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Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) is an invasive C4 perennial grass species that substantially reduces native plant diversity of the Sonoran Desert through fire promotion and resource competition. Broad-spectrum herbicides are essentially used for its control, but they have a negative environmental and ecological impact. Recently, phytotoxicity on C. ciliaris has been discovered for two metabolites produced in vitro by the phytopathogenic fungi Cochliobolus australiensis and Pyricularia grisea. They were identified as (10S,11S)-(—)-epi-pyriculol and radicinin and resulted in being potential candidates for the development of bioherbicides for buffelgrass biocontrol. They have already shown promising results, but their ecotoxicological profiles and degradability have been poorly investigated. In this study, ecotoxicological tests against representative organisms from aquatic ecosystems (Aliivibrio fischeri bacterium, Raphidocelis subcapitata alga, and Daphnia magna crustacean) revealed relatively low toxicity for these compounds, supporting further studies for their practical application. The stability of these metabolites in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 8692:2012 culture medium under different temperatures and light conditions was also evaluated, revealing that 98.90% of radicinin degraded after 3 days in sunlight. Significant degradation percentages (59.51–73.82%) were also obtained at room temperature, 30 °C or under ultraviolet (254 nm) light exposure. On the other hand, (10S,11S)-epi-pyriculol showed more stability under all the aforementioned conditions (49.26–65.32%). The sunlight treatment was also shown to be most effective for the degradation of this metabolite. These results suggest that radicinin could provide rapid degradability when used in agrochemical formulations, whereas (10S,11S)-epi-pyriculol stands as a notably more stable compound.

Among various forms of anthropogenic pollution, the release of toxic metals in the environment is a global concern due to the high toxicity of these metals towards living organisms. In the last 20 years, sediment washing has gained increasing attention thanks to its capability to remove toxic metals from contaminated matrices. In this paper, we propose a Response Surface Methodology method for the washing of selected marine sediments of the Bagnoli-Coroglio Bay (Campania region, Italy) polluted with arsenic and other contaminants. We focused our attention on different factors affecting the clean-up performance (i.e., liquid/solid ratio, chelating concentration, and reaction time). The highest As removal efficiency (i.e., >30 μg/g) was obtained at a liquid/solid ratio of 10:1 (v/w), a citric acid concentration of 1000 mM, and a washing time of 94.22 h. Based on these optimum results, ecotoxicological tests were performed and evaluated in two marine model species (i.e., Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Aliivibrio fischeri), which were exposed to the washing solutions. Reduced inhibition of the model species was observed after nutrient addition. Overall, this study provides an effective tool to quickly assess the optimum operating conditions to be set during the washing procedures of a broad range of marine sediments with similar physicochemical properties (i.e., grain size and type of pollution).

The present study was aimed at identifying geospatial patterns of pollutants including concentrations and toxicity as complex environmental mixtures, in topsoil samples close to petrochemical facilities in the heavily industrialized area of Augusta and Priolo in south-eastern Sicily (Italy). Elemental analysis of soil was conducted by ICP-MS for 23 metals and 16 rare earth elements (REEs). Organic analyses were primarily focused on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (16 parent homologs) and total aliphatic hydrocarbons (C10 – C40). Topsoil samples were tested for toxicity in multiple bioassay models including: 1) developmental defects and cytogenetic anomalies in sea urchin Sphaerechinus granularis early life stages ; 2) growth inhibition of diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum ; 3) mortality in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ; and 4) induction of mitotic abnormalities in onion Allium cepa. Samples collected at sites closest to defined petrochemical facilities were highest in select pollutants and correlated with biological effects in different toxicity endpoints. A noteworthy finding was the increased level of total REEs in sites closest to petrochemical facilities, suggesting their contributions to identifying petrochemical sources of pollutants to the environment. The combined data obtained in the different bioassays allowed exploration of geospatial patterns of effect in biota as a function of contaminant levels. In conclusion, this study provides consistent data of soil toxicity, metal and REE contamination at Augusta- Priolo sampling sites, and may provide an appropriate baseline for epidemiological studies on high incidences of congenital birth defects in the area and identification of at-risk localities.

