This study was carried out to evaluate the interaction between terrestrial food crop plants and microplastics (MPs) with a focus on understanding their uptake, effects on growth, physiological, biochemical, and yield characteristics of two different cultivars of Solanum tuberosum L. i.e., Variety-1, Astrix (AL-4) and Variety-2, Harmes (WA-4). Polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polypropylene (PP) spheres of size 5 mu m were applied to the soil at concentrations of 0 %, 1 %, and 5 %. Morphological parameters, including seed germination rate, shoot and root lengths, leaf area, and fresh and dry biomass of plants, got reduced significantly with the increase in MP concentration. PS MPs caused the most negative impact, particularly at 5 %, leading to the greatest decline in growth and Na, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mn nutrient content. The highest DPPH scavenging activity was observed in the 5 % PS MPs treatment with approximately a 45.34 % increase from the control, indicating its potential to enhance antioxidant activity in response to stress caused by PS MPs. Both reducing and non-reducing sugar contents and total proteins were also decreased significantly. Vitamin C content exhibited a significant increase in response to MPs, with the highest levels recorded under 5 % PS MPs treatments. This suggests an adaptive antioxidant response to mitigate oxidative damage induced by MPs. SEM analysis revealed tissue infiltration of MP particles in shoots, leaves, and tubers of both varieties. Among MPs, PS had the most detrimental effects, followed by PP and PE, with higher concentrations increasing the negative impact.

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.

Environmental pollution is a serious problem in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries such as Iran. This study was conducted to investigate chemical pollution by selected heavy metals in the southern cities of Hamadan province, west of Iran including Malayer, Toyserkan, and Nahavand. A total of 90 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0 to 30 cm of agricultural lands. The state of soil pollution was analyzed using geochemical indicators, pollution coefficient, pollution level, and potential ecological risk indices. The highest concentration of arsenic and cadmium in the soil of city of Toyserkan with an average of 19.46 and 0.25 mg kg-1 respectively, and the highest concentration of iron, cobalt, chromium, and antimony in the soil of city of Malayer with an average of 4.36, 20.8, 114.67 and 4.62 mg kg-1 respectively, and the highest concentrations of manganese, copper, and nickel in the soil of city of Nahavand were 268.95, 38.58, and 81.83 mg kg-1, respectively. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the average concentrations of the measured metals in the three cities. In all the studied cities, Mueller's geochemical index was in the non-polluted category, the pollution coefficient was in the low to medium pollution category, the pollution index was in the very low to high pollution category, and the environmental risk index for metals was in the low to very high environmental risk category. Investigation of pollution indicators showed that the soils of the studied areas are about to be polluted with heavy metals. Therefore, it is necessary to consider environmental aspects to reduce and prevent irreparable damage to the soil and the environmental cycle in the long run.

This research aimed to analyze the ability of the plant Bromelia karatas to tolerate and bioaccumulate lead (Pb) in its tissues, as well as its potential use as a bioindicator of contamination. The research was conducted under controlled conditions, exposing the plants to different concentrations of Pb for 63 d and measuring morphometric variables such as leaf count, height, and chlorophyll content. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Tukey HSD, showed that the plant can tolerate Pb levels without significant differences in growth and chlorophyll compared to unexposed plants. At the end of the experiment, the presence of Pb in the plant tissues (leaves and roots) was analyzed and detected using ICP-OES equipment. This research revealed the potential of Bromelia karatas as a bioindicator of Pb contamination in soil, as it exhibited visible symptoms of leaf damage at high doses of the pollutant. The low cost, ease of reproduction, and portability of bromeliads compared to other bioindicators make it a preferable option for environmental biomonitoring, highlighting its effectiveness and affordability.

The article examines various aspects of establishing factual circumstances in cases related to the pollution of soil-origin objects (using the example of the use of livestock by-products as fertilizers). The results of the analysis of law enforcement practice in cases of this category are presented.

