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Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in rice poses a health issue for rice consumers. In rice paddies, selenium (Se) can decrease the bioavailability of Hg through forming the less bioavailable Hg selenides (HgSe) in soil. Rice leaves can directly uptake a substantial amount of elemental Hg from the atmosphere, however, whether the bioaccumulation of Hg in rice leaves can affect the bioaccumulation of Se in rice plants is not known. Here, we conducted field and controlled studies to investigate the bioaccumulation of Hg and Se in the rice-soil system. In the field study, we observed a significantly positive correlation between Hg concentrations and BAFs of Se in rice leaves (r2 = 0.60, p < 0.01) collected from the Wanshan Mercury Mine, SW China, suggesting that the bioaccumulation of atmospheric Hg in rice leaves can facilitate the uptake of soil Se, perhaps through the formation of Hg-Se complex in rice leaves. This conclusion was supported by the controlled study, which observed significantly higher concentrations and BAFs of Se in rice leaf at a high atmospheric Hg site at WMM, compared to a low atmospheric Hg site in Guiyang, SW China.

The abuse of illicit drug addiction is a worldwide public health and social problem. In this paper, we reported on a simple and rapid colorimetric biosensor for duplexed detection of methamphetamine (METH) and cocaine in a single assay. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Au@Ag NPs were synthesized and functionalized with DNA reporter probes (RPs) for METH and cocaine, respectively. The magnetic beads (MBs) were conjugated with two capture probes (CPs) respective to METH and cocaine. The respective RPs and CPs were designed to hybridize with each illicit drug-binding DNA aptamers through DNA-DNA hybridization, forming a sandwich structure. This MBs-based sandwich structure could be removed with an external magnetic field. However, due to the higher affinity of DNA aptamers with illicit drugs, the sandwich structure was disassembled when illicit drugs are introduced into the solution, leading to the colour changes of the supernatant. Utilizing a non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm to process the data, we demonstrated the ability of our biosensor for the simultaneous quantification of two illicit drugs. Under the optimal condition, our sensors were able to detect both METH and cocaine at the nM level with a wide dynamic range. This sensing platform provides a huge potential on drug consumption evaluation at the community level for wastewater-based epidemiology.

Public health is attracting increasing attention due to the current global pandemic, and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a powerful tool for monitoring of public health by analysis of a variety of biomarkers (e.g., chemicals and pathogens) in wastewater. Rapid development of WBE requires rapid and on-site analytical tools for monitoring of sewage biomarkers to provide immediate decision and intervention. Biosensors have been demonstrated to be highly sensitive and selective tools for the analysis of sewage biomarkers due to their fast response, ease-to-use, low cost and the potential for field-testing. This paper presents biosensors as effective tools for wastewater analysis of potential biomarkers and monitoring of public health via WBE. In particular, we discuss the use of sewage sensors for rapid detection of a range of targets, including rapid monitoring of community-wide illicit drug consumption and pathogens for early warning of infectious diseases outbreaks. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future use of the biosensor technology for WBE to enable rapid on-site monitoring of sewage, which will provide nearly real-time data for public health assessment and effective intervention.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a powerful technique for monitoring illicit drugs of abuse in the community. Here, we report upon a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor for the sensitive and selective detection of methamphetamine based upon the assembly of noble metal core-shell nanoparticles on a bespoke glassy nanofibrous electrospun paper matrix. The hierarchical structure of the fibrous paper, modified with the synthesized Au@Ag core-shells (Au@Ag) gave strong SERS signalling, enabling us to evaluate the community-wide prevalence of methamphetamine in wastewater treatment plants within Beijing. We show that, when normalized for the daily flow of the wastewater treatment plants and for population density, higher mass loads of drugs are generally found in sewage influent from urban areas, implying greater local methamphetamine usage than that in less populated areas. The user-friendly and disposable paper sensors demonstrate the applicability of rapid on-site illicit drug detection, illustrating the application to wastewater-based epidemiology, which has the potential to inform government agencies regarding societal interventions.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most harmful and widespread environmental pollutants. Despite decades-long research efforts, the remediation of water contaminated by Cd has remained a significant challenge. A novel carbon material, pinecone biochar, was previously hypothesized to be a promising adsorbent for Cd, while so far, it has received little attention. This study evaluated the sorption capacity of pinecone biochar through isotherm experiments. Based on Langmuir model, the adsorption maximum for Cd(II) was up to 92.7 mg g−1. The mechanism of Cd(II) adsorption on pinecone biochar was also explored through both thermodynamic and kinetics adsorption experiments, as well as both solution and solid-phase microstructure characterization. The solid-solution partitioning behaviour of Cd(II) fitted best with the Tόth model while the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order rate, suggesting that the Cd(II) adsorption on the pinecone biochar was mainly a chemisorption process. Microstructure characteristics and mechanism analysis further suggested that coprecipitation and surface complexation were the main mechanisms of Cd adsorption by biochar. Coprecipitation occurred mainly through the forms of Cd(OH)2 and CdCO3. Our results demonstrated that pinecone biochar was an efficient adsorbent which holds a huge potential for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solution.