Background Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are highly exploited in manufacturing and medical processes in a broad spectrum of industrial applications and in the academic sectors. Several studies have suggested that many metallic nanomaterials including those derived by silver (Ag) are entering the ecosystem to cause significant toxic consequences in cell culture and animal models. However, ecotoxicity studies are still receiving limited attention when designing functionalized and non.-functionalized AgNPs. Objective This study aimed to investigate different ecotoxicological profiles of AgNPs, which were analyzed in two different states: in pristine form uncoated AgNPs and coated AgNPs with the antimicrobial peptide indolicidin. These two types of AgNPs are exploited for a set of different tests using Daphnia magna and Raphidocelis subcapitata, which are representatives of two different levels of the aquatic trophic chain, and seeds of Lepidium sativum, Cucumis sativus and Lactuca sativa. Results Ecotoxicological studies showed that the most sensitive organism to AgNPs was crustacean D. magna, followed by R. subcapitata and plant seeds, while AgNPs coated with indolicidin (IndAgNPs) showed a dose-dependent decreased toxicity for all three. Conclusion The obtained results demonstrate that high ecotoxicity induced by AgNPs is strongly dependent on the surface chemistry, thus the presence of the antimicrobial peptide. This finding opens new avenues to design and fabricate the next generation of metallic nanoparticles to ensure the biosafety and risk of using engineered nanoparticles in consumer products.

Rare earth elements (REEs) are recognized as emerging contaminants with implications in human and environmental health. Apart from their adverse effects, REEs have been reported as having positive effects when amended to fertilizers and livestock feed additives, thus suggesting a hormetic trend, implying a concentration-related shift from stimulation to inhibition and toxicity, with analogous trends that have been assessed for a number of xenobiotics. In view of optimizing the success of REE mixtures in stimulating crop yield and/or livestock growth or egg production, one should foresee the comparative concentration-related effects of individual REEs (e.g., Ce and La) vs. their mixtures, which may display distinct trends. The results might prompt further explorations on the use of REE mixtures vs. single REEs aimed at optimizing the preparation of fertilizers and feed additives, in view of the potential recognition of their use in agronomy and zootechny., Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II within the CRUI-CARE Agreement, Open access funding provided by Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II within the CRUI-CARE Agreement.

The intensive human activities extensively contaminated water sources making its treatment a problem of paramount importance, especially with the increasing of global population and water scarcity. The application of natural coagulants has become a promising and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional ones. This study was aimed at evaluating the efficiency of four plant extracts namely Agave americana, Carpobrotus acinaciformis, Austrocylindropuntia subulate, and Senicio anteuphorbium as natural coagulants to remove Microcystis aeruginosa cyanobacterium from water. The effects of pH (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9, and 10) and coagulant dose (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mg/L) on the coagulation efficiency were investigated. Results showed that plant-based extracts exhibited high coagulant abilities significantly contributing to the removal of M.aeruginosa cells up to 80% on a case-by-case basis. The ecotoxicity (Daphnia magna, Aliivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, and Sorghum saccharatum) was absent or presented very slight acute toxicity up to 12.5mg/L being S.anteuphorbium the least toxic. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Nature-based plant extracts showed removal rates up to 80%. Lower pH and A.subulate and S.anteuphorbium were the most efficient coagulants Toxicity effects were plant extracts-based and dose function. A.subulate and S.anteuphorbium were the least toxic extracts.

8 Nanomaterials have revolutionized many scientific fields and are widely applied to address environmental problems and to 9 develop novel health care strategies. However, their mechanism of action is still poorly understood. Several nanomaterials 10 for medical applications are based on quantum dots (QDs). Despite their amazing physico-chemical properties, quantum dots 11 display significant adverse effects. In the present study, the effects of QDs on the motor nervous system of nematodes 12 Caenorhabditis elegans have been investigated as a non-mammalian alternative model. We also explored the possibility of 13 modifying the toxicity of QDs by coating with a cell-penetrating peptide gH625 and thus we analysed the effects determined 14 by QDs-gH625 complexes on the nematodes. With this work, we have demonstrated, by in vivo experiments, that the 15 peptide gH625 is able to reduce the side effects of metallic nanoparticle making them more suitable for medical applications.

