Environmental science. Advances最新文献

{"title":"A novel approach to long-term source contribution of ambient PM2.5 from residential solid fuel burning using the FUSTA methodology","authors":"Carolina Estuardo-Norambuena, Ana María Villalobos and Héctor Jorquera","doi":"10.1039/D5VA00495K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5VA00495K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Managing ambient fine particulate matter (PM<small>_2.5</small>) requires determining how much different PM<small>_2.5</small> sources contribute over time. This study uses FUSTA (Fuzzy SpatioTemporal Apportionment) to estimate how much residential solid fuel burning (RSFB) contributes to long-term PM<small>_2.5</small> concentrations. FUSTA has been applied to multiyear data for two cities in Chile and one in Poland, at which ongoing impacts of RSFB on ambient PM<small>_2.5</small> are reported. These results were validated by comparison with short-term receptor model (RM) estimates for the three cities, leading to Pearson correlations <em>r</em> = 0.84, 0.97, and 0.89, and linear slopes within 10% of unity, showing methodological consistency. The spatiotemporal pattern (STP) associated with RSFB is qualitatively similar in the three cities, with high seasonality, peak values in winter, contributions that come from all wind directions, and a diurnal cycle with peak values around midnight. The novelty of the proposed methodology is the estimation of long-term contributions of RSFB to ambient PM<small>_2.5</small> for the three cities, without relying on emission inventories nor long-term RM results. The trends observed in the long-term contribution of RSFB to PM<small>_2.5</small> concentration were significant but small on an annual basis, suggesting that current RSFB regulations should be reconsidered.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 6","pages":" 1583-1593"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d5va00495k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148193739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards sustainable photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants through rational design of engineered magnetically retrievable metal oxide@graphene oxide nanocomposites","authors":"Kirti, Anju Srivastava, Sriparna Dutta, R. K. Sharma, Reena Jain, Prashant Kumar, Ruchi Singh, Priyanka, Vipin Kumar Upadhyay, Geetanshu and Siddharth N. Kurur","doi":"10.1039/D6VA00059B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6VA00059B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Toxic pollutants in aqueous media cause great harm to both the environment and living beings; thus, the remediation of such pollutants through the design and development of highly efficient and recyclable nanomaterials is pivotal. These nanoscale platforms enable superior adsorption and catalytic performance while minimizing energy input and secondary waste compared to conventional treatment technologies. Among the various nanomaterials investigated, magnetically retrievable graphene oxide nanocomposites have emerged as highly promising candidates for the remediation of a large array of pollutants, including heavy metals and organic contaminants such as dyes, pesticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals. The outstanding performance of such nanocomposites is attributed to their high specific surface area, which enables increased adsorption capacity, superior degradation efficiency, excellent stability, ease of magnetic separation, facile modification and functionalization. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that coupling semiconducting metal oxides with graphene oxide-based nanocomposites yields photoactive materials with tailored band gaps, capable of harnessing solar or visible light for photocatalytic degradation, thereby providing an affordable, efficient, and sustainable strategy for treating air and water contamination. This review examines the synthesis and functionalization of such nanomaterials, with particular emphasis on their photocatalytic pollutant removal mechanisms. By integrating mechanistic insights with application-oriented considerations, this work offers a cohesive framework for the rational design of sustainable, reusable, and efficient nanomaterials for environmental remediation and water purification. In doing so, it bridges fragmented research efforts, highlights future research directions, and provides actionable insights for translating laboratory innovations into real-world environmental remediation solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 6","pages":" 1479-1506"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d6va00059b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148193705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal analysis of long-term air pollution in two urban regions of Vietnam and potential source contributions","authors":"Nguyen Thuy Huong, Quang Tran Vuong, Le Van Linh, Dam Duy An, Van Huu Tap, Nguyen Thi Pho, Norimichi Takenaka and Phan Quang Thang","doi":"10.1039/D5VA00367A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5VA00367A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Air quality monitoring in Vietnam has been limited by sparse ground-based observations, leaving long-term pollution dynamics poorly understood. This study provides the first 43-year (1980–2023) spatiotemporal assessment of major pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO<small>₂</small>), black carbon (BC), and fine particulate matter (PM<small>_2.5</small>), across Vietnam's two largest urban–industrial regions. In addition, we combined remote sensing data, ground-based PM<small>_2.5</small> data, statistical analyses, and source attribution modeling to disentangle local and transboundary influences on air quality in Vietnam. Overall, the concentrations of air pollutants were consistently 2–4 times higher in the North than in the South during the last five years (CO: 2.30; SO<small>₂</small>: 4.43; BC: 3.40, PM<small>₂₅</small>: 4.14 times). BC was strongly correlated to PM<small>_2.5</small> (<em>ρ</em> up to 0.97, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), demonstrating its central role in PM<small>_2.5</small> composition. The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) reproduced seasonal PM<small>_2.5</small> variability in Hanoi (<em>ρ</em> = 0.64 ÷ 0.82) but underestimated dry–wet contrasts in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasizing the need for enhanced ground-based monitoring. Results of potential source contribution function (PSCF) highlighted northern PM<small>_2.5</small> hotspots associated with transport from neighboring countries, while southern hotspots were more diffuse and strongly influenced by traffic, industrial, and shipping emissions. