Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health最新文献

{"title":"Constructed wetlands for combined sewer overflow treatment: A 30-year review, current trends and future projections","authors":"Ismael Vera-Puerto ,&nbsp;Darja Istenič ,&nbsp;Pascal Molle ,&nbsp;Carmen Hernández-Crespo ,&nbsp;Carlos A. Arias","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges pose a significant challenge to urban water management. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a promising blue-green infrastructure solution for CSO management and water quality improvement, with recognized economic, social, and environmental benefits. This review synthesizes the state-of-the-art in CSO treatment using CWs over the past 30 years and explores current trends and future projections. A bibliometric analysis of 68 papers from the Web of Science Core Collection revealed that although CWs have been applied at a full scale for CSO treatment since the 1990s, they remain an emerging research topic. Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America lead in literature production and application. However, there is a significant lack of information from the Global South (developing countries) and tropical/subtropical regions. Reports from temperate developed countries indicate good performance, with removal efficiencies above 70 % for conventional pollutants such as solids, organic matter, and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). However, pathogen removal was limited. Contaminants of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and microplastics, have also been investigated in CW-treated CSOs with divergent results. This review also discusses various aspects, including regulations, design, environmental performance, and trade-offs. While CWs demonstrate substantial potential for preventing surface water pollution, their application and associated knowledge must expand beyond developed temperate regions, mirroring the global adoption of CWs for domestic wastewater and stormwater treatment. This expansion is crucial for CWs to be considered a truly global solution for CSO treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100681"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145571357","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":"Applying effect-based methods to evaluate the mixture effects of disinfection by-products and other chemicals in disinfected water","authors":"Peta A. Neale ,&nbsp;Beate I. Escher ,&nbsp;Frederic D.L. Leusch","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effect-based methods (EBM) are increasingly used to assess disinfected water quality as they can detect the mixture effects of all bioactive chemicals, including disinfection by-products (DBPs). In this review, we discuss the application of EBM to extracts of disinfected water, with bioassays for cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress response being the most responsive to DBPs. The contribution of known DBPs to the mixture effect can be predicted from single DBPs’ effects using established mixture models. Regulated DBPs typically have a minor contribution to the observed effect. Effect-based trigger values can be used to determine if the treated water quality is acceptable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100678"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417058","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":"Disinfection byproducts in low-income communities","authors":"Kirin Emlet Furst ,&nbsp;Daniel Worthington Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over one billion people gained access to disinfected drinking water in the last 25 years, which is a major public health achievement. However, this inadvertently expanded the population exposed to disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Conditions in low-income communities can exacerbate DBP formation but research is critically limited by 1) focus on trihalomethanes over likely toxicity drivers, 2) overabundance of case studies, 3) lack of epidemiologic studies in relevant communities, and 4) overemphasis on novel treatment technologies. Future research should prioritize the roles of institutional and individual behavior in DBP exposure and mitigation, and incorporating DBPs into global burden of waterborne disease calculations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100683"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145617692","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":"Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal wastewater treatment: Global insights and Vietnam's approach","authors":"Le Thi Lan Anh,&nbsp;Tran Le Luu","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100655","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100655","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), are significant contributors to global climate change. This study addresses the lack of data in Vietnam's fragmented and under-monitored wastewater systems by integrating field measurements, dynamic modeling, and life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify GHG emissions from 29 centralized plants and multiple decentralized systems. The results indicate that CH₄ and N₂O emissions amount to 378 and 79.7 million tons of CO₂-equivalent annually, with local emission factors significantly exceeding the IPCC Tier 1 defaults. Methane is primarily produced from anaerobic sludge digestion and septic tanks, while N₂O arises from nitrogen removal processes under low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions. Indirect CO₂ emissions from electricity and fuel consumption contribute an additional 17 % to the sector's GHG footprint. Technologies such as Johkasou, Anammox, and biogas recovery demonstrate strong mitigation potential, with Johkasou reducing emissions by approximately 16 % and Anammox lowering N₂O outputs. Additional solutions including photovoltaic (PV) systems, machine learning-based process optimization, and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) offer promising pathways for operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. These findings provide