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• 86 long-range atmospheric dust events were identified to reach Finland. • 59 were Saharan, 22 were Aral-Caspian, and five were from the Middle East in origin. • Number and proportion of scarce winter events have more than doubled since 2010. • All winter dust storm events were associated with freezing rain. Studies on atmospheric dust and long-range transport of mineral dust have been a focus of atmospheric science in recent years. With its wide range of direct and indirect effects, mineral dust is one of the most uncertain elements in the mechanisms of climate change, and a deeper understanding of its role is essential for understanding future processes. The aim of our research was to provide the first systematic data on the so far episodically documented northward transport mineral dust from arid-semiarid areas. So, in this paper, we present dust storm events from lower latitudes reaching the Finnish atmosphere, based on the MERRA-2 model Dust Column Mass Density data and after a multistep verification procedure using independent data source. In total, 86 long-range dust storm events were identified between 1980 and 2022, when air masses loaded with dust reached Finland. Based on backward-trajectories different sources were identified: 59 were Saharan, 22 were Aral-Caspian, and five were associated with Middle Eastern source areas. Considerable variation in inter-annual frequencies was observed among the source areas, which may be due to changes in circulation conditions and the effects of human activity (agriculture and land use changes in Aral Sea region). There is a clear maximum of dust events in spring (60%), followed by summer and autumn (where 10 of the 11 autumn episodes were from the Sahara). However, the number and proportion of scarce winter events have more than doubled since 2010 compared to the preceding 30 years, but no autumn events were registered during this period. This clear temporal variation coincides with changes in dust transport observed in other regions of Europe, driven by greater atmospheric meridionality associated with climate change and driven by reduced temperature difference between low and high latitudes due to enhanced temperature increases at Arctic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of infectious disease agents is increasingly seen as a reliable source of population health data. To date, wastewater-based surveillance efforts have largely focused on individual pathogens. However, given that wastewater contains a broad range of pathogens circulating in the population, a more comprehensive approach could enhance its usability. We focused on the simultaneous detection of SARS-CoV-2, sapovirus, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, Salmonella spp., pathogenic Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp. and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of clinical relevance. To achieve this goal, biomass concentration and nucleic acid extraction methods were optimized, and samples were analyzed by using a set of (RT)-qPCR and (HT)-qPCR methods. We determined the prevalence and the spatial and temporal trends of the targeted pathogens and collected novel information on ARGs in Finnish wastewater. In addition, the use of different wastewater concentrates, namely the ultrafiltered concentrate of the supernatant and the centrifuged pellet, and the effect of freezing and thawing wastewater prior to sample processing were investigated with the indicator microbe crAssphage. Freeze-thawing of wastewater decreased the gene copy count of crAssphage in comparison to analyzing fresh samples (p < 0.001). Campylobacters were most abundant in two of the four studied summer months (30 % detection rate) and in wastewaters from regions with intensive animal farming. Salmonella, however, was detected in 40 % of the samples without any clear seasonal trends, and the highest gene copy numbers were recorded from the largest wastewater treatment plants. Beta-lactamase resistance genes that have commonly been detected in bacteria isolated from humans in Finland, namely bla CTX-M , bla OXA48 , bla NDM , and bla KPC , were also frequently detected in wastewaters (100, 98, 98, and 70 % detection rates, respectively). These results confirm the reliability of using wastewater in public health surveillance and demonstrate the possibility to simultaneously perform WBS of multiple pathogens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study addressed the scarcity of NH 3 measurements in urban Europe and the diverse monitoring protocols, hindering direct data comparison. Sixty-nine datasets from Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK across various site types, including industrial (IND, 8), traffic (TR, 12), urban (UB, 22), suburban (SUB, 12), and regional background (RB, 15), are analyzed to this study. Among these, 26 sites provided 5, or more, years of data for time series analysis. Despite varied protocols, necessitating future harmonization, the average NH 3 concentration across sites reached 8.0 ± 8.9 μg/m 3 . Excluding farming/agricultural hotspots (FAHs), IND and TR sites had the highest concentrations (4.7 ± 3.2 and 4.5 ± 1.0 μg/m 3 ), followed by UB, SUB, and RB sites (3.3 ± 1.5, 2.7 ± 1.3, and 1.0 ± 0.3 μg/m 3 , respectively) indicating