Rapid urbanization and industrial growth in China have increased brownfield site reclamation, the sustainable remediation for urban transformation and enhancing ecosystem services. However, traditional brownfield safety assessment strategies impose unnecessary costs since excessive remediation. Herein, a comprehensive system integrated by soil self-purification, potential ecological risks and human health risks is developed to investigate the safety of brownfield sites. Indices, including soil environmental loading capacity (SELC), and Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI), were introduced to assess heavy metals (HMs) pollution. Results show that 72.05% of the sites are identified as moderate pollution, where Cd, As, and Cr(VI) are at heavy pollution, incorporating soil self-purification. The average values of potential ecological risk (PERI) reached 6615.00, posing a significant damage to the local ecosystem, and Cd was identified as main ecological hazards in the study sites. Furthermore, the health risk assessment shows that children's health risks are higher than that of adults, with non-carcinogenic risk to children (2.60) and adults (0.41), and carcinogenic risk to children (2.30 x 10-3) and adults (1.12 x 10-4). Utilizing a multi-index decision-making approach, it is determined that 19.30% of the site exhibit high-risk values, between concentration screening (11.40%) and risk screening (83.30%) base on single-indices. The study sheds light on the comprehensive assessment of brownfield site safety.

Industrial development has caused significant environmental damage, especially through potentially toxic element (PTE) pollution. Combining pollution indices, health risk assessment, spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I), and receptor modeling (APCS/MLR), this study quantified sources and risks of heavy metals in smelting-adjacent farmland soils, facilitating targeted PTE pollution mitigation. Soil analysis revealed significantly elevated mean concentrations of As (326 mg/kg), Cd (23 mg/kg), Cr (104 mg/kg), Cu (106 mg/kg), Ni (73 mg/kg), Pb (274 mg/kg), and Zn (660 mg/kg), all exceeding Yunnan provincial background values. The average total non-carcinogenic risk index (HIadult = 2, HIchild = 11) and total carcinogenic risk index (TCRadult = 5.52 x 10-4, TCRChild = 6.44 x 10-4) for both adults and children exceeded the threshold (HI = 1, TCR = 1 x 10-04). The results of environmental pollution evaluation show that the overall pollution in the study area is a heavy pollution level. The ACPS-MLR model showed that Cd and Zn in soil mainly came from industrial activities (37%). Cu and Pb were derived from motor vehicle emissions and agricultural activities (20%). As may be derived from agricultural and industrial activities. Furthermore, based on the combination of source apportionalization and the spatial distribution of environmental pollution, the northeastern part of the study area and transportation hubs are the key pollution areas and need to be given priority for treatment. PTEs accumulate in the soil, will be enriched through the food chain, and seriously threaten human health and soil ecological environment. Therefore, this study can provide a basis for identifying, preventing, and controlling the risk of PTEs pollution in soil.

Purpose of ReviewThis review examines recent publications on rare earth elements (REE) in soils, critically evaluating their role as emerging soil contaminants. We emphasized new findings and main gaps using a previous review paper published in 2016 by our research group as a reference point. Three major subjects were prioritized: (1) sources, background levels, and behavior of REE in soils; (2) plant development and metabolism as affected by REE exposure; and (3) environmental and human health risk assessments of REE in the soil environment.Recent FindingsPublications addressing the occurrence and fate of REE in the soil environment have more than tripled in the last decade. Coincidentally, global REE exploration has more than doubled in the past 7 years. Because of their unique features, the global demand for REE is expected to increase by at least 50% in the next 10 years. As soils are the main sink of contaminants, we must continue to investigate the consequences of the unceasing addition of these elements in soil ecosystems.SummaryWe highlighted the main sources of REE, their background levels in selected global soils, and their physicochemical behavior. The relationship between REE and plants revealed potential benefits such as environmental stress tolerance. Finally, ecological and human health risk assessment data for REE in soils were carefully discussed in terms of their potential adverse effects on biota. We conclude with a survey in which prominent authors working with REE answered questions about challenges and opportunities for innovative research on REE in soil-plant-animal/human systems.