A recent outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection has spread rapidly around the globe, with cases now confirmed in 130 countries worldwide. Although public health authorities are racing to contain the spread of COVID-19 around the world, the situation is still grim. About 158 111 confirmed cases and 5946 cumulative deaths (81 059 confirmed cases and 3204 cumulative deaths from China) have been reported around the globe as of March 15, 2020. Some clinical cases have found that some carriers of the virus may be asymptomatic, with no fever, and no, or only slight symptoms of infection. Without the ability to screen these asymptomatic patients quickly and effectively, these unsuspecting carriers have the potential to increase the risk of disease transmission if no early effective quarantine measures are implemented. Therefore, to trace unknown COVID-19 sources, fast and accurate screening of potential virus carriers and diagnosis of asymptomatic patients is a crucial step for intervention and prevention at the early stage.

This review highlights arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) sources in the environment, their uptake in the soil-plant system, interactions between these metals and the associated toxicity in major biological compartments, which may assist in addressing the hazardous impacts associated with As and Se contamination. The interaction between As and Se is a critical factor for a detailed systematic understanding of the transportation, environmental fate, and associated toxicological effects of these metalloids in plants, animals, and humans. Arsenic and Se induce cytotoxicity and genotoxicity through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared to arsenite (AsIII), methylated arsenicals, including methylarsonous acid (MAsIII) and dimethylarsinous acids (DMAsIII), exhibit more cytotoxic and genotoxic potential to inhibit more potent enzymes and activate the protein AP˗1, which is a critical marker of genetic stability. Methylated AsIII and its associated metabolites are well-known potential carcinogens that induce toxicity by blocking Se metabolism pathway. The imbalance of Se compounds can lead to the generation of ROS, which can inhibit or decrease genomic stability. The As and Se nexus also affect cellular signaling through activation of transcription factors such as NFκB and AP-1.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) was applied for the first time in seven cities across Europe with the aim of estimating quinolones consumption via the analysis of human urinary metabolites in wastewater. This report is also the first pan-European study focussed on the enantiomeric profiling of chiral quinolones in wastewater. By considering loads of (fluoro)quinolones in wastewater within the context of human stereoselective metabolism, we identified cities in Southern Europe characterised by both high usage and direct disposal of unused ofloxacin. In Northern European cities, S-(-)-ofloxacin loads were predominant with respect to R-(+)-ofloxacin. Much more potent, enantiomerically pure S-(-)-ofloxacin was detected in wastewaters from Southern European cities, reflecting consumption of the enantiomerically pure antibiotic. Nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and lomefloxacin were detected in wastewater even though they were not prescribed according to official prescription data. S,S-(-)-moxifloxacin and S,S-(-)-moxifloxacin-N-sulphate were detected in wastewater due to metabolism of moxifloxacin. For the first time, average population-normalised ulifloxacin loads of 22.3 and 1.5 mg day−1 1000 people−1 were reported for Milan and Castellón as a result of prulifloxacin metabolism. Enrichment of flumequine with first-eluting enantiomer in all the samples indicated animal metabolism rather than its direct disposal. Fluoroquinolone loads were compared with qnrS gene encoding quinolone resistance to correlate usage of fluoroquinolone and prevalence of resistance. The highest daily loads of the qnrS gene in Milan corresponded with the highest total quinolone load in Milan proving the hypothesis that higher usage of quinolones is linked with higher prevalence of quinolone resistance genes. Utrecht, with the lowest quinolones usage (low daily loads) had also one of the lowest daily loads of the qnrS gene. However, a similar trend was not observed in Oslo nor Bristol where higher qnrS gene loads were observed despite low quinolone usage.

