{"title":"Prevalence, virulence potential, antibiotic resistance profile, heavy metal resistance genes of Listeria innocua: A first study in consumed foods for assessment of human health risk in Northern Turkey.","authors":"Tugba Cebeci, Barış Otlu","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35582-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35582-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Listeria (L.) innocua is typically considered a non-pathogenic bacterium that can sometimes act as an opportunistic pathogen in severely immunocompromised patients. However, it plays an important role in food safety because it acts as an indicator organism for potential contamination and the effectiveness of sanitation methods. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, virulence genes, antibiotic resistance profiles, heavy metal and disinfectant resistance genes of L. innocua isolates from animal-derived foods. In this study, we isolated and characterized 39 L. innocua strains recovered from commonly 400 consumed beef meat, fresh fish meat, raw cow milk, and traditional cheese samples collected in Giresun, Turkey. The occurrence of virulence-associated genes was detected, such as plcA (97.4%), iap (35.8%), and hlyA (15.3%). A high incidence of resistance was recorded for fusidic acid (100%), followed by oxacillin (97.4%), clindamycin (82%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (69.2%), benzylpenicillin (41%), nitrofurantoin (35.8%), and fosfomycin (35.8%). Overall, 100% (39/39) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, while 92.3% (36/39) of the isolate strains were multidrug resistant in the antimicrobial susceptibility tested. Among the L. innocua isolates (n = 39), 51.2%, 38.4%, 20.5%, 7.6%, 5.1%, 2.5%, and 2.5% were positive for qacH, cadA1, qacE, qacEΔ1-sul, qacJ, qacF, and qacG heavy metal and disinfectant resistance genes, respectively. The results highlight the need for more comprehensive studies to understand the monitoring and surveillance of L. innocua and their potential hazards to both humans and animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Biotic aspects of suspended solid reduction in sedimentation ponds.","authors":"Andrzej Skrzypczak, Renata Tandyrak","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35475-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35475-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The reduction of suspended solids is an important aspect of water management, especially in the mining industry. The ecological potential of sedimentation ponds has been identified, but many aspects of the coexistence of ecological and technological functions of these reservoirs are still unresolved. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of suspended solid reduction in an open pit mine drainage system under the influence of biotic factors, including fish, taking into account the hydrochemical background. The dynamics of biotic factors and the sedimentation process were identified using the normalized total suspended solid reduction index (TE) and the trophic group status (TGS) indices of planktivorous, benthivorous, and carnivorous fish. The hydrochemical background in both ponds provided similar habitat conditions for biota and suspended solid reduction. Although a moderately trophic ecosystem has developed, the typical relationship between water transparency (SDD) and chlorophyll a concentration characteristic of natural waters was not observed. The sedimentation complex was found to be highly effective in reducing total suspended solids by 89-93%. Spatial variation of sedimentation rates was related to the ichthyobiotic factor, mainly to the biomass of bentophages and the status of this trophic group in the fish community. Stable relationships in the structure of the ichthyofauna with a balanced proportion of planktivorous fishes favored the sedimentation process. The results obtained are part of the development of research on the possibility of combining the technological function of artificial ponds with other applications and ecological benefits for industrialized areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Daniel Gebler, Pedro Segurado, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Francisca C Aguiar
{"title":"Predicting freshwater biological quality using macrophytes: A comparison of empirical modelling approaches.","authors":"Daniel Gebler, Pedro Segurado, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Francisca C Aguiar","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35497-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35497-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Difficulties have hampered bioassessment in southern European rivers due to limited reference data and the unclear impact of multiple interacting stressors on plant communities. Predictive modelling may help overcome this limitation by aggregating different pressures affecting aquatic organisms and showing the most influential factors. We assembled a dataset of 292 Mediterranean sampling locations on perennial rivers and streams (mainland Portugal) with macrophyte and environmental data. We compared models based on multiple linear regression (MLR), boosted regression trees (BRT) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Secondarily, we investigated the relationship between two macrophyte indices grounded in distinct conceptual premises (the Riparian Vegetation Index - RVI, and the Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers - IBMR) and a set of environmental variables, including climatic conditions, geographical characteristics, land use, water chemistry and habitat quality of rivers. The quality of models