Antihypertensive drugs are among the most prescribed drugs. Olmesartan acid, of the sartan class, belongs to a relatively new generation of antihypertensive drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers. There are very few studies on the presence and fate of sartans in the environment, despite them being marketed in huge quantities, metabolized in low percentages, and detected in wastewater and water bodies. This paper presents a study on the less abundant and more polar fractions that have been neglected in previous studies, which led to the isolation by chromatographic methods of thirteen degradation byproducts (DPs), six of which are new, identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. A mechanism of degradation from the parent drug was proposed. The ecotoxicity of olmesartan acid and identified compounds was evaluated in Aliivibrio fischeri bacteria and Raphidocelis subcapitata algae to assess acute and chronic toxicity. For 75% of the DPs, acute and chronic exposure to the compounds, at concentrations of 5 mg/L, inhibited population growth in the algae and decreased bioluminescence in the bacteria.

We assessed whether soil with high Cr contamination could be reclaimed by alkali, mineral, and organic acid-based ligands (OABLs) washing. We tested HNO3, H2SO4, HCl, NaOH, H2O2, lactic acid (LA), malic acid (MA), oxalic acid (OA), and citric acid (CA), together with EDTA, obtaining the highest efficiencies in presence of 1 M sulfuric acid (98%). Nonetheless we noted that using OABLs, we obtained a Cr(III) removal efficiency similar to the one obtained using mineral acids. Indeed 1 M of LA and MA and 0.8 M of OA allowed obtaining, respectively, 88%, 75%, and 67% removal percentage. The extraction process with OABLs was strongly dependent on intraparticle diffusion of Cr-LA, Cr-MA, and Cr-OA complexes. We also determined the apparent diffusion coefficients. Residual toxicity of treated soils was tested with the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. The OABL washing generally allowed getting a soil without Cr and with reduced toxicity. However, the washing process also removed other cations that acted as nutrients. Consequently, we conducted toxicity tests on enriched soil and found that the mortality index improved. In some cases (LA and MA), mortality was comparable to that observed with uncontaminated control samples. In contrast, when contaminated soils were washed with sulfuric acid, in all conditions, we observed significant ecotoxicity. Therefore, we concluded that only the OABL treatment provided a non-toxic soil that could be reused for anthropic activities.

Nonylphenol ethoxylated (NPEOs) nonionic surfactants have been increasingly used in different industrial, commercial and domestic applications. Unfortunately, they are classified as endocrine disrupting chemicals (and also considered as contaminants of emerging concern) having adverse effects on animal and human reproduction. The treatment of nonylphenol-decaethoxylated (NP-10) via H2O2/UV-C process at different reaction times (5, 10, 20, 40, 80 min) and H2O2 concentrations was investigated. After 80 min treatment the removal rates of NP-10 solution (initial concentration 100 mg/L) in deionized water were 88%, 97% and 98% for 10, 20 and 100 mg/L of H2O2 respectively. The same experimental conditions were applied to real wastewater spiked with 100 mg/L of NP-10 showing the following removal rates: 84%, 98% and 99%, respectively. The possible contribution of different radicals to NP-10 degradation by H2O2/UV-C treatment was investigated by evaluating the effect of different radical scavengers (namely NO3−, NaCl, Na2SO4, Na2CO3, KH2PO4 and phatalate). Toxicity data (Aliivibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata and Daphnia magna) on treated solutions and wastewater highlighted the presence of residual toxicity in all samples evidencing that no complete mineralization occurred.

Soil pollution and toxicity have been investigated in the Gardanne area (southern France) at a range of sites around a recognized pollution source, a bauxite processing plant (BPP), and a power plant (PP). Soil samples were submitted to inorganic and organic analyses and tested for toxicity in two invertebrate models. Inorganic analysis was based on determining elemental concentrations by ICP-MS, encompassing a total of 26 elements including 13 rare earth elements (REEs), of the soil samples and their leachates after 24 or 48 h in seawater. Organic analyses were performed by measuring the sums of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and of total hydrocarbons (C-10 to C-40). Bioassays were carried out on the early life stages of three sea urchin species (Arbacia lixula, Paracentrotus lividus and Sphaerechinus granularis), and on a nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans). Sea urchin bioassays were evaluated by the effects of soil samples (0.1–0.5% dry wt/vol) on developing embryos and on sperm, and scored as: a) % developmental defects, b) inhibition of sperm fertilization success and offspring damage, and c) frequencies of mitotic aberrations. C. elegans 24 h-mortality assay showed significant toxicity associated with soil samples. The effects of soil samples showed heightened toxicity at two groups of sites, close to the BPP main entrance and around the PP, which was consistent with the highest concentrations found for metals and PAHs, respectively. Total hydrocarbon concentrations displayed high concentrations both close to BPP main entrance and to the PP. Further studies of the health effects of such materials in Gardanne are warranted.