Heavy metal/metalloids (HMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil have caused serious environmental problems, compromised agriculture quality, and have detrimental effects on all forms of life including humans. There is a need to develop appropriate and effective remediation methods to resolve combined contaminated problems. Although conventional technologies exist to tackle contaminated soils, application of biochar as an effective renewable adsorbent for enhanced bioremediation is considered by many scientific researchers as a promising strategy to mitigate HM/PAH co-contaminated soils. This review aims to: (i) provide an overview of biochar preparation and its application, and (ii) critically discuss and examine the prospects of (bio)engineered biochar for enhancing HMs/PAHs co-remediation efficacy by reducing their mobility and bioavailability. The adsorption effectiveness of a biochar largely depends on the type of biomass material, carbonisation method and pyrolysis conditions. Biochar induced soil immobilise and remove metal ions via various mechanisms including electrostatic attractions, ion exchange, complexation and precipitation. PAHs remediation mechanisms are achieved via pore filling, hydrophobic effect, electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bond and partitioning. During last decade, biochar engineering (modification) via biological and chemical approaches to enhance contaminant removal efficiency has garnered greater interests. Hence, the development and application of (bio)engineered biochars in risk management, contaminant management associated with HM/PAH co-contaminated soil. In terms of (bio)engineered biochar, we review the prospects of amalgamating biochar with hydrogel, digestate and bioaugmentation to produce biochar composites.

Human biomonitoring, i.e. the determination of chemicals and/or their metabolites in human specimens, is the most common and potent tool for assessing human exposure to pesticides, but it suffers from limitations such as high costs and biases in sampling. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an innovative approach based on the chemical analysis of specific human metabolic excretion products (biomarkers) in wastewater, and provides objective and real-time information on xenobiotics directly or indirectly ingested by a population. This study applied the WBE approach for the first time to evaluate human exposure to pesticides in eight cities across Europe. 24 h-composite wastewater samples were collected from the main wastewater treatment plants and analyzed for urinary metabolites of three classes of pesticides, namely triazines, organophosphates and pyrethroids, by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The mass loads (mg/day/1000 inhabitants) were highest for organophosphates and lowest for triazines. Different patterns were observed among the cities and for the various classes of pesticides. Population weighted loads of specific biomarkers indicated higher exposure in Castellon, Milan, Copenhagen and Bristol for pyrethroids, and in Castellon, Bristol and Zurich for organophosphates. The lowest mass loads (mg/day/1000 inhabitants) were found in Utrecht and Oslo. These results were in agreement with several national statistics related to pesticides exposure such as pesticides sales. The daily intake of pyrethroids was estimated in each city and it was found to exceed the acceptable daily intake (ADI) only in one city (Castellon, Spain). This was the first large-scale application of WBE to monitor population exposure to pesticides. The results indicated that WBE can give new information about the "average exposure" of the population to pesticides, and is a useful complementary biomonitoring tool to study population-wide exposure to pesticides. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The information obtained from the chemical analysis of specific human excretion products (biomarkers) in urban wastewater can be used to estimate the exposure or consumption of the population under investigation to a defined substance. A proper biomarker can provide relevant information about lifestyle habits, health and wellbeing, but its selection is not an easy task as it should fulfil several specific requirements in order to be successfully employed. This paper aims to summarize the current knowledge related to the most relevant biomarkers used so far. In addition, some potential wastewater biomarkers that could be used for future applications were evaluated. For this purpose, representative chemical classes have been chosen and grouped in four main categories: (i) those that provide estimates of lifestyle factors and substance use, (ii) those used to estimate the exposure to toxicants present in the environment and food, (iii) those that have the potential to provide information about public health and illness and (iv) those used to estimate the population size. To facilitate the evaluation of the eligibility of a compound as a biomarker, information, when available, on stability in urine and wastewater and pharmacokinetic data (i.e. metabolism and urinary excretion profile) has been reviewed. Finally, several needs and recommendations for future research are proposed. This work was supported by the COST Action ES1307 “SCORE – Sewage biomarker analysis for community health assessment”. Emma Gracia-Lor is very grateful to Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport (APOSTD/2015, Programa VALi + d) for her post-doctoral contract. Lubertus Bijlsma acknowledges NPS-Euronet (HOME/2014/JDRUG/AG/DRUG/7086), co-funded by the European Union, for his post-doctoral fellowship. Erika Castrignanò, Richard Bade, Juliet Kinyua, Pedram Ramin, Nikolaos I. Rousis, Yeonsuk Ryu would like to thank the SEWPROF MC ITN project, ‘A new paradigm in drug use and human health risk assessment: Sewage profiling at the community level’ [grant agreement 317205] supported by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration for the financial support. Iria González-Mariño extends her gratitude to the Galician Council of Culture, Education and Universities for her postdoctoral contract (Plan Galego de Investigación, Innovación e Crecemento 2011–2015). Foon Yin Lai acknowledges her postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Antwerp. Luigi Lopardo, Axel Rydevik and Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern would like to acknowledge Leverhulme Trust for funding ‘TOX-EDC, Wastewater profiling for community-wide human exposure assessment from environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals in personal care and consumer products’ (Project No: RPG-2013-297). Frederic Been would like to thank the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF, P2LAP2_164892) for his post-doctoral grant. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Viruses are omnipresent and persistent in wastewater, which poses a risk to human health. In this review, we summarise the different qualitative and quantitative methods for virus analysis in wastewater and systematically discuss the spatial distribution and temporal patterns of various viruses (i.e., enteric viruses, Caliciviridae (Noroviruses (NoVs)), Picornaviridae (Enteroviruses (EVs)), Hepatitis A virus (HAV)), and Adenoviridae (Adenoviruses (AdVs))) in wastewater systems. Then we critically review recent SARS-CoV-2 studies to understand the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through wastewater surveillance. SARS-CoV-2 genetic material has been detected in wastewater from France, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Japan, Spain, Turkey, India, Pakistan, China, and the USA. We then discuss the utility of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to estimate the occurrence, distribution, and genetic diversity of these viruses and generate human health risk assessment. Finally, we not only promote the prevention of viral infectious disease transmission through wastewater but also highlight the potential use of WBE as an early warning system for public health assessment., Graphical Abstract ga1