Mining contributes to an increased tax revenues, export earnings, employment opportunities, infrastructure development, and transfer of technology to the host countries. However, there is a high risk of socio-economic enclaves or environmental damages caused by mining operations which include the release of heavy metals into water and soil resources, air pollution, land degradation, and depletion of vegetation. Mineral exploration is often preoccupied with integrating relevant datasets and utilising various techniques to discover subtle surface indications of mineralisation and usually results in huge disturbances of large surface area and underlying strata including aquifers. These issues with mineral exploration are pronounced in developing countries where the primary goal of many investors is to look for the occurrence of mineral of interest and its economic viability with little or no attention to the associated hydrogeological risk. Hydrogeological Risk Assessment, even though crucial to the development of sound environmental impact assessment for a proposed mineral exploration project, is often not included in mineral exploration activities. This could potentially result in a significant health risk and environmental impact which could negatively impact various communities within the mining areas. In this research, an overview of the various stages involved in evaluating and assessing the hydrogeological risk from the initial exploration stage has been provided. A framework that will enable a short-term to long-term integrated groundwater resources management system into mineral exploration projects have also been developed. This framework would provide valuable information to stakeholders to verify whether a proposed project is likely to be debilitating to hydrogeology in a locality.

Artisanal mining is intensely carried out in developing countries, including Brazil and especially in the Amazon. This method of mineral exploration generally does not employ mitigation techniques for potential damages and can lead to various environmental problems and risks to human health. The objectives of this study were to quantify the concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) and estimate the environmental and human health risks in cassiterite and monazite artisanal mining areas in the southeastern Amazon, as well as to understand the dynamics of this risk over time after exploitation. A total of 35 samples of wastes classified as overburden and tailings in active areas, as well as in areas deactivated for one and ten years were collected. Samples were also collected in a forest area considered as a reference site. The concentrations of REEs were quantified using alkaline fusion and ICP-MS. The results were used to calculate pollution indices and environmental and human health risks. REEs showed higher concentrations in anthropized areas. Pollution and environmental risk levels were higher in areas deactivated for one year, with considerable contamination factors for Gd and Sm and significant to extreme enrichment factors for Sc. Human health risks were low (< 1) in all studied areas. The results indicate that artisanal mining of cassiterite and monazite has the potential to promote contamination and enrichment by REEs.

As typical antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) enter the human body through the food chain. Therefore, it is necessary to understand their individual and combined toxicity. In this study, the effects of TC, SDZ, and their mixture on cell viability, cell membrane damage, liver cell damage, and oxidative damage were evaluated in in vitro assays with human liver cells Huh-7. The results showed cytotoxicity of TC, SDZ, and their mixture, which induced oxidative stress and caused membrane and cell damage. The effect of antibiotics on Huh7 cells increased with increasing concentration, except for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity that commonly showed a threshold concentration response and cell viability, which commonly showed a biphasic trend, suggesting the possibility of hormetic responses where proper doses are included. The toxicity of TC was commonly higher than that of SDZ when applied at the same concentration. These findings shed light on the individual and joint effects of these major antibiotics on liver cells, providing a scientific basis for the evaluation of antibiotic toxicity and associated risks.

A total of 30 samples from the downwind direction of a certain electroplating company in Jiaxing were collected in layers to analyze their heavy metal content. The soil risk assessment was conducted from the perspective of ecological and human health risks using the ground accumulation index method and human health risk assessment method. The results showed that in all samples, cadmium and arsenic far exceeded the soil background values, with an average exceeding multiple of 14.31 and 64.42, respectively, and a exceeding rate of 100%. After evaluation by the ground accumulation index, among these six heavy metals, arsenic and cadmium belong to extremely serious pollution levels. The human health risk assessment of electroplating plants found that in the exposure risk assessment, the ingestion value was much greater than the harm caused by breathing and skin, and the maximum exposure damage value of arsenic to children and adults was 4.17 x 10-3, among the carcinogenic risks, the risk brought by consumption is much greater than the respiratory and skin carcinogenic risk index, with the highest value score of 3.37 for cadmium, arsenic, and zinc carcinogenic risks 3.37 x 10-6, 2.42 x 10-3, 1.10 x 10-4.