The organic fraction of municipal solid waste is commonly handled via biological processes, which enable the production of materials with potential fertilizer properties. When the biological process occurs under anaerobic conditions, the recovery of energy from biogas is also obtained. However, the sustainable recovery of organic solid waste implies the effective utilization of the biological treatment products, namely compost and digestate, which is often limited by the presence of organic contaminants. They enter the biological processes along with the organic waste and, due to their recalcitrance to the biodegradation, end up in either compost or digestate, posing the issue of their safe use on soil. The present study proposes ozonation as a possible strategy to reduce the presence of organic contaminants in the digestate originating from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. In this view, digestate samples were collected from full-scale reactors operated at hydraulic retention time of 11 and 41 days and ozonated at 0.11 and 0.16 gO3/gTS. Experimental results, including the evaluation of the eco-toxicological potential of differently treated substrates, showed that the integration of ozone and anaerobic digestion can be pursued for the sustainable recovery of organic solid waste, but the identification of the combined process lay-out requires the evaluation of the digestate biological stabilization level.

This work illustrates a new role for the membranotropic peptide gH625 and its derivative gH625-GCGKKK in impairing formation of polymicrobial biofilms. Mixed biofilms composed of Candida and bacterial species cause frequently infections and failure of medical silicone devices and also show a major drug resistance than single-species biofilms. Inhibition and eradication of biofilms were evaluated by complementary methods: XTT-reduction, and crystal violet staining (CV). Our results indicate that gH625-GCGKKKK, better than the native peptide, strongly inhibited formation of mixed biofilms of clinical isolates of C. tropicalis/S. marcescens and C. tropicalis/S. aureus and reduced the biofilm architecture, interfering with cell adhesion and polymeric matrix, as well as eradicated the long-term polymicrobial biofilms on silicone surface.

The removal of contaminants of emerging concern from urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) remains a challenge to promote safe wastewater reuse practices. Macrolides are the most abundant antibiotics detected in untreated wastewater and their concentration in WWTPs effluents is only partially reduced by conventional treatments. Among several advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), photocatalysis has demonstrated the capability to effectively remove pharmaceuticals from different aqueous matrices. Recently, ZnO has emerged as an efficient, promising, and less expensive alternative to TiO2, due to its photocatalytic capability and attitude to exploit better the solar spectrum than TiO2. In this study, the behaviors of ZnO photocatalysis were evaluated using a representative macrolide antibiotic, spiramycin (SPY), in aqueous solutions and urban wastewater. After 80 min of photocatalysis, 95–99% removal of SPY was achieved at 1 g L−1 ZnO concentrations in aqueous solutions and wastewater, respectively. After treatment, the effluent toxicity, evaluated using the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata, and the crustacean Daphnia magna ranged between slight acute and high acute hazard. Filterable and ultrafilterable Zn concentrations were quantified in treated effluents and shown to be high enough to contribute to the observed toxicity.

Significant release of rare earth elements (REEs) into the environment is mainly due to active or abandoned mining sites, but their presence is globally increasing due to their use in several industrial sectors. The effects on primary producers as Raphidocelis subcapitata are still limited. This research focused on La and Ce as the two most widespread REEs that can be currently found up to hundreds of μg/L in water and wastewater. Microalgae were exposed to La and Ce for 3 days (pH = 7.8) (short-term exposure) to derive the effective concentrations inhibiting the growth on 10% (EC10) of the exposed population. EC10 values (0.5 mg/L of La and 0.4 mg/L of Ce) were used for the 28 days long-term exposure (renewal test) to observe after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days on a multi-endpoint basis microalgae growth inhibition (GI), biomarkers of stress (reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT)), and bioconcentration. Results evidenced that La and Ce EC10 increased GI (day 28) up to 38% and 28%, respectively. ROS, CAT, and SOD activities showed differential responses from day 7 to day 14, 21, and 28, suggesting, in most of the cases, that La and Ce effects were counteracted (i.e., being the values at day 28 not significantly different, p > 0.05, from the relative negative controls), except for La-related ROS activities. La and Ce significantly bioconcentrated in microalgae populations up to 2- and 5-fold (i.e., at day 28 compared to day 7), in that order. Bioconcentrated La and Ce were up to 3157 and 1232 μg/g dry weight (day 28), respectively. These results suggested that low La and Ce concentrations can be slightly toxic to R. subcapitata having the potential to be bioaccumulated and potentially transferred along the food web.

