{"title":"Tire-wear particles and tire-related emerging contaminants: Characteristics, occurrence, and toxicity in the environment","authors":"Mahyar Ghanadi , Lou Caubrière , Melanie Kah , Lokesh P. Padhye","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The discovery of 6PPD-quinone as a toxic transformation product and aqueous contaminant from a common tire antioxidant has catalyzed extensive research into its environmental occurrence and other tire-related emerging contaminants (TRECs). However, many other tire-derived chemicals remain understudied, yet may pose significant environmental risks. This review provides a critical overview of the characteristics, occurrence, and fate of TRECs, as well as their toxicological impacts. While advancements in analytical techniques have enhanced the detection of these contaminants, knowledge gaps exist regarding their persistence, transformation, and long-term effects in various environmental compartments. Recent findings suggest that several TRECs, including diphenylguanidine (DPG) and hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM), are frequently detected in road runoff, wastewater, sediments, and even biota. Given their widespread occurrence and potential toxicity, further investigations into their environmental behavior, regulatory implications, and mitigation strategies are urgently needed. This review highlights the pressing need for expanded research beyond 6PPD-quinone to address the broader risks associated with TRECs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100666"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222484","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":"High-resolution mass spectrometry to advance DBP research","authors":"Xin Zuo , Changchun Xin , Cristina Postigo","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been widely applied in the field of water disinfection and disinfection byproduct (DBP) research. Its use has enabled not only DBP discovery but also the identification of DBP precursors and the elucidation of DBP formation mechanisms and toxicity modes of action. The present manuscript overviews the most recent (mainly from 2023 to present) HRMS-based applications, and discusses the main innovations, limitations, challenges, and knowledge gaps to inspire future research in the field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100682"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617693","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}
Joshua R. Thienpont , Jennifer B. Korosi , Jules M. Blais , John P. Smol
{"title":"New developments in paleo-ecotoxicology: Emerging approaches in applying lake sediment archives to assess impacts from aquatic pollution","authors":"Joshua R. Thienpont , Jennifer B. Korosi , Jules M. Blais , John P. Smol","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many aquatic ecosystems have experienced a history of impacts from exposure to environmental contaminants, with aquatic biota often exhibiting population and/or community changes following toxicant exposure. However, identifying aquatic effects can be challenging due to a paucity of monitoring data and gaps in monitoring records. The study of lake sediments as natural environmental archives (paleolimnology) provides an opportunity to assess the long-term impacts of pollution on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Cores collected from polluted systems can preserve both a record of the toxicant(s) in question, and also an archive of biotic changes at multiple scales of organization, from molecular levels to communities to ecosystem processes (paleo-ecotoxicology). Here, we review recent examples of the application of the paleo-ecotoxicological approach based on ‘classical’ paleolimnological indicators of contamination (e.g. metals, organic contaminants) and ecotoxicological response variables (e.g. pigments and subfossil morphological indicators). We also outline emerging environmental contaminants (e.g. microplastics, pharmaceuticals) that are increasingly being detected and documented in sediment records, highlighting evolving sources and intensities of toxicological stressors that are fruitful areas for future paleo-ecotoxicological inquiry. In addition, the ability to characterize aquatic community changes using emerging sedimentary DNA approaches has rapidly expanded, providing a powerful opportunity to build on the ecological information obtained from traditional indicators to better understand ecosystem responses to contamination. Finally, we argue for the importance of methodological approaches that specifically examine the ecotoxicological impacts of contamination in the future application of the paleo-ecotoxicological approach by exploring several recent examples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100667"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222483","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":"Microalgae-based treatment for wastewater management and valorization","authors":"Shailja Pant , Mukesh Goel , Naresh Kumar Sahoo , Qiuyan Yuan , Prangya Ranjan Rout","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wastewater treatment is a critical process for building a water-resilient economy, ensuring pollutant removal before environmental discharge. Conventional treatment methods, though effective, are energy-intensive, reliant on chemical processes, and generate large volumes of sludge, posing economic and environmental challenges. In recent years, microalgae-based wastewater treatment has emerged as a promising alternative due to its potential for efficient nutrient removal, biomass valorization, and carbon sequestration. However, despite its advantages, large-scale implementation remains constrained by operational costs, biomass harvesting inefficiencies, and variable treatment performance. Recent advancements in techno-economic assessments, bioprocess optimization, and multiomics approaches have improved system efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and bioproduct recovery. This study reviews the latest developments, opportunities, and challenges in microalgal wastewater treatment, providing insights into its feasibility and future prospects. A comprehensive understanding of emerging technologies and integrated system approaches will be crucial in advancing microalgal-based solutions for sustainable wastewater management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100662"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050488","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}
Paul Westerhoff , Minhazul Islam , Tanju Karanfil , Eric Dickenson , Jacelyn Rice-Boayue , Kenan Ozekin , Chad Seidel