critical inputs for Vietnam's carbon market implementation and align with global efforts to improve the accuracy of GHG accounting in wastewater systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100655"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144919784","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":"A review on fate and transport of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics in the aquatic environment","authors":"Basanta Kumar Biswal,&nbsp;Rajasekhar Balasubramanian","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biodegradable plastics have received considerable attention as an eco-friendly material to replace non-biodegradable plastics. This paper critically reviews recent studies on the occurrence, fate, transport, and ecotoxicity of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics (MPs) in the aquatic environment. The fate and transport of MPs largely depend on their properties, hydrodynamic conditions, and climatic factors. MPs show various levels of ecotoxicity toward aquatic biota. The overall aim of this review is to improve the current understanding on the fate and transport of MPs and help regulatory agencies to develop effective strategies for mitigation of pollution, caused by MPs in the aquatic environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100660"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010140","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":"Greenhouse gas emissions in industrial wastewater treatment: technologies, challenges, and strategies","authors":"Nguyen The Tung Lam ,&nbsp;Le Thi Lan Anh ,&nbsp;Tran Le Luu","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from industrial wastewater treatment are increasingly acknowledged as a significant contributor to climate change but remain underrepresented in mitigation strategies, especially in developing countries. Methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are emitted through anaerobic digestion, biological nitrogen removal, and energy-intensive operations. In Vietnam, centralized WWTPs have reported emissions as high as 476.1 MtCO₂e from CH₄ and 13,103.9 MtCO₂e from N₂O, emphasizing the need for targeted intervention. It is hypothesized that when equipped with low-emission technologies and supported by integrated approaches, such as energy recovery, optimized nutrient removal, and real-time digital monitoring, industrial wastewater systems can be transformed into climate-resilient infrastructure with significantly reduced emission intensities. In this review, mitigation pathways are synthesized through a critical evaluation of peer-reviewed literature, field-based data, and global policy frameworks. Key emission factors, including 0.0011 g CH₄/g BOD₅ and 0.0017 g N₂O–N/g TN-influent, are analyzed alongside operational metrics. Technologies such as anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs), partial nitritation–anammox (PN/A) processes, AME-AD systems, and photovoltaic-supported biogas recovery are comprehensively reviewed. A four-phase roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2050 is proposed, integrating life cycle assessment, AI-enhanced monitoring, and carbon finance mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on the co-benefits of GHG mitigation strategies for public health resilience, energy security, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. By repositioning industrial wastewater as a strategic entry point for climate action, this study outlines actionable, cross-sectoral solutions to support decarbonization and circular economy transformation in rapidly industrializing economies. These findings hold particular relevance for journals focusing on environmental engineering, sustainable infrastructure, climate governance, and low-carbon development pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100661"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145026401","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":"Distribution characteristics, influencing factors, and future prospects of microplastics derived from agricultural mulching film in farmland soil: a review","authors":"Dandan Xu ,&nbsp;Tuo Jin ,&nbsp;Bin Xi ,&nbsp;Haihe Gao ,&nbsp;Xuran Li ,&nbsp;Lei Huang ,&nbsp;Jian Song","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs, particle size&lt;5 mm), as an emerging pollutant, can exist in the environment for a long time and have been widely found in global agricultural ecosystems. MPs can alter soil physical and chemical properties, interfere with microbial communities, adsorb and transmit pollutants, directly or indirectly affecting crop growth and agricultural product quality and safety. Generally, MPs in ecosystem could be originated from a diverse array of sources. Except for atmospheric deposition, tire wear, farmland irrigation, and sludge application, plastic-coated fertilizers and mulching films used in agriculture have become sources of concern. Recently, a large number of studies have reported on the distribution and pollution mechanisms of MPs in marine environments, but there are relatively few studies on the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of MPs generated by plastic film mulching in different regions. This paper will explore the distribution characteristics of MPs in farmland soil in different countries and regions and their impacts on crop physiology and ecology. It will also analyze the roles of factors such as farmland types, plastic film types, mulching years, mechanical recovery methods, cultivation systems, and farmland irrigation in the distribution characteristics of MPs originated from plastic film. Finally, it will propose to manage policy recommendations, research frontiers and focus fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100652"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144887494","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":"Overview of current limitations and challenges in data and methods for assessing the health effects of sand and dust storms under the climate change scenario","authors":"Aurelio Tobias ,&nbsp;Massimo Stafoggia ,&nbsp;Masahiro Hashizume ,&nbsp;Xavier