Rice is the leading staple food for more than half of the world’s population, and approximately 160 million hectares of agricultural area worldwide are under rice cultivation. Therefore, it is essential to fulfil the global demand for rice while maintaining food safety. Rice acts as a sink for potentially toxic metals such as arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr) in paddy soil-rice systems due to the natural and anthropogenic sources of these metals that have developed in the last few decades. This review summarizes the sources and basic chemical behaviours of these trace elements in the soil system and their contamination status, uptake, translocation, and accumulation mechanisms in paddy soil-rice systems in major rice-growing countries. Several human health threats are significantly associated with these toxic and potentially toxic metals not only due to their presence in the environment (i.e., the soil, water, and air) but also due to the uptake and translocation of these metals via different transporters. Elevated concentrations of these metals are toxic to plants, animals, and even humans that consume them regularly, and the uniform deposition of metals causes a severe risk of bioaccumulation. Furthermore, the contamination of rice in the global rice trade makes this a critical problem of worldwide concern. Therefore, the global consumption of contaminated rice causes severe human health effects that require rapid action. Finally, this review also summarizes the available management/remediation measures and future research directions for addressing this critical issue.

Caffeine metabolites in wastewater were investigated as potential biomarkers for assessing caffeine intake in a population. The main human urinary metabolites of caffeine were measured in the urban wastewater of ten European cities and the metabolic profiles in wastewater were compared with the human urinary excretion profile. A good match was found for 1,7-dimethyluric acid, an exclusive caffeine metabolite, suggesting that might be a suitable biomarker in wastewater for assessing population-level caffeine consumption. A correction factor was developed considering the percentage of excretion of this metabolite in humans, according to published pharmacokinetic studies. Daily caffeine intake estimated from wastewater analysis was compared with the average daily intake calculated from the average amount of coffee consumed by country per capita. Good agreement was found in some cities but further information is needed to standardize this approach. Wastewater analysis proved useful to providing additional local information on caffeine use. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.