for the IBMR was superior to those for the RVI in all cases, which indicates a better ecological linkage of IBMR with the stressor and abiotic variables. The IBMR using ANN outperformed the BRT models, for which the r-Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.877 and 0.801, and the normalised root mean square errors were 10.0 and 11.3, respectively. Variable importance analysis revealed that longitude and geology, hydrological/climatic conditions, water body size and land use had the highest impact on the IBMR model predictions. Despite the differences in the quality of the models, all showed similar importance to individual input variables, although in a different order. Despite some difficulties in model training for ANNs, our findings suggest that BRT and ANNs can be used to assess ecological quality, and for decision-making on the environmental management of rivers.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Mahwish Iqbal, Haq Nawaz Bhatti, Saima Noreen, Shazia Shukrullah
{"title":"Surface modification of heterostructured Bi<sub>8</sub>W<sub>4</sub>O<sub>24</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub>@GO composite via low-pressure cold plasma for boosting photocatalytic potential against Basic fuchsin and Bismarck brown Y dyes.","authors":"Mahwish Iqbal, Haq Nawaz Bhatti, Saima Noreen, Shazia Shukrullah","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35541-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35541-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The widely used dyes, Basic fuchsin (BF) and Bismarck brown Y (BBY), pose significant risks to water resources and human health, necessitating efficient removal methods. Semiconductor-based heterogeneous photocatalysis offers an eco-friendly solution. However, improving the photocatalyst's efficiency remains a challenge. This study aims to fabricate a promising Bi<sub>8</sub>W<sub>4</sub>O<sub>24</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub>@GO (BWOZG) heterojunction via hydrothermal approach, followed by low-pressure cold plasma (LPCP) treatment to improve its properties for environmental remediation of BF and BBY dyes along with industrial wastewater. The prepared composites were analyzed via DLS, UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, and EPR. The findings indicated that the LPCP-treated BWOZG has z-average of 225 ± 5 nm, zeta potential of - 38.74 ± 2 mV, band gap of 2.20 eV, a porous morphology, and mixed orthorhombic Bi<sub>8</sub>W<sub>4</sub>O<sub>24</sub> and tetragonal ZrO<sub>2</sub> phases. LPCP-treated BWOZG composite exhibited 5% increase in degradation efficiency of BF (99.7%) at pH = 6, catalyst dose = 20 mg L<sup>-1</sup>, dye dose and irradiation time = 10 mg L<sup>-1</sup>/30 min, and 6% for BBY (98%) at pH = 5, catalyst dose = 30 mg L<sup>-1</sup>, dye dose and irradiation time = 10 mg L<sup>-1</sup>/30 min, and 80.41% reduction in COD of industrial wastewater. The successful degradation of dyes to nontoxic species was confirmed by FTIR. The formation of <sup>•</sup>OH and O<sub>2</sub><sup>-•</sup> radical species during photocatalytic process was confirmed by EPR analysis. Kinetics study showed the best fitness of the pseudo-first-order model on experimental data. LPCPT-BWOZG retained 91 and 89% recyclability after five cycles of BF and BBY degradation, respectively, and good broad-spectrum bactericidal activity for E. coli and S. aureus, demonstrating its potential as antibacterial photocatalytic materials for oxidation of organic pollutants in aqueous media to enhance the environmental safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Livelihood vulnerability assessment among the agrarian indigenous communities of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve in India for building resilience and adaptation.","authors":"Shibu Das, Kaushal Kumar Sharma","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35560-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35560-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Indian Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (ISBR) is a vulnerable Southeast Asian region. The negative effects of climate change were putting tremendous pressure on this region. However, a dearth of literature focused on the vulnerability and adaptation to climate change among the tribal agrarian community in ISBR. Against this backdrop, this study aims to ascertain different tribal community's perceptions of vulnerability and adaptation preferences through a mixed-method approach and measure the determinants of agricultural livelihood vulnerability. Using a multi-stage random sampling technique and with the help of a pre-structured survey schedule in ISBR, this study involved 300 randomly selected respondents in the interview and focus group discussion. This study applied the IPCC framework to evaluate the integrated livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the ISBR. This study measured the determinant factors underlying vulnerability using ordered probit regression and focus group discussions. This study measures vulnerability as a function of adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and exposure. For the integrated livelihood vulnerability index, 44 indicators under 9 main categories were chosen. 36.52% of rural livelihoods in the southern and southeastern part of Indian SBR were highly vulnerable due to high exposure to flood, riverbank erosion, frequent cyclone, high sensitivity to inadequate access to basic amenities, and low adaptive capacities due to poor livelihood security and poor socio-economic condition. On the other hand, the northern portion of the region exhibits low to moderate vulnerability because of low exposure, low sensitivity, and strong adaptive capacity. Results suggest that the limited adaptation capacities of the tribal household, such as inadequate infrastructure and low-income opportunities, are the primary reasons for livelihood vulnerabilities. This approach can be applied at different scales in other regions of India and other developing countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142680407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Kevin Celis-Llamoca, Efraím A Serna-Galvis, Ricardo A Torres-Palma, Jessica I Nieto-Juárez