Understanding the migration and dispersion of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from soil erosion is integral to managing mine site risks. Modeling PTEs distribution in this mass movement is a significant challenge. This research quantitatively analyzed the ecological-health risks associated with rainfall-induced soil erosion (debris flow) at the LaRonde Mine's tailing pile (Quebec, Canada). The present study adopted a comprehensive approach by employing rheological and infiltration models to correlate ecological-health indices with slurry distribution and calculated various indices to assess five PTEs (As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn). Exposure values, hazardous quotients, and hazard index assessments were used to examine the potential risks to human health. The outcomes show that Zn presents the highest risk, followed by Cu, while As, Ni, and Pb pose no risk. Moreover, the toxic risk index and pollution load index exhibit lower accuracy than other indices. The computed results were visualized using Arc Geographic Information System (ArcGIS), providing a location-dependent risk level distribution and maps of contamination levels. This study demonstrates the importance of quantitative analysis in mine sites' ecologicalhealth risk assessment and provides a framework for developing soil conservation and management strategies at mine sites.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are emerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies capable of matching power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of current PV technologies in the market at lower manufacturing costs, making perovskite solar modules (PSMs) cost competitive if manufactured at scale and perform with minimal degradation. PSCs with the highest PCEs, to date, are lead halide perovskites. Lead presents potential environmental and human health risks if PSMs are to be commercialized, as the lead in PSMs are more soluble in water compared to other PV technologies. Therefore, prior to commercialization of PSMs, it is important to highlight, identify, and establish the potential environmental and human health risks of PSMs as well as develop methods for assessing the potential risks. Here, we identify and discuss a variety of international standards, U.S. regulations, and permits applicable to PSM deployment that relate to the potential environmental and human health risks associated with PSMs. The potential risks for lead and other hazardous material exposures to humans and the environment are outlined which include water quality, air quality, human health, wildlife, land use, and soil contamination, followed by examples of how developers of other PV technologies have navigated human health and environmental risks previously. Potential experimentation, methodology, and research efforts are proposed to elucidate and characterize potential lead leaching risks and concerns pertaining to fires, in-field module damage, and sampling and leach testing of PSMs at end of life. Lastly, lower technology readiness level solutions to mitigate lead leaching, currently being explored for PSMs, are discussed. PSMs have the potential to become a cost competitive PV technology for the solar industry and taking steps toward understanding, identifying, and creating solutions to mitigate potential environmental and human health risks will aid in improving their commercial viability.

Much attention is drawn to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as an air pollutant due to their toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Therefore, to understand the levels, seasonality, sources and potential health risk of PAHs in two distinct geographical locations at Karachi and Mardan in Pakistan, total suspended particle (TSP) samples were collected for over one year period. The average total PAH concentrations were 31.5 +/- 24.4 and 199 +/- 229 ng/m(3) in Karachi and Mardan, respectively. The significantly lower concentration in Karachi was attributed to diffusion and dilution of the PAHs by the influence of clean air mass from the Arabian sea and high temperature, enhancing the volatilization of the particle phase PAHs to the gas phase. Conversely, the higher concentration (6 times) in Mardan was due to large influence from local and regional emission sources. A clear seasonality was observed at both the sites, with the higher values in winter and post-monsoon due to higher emissions and less scavenging, and lower values during monsoon season due to the dilution effect. Diagnostic ratios and principal component analysis indicated that PAHs in both sites originated from traffic and mixed combustion sources (fossil fuels and biomass). The average total BaP equivalent concentrations (BaPeq) in Karachi and Mardan were 3.26 and 34 ng/m(3) , respectively, which were much higher than the WHO guideline of 1 ng/m(3) . The average estimates of incremental lifetime cancer risk from exposure to airborne BaPeq via inhalation indicated a risk to human health from atmospheric PAHs at both sites. (C) 2021 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.