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire data confirmed biomass burning in the Mekong subregion during March–April as a significant episodic contributor to northern PM<small>_2.5</small>. The findings of this study provide a robust baseline for emission trend evaluation, targeted mitigation, and cross-border pollution management, offering critical evidence to support Vietnam's net-zero emission strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 5","pages":" 1418-1432"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d5va00367a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient Fenton/biological activated carbon filter process for treating landfill leachates","authors":"Dongxu Zhou, Salma Tabassum, Jun Li, Li Zhang, Ningwen Zhang, Guanglei Li, Hüseyin Altundag and Imran Khan","doi":"10.1039/D6VA00072J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6VA00072J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The treatment of landfill leachates is considered to be one of the most difficult processes among organic wastewater treatments. This study aims to address the challenge of treating landfill leachates by developing a new combined Fenton/biological activated carbon filter process to efficiently treat organic matter, ammonia nitrogen (NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N), and chromaticity. Under optimal Fenton process conditions (pH 4, H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small> dosage of 15 mL L<small>⁻¹</small>, <em>n</em>(H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>) : <em>n</em>(Fe<small>²⁺</small>) = 4 : 1, and reaction time of 100 min), the removal efficiencies of COD, chromaticity, and NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N reached 75.05%, 98.32%, and 30%, respectively. Response surface methodology confirmed that the significance of influencing factors follow the order of pH &gt; H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small> dosage &gt; <em>n</em>(H<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>) : <em>n</em>(Fe<small>²⁺</small>) &gt; reaction time, with a verified COD removal efficiency of 74.36% (minimal error). For the SPC/Fe<small>²⁺</small> process, optimal conditions yielded COD, chromaticity, and NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N removal efficiencies of 58.39%, 84.21%, and 20.30%, respectively. The BAC filter achieved effective COD removal (27.3%) and excellent NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N removal (61.90%). The Fenton/BAC combined process achieved a remarkable treatment performance for landfill leachate, with a COD removal efficiency of 81.86%, NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N removal efficiency of 73.33%, and chromaticity removal efficiency of 98.50%. Notably, the biodegradability index (B/C) of the landfill leachate increased from 0.31 to 0.51, confirming the synergistic mechanism of organic matter and NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N removal by BAC. This study innovatively constructs a Fenton/BAC combined process, quantifies the synergistic removal effects of adsorption-biofilm-microbial degradation by BAC on leachate organics and NH<small>₄</small><small>⁺</small>-N, and clarifies the SPC/Fe<small>²⁺</small>-Fenton performance-cost trade-off, providing a new technical route for efficient leachate treatment. This novel combined process offers promising research directions and significant theoretical and practical value for efficient leachate treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 6","pages":" 1594-1613"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d6va00072j?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148193740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microkinetic characterization of ROS-driven methane production through quantum and classical simulations","authors":"Ronghan Zhang, Zexuan Wang, Kin Tung Michael Ho, Nigel J. D. Graham, Giin-Yu Amy Tan and Po-Heng Henry Lee","doi":"10.1039/D5VA00420A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5VA00420A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Methane is ubiquitous in natural and engineered settings, but the mechanisms of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-driven methane production in living organisms remain unclear. Unraveling the interactions and microkinetics among ROS, iron species, and organic methyl groups (MET) is crucial for reducing emissions and optimizing energy recovery. In this study, the quantum Harrow–Hassidim–Lloyd (HHL) algorithm and classical Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm were employed to: (1) investigate the primary pathway of Fe<small>³⁺</small> and ascorbic acid (ASC) reactions, (2) determine the kinetic parameters for the reaction between [Fe<small>^IV</small><img>O]<small>²⁺</small> and MET, and (3) simulate the ROS-driven methane production pathway under specific abiotic conditions. The results revealed that Fe<small>³⁺</small> and ASC are primarily responsible for the redox reaction, with a kinetic rate constant of 1.83 × 10<small>⁻⁴</small> M<small>⁻¹</small> s<small>⁻¹</small> for the reaction between [Fe<small>^IV</small><img>O]<small>²⁺</small> and MET, and a ∼10% conversion rate of MET to methane. Our study establishes a theoretical framework for ROS-driven methane production. While identifying a feasible pathway for engineered and natural systems, further investigation and validation are needed to quantify its specific contribution in complex environments. