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Tailings dams have been built since 3000 BCE and despite the advancement of construction methods, mainly in the second half of the 21st century, their ruptures were still recorded. The main direct impacts are related to the loss of human lives, impairment of physical structures and changes in water quality. In this review, different dam failure events were critically analyzed considering their social and environmental impacts, besides the gaps in current regulations framework to appropriately charge the companies involved. These aspects differ the current review paper from those currently available, which also present advancements in the discussion of actions taken after the ruptures, the impacts on water quality, and the challenges related to the water supply. It has been noticed a lack of studies and methodologies capable to predict the water quality under scenarios of tailings contamination. Studies covering that aspect would be an important tool for planning emergency responses by stakeholders. With that in mind, the article discloses the pathway toward an effective strategy in scenarios of tailing dam failure that would mitigate the impacts on water quality and guarantee access to safe water., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fertigation using sugarcane vinasse is expected in the sugar and alcohol industries; however, its indiscriminate practice can trigger soil salinization and contamination of water sources. This review article appraises the vinasse use as a precursor material in producing organo-mineral fertilizers. Vinasse use could be an alternative for the increased demand for organo-mineral fertilizers. In that case, the vinasse reuse would be maintained but through controlled practices and lower environmental impact. The state-of-art points to possible advantages associated with the vinasse conversion into organo-mineral fertilizers, such as ease of transport and handling, low variability in its composition, and lower risks of soil and water resources contamination. It has been summarized and critically discussed the past ten years (2011-2021, total number papers revised: 175) of research data about vinasse composition, along with the limitations to be overcome in the near future to enable the application of organo-mineral fertilizers. Possible nutrients supplementation beyond those already present in vinasse composition would depend on the crop requirement, and the impact on the soil biota and integrity should be better understood. The aspects discussed along the manuscript would be aligned with circular economy principles, converting a residue (vinasse) into a potential resource for agricultural activities, including sugar and alcohol industries. After all, although promising, obtaining organo-mineral fertilizers from vinasse must be empirically validated and its feasibility proven by comparative studies between fertigation and the use of organo-mineral fertilizers., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The presence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in water supply systems has been generating great concern about their effects on the environment and human health. Twenty-eight PhACs were monitored during one year in four Brazilian water sources, aiming to understand the factors that influence their occurrence and removal in conventional drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and to assess the environmental and human health risks. Trace levels of PhACs were detected in surface and drinking water in all assessed water sources. Effects of seasonality and socioeconomic aspects were observed in PhACs occurrence, like their higher concentrations during winter and in locales with higher values of gross domestic product per capita and human development index. Betamethasone, prednisone, and fluconazole were the most commonly detected PhACs, and also presented the highest concentrations. However, they were not related to toxicological risks. Nonetheless, all surface waters were subject to toxicological risk owing to at least one PhAC. PhACs related to the highest toxicological risks were loratadine, atorvastatin, norfloxacin, caffeine, and ranitidine, however, all these PhACs presented low quantification frequency. DWTPs capacity to remove PhACs was only partial, so treated water was still contaminated with these compounds. Furthermore, atorvastatin presented a margin of exposure below 100, indicating possible risk for public health. Thus, additional advanced treatment steps should be considered to improve PhACs removal during drinking water treatment., 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 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)