river: Tracing the origins and deposition of ammonium in both PM_2.5 and precipitation in Harbin.","authors":"Xiazhong Sun, Dongyu Zou, Tingting Zhang, Changshun Wang, Qingyu Guan, Hong Qi, Chongguo Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129335","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Atmospheric ammonium (NH₄⁺) is a key component of terrestrial nitrogen cycling that substantially impacts regional environmental pollution. However, its origins and deposition patterns remain insufficiently constrained in urban hotspots with intensive anthropogenic emissions. This study employed δ¹⁵N isotope tracing to investigate the origins and deposition of atmospheric NH₄⁺ in Harbin, Northeast China. Using PM_2.5, precipitation, and surface water samples from the Songhua River, this study quantified the source contributions of the NH₄⁺ precursor (NH₃), NH₄⁺-N deposition fluxes, and their deposition contributions to the riverine NH₄⁺-N load. The results indicated that NH₄⁺-N dominated atmospheric inorganic nitrogen deposition across the study area. The wet deposition flux was 10.10 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1, which was lower than the estimated dry deposition flux of 20.51 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1. Source apportionment showed that non-agricultural sources (53.00%) dominated the NH₄⁺ precursor in PM_2.5, whereas agricultural sources (primarily fertilizer application) prevailed (62.00%) in precipitation. For the Songhua River in the Harbin section, atmospheric deposition was the primary source of NH₄⁺-N, with wet and dry deposition contributing 36.00% and 18.00%, respectively. Furthermore, rainfall events increased riverine NH₄⁺ concentration. Overall, our results show that agricultural sources contributed more to NH₄⁺ in precipitation than in PM_2.5 (primarily because of more extensive regional air-mass transport), and highlight that atmospheric deposition, particularly wet deposition, serves as a critical exogenous NH₄⁺-N source in the urban river.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129335"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190564","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":"Coupled and decoupled antimony-arsenic mobility along environmental gradients in a mining soil: Links to geochemical contexts and microbial functional potential.","authors":"Xue Li, Rui Xue, Ligang Hu, Yifan Jiang, Feng Zhu, Chao Xiang, Jun Jiang, Chuan Wu, Guibin Jiang, Shengguo Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129334","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Distinct redox behavior, surface-binding affinities, and microbial transformation pathways of antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) complicate sustainable remediation of mining soils. Understanding how these differences shape field mobility is essential for nature-based remediation that avoids unnecessary inputs. Yet whether natural gradients produce generalizable Sb-As mobility patterns and mechanisms remains unclear. Here, we integrated physicochemical, metagenomic, and statistical analyses to determine how field gradients shaped microbial functional potential and Sb-As mobility at a single Sb smelting site. We identified two Sb-As mobility modes, further supported by external validation across 60 published studies. In the decoupled mode, along resource-driven gradients including moisture, soil organic carbon, and slope-associated light exposure, water-extractable Sb increased whereas As decreased. In the coupled mode, along pH-redox gradients, especially in alkaline and oxic soils, water-extractable Sb and As increased together. The decoupled mode was generally characterized by Sb(V) and As(V) species with Sb redistribution into more labile pools but As retention in stable fractions. Metagenomic profiles linked this decoupling to heterogeneous C-N-S-Fe geochemical contexts that reshaped microbial functional potential related to electron transfer and mineral-associated reactions. By comparison, the coupled mode was characterized by redistribution of Sb and As into reactive fractions under direct pH/Eh control. Hierarchical partitioning identified environmental factors as the dominant explanatory domain for Sb and As (62.5% and 53.1% of adjusted-R²-based relative importance), with metagenomic functional variables contributing 18.5% and 9.3%, respectively. These contrasting mobility modes help distinguish when Sb and As may require joint or separate management, thereby supporting targeted nature-based remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129334"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190557","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":"Mechanistic insights into stereoselective effects of S-naproxen and R-naproxen on conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes.","authors":"Shuhan Li, Yifan Xiao, Ruixin Li, Yingying Wang, Mark Bartlam","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128833","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer poses a serious public health threat. Although non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals are known to influence horizontal gene transfer (HGT), their stereoselective effects remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the enantioselective effects