The purpose of the present work is to provide a complete overview of possible direct/indirect implications on the quality of aquatic compartments due to the recent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. With this aim, the environmental impacts are mainly related to i) the virus persistence in sewage and wastewaters, and ii) possible fate in aquatic compartments of drugs tested and administered to SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Because SARS-CoV-2 spread is very recent, and there is a lack of specific studies on this strain, the virus persistence in wastewaters, the parameters influencing the persistence, as well as the detection methodologies are referenced to the general coronaviruses group. However, the present detailed report of up-to-date knowledge on this topic can provide a useful source for further studies focusing on more deepened investigations of SARS-CoV-2 behaviour in the environment. Such a perspective is significant not only for the control of virus diffusion but also represents a crucial point for the identification of produced alteration to the environmental quality., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Current COVID-19 spread has important implications on the aquatic compartments. • Coronavirus persistence in wastewater can lead to further infection diffusion route. • Drugs for COVID-19 therapy in wastewater can cause negative environmental impact.

Cigarette butts (CBs) are the most common litter item on Earth but no long-term studies evaluate their fate and ecological effects. Here, the role of nitrogen (N) availability and microbiome composition on CBs decomposition were investigated by a 5-years experiment carried out without soil, in park grassland and sand dune. During decomposition, CBs chemical changes was assessed by both 13C CPMAS NMR and LC-MS, physical structure by scanning electron microscope and ecotoxicity by Aliivibrio fischeri and Raphidocelis subcapitata. Microbiota was investigated by high-throughput sequencing of bacterial and eukaryotic rRNA gene markers. CBs followed a three-step decomposition process: at the early stage (∼30 days) CBs lost ∼15.2% of their mass. During the subsequent two years CBs decomposed very slowly, taking thereafter different trajectories depending on N availability and microbiome composition. Without soil CBs showed minor chemical and morphological changes. Over grassland soil a consistent N transfer occurs that, after de-acetylation, promote CBs transformation into an amorphous material rich in aliphatic compounds. In sand dune we found a rich fungal microbiota able to decompose CBs, even before the occurrence of de-acetylation. CBs ecotoxicity was highest immediately after smoking. However, for R. subcapitata toxicity remained high after two and five years of decomposition.

Recently, many studies highlighted the consistent finding of irbesartan in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in some rivers and lakes in both Europe and North America, suggesting that no N80% can be removed by specific treatments. The present investigation attempts to study the chemical fate of irbesartan in a simulated chlorination step, mimicking the conditions of a WWTP. A total of six disinfection by-products were identified, five were completely new, and separated on a C-18 column by employing a gradient HPLC method. Initially, a complete mass fragmentation pathway of the drug was established with the help of MS/ TOF, and subsequently, the disinfection by-products were subjected to MS/TOF mass studies to obtain their mass and fragment pattern. The MS results helped to assign tentative structures to the disinfection products, which were verified through 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The chemical structures of the new compounds have been justified by a proposed mechanism of formation. A preliminary ecotoxicity assessment with the crus- tacean Daphnia magna showed that some of the identified by-products were up to 12-times more toxic than irbesartan.

Biofilm formation poses an important clinical trouble due to resistance to antimicrobial agents; therefore, there is an urgent demand for new antibiofilm strategies that focus on the use of alternative compounds also in combination with conventional drugs. Drug-tolerant persisters are present in Candida albicans biofilms and are detected following treatment with high doses of amphotericin B. In this study, persisters were found in biofilms treated with amphotericin B of two clinical isolate strains, and were capable to form a new biofilm in situ. We investigated the possibility of eradicating persister-derived biofilms from these two Candida albicans strains, using the peptide gH625 analogue (gH625-M). Confocal microscopy studies allowed us to characterize the persister-derived biofilm and understand the mechanism of interaction of gH625-M with the biofilm. These findings confirm that persisters may be responsible for Candida biofilm survival, and prove that gH625-M was very effective in eradicating persister-derived biofilms both alone and in combination with conventional antifungals, mainly strengthening the antibiofilm activity of fluconazole and 5-flucytosine. Our strategy advances our insights into the development of effective antibiofilm therapeutic approaches.