{"title":"Sono-photo-Fenton action is improved by the addition of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener (yellow passion fruit).","authors":"Kevin Celis-Llamoca, Efraím A Serna-Galvis, Ricardo A Torres-Palma, Jessica I Nieto-Juárez","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35522-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35522-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The improvement of the sono-photo-Fenton process at nearby neutral pH (~ 6.2) and high iron concentration (5 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) by the addition of the juice of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener (yellow passion fruit) on the degradation of imipenem in water is reported for the first time. Considering that the combination of sonochemistry with photo-Fenton takes advantage of the in situ sonogeneration of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, the effects of frequency and acoustic power for the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> accumulation were established initially. The sonication at 578 kHz and 23.8 W favored the H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> generation. Using such frequency and power, the antibiotic was synergistically degraded by the sono-photo-Fenton system in distilled water, leading to ~ 90% removal at 120 min of treatment. An atomic charge analysis showed that thioether, β-lactam ring, and carboxylic acid moieties on the imipenem structure were very prone to interactions with the HO• generated in the sono-photo-Fenton process. Indeed, the primary transformation products (TPs) came from the oxidation of the thioether, the opening of the β-lactam ring, and decarboxylations. Such TPs had a lower probability than imipenem to be active against bacteria. Besides, the addition of small amounts (2.5-10 µL) of the yellow passion fruit juice to the sono-photo-Fenton system significantly improved the pharmaceutical elimination. However, a juice excess (e.g., 100 µL) caused a detrimental effect due to competing effects by radicals. The juice of the yellow passion fruit induced analogous effects to citric acid (a commercial complexing agent) on the sono-photo-Fenton process. Indeed, the degradation of imipenem in simulated hospital wastewater by sono-photo-Fenton was improved by the yellow passion fruit juice (~ 38% at 60 min), and it was similar to that with citric acid (~ 39% of removal at 60 min). Thus, the commercial reagent can be replaced by a natural and low-cost complexing agent (e.g., yellow passion fruit juice or fruit wastes containing citric acid), as an enhancer of the sono-photo-Fenton process carried out at near-neutral pH and high iron concentration for degrading imipenem in water.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142674635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Initial examination of marine microplastics along Jaffna Peninsula's coastal stretch in the Palk Strait, northern Sri Lanka.","authors":"Shobiya Gobiraj, Sivashanthini Kuganathan, Bjørn Einar Grøsvik, Amarathunga Arachchige Deeptha Amarathunga","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35530-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35530-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastics are pervasive pollutants in marine ecosystems worldwide and are increasingly recognized as a significant environmental threat. Sri Lanka, an island nation, is not exempt from this issue. While microplastic pollution has been extensively studied in the southern and western parts of Sri Lanka, limited data is available for the northern coastal regions. This first quantitative study aimed to assess the concentration of microplastics on three northern beaches: Mathagal, Point Pedro, and Charty Beach. This study reveals substantial microplastic contamination, with an average abundance of 11.06 ± 6.06 items/m<sup>2</sup>. The predominant size range of microplastics was 3 to 4 mm (32%). The most common shapes identified were fragments (58%), pellets (17%), and foam (10%), with the primary colours being white (42%), blue (26%), and green (21%). Polyethylene (53%) and polypropylene (18%) were the most prevalent polymers found. Among the beaches studied, Point Pedro had the highest pellet pollution index (PPI), although all three beaches were categorized as having a \"very low\" PPI level (0.0 < PPI ≤ 0.5). The study highlights the significant contribution of land-based sources to microplastic pollution on these beaches and emphasizes the urgent need for ongoing research and systematic monitoring of microplastic pollution in northern Sri Lanka.