of naproxen (NAP) on RP4 plasmid-mediated conjugation between Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The R- and S-enantiomers of NAP (R-NAP and S-NAP) exhibited markedly different influences on antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) transfer, with R-NAP inducing a substantially higher conjugation frequency than S-NAP. This observation was consistent with transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses, which showed stronger upregulation of key conjugation-related genes (e.g., traF, traJ, trfAp, and trbBp) and membrane-associated genes (ompA, ompF, and oprF) under R-NAP exposure. Proteomic analysis further confirmed the upregulation of pilus- and membrane-associated proteins in response to R-NAP exposure. Molecular docking suggested that this stereoselective effect arises from distinct binding interactions between NAP enantiomers and conjugation-associated proteins, with R-NAP forming more stable conformations with core proteins such as TraF, TraJ, OmpA, and OprF. Collectively, these results demonstrate that R-NAP enhances RP4-mediated conjugative transfer by stereoselectively modulating gene and protein expression and strengthening protein-ligand interactions. This study highlights the overlooked role of chiral pharmaceuticals in accelerating ARG dissemination and underscores the need to consider stereoselectivity in environmental risk assessments of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"128833"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148597195","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":"Co-occurrence of biodegradable and conventional microplastics in marketed marine fish and implications for human dietary exposure.","authors":"Patralika Mukhopadhyay, Shibu Arkkakadavil Valsalan","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While the ecological and toxicological impacts of petroleum-based conventional microplastics (CMPs) are well documented, biodegradable plastics (BPs) are increasingly promoted as sustainable alternatives to mitigate plastic pollution. However, degradation of BPs under natural aquatic conditions is mostly incomplete, leading to the formation of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs). Growing experimental evidence suggests that BMPs are bioavailable to aquatic organisms and may cause biological effects comparable to those of CMPs. This study for the first time, reports the co-occurrence with CMPs in both edible and inedible tissues of commercially important marine fish and also reports BMP presence in marine fish for the first time in India. A total of 11.2% of fish exhibited co-occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), while in edible tissues, co-occurrence was detected only in S. indicus. The co-occurrence of CMPs and BMPs in fish reveals a dual exposure risk, indicating that BPs do not replace conventional plastics but instead coexist with them, collectively intensifying potential food safety and human health concerns. The estimated daily dietary exposure indicates that children may experience relatively higher potential intake of microplastics, suggesting a possibility of associated health implications. Overall, this study emphasises that concurrent exposure through fish consumption may represent a significant pathway of human microplastic intake. It also signifies the necessity for targeted risk assessment frameworks and informed policy interventions to address this co-exposure through fish consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129332"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190401","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":"Laboratory larval exposure to mixed-size polystyrene micro/nanoplastics disrupts lipid metabolism and reshapes the hemolymph metabolome and gut microbiota of adult honeybee workers.","authors":"Qiaohong Wei, Jiangli Wu, Weipeng Kang, Shufa Xu, Bin Han","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.129347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Micro/nanoplastics are pervasive contaminants in terrestrial ecosystems, yet their developmental toxicity to pollinators remains insufficiently understood. Here, worker larvae of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) were orally exposed under controlled laboratory conditions to a mixed-size polystyrene micro/nanoplastic (PS-MNP) system containing 50 nm, 100 nm, and 5 μm particles at a 1:1:1 mass ratio across 1-500 mg/L. Survival was assessed using 48 larvae per group, and adult hemolymph metabolomics and gut microbiome analyses were conducted for adults derived from the 10 mg/L larval exposure group using six biological replicates per treatment. Larval PS-MNP exposure reduced survival, transiently increased larval body mass, and disrupted nutrient allocation, as reflected by decreased total protein and free fatty acids but increased glycogen and triglyceride. In the larval fat body, PS-MNPs induced oxidative stress and lipid droplet accumulation, accompanied by transcriptional changes consistent with enhanced lipid storage and impaired lipophagy. These developmental disturbances were followed by post-metamorphic effects. Newly emerged workers exhibited midgut injury and oxidative imbalance. Moreover, adults derived from exposed larvae displayed pronounced hemolymph metabolomic