EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

Funding Information: The authors would like to thank everybody who contributed to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies: the participating children, teenagers, adults and their families, the fieldworkers that collected the samples and database managers that made the information available to HBM4EU, the HBM4EU project partners, especially those from WP7 for developing all materials supporting the fieldwork, WP9 for organizing the QA/QC scheme under HBM4EU and all laboratories who performed the analytical measurements. We would like to acknowledge Sun Kyoung Jung from the National Institute of Environmental Research of South-Korea for providing the KoNEHS Cycle III results (crt adjusted). HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032). The authors thank all principal investigators of the contributing studies for their participation and contribution to the HBM4EU Aligned Studies and the national program owners for their financial support. Further details on funding for all the participating studies can be found in the Supplemental Material, Table S12.As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants of three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6–12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12–18 years and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20–39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11–12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability and will give leverage to national policy makers for the implementation of targeted measures.publishersversionpublishe

Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

HBM4EU is co-financed under Horizon 2020 (grant agreement No 733032).As one of the core elements of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey was conducted in 23 countries to generate EU-wide comparable HBM data. This survey has built on existing HBM capacity in Europe by aligning national or regional HBM studies, referred to as the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies included a total of 10,795 participants from three age groups: (i) 3,576 children aged 6-12 years, (ii) 3,117 teenagers aged 12-18 years, and (iii) 4,102 young adults aged 20-39 years. The participants were recruited between 2014 and 2021 in 11-12 countries per age group, geographically distributed across Europe. Depending on the age group, internal exposure to phthalates and the substitute DINCH, halogenated and organophosphorus flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), cadmium, bisphenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic species, acrylamide, mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol (total DON)), benzophenones and selected pesticides was assessed by measuring substance specific biomarkers subjected to stringent quality control programs for chemical analysis. For substance groups analyzed in different age groups higher average exposure levels were observed in the youngest age group, i.e., phthalates/DINCH in children versus teenagers, acrylamide and pesticides in children versus adults, and benzophenones in teenagers versus adults. Many biomarkers in teenagers and adults varied significantly according to educational attainment, with higher exposure levels of bisphenols, phthalates, benzophenones, PAHs, and acrylamide in participants (from households) with lower educational attainment, while teenagers from households with higher educational attainment have higher exposure levels for PFASs and arsenic. In children, a social gradient was only observed for the non-specific pyrethroid metabolite 3-PBA and di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP), with higher levels in children from households with higher educational attainment. Geographical variations were seen for all exposure biomarkers. For 15 biomarkers, the available health-based HBM guidance values were exceeded with the highest exceedance rates for toxicologically relevant arsenic in teenagers (40%), 3-PBA in children (36%), and between 11 and 14% for total DON, Σ (PFOA + PFNA + PFHxS + PFOS), bisphenol S and cadmium. The infrastructure and harmonized approach succeeded in obtaining comparable European-wide internal exposure data for a prioritized set of 11 chemical groups. These data serve as a reference for comparison at the global level, provide a baseline to compare the efficacy of the European Commission's chemical strategy for sustainability, and will give leverage to national policymakers for the implementation of targeted measures.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Toxicity Assessment and Treatment Options of Diclofenac and Triclosan Dissolved in Water

The presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products in water is increasing tremendously nowadays. Typical representatives are diclofenac (DCF) and triclosan (TCS). Acute toxicity of these substances was experimentally assessed using the freshwater algae Raphidocelis subcapitata (living, immobilized). The IC50 achieved for R. subcapitata was 177.7–189.1 mg·L−1 for DCF and 5.4–17.2 µg·L−1 for TCS, whereas, regarding DCF, the results corresponded to the values observed by other authors. Concerning TCS, the results were lower than predicted and indicated TCSs’ higher toxicity. The immobilized R. subcapitata showed comparable results with its living culture for DCF only. Regarding K2Cr2O7 and TCS, the immobilized alga was more sensitive. The DCF and TCF removal from water was tested by sorption, photocatalytic and photolytic processes. TiO2 was used as a photocatalyst. Norit and SuperSorbon were used as sorbents based on activated charcoal. The DCF decomposition achieved by both photo-processes was very fast. The starting concentration fell below the detection limit in less than one minute, while bioluminescence on Aliivibrio fischeri showed no toxic intermediates formed only in the case of photocatalysis. DCF and TCS removals by sorption were significantly faster on Norit than SuperSorbon, while the bioluminescence inhibition remained insignificant

A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Operational Phases of Three Selected Microalgal Cultivation Systems

In recent years, microalgal biomass cultivation has been growing in importance, not only related to the production of alternative foods and nutritional supplements but also for its usage for energy purposes or as a natural solution for wastewater treatment. Regarding these cases, the practical potential associated with the circular economy is evident. However, this is not an option for microalgal food and supplements due to strict hygiene requirements for microalgae cultivation used for these purposes. Currently, the most common cultivation options for microalgae include phototrophic cascades, photobioreactors, and heterotrophic fermenters. Generally, the higher requirements for the purity of the resulting biomass, the higher the consumption of energy and nutrients needed. These are the main operational parameters that significantly shape the total environmental and economic performance of microalgae cultivation processes. The comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of environmental aspects in the operational phases of three selected cultivation systems, located in the Czech Republic and used for pure microalgae biomass production, confirmed that the impacts of these systems in the assessed categories are fundamentally dependent on the amount of electricity needed and nutrient consumption, as well as their sources. For this reason, the heterotrophic fermenter was evaluated as being the most damaging in the comparison of the three cultivation systems, while the phototrophic cascade showed a lower total environmental impact by 15% and the flat photobioreactor was lower still, by 95%, mainly due to energy production from biomass. The major impact categories observed were climate change, depletion of fossil fuels, human toxicity, and freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. The environmental impacts of microalgae cultivation systems could be further reduced if cycling practices, such as process water recycling and reprocessing of generated sewage sludge, were addressed