A continuous flow photocatalytic packed-bed reactor irradiated by UV-LEDs was employed for the degradation of two toxic anionic azo dyes: Eriochrome Black-T (EBT) and Methyl Orange (MeO). Commercial anatase TiO2 in pellets form was used as packing material for the photoreactor. The experimental tests were carried out using both distilled and tap water as aqueous matrix for the two selected dyes. The influence of the liquid flow rate on the performances of the photocatalytic packed-bed reactor was investigated in the range 0.5–2.1 mL/min. Photocatalytic results showed that, under UV light, the system allows to achieve steady-state dyes concentration values without deactivation phenomena in 510 min irradiation time. Using distilled water, the highest efficiency of the process (EBT and MeO decolorization of about 100 % and 90 %, respectively) was observed with a liquid flow rate of 0.5 mL/min (contact time =6.6 min). In the presence of tap water and using the same contact time, the EBT decolourization was still total whereas MeO degradation was lower and equal to 70 %. For this reason, the photocatalytic reactor was followed by an adsorption unit based on the use of activated carbon. With such configuration, the complete MeO decolourization was achieved. The total removal of toxicity for EBT was achieved with just one packed-bed reactor being the toxicity of potential by-products not relevant. In the case of MeO, the full toxicity removal was obtained only after powdered activated carbon filtration.

Diclofenac (DCF) is the most widely prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in the world and it has been detected in drinking and surface waters. In this paper, the effect of chlorination process on DCF in aqueous solutions was investigated and the structures of 14 isolated degradation by-products (DPs), of which nine are new, have been determined from combining mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance data and justified by a proposed mechanism of formation beginning from the parent drug. Some degradation by-products show only one phenyl, others are dimers or trimers of the parental compound, which has undergone oxidative decarboxylation of the side chain and/or chlorination of this or one or both aromatic rings. Ecotoxicological bioassays evidenced the following sensitivities D. magna < R. subcapitata < A. fischeri. The isolated DPs (DP1−8, except for DP9) exhibited effects ≥ 50 % in the exposed microalgae and crustaceans showing toxicities mainly ranked from slight to acute.

Microalgae are considered good bioindicators of marine environmental quality. Frequently, they are used to investigate the toxicity of sediment elutriates, but their sensitivity is disputed. This paper compared the sensitivity of Phaeodactylum tricornutum (diatom), Skeletonema costatum (diatom), and Dunaliella tertiolecta (green alga), analyzing 257 samples of elutriates (1:4 sediment: water ratio), considering growth inhibition (72 h) as the reference endpoint and sediment chemical (metals, metalloids and polyaromatic hydrocarbons) and grain size. Results of the toxicity tests showed that the microalgae sensitivity was not correlated. The integration of chemical data did not allow to discriminate toxicity effects but contributed to highlight that D. tertiolecta was the most sensitive microalgae (no cell wall) followed by P. tricornutum and S. costatum. Further analysis, including lines of evidence and weight of evidence approaches to calculate risk quotients of elutriate samples, confirmed these results.

The effects of nitrates were analysed on the land snail Eobania vermiculata, a good bioindicator to assess the effects of certain pollutants in soil. It is known that the molluscs are very sensitive to contamination substances and can be used as sentinel organism for environmental pollution assessment. The nitrates are present in fertilizers and in food additives and their excess can not only be harmful to the environment but also dangerous for the humans. Indeed, in the mammals the nitrates are converted into nitrites and can cause a series of complications as the formation of methaemoglobin and cancers. In this study, adult organisms of E. vermiculata were exposed to soil containing 2000 mg/L of nitrates for 30 days to evaluate the stool microbiome and the histological changes at the level of the foot. Eggs of these snails were similarly treated to observe their hatching, survival and development. Histological changes were observed at level of the foot of adult snails exposed to nitrate and in their stools was evident an increase of bacteria, especially those that have a high ability to exploit nitrates and nitrogen as nutrients. Instead, the treated eggs showed changes in hatching, hypopigmentation of newborn snails and a decrease of their survival in time. The overall information obtained from these endpoints can provide important information regarding the quality of the environment. In addition, they also showed that the invertebrate organism E. vermiculata despite being a simple organism is very useful and efficient for ecotoxicological studies.