reprogramming and altered gut microbiota after colony reintroduction. More than 1200 differential hemolymph metabolites were detected, with downregulated features enriched mainly in lipid-remodeling, eicosanoid-related, and autophagy-associated pathways. The adult gut microbiota showed depletion of Gilliamella apicola and Bartonella apis and enrichment of Lactobacillus apis and Frischella perrara. Collectively, these findings show that larval-only exposure to a mixed-size PS-MNP system can disturb developmental lipid/redox homeostasis and be followed by intestinal, hemolymph metabolic, and gut microbial alterations after metamorphosis. This integrated cross-stage evidence advances understanding of micro/nanoplastic developmental ecotoxicology in beneficial terrestrial insects and provides evidence for considering developmental windows in future pollinator risk assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"129347"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190438","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":"Potential influence of waterfront green space morphology on microplastic abundance variation in high-density urban core areas: A case study of the Jinjiang ecological zone in Chengdu.","authors":"Fenglei Chen, Bingyi Chen, Chen Li, Mengyao Gao, Jie Yang, Jing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128856","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128856","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastics are widely distributed in urban aquatic environments, and urban waterfront green spaces may influence microplastics abundance variation. In this study, nine waterfront parks within the Jinjiang Ecological Belt in Chengdu were selected as study sites. By integrating spatial morphology indices of waterfront green spaces with riverine microplastics abundance variation data, the relationships between waterfront green space spatial morphology and microplastics abundance variation were investigated. The results showed that: (1) all waterfront green space reaches exhibited decreasing trends in microplastics abundance; (2) shape index and fractal dimension index were significantly positively correlated with microplastics abundance reduction, whereas circle index showed a significant negative correlation; and (3) a 0.1 increase in shape index was associated with a 12.64% increase in MPs abundance reduction, a 0.01 increase in fractal dimension index with a 6.47% increase, and a 0.1 decrease in circle index with a 10.85% increase. The results suggest that waterfront green space spatial morphology may exert potential impacts on microplastics abundance variation in urban rivers, providing references for waterfront green space optimization and urban microplastic pollution mitigation in planning and design practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"128856"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148629146","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":"Toxic towns: Drivers of anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in an urban edge carnivore.","authors":"Gabriella R M Leighton, Jacqueline M Bishop, Pablo Camarero, Rafael Mateo, Laurel E K Serieys","doi":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128859","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envpol.2026.128859","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used globally to control rodent populations; however, exposure of non-target wildlife is a growing conservation concern. Generalist predators are particularly vulnerable to both lethal and sublethal effects of ARs via bioaccumulation. Caracals (Caracal caracal) in and around Cape Town are attracted to forage on the urban edge, where they face AR exposure risk. We use generalized linear models to investigate the liver concentration and diversity of ARs in 102 caracals within a global biodiversity hotspot. We assess sex and age relationships, as well as their association with habitat types and urban features to identify exposure routes and landscape drivers of risk. Exposure patterns follow global trends in carnivores, with high exposure (78%) and a median of three compounds detected per individual, suggesting repeated, long-term exposure. Highly toxic second-generation compounds dominated the exposure profile. AR burdens varied across the population, peaking in older individuals, likely due to bioaccumulation and multiple exposure events. Caracals using more vegetated, greener urban areas with urban amenities such as food service outlets were more likely to be exposed and have higher AR diversity and concentrations. The sublethal effects of ARs are currently unknown for caracals; however, subadult caracals in poorer condition exhibited higher total rodenticide loads. ARs present a cryptic threat to urban wildlife populations already vulnerable to increasing habitat loss and anthropogenic sources of mortality. This study supports global trends suggesting targeted mitigation should include policies that reduce AR use, particularly for rodent control and food waste management near wildlife habitat.</p>","PeriodicalId":311,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Pollution","volume":" ","pages":"128859"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148629108","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}