A Comparative LCA of Aeroponic, Hydroponic, and Soil Cultivations of Bioactive Substance Producing Plants

Sustainable agriculture is currently trendy. It is supported not only for the urban environment but also as an innovation of conventional practices in order to increase the efficiency and quality of agricultural production. This study presents the results achieved within selected soil-less (hydroponic and aeroponic) systems. Then, it compares them, using the tool of comparative life cycle assessment (LCA), with the results of soil cultivation. The attention is directed towards biomass production and the content of bioactive substances, which can compensate for higher operating costs of soil-less cultivation systems. Coffea arabica has shown a significant increase of caffeine and theobromine contents, both in leaves and roots, as well as higher biomass yield during the aeroponic cultivation. On the contrary, Senecio bicolor evinced the results of a considerably increased growth in the hydroponic system, with no higher contents of alkaloid or flavonoids, except for the rutin concentration. The LCA results of the compared soil and soil-less systems showed that the consumption of fertilizers, diesel, and water in soil systems and of conventional electricity in aeroponics and hydroponics contributed mostly to their environmental burden. The major environmental impact categories are terrestrial ecotoxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, and global warming. Therefore, in order to make the soil-less cultivation systems sustainable, these environmental aspects need to be considered deeply

Waste Feathers Processing to Liquid Fertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture—LCA, Economic Evaluation, and Case Study

The poultry meat industry generates about 60 million tons of waste annually. However, such waste can serve as a cheap material source for sustainable liquid fertilizers or biostimulant production. Moreover, its practical potential associated with the circular economy is evident. One of the options for waste feather reprocessing is to use a hydrolysis process, whose operating parameters vary depending on the waste material used. The better the quality of the waste feathers, the less energy is needed; moreover, a higher yield of amino acids and peptides can be achieved. These are the main operational parameters that influence the overall environmental and economic performance of the hydrolysis process. The assessment of process operational environmental aspects confirmed that the environmental impacts of hydrolysate production are highly dependent on the amount of electricity required and its sources. This fact influences the midpoint and the endpoint impacts on the observed environmental impact categories. It also minimizes the pressure associated with fossil resource scarcity and the related impact on climate change. During an economic evaluation of the process, it was found that the option of processing more fine waste, such as CGF, provided a 5% saving in energy costs related to the reduction in the cost per liter of hydrolysate of 4.5%. Finally, a case study experiment confirmed the fertilizing effect of the hydrolysate on pepper plants (biometric parameters, yield). Thus, the hydrolysate produced from the waste feathers can serve as a substitute for nitrate fertilizing, which is commonly drawn from raw fossil materials

Structural basis for mannose recognition by alectin from opportunistic bacteria Burkholderia cenocepacia

International audienceChronic colonization of the lungs by opportunist bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. PA-IIL (lecB gene), a soluble lectin from P. aeruginosa, has been the subject of much interest because of its very strong affinity for fucose. Orthologs have been identified in the opportunist bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum, Chromobacterium violaceum and Burkholderia of Bcc. The genome of the J2315 strain of B. cenocepacia, responsible for epidemia in CF centers, contains three genes that code for proteins with PA-IIL domains. The shortest gene was cloned in Escherichia coli and pure recombinant protein, BclA, obtained. The presence of native BclA in B. cenocepacia extracts was checked by proteomics approach. The specificity of recombinant BclA was characterized using surface plasmon resonance showing a preference for mannosides and supported with glycan array experiments demonstrating a strict specificity for oligomannose-type N-glycan structures. The interaction thermodynamics of BclA with α-methyl-mannoside (αMeMan) demonstrates a dissociation constant (Kd) of 2.75 x 10-6 M. The X-ray crystal structure of the complex with αMeMan was determined at 1.7Å resolution. The lectin forms homodimers with one binding site per monomer, acting cooperatively with the second dimer site. Each monomer contains two calcium ions and one sugar ligand. Despite strong sequence similarity, the differences between BclA and PA-IIL in their specificity, binding site, and oligomerisation mode indicate that the proteins should have different roles in the bacteria

Techno-Economic Analysis of Fluidized Bed Combustion of a Mixed Fuel from Sewage and Paper Mill Sludge

The treatment and disposal of sewage sludge is one of the most important and critical issues of wastewater treatment plants. One option for sludge liquidation is the production of fuel in the form of pellets from mixed sewage and paper mill sludge. This study presents the results of the combustion of pelletized fuels, namely sewage and paper mill sludge, and their 2:1 and 4:1 blends in a fluidized bed combustor. The flue gas was analysed after reaching a steady state at bed temperatures of 700–800 °C. Commonly used flue gas cleaning is still necessary, especially for SO2; therefore, it is worth mentioning that the addition of paper mill sludge reduced the mercury concentration in the flue gas to limits acceptable in most EU countries. The analysis of ash after combustion showed that magnesium, potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, zinc, arsenic, and lead remained mostly in the ash after combustion, while all cadmium from all fuels used was transferred into the flue gas together with a substantial part of chlorine and mercury. The pellets containing both sewage and paper mill sludge can be used as an environmentally friendly alternative fuel for fluidised bed combustion. The levelized cost of this alternative fuel is at the same current price level as lignite