The aim of the present work is to demonstrate the practical importance of a multidisciplinary approach and weighted criteria to synthesize and integrate different typologies of data (or lines of evidence, LOEs), including chemical levels in marine sediments, their bioavailability to specific indicator species, ecotoxicological effects measured through subcellular biomarkers and batteries of bioassays, and potential impacts of pollution on local benthic communities. The area of Bagnoli (Gulf of Naples, Southern Italy) was selected as a model case-study, as it is a coastal area chronically impacted by massive industrial contamination (trace metals and hydrocarbons), and dismissed decades ago without any subsequent remediation or habitat restoration. The results of each LOE were elaborated to provide specific hazard indices before their overall integration in a weight of evidence (WOE) evaluation. Levels of some trace metals and PAHs revealed a severe contamination in the entire study area. Bioavailability of hydrocarbons was evident particularly for high molecular weight PAHs, which also caused significant variations of cellular biomarkers, such as cytochrome P450 metabolization in fish, lysosomal membrane destabilization in mussels, genotoxic effects both in fish and molluscs. The results of a battery of bioassays indicated less marked responses compared to those obtained from chemical and biomarkers analyses, with acute toxicity still present in sediments close to the source of contamination. The analysis of benthic assemblages showed limited evidence of impact in the whole area, indicating a good functioning of local ecosystems at chronic contamination. Overall, the results of this study confirm the need of combining chemical and biological data, the quantitative characterization of various typologies of hazard and the importance of assessing an integrated environmental WOE risk, to orientate specific and scientifically-supported management options in industrialized areas.

Raccolta atti del primoWorkshopsu caratteristiche tecniche ed impatto ambientale: Lineeguida e primi risultati di una ricerca multidisciplinare. Il progetto nasce da una collaborazione tra privati e mondo accademicoper lo sviluppo diECORCORE®. ECORCORE® è il nome commerciale di un composito ad uso navale,che si propone quale materiale sostitutivo ai compositi attualmente utilizzati in campo nautico. Il Documento fa una panoramica sull'attuale stato dell'arte riguardante i compositi,sulla pericolosità e non sostenibilità delle attuali tecnologie e processi che vedono come fibra dominante quella di vetro. Viene esposta la possibilità concreta di sostituire la fibra di vetro con fibre di natura organica, preferibilmente dalla filiera del riciclo,che presentano un fine vita certo ed un impatto ambientale decisamente più sostenibile.

Most studies investigating the toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) focused on the effect of size, whereas exposure concentration and duration remained poorly understood. In this study, the effect of acute and sub-acute exposures of ZnO NPs on Zn compartmentalization and biomarkers' expression were investigated in Rutilus rutilus caspicus (Caspian roach) considering various exposure scenarios: i) the assessment of the concentration-response curves and median lethal concentration (LC50); ii) the assessment of the effects of organisms exposed at LC50 value and one tenth of LC50 value of ZnO NPs suspensions for 4 d and 28 d, respectively; iii) the assessment of 14 d depuration period. The same concentrations of ZnSO4 were investigated. The highest Zn accumulation was detected in gill after sub-acute exposure (4.8 mg/L; 28 d) followed by liver, kidney and muscle. In gill, liver and muscle, Zn from Zn NPs accumulated higher concentrations. Depuration (14 d) decreased Zn content in each organ, but no complete removal occurred except for muscle. Biomarkers' activity was significantly over expressed after treatments, but depuration brought back their values to background levels and most effects were related to acute concentrations (48 mg/L; 4 d) and in presence of ZnSO4. Histopathological analyses showed that the exposure to ZnO NPs increased lesions in gill, liver and kidney, with a direct proportionality between alterations and Zn accumulated in the target organs. After depuration, lesions regressed for both ZnO NPs and ZnSO4, but not in a complete way. These data could contribute to increase the knowledge about ZnO NPs risk assessment in aquatic vertebrates, suggesting that the size of ZnO NPs can influence biomarker and histopathological effects.