Querol","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sand and dust storms (SDS) present significant challenges in assessing their health effects, particularly as climate change may exacerbate desertification in some regions, potentially leading to more frequent and intense dust storms. This paper examines the current limitations and methodological issues in evaluating the health impacts of desert dust. While ecological time-series studies have effective in addressing the short-term health effects of air pollution, desert dust exposure introduces unique complexities to conventional methods. Key challenges include dust exposure metrics, exposure assessment methods, desert dust origin, and the type of impacted areas. The potential for increased dust storm activity in some regions, driven by climate change and desertification, underscores the need for more accurate exposure methods to assess the health effects of SDS. Addressing these limitations is essential to improving our understanding of the health risks posed by desert dust, particularly in the current context of a changing climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100651"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144827770","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":"Biosensing contaminants of emerging concerns: A technological leap in emerging contaminant detection","authors":"Rakhya Ranjan Nanda ,&nbsp;Jaya Sharma ,&nbsp;Sasmita Chand ,&nbsp;Lavanya Addagada ,&nbsp;Prangya Ranjan Rout","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biosensing techniques have been emerging as potent, sensitive, and highly selective techniques to identify contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water matrices. The significant levels of these classes of pollutants are extremely detrimental to human health and ecosystems even at trace concentrations. Enzyme-based biosensing techniques utilize the specificity and catalytic activity of enzymes to selectively interact with pollutants, producing measurable signals for their detection and quantification. Here, we summarize different enzyme-driven techniques for the detection of CECs. The use of enzyme-based sensors represents a promising, sustainable approach to address the global challenge of detecting CECs in water matrices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100649"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879096","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":"Tailings dam failures in Brazil: River contamination, ecosystem recovery, and institutional responses to the Mariana and Brumadinho disasters","authors":"Fernando António Leal Pacheco ,&nbsp;Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra ,&nbsp;Carlos Alberto Valera ,&nbsp;Marília Carvalho de Melo ,&nbsp;Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes","doi":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.coesh.2025.100654","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mine tailings are wastes from ore extraction and processing, which are frequently stored in hillslopes behind earth dams. Unfortunately, tailings dams have collapsed in a number of places worldwide, literally dumping the waste into nearby rivers as metal-rich debris and mud. The environmental impact of these accidents is systemic and often severe and long-lasting. This study reviewed recent cases from Brazil (the Mariana accident that affected the Doce River and the Brumadinho accident that affected the Paraopeba River), highlighting the impact of large tailings dams' failures on river water quality and implications derived therefrom. The review showed how the Mariana failure affected the entire course of the Doce River, even impacting the estuarine ecosystem for a decade so far; and how physical barriers such as the Igarapé weir helped delaying the propagation of contamination in the Paraopeba River. Invariably, the contamination of river water was characterized by concentrations of metals (e.g. iron, manganese) and turbidity above the legal thresholds and far exceeding the levels observed before the accidents, which in the Brumadinho case, led to the suspension of drinking water supply to the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, affecting 2 million people. Besides, bioavailable phases of metals have accumulated in various trophic levels across the food web, threatening human health. The role of storm events in the exacerbation of water quality degradation and the potential impact of floods on the health of riparian forests were also recognized, because contaminated sediments were resuspended during those events and riverbanks were inundated in the sequel. Moreover, contaminated surface water flowing from urban, industrial, and pastureland areas masked the water quality degradation of Paraopeba River caused by the tailings dams' failures, because this water also contained metals and other toxic elements. On the other hand, inflows of sediments and water from tributary rivers helped dilute the contamination in the main watercourses. The time required to bring the river water quality back to safe levels was assessed in some studies, which pointed to 6–8 years in the Brumadinho case and provided no clear timespan for the Mariana case. Dredging of mine waste from the impacted areas was said to accelerate the recovery of Paraopeba river. The reviewed articles suggested some institutional responses, both systemic and specific to tailings dam accidents. The systemic measures comprised reforestation and implementation of best management practices to prevent water erosion and contaminant transport across the river basins, coupled with integration of accountable water quality monitoring in landscape management plans and policies. The specific measures were mostly related with prevention through the design of promptly implementable emergency action plans, coupled with policies capable of making the mining companies pay the recovery costs in a r","PeriodicalId":52296,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100654"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144895554","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}