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the potential of hybrid quantum-classical simulations for microkinetic analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 6","pages":" 1624-1633"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d5va00420a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148193754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering the plastisphere nexus in biological wastewater treatment: distinct microbial colonization on biodegradable and conventional microplastics","authors":"Gaurav Bhardwaj, Lachi Wankhede, Ratul Kumar Das, Ahmed Eldyasti, Ahmed Koubaa and Satinder Kaur Brar","doi":"10.1039/D6VA00023A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6VA00023A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where their persistent presence has been shown to alter treatment performance and microbial community structure. However, existing studies largely emphasize bulk system responses, while the underlying mechanisms, including biofilm formation on MP surfaces, remain insufficiently characterized. In particular, the extent to which microbial colonization on MP surfaces is selective, polymer-dependent and evolves over time under WWTP conditions remains poorly resolved. To address this gap, this study systematically compares plastisphere development on four conventional polymers, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid (PLA) under sequencing batch reactor (SBR) conditions. Biofilm biomass increased up to 5-fold, with PLA exhibiting the highest accumulation (OD<small>_595nm</small> = 1.067; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), substantially exceeding conventional MPs. Intrinsic polymer properties shaped microbial colonization through selective enrichment on MP surfaces. While PLA supported a transient peak in community diversity and selectively enriched plastic-degrading taxa such as <em>Comamonas</em> (∼16–25%), continuous hydrolytic oxidation and surface pitting prevented stable long-term community retention. In contrast, conventional MPs converged toward low-diversity biofilms dominated by pioneer genera including <em>Raoultella</em> (∼80–90%). Among conventional MPs, PS exhibited the strongest divergence at biofilm maturity, functioning as a persistent reservoir for ESKAPE pathogens. PS specifically enriched <em>Acinetobacter</em> (8.17 log2-fold-change), demonstrating that while biodegradable surfaces promote robust general microbial growth, the structural permanence of conventional microplastics provides a more selective and reliable substrate for long-term pathogen persistence. Together, these findings highlight polymer-specific plastisphere development as a key biological pathway governing MP transformation and microbial partitioning in WWTPs, with implications for MP fate and sludge-associated microbial risks.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 5","pages":" 1406-1417"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d6va00023a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From one building to many: transferability of a deep reinforcement learning agent for optimizing pollutant exposure and energy consumption","authors":"Nishchaya Kumar Mishra and Sameer Patel","doi":"10.1039/D5VA00438A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5VA00438A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Minimizing indoor pollutant exposure while conserving energy is essential for protecting human health and the environment. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has emerged as a promising approach for optimizing residential ventilation and air conditioning systems. While DRL deployment is simpler than fully physics-driven strategies like dynamic optimization (DynOpt), its generalizability across diverse buildings and ambient conditions remains challenging. Although researchers have studied transfer and imitation learning techniques to address these challenges, they still require house characteristics and field measurements to adaptively train an agent. Therefore, the large-scale deployment of DRL agents can still be potentially challenging. This study assesses the performance of a trained DRL agent against the DynOpt (benchmark) when transferred to houses with varying characteristics and environmental conditions using digital twins. When varying house characteristics one at a time, the agent's performance remained comparable to DynOpt, with particulate matter (PM) exposure and energy ratios near unity (1.05 ± 0.03). Similarly, under simultaneous variations in house characteristics, the exposure (1.03 ± 0.07) and energy (1.09 ± 0.06) ratios remained close to one. However, the agent's performance declines in houses with high PM infiltration under high ambient parameters. The results indicate that the agent can still be integrated into different houses under varying ambient conditions by restricting the infiltration of PM, as evident by lower exposure and energy ratios in houses with lower infiltration. Moving forward, uncertainty quantification and benchmarking of the agent's performance are critical for enhancing confidence in predictions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 5","pages":" 1292-1305"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d5va00438a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic interface engineering in ZnO@CNT catalysts: electronic modulation for switching peroxydisulfate activation toward a 1O2-dominated non-radical pathway","authors":"Qian Zhou, Qingsong Liu, Chenglin Li, Liu Yang, Yu Xue, Shengqiong Fang and Weiguang Lan","doi":"10.1039/D6VA00039H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6VA00039H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Currently, during peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation through Fenton-like reactions, transition metal catalysts face the problem of leaching, whereas carbonaceous materials pose challenges such as difficult recovery, insufficient stability, and less-than-ideal catalytic performance in peroxydisulfate systems. In response to these challenges, the novel composite catalyst (ZnO@CNT) was synthesized through a straightforward one-pot pyrolysis approach. This innovative material exhibits both superior catalytic