{"title":"Impacts of unplanned de facto wastewater reuse on disinfection byproduct formation at downstream drinking water treatment plants","authors":"Paul Westerhoff , Minhazul Islam , Tanju Karanfil , Eric Dickenson , Jacelyn Rice-Boayue , Kenan Ozekin , Chad Seidel","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>De facto</em> reuse (DFR) refers to the unplanned inclusion of treated wastewater in drinking water supplies due to upstream wastewater treatment plant effluents. Nearly half of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in the USA are impacted to some extent by DFR, with maximum estimated DFR percentage streamflow approaching 90% in some cases. DFR is not unique to the U.S. but been reported globally in Asia, Europe, Africa, and others. Treated wastewater discharged to surface waters can contain significant levels of inorganic (e.g. bromide and iodide) and organic compounds (e.g. micropollutants, extracellular products, and nitrogen-containing organic matter) that serve as precursors to both regulated and unregulated disinfection by-products (DBPs) in downstream DWTPs. Although identified as a national concern over a decade ago, the lack of standardized methodologies for quantifying and reporting DFR hinders comparative assessments and regulatory decision-making. We believe DFR is underappreciated or outright ignored as compared to the water community focus on highly managed and regulated indirect and direct potable reuse—although risks from DFR are just as real and important to address. This review explores how DFR contributes to DBP risks at DWTPs and discusses strategies for monitoring, modeling, and managing these risks considering recent research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100669"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145222493","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":"Formation of disinfection byproducts in electrochemical water disinfection","authors":"Kaichao Yang , Zhen He","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review aims to examine DBP formation during electrochemical disinfection. The effects of electrochemically generated reactive species and water matrices are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Different DBP formation mechanisms/pathways between electrochemical and conventional chemical disinfection are discussed. The electrode materials play a critical role in the generation of different types of reactive species. The presence of bromide, ammonia, and carbonates can affect both the concentration and composition of DBPs by transforming reactive chlorine species into other species such as bromine radicals, chloramines, and carbonate radicals. Potential strategies for DBP control are proposed, including the reduction of DBP formation via pre-treatment process, electrode design and optimizing reactor operation, and post-treatment to remove the formed DBPs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100685"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571360","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}
Agha Zeeshan Ali , Sanjeeb Mohapatra , Jan Peter van der Hoek , Henri Spanjers
{"title":"Erratum to “BiVO4-based photoanodes for the photoelectrocatalytic removal of trace organic pollutants from water: A mini review on recent developments” [Curr Opin Environ Sci Health 45 (June 2025) 1–1 100615]","authors":"Agha Zeeshan Ali , Sanjeeb Mohapatra , Jan Peter van der Hoek , Henri Spanjers","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100663","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100663"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097979","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":"Capacity of constructed wetlands to control antibiotic resistance during wastewater treatment: Removal or dissemination?","authors":"Ana María Leiva , Gladys Vidal","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100687","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100687","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Within the One Health framework, constructed wetlands (CWs) are increasingly recognized as sustainable systems for mitigating antibiotic resistance (AR). However, their effectiveness in reducing—or potentially contributing to—the dissemination of AR remains debated. This review analyzes recent literature (2024–2025) to clarify the capacity of CWs in AR control. Bibliometric analysis indicates that current research mainly focuses on (1) novel substrates such as biochar, (2) integration with innovative technologies such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and (3) characterization of resistant microbial communities. Reported performances of CWs with biochar or coupled with MFCs show antibiotic removal efficiencies of 41–99 % and AR genes (ARGs) reductions of 0.5–1.0 log units. These results evidence that CWs are capable of decreasing ARGs and antibiotics rates from wastewater. However, more research is needed for improving performance and for scaling laboratories prototypes to real-scale CWs. Focusing on ARGs’ occurrence, they are frequently detected in CW substrates and effluents, with abundances up to 10<sup>4</sup> copies/mL and 10<sup>−2</sup> copies/16S rDNA gene copy, respectively. Microbial community studies further suggest ARGs mobilization within CWs—from influent to substrates and plants—and their potential release into surrounding environments. Overall, CWs appear to function as “AR buffer systems”: reducing ARGs levels in liquid streams while facilitating their accumulation in substrates. This reservoir may pose environmental risks, particularly through the reuse of CW biomass in agriculture. Therefore, future research should prioritize risk assessment of CW substrates as potential vectors of AR dissemination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100687"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617654","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}
Julian L. Fairey , Ashley D. Pifer , David G. Wahman
{"title":"Intrinsic disinfection byproducts in free chlorine and chloramine systems: Formation of chlorite, chlorate, perchlorate, and chloronitramide anion","authors":"Julian L. Fairey , Ashley D. Pifer , David G. Wahman","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intrinsic disinfection byproducts are formed by reactions between disinfectant species and/or their decomposition products. In this review, we focus on a subset that accumulates in free chlorine and chloramine drinking water systems. First, we review the sequential formation of chlorite, chlorate, and perchlorate in hypochlorite feedstocks. Model simulations indicate chlorate and perchlorate can accumulate under realistic dosing conditions and can be managed with less concentrated feedstocks and climate-controlled storage. Second, we review the formation pathways of dichloramine and chloronitramide anion. Chloronitramide anion accumulation may be mitigated by increasing monochloramine stability and quenching reactive nitrogen species in its formation pathway.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100684"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571359","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":"Wildfire-induced shifts in dissolved organic carbon reactivity toward trihalomethane formation","authors":"Shiyue Zhang, Penghui Du, Alex Tat-Shing Chow","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfires increasingly degrade source-water quality, yet the reactivity of fire-altered dissolved organic carbon (DOC) toward trihalomethane (THM) formation remains unclear. This mini-review synthesizes 14 paired pre/post-fire datasets under a carbon-normalized framework (THM-specific formation potential, THM-SFP). (i) Occurrence: most studies show lower THM-SFP after fire from loss of oxygen-rich moieties. (ii) Severity: moderate burning can produce phenolic/carbonyl fragments, elevating THM-SFP, whereas high severity suppresses it. (iii) Rainfall: first flushes raise DOC and bulk THMs, while THM-SFP responses are mixed. Cross-study interpretation remains constrained by methodological heterogeneity and limited data. Findings support severity-stratified, time-resolved monitoring for post-fire water management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100679"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466716","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}