that industrial, traffic, and other urban sources were primary contributors to NH 3 outside FAH regions. When referring exclusively to the FAHs, concentrations ranged from 10.0 ± 2.3 to 15.6 ± 17.2 μg/m 3 , with the highest concentrations being reached in RB sites close to the farming and agricultural sources, and that, on average for FAHs there is a decreasing NH 3 concentration gradient towards the city. Time trends showed that over half of the sites (18/26) observed statistically significant trends. Approximately 50 % of UB and TR sites showed a decreasing trend, while 30 % an increasing one. Meta-analysis revealed a small insignificant decreasing trend for non-FAH RB sites. In FAHs, there was a significant upward trend at a rate of 3.51[0.45,6.57]%/yr. Seasonal patterns of NH 3 concentrations varied, with urban areas experiencing fluctuations influenced by surrounding emissions, particularly in FAHs. Diel variation showed differing patterns at urban monitoring sites, all with higher daytime concentrations, but with variations in peak times depending on major emission sources and meteorological patterns. These results offer valuable insights into the spatio-temporal patterns of gas-phase NH 3 concentrations in urban Europe, contributing to future efforts in benchmarking NH 3 pollution control in urban areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

A comprehensive monitoring of a broad set of antibiotics in the final effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of 7 European countries (Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Finland, and Norway) was carried out in two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). This is the first study of this kind performed at an international level. Within the 53 antibiotics monitored 17 were detected at least once in the final effluent of the WWTPs, i.e.: ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, enrofloxacin, orbifloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, nalidixic acid, pipemidic acid, oxolinic acid, cefalexin, clindamycin, metronidazole, ampicillin, and tetracycline. The countries exhibiting the highest effluent average concentrations of antibiotics were Ireland and the southern countries Portugal and Spain, whereas the northern countries (Norway, Finland and Germany) and Cyprus exhibited lower total concentration. The antibiotic occurrence data in the final effluents were used for the assessment of their impact on the aquatic environment. Both, environmental predicted no effect concentration (PNEC-ENVs) and the PNECs based on minimal inhibitory concentrations (PNEC-MICs) were considered for the evaluation of the impact on microbial communities in aquatic systems and on the evolution of antibiotic resistance, respectively. Based on this analysis, three compounds, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin and cefalexin are proposed as markers of antibiotic pollution, as they could occasionally pose a risk to the environment. Integrated studies like this are crucial to map the impact of antibiotic pollution and to provide the basis for designing water quality and environmental risk in regular water monitoring programs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Road-traffic noise can induce stress, which may contribute to mental health disorders. Mental health problems have not received much attention in noise research. People perceive noise differently, which may affect the extent to which noise contributes to poor mental health at the individual level. This paper aims to assess the relationships between outdoor traffic noise and noise annoyance and the use of psychotropic medication., Methods: We conducted a survey to assess noise annoyance and psychotropic medication among residents of the Helsinki Capital Region of Finland. We also assessed the associations of annoyance and road-traffic noise with sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. Respondents were randomly sampled from the Finnish Population registry, and data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Outdoor traffic noise was modelled using the Nordic prediction model. Associations between annoyance and modelled façade-noise levels with mental health outcome indicators were assessed using a binary logistic regression while controlling for socioeconomic, lifestyle and exposure-related factors., Results: A total of 7321 respondents returned completed questionnaires. Among the study respondents, 15%, 7% and 7% used sleep medication, anxiolytic and antidepressant medications, respectively, in the year preceding the study. Noise annoyance was associated with anxiolytic drug use, OR = 1.41 (95% CI: 1.02-1.95), but not with sedative or antidepressant use. There was suggestive association between modelled noise at levels higher than 60 dB and anxiolytic or antidepressant use. In respondents whose bedroom windows faced the street, modelled noise was definitively associated with antidepressant use. Noise sensitivity did not modify the effect of noise but was associated with an increased use of psychotropic medication., Conclusion: We observed suggestive associations between high levels of road-traffic noise and psychotropic medication use. Noise sensitivity was associated with psychotropic medication use., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)