activity and minimal cytotoxicity, enabling effective activation of peroxodisulfate (PDS) for the degradation of antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (93.56% removal within 30 min kinetic constant: 0.089 min<small>⁻¹</small>). Characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the synergistic coupling between ZnO nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes creates abundant active interfaces, thereby enhancing electron transfer and reactive oxygen species generation. Unlike traditional radical-based oxidation systems, mechanistic studies combining electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching experiments have identified singlet oxygen (<small>¹</small>O<small>₂</small>) as the primary reactive species, which confers exceptional resistance to complex water matrices containing various interfering substances. Electrochemical analyses provide fundamental insights into the enhanced PDS activation mechanism, demonstrating that ZnO incorporation modulates the electronic structure of CNTs to favor <small>¹</small>O<small>₂</small> generation. ZnO@CNT exhibits outstanding cycling stability and environmental safety, as verified by toxicity assessment of transformation products. This work not only develops an efficient metal–carbon hybrid catalyst, but also advances the fundamental understanding of non-radical oxidation pathways for sustainable water purification applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 5","pages":" 1392-1405"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d6va00039h?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agricultural waste-derived carbon electrodes for sustainable lithium-ion batteries: environmental and economic assessment","authors":"Pranav Prashant Dagwar, Nada Ramadan, Syed Suffia Iqbal, Jasneet Singh, Lakshmi Kanth Moganti, Dina Magdy Abdo and Deblina Dutta","doi":"10.1039/D6VA00002A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6VA00002A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The demand for effective and sustainable energy storage solutions has increased globally due to the rapid growth of renewable energy systems and electric vehicles. Despite being the industry leader, lithium-ion batteries are increasingly being challenged for their dependence on non-renewable resources, high production costs, and environmental issues related to mining and disposal. The possibility of using materials obtained from agricultural waste as sustainable substitutes for the fabrication of electrodes for lithium-ion batteries is investigated in this review. It is possible to thermochemically transform a variety of agricultural leftovers, such as husks, stalks, and shells, into high-performance carbon compounds with advantageous electrochemical properties. The viability of using these bio-derived components in the production of lithium-ion batteries was assessed by a thorough economic and environmental analysis. When compared to traditional graphite-based systems, the findings of the life cycle assessment show notable decreases in waste production, energy usage, and carbon footprint. From an economic perspective, utilizing agricultural waste cuts down raw material expenses and promotes while aligning with circular economy principles by enabling the valorisation of biomass residues into high-value products. The results show that electrodes made from agricultural waste may perform competitively while significantly improving sustainability. This review highlights a viable pathway toward more cost-effective, resource-efficient, and environmentally sustainable lithium-ion battery technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 5","pages":" 1213-1251"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d6va00002a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A scoping literature review of toxicological studies on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)","authors":"Marianthi Papathanasiou, Haralampos Tzoupis, Konstantinos D. Papavasileiou, Francesco Dondero, Dario Greco, Iseult Lynch, Antreas Afantitis and Georgia Melagraki","doi":"10.1039/D5VA00328H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5VA00328H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a diverse group of industrial chemicals resistant to both environmental degradation and metabolic breakdown due to the strong carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds dominating their structures and are thus collectively referred to as “forever chemicals”. Within this group, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been extensively studied, and detected in humans, biota and the environment globally. To compile the latest PFAS toxicity data, we conducted a scoping review spanning literature published from January 2019 to December 2023, broadly following the PRISMA guidelines, encompassing epidemiological studies in humans and toxicological studies in experimental animals, <em>in vitro</em> assays on human cells, and studies combining experimental and <em>in silico</em> approaches. We assessed the available toxicological data and performed an in-depth analysis of studies focusing on potential human health effects, with the aim of leveraging the findings within a cheminformatics framework. Our investigation identified a total of 358 suitable studies. Human exposure studies identified immunotoxic effects as being among the most prevalent endpoints in PFAS toxicity. According to our findings, hepatotoxicity linked to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) activation, neurotoxicity, developmental and endocrine effects, and associations with various types of cancer were found amongst the negative health outcomes associated with PFAS exposure. The findings highlight the need for further research to prevent regrettable substitutions and to enable implementation of PFAS-free technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":72941,"journal":{"name":"Environmental science. Advances","volume":" 6","pages":" 1527-1555"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/va/d5va00328h?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148193736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}