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• We study the effects of an episode of extensive news coverage of cadmium contamination of rice in China in 2013. • The cadmium rice event reduced the incidence of joint or muscle pain (JMP) by 2% in Hunan Province. • Hunan residents switched away from unsafe drinking water sources such as surface water to deep groundwater, which contributed to the reduction in JMP incidence. • Hunan residents also reduced their consumption of rice in response to the event. • Strong evidence is in support of news and public information as supplemental approaches to formal environmental regulation. The paper studies the effects of news media coverage of the 2013 cadmium rice event in China on consumer health outcomes and avoidance behavior. A difference-in-differences analysis shows that the event caused a 2% decrease in the incidence of joint or muscle pain (JMP), a major health outcome of cadmium pollution, in high-cadmium-pollution regions relative to other regions. Individuals with higher income or with more access to traditional TV media or digital media experienced a greater level of JMP reduction. To defend against cadmium pollution, residents in cadmium-polluted regions switched their drinking water from unsafe sources such as surface water to the safe source of deep groundwater and significantly reduced their consumption of rice. Our findings demonstrate the importance of information provision as an informal approach to complement formal environmental regulation and the critical role of news media in environmental regulation and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The studied materials, Cadmium (Cd2+) and Chromium (Cr3+) are highly toxic, and it focuses on investigating various environmental sources, such as industrial processes and waste water. When quantities of Cr3+ and Cd2+ exceed the allowable limit, biological toxicity and hazardous environmental pollution are unavoidable. In order to address this problem, we introduce 5-(5-(4-([2,2':6′,2″-terpyridin]-4′-yl) phenyl) thiophen-2-yl)-7,8,13,14-tetrahydrodibenzo [ a,i ] phenanthridine (TPTP), a dual-emission response chemosensor that employs a colorimetric and fluorescence turn-on approach for the rapid, sensitive, and discriminate detection of Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions. We created a newly designed luminous TPTP sensor based on intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). TPTP sensor probe specifically determined Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions with an immediate colour shift from cyan to green and orange in CH 3 CN: H 2 O (6:4) solvent solution. The permissible level set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States for the presence of Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions in drinking water was higher than the detection level of 3.5 and 9.7 nM, by this sensor respectively. NMR titrations, HRMS, and theoretical calculation methods were employed to examine the accurate sensing processes of TPTP and complexes. This is an effective method of detecting Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions in an environmental system using a ratiometric methodology. In addition, TPTP was used to determine the concentration of Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions in natural water and food samples. Fluorescent bio-imaging studies revealed that the present sensor TPTP could identify Cr3+ and Cd2+ ions inside living HeLa cells. A paper kit analysis has been done on TPTP , which has a time-to-result of less than 1 s and offers a cost-effective assay. As a result, the platform offers portability. [Display omitted] • A ratiometric probe for Cd2+ and Cr3+ ions based on a thiophene-extended conjugate terpyridine with phenanthridine functionality has been developed. • The sensor TPTP has a good selectivity for detecting Cd2+ and Cr3+ ions and a low detection limit. • The sensing mechanism was confirmed by a 1H NMR titration experiment and a DFT calculation. • The probe worked well for fluorescent bio-imaging of the Cd2+ and Cr3+ ions in both living cells and real resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]