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142674463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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":"Life cycle assessment of hybrid alkali-activated cement production with red mud as an alkali activator.","authors":"Qinli Zhang, Cunyu Zhao, Yan Feng, Qiusong Chen","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35327-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35327-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The production of hybrid alkali-activated cement (HAAC) has generated considerable interest in environmental issues. In this research, the environmental impacts of utilizing red mud (RM) as a partial activator of alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) in HAAC production have been evaluated. A contribution analysis was carried out using life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental significance of six important substances in HAAC production. A comparative analysis of the environmental consequences of producing ordinary portland cement (OPC) and two HAACs using various activators in the same plant was conducted. The results showed that the calcination and preparation of alkali-activated cementitious materials are the two processes with the highest environmental impacts. Marine ecotoxicity was identified as the primary impact category, followed by freshwater ecotoxicity and fossil depletion. HAAC provides better benefits than OPC in most environmental impact categories. Additionally, the inclusion of RM as a partial alkali activator to HAAC results in even more pronounced environmental benefits when compared to NaOH alone, particularly in terms of cleaner production areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142674693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
Geetanjali Bhati, Naga Phani Sai Kumar Dharanikota, Ramagopal V S Uppaluri, Bishnupada Mandal
{"title":"CO<sub>2</sub> selectivity and adsorption performance of K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>-modified zeolite: a temperature-dependent study.","authors":"Geetanjali Bhati, Naga Phani Sai Kumar Dharanikota, Ramagopal V S Uppaluri, Bishnupada Mandal","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35493-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35493-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-performing zeolite materials for carbon dioxide capture are promising for applications such as flue gas CO<sub>2</sub> capture. Potassium carbonate-loaded zeolites can offer a plethora of benefits. In this work, for the first time, zeolite-Y impregnated with K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> was studied as a gas adsorbent (CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub>) and characterized using TGA (thermogravimetric analyzer), XRD, BET, FTIR, FETEM (Field-Emission Transmission Electron Microscope), and XPS. The effect of carbonate loading, temperature, and pressure was particularly targeted and assessed. Accordingly, for a variation in K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> loading from 5 to 15 wt.%, the CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption capacity reduced from 3.61 to 1.73 mmol g<sup>-1</sup> in the synthesized adsorbents. Among all the cases, KYZC10 exhibited very good cyclic adsorption-desorption performance and thermal stability. Further equilibrium modeling studies indicate that the stable and optimally K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>-loaded adsorbent (KYZC10) demonstrates effective adsorption isotherm behavior, making it suitable for different temperature variation processes in commercial carbon dioxide capture applications. The KYZC10 adsorbent's stable performance at varying temperatures contributes to its enhanced economic feasibility. This study also used the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) to predict CO<sub>2</sub> selectivity over other gases (CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>).</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142674442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}
María J Valdivia, Sebastián Sánchez, Jennifer Saa, Roberto Bastías, Gastón Higuera, Zoë L Fleming, Carlos A Manzano, María E Alcamán-Arias
{"title":"Emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the north-west Antarctic Peninsula region.","authors":"María J Valdivia, Sebastián Sánchez, Jennifer Saa, Roberto Bastías, Gastón Higuera, Zoë L Fleming, Carlos A Manzano, María E Alcamán-Arias","doi":"10.1007/s11356-024-35535-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-35535-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antarctica, once regarded as the last pristine desert untouched by human activity, is now facing increasing local impacts due to the rising presence of humans, primarily driven by scientific and touristic activities. This pilot study aimed to assess and compare the atmospheric concentrations of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) collected using passive air samplers and polyurethane foam disks as sorbent phases at different distances from a permanent (Capitán Arturo Prat) and a semi-permanent (Yelcho) research stations in the north-west region of the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during summer 2022 and throughout the year for the permanent station. The findings revealed that Antarctic research stations serve as potential primary sources of PAHs to the local atmosphere. Concentrations of PAHs decreased with increasing distance from suspected point sources, with significantly higher concentrations observed at Capitán Arturo Prat, possibly attributed to the presence of a waste incinerator. Moreover, concentrations in Capitán Arturo Prat during summer 2022 were up to six times higher compared to the rest of the year. Diagnostic ratios indicated that the detected PAHs were mainly derived from pyrogenic sources associated with biomass and wood burning, with the presence of retene suggesting potential non-reported wood burning sources.</p>","PeriodicalId":545,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142674461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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}