Heavy metal contamination, which has received increased attention recently, adversely affects food safety by damaging soil and crop quality. In an environmentally concerned and efficient stock market, a negative environmental pollution incident will shock the stock prices of the companies involved. This paper uses the short-term event study approach to analyze the capital market reaction to a prominent heavy metal pollution incident in China, the 2013 cadmium rice event, and the subsequent policy regulations. Our findings show that listed companies in heavy metal industries experience significant negative abnormal stock returns during the cadmium rice event window. The market reacts weaker to subsequent policy regulations than to the incident itself. Significant negative abnormal stock returns can only be observed during the event window of legislation or regulative policy explicitly mentioning sanctions against companies. Strong past environmental performance by companies and greater media attention, which suggests fewer investor concerns regarding potential pollution punishment, can mitigate negative market reactions. Conversely, stricter regional environmental regulations may exacerbate these negative reactions. These findings confirm the effectiveness of capital markets in developing countries and underscore the significance of company environmental performance, particularly in light of environmental incidents concerning food safety. Meanwhile, strengthening the implementation of environmental policies, coupled with media monitoring, is necessary to control heavy metal pollution.

The ecology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is fragile, and the ecosystems in the region are difficult to remediate once damaged. Currently, landfilling is the mainstay of domestic waste disposal in China, and numerous, widely distributed county landfills exist. trace elements (TEs) in waste are gradually released with waste degradation and cannot be degraded in nature, affecting environmental quality and human health. To reduce the chance bias that exists in studies of individual landfills, we selected 11 representative county landfills in Tibet, total of 76 soil samples were collected, eight TEs (arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)) were determined, and analysed for the current status of pollution, risk to human health, and sources of TEs to explore the impact of the landfills. The results showed that only a few landfills had individual TEs exceeding the risk screening value of the Soil Environmental Quality Risk Control Standard for Soil Contamination (GB 15618-2018) (pH > 7.5). Most of the soils around the landfills had moderate levels of pollution, but some individual landfills had higher levels, mainly due to Cd and Hg concentrations. Source analysis showed that Hg originated mainly from atmospheric transport; the other TEs came mainly from the weathering of soil parent material and bedrock. The potential risk from TEs to human health was low, and the risk to children was greater than the risk to adults. Among the three exposure routes, oral ingestion resulted in the highest carcinogenic risk and noncarcinogenic risk, with a contribution rate of more than 95%. Among the TEs, Ni had the highest carcinogenic risk, followed by Cr and As, and As had the highest noncarcinogenic risk.

Nowadays, animal manure composting constitutes a sustainable alternative for farmers to enhance the level of nutrients within soils and achieve a good productivity. However, pollutants may be present in manures. This study focuses on the detection of environmental microplastics (EMPs) into composts, as well as on the assessment of their potential toxicity on the earthworm Eisenia andrei . To these aims, animals were exposed to two types of compost, namely bovine (cow) and ovine (sheep) manure, besides to their mixture, for 7 and 14 days. The presence and characterization of EMPs was evaluated in all the tested composts, as well as in tissues of the exposed earthworms. The impact of the tested composts was assessed by a multi -biomarker approach including cytotoxic (lysosomal membrane stability, LMS), genotoxic (micronuclei frequency, MNi), biochemical (activity of catalase, CAT, and glutathione- S -transferase, GST; content of malondialdehyde, MDA), and neurotoxic (activity of acetylcholinesterase, AChE) responses in earthworms. Results indicated the presence of high levels of EMPs in all the tested composts, especially in the sheep manure (2273.14 +/- 200.89 items/kg) in comparison to the cow manure (1628.82 +/- 175.23 items/kg), with the size <1.22 mu m as the most abundant EMPs. A time -dependent decrease in LMS and AChE was noted in exposed earthworms, as well as a concomitant increase in DNA damages (MNi) after 7 and 14 days of exposure. Also, a severe oxidative stress was recorded in animals treated with the different types of compost through an increase in CAT and GST activities, and LPO levels, especially after 14 days of exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider these findings for agricultural good practices in terms of plastic mitigation in compost usage, in order to prevent any risk for environment health.

Tailings storage facilities (TSFs) represent an anthropogenic source of pollution, resulting in potential risks to both environmental integrity and human health. To date, the environmental and human health risks from TSFs in China have been under-researched. This study attempts to address this gap by developing, and geo-statistically analyzing two comprehensive databases. The first database (I) focuses on failed TSFs; we supply the statistics of environmental damages from 143 TSF failure incidents. Notably, approximately 75 % of the failure incidents involved tailings flows released into water bodies, resulting in a significant exacerbation of environmental pollution. To better inform ecological and human health risks, we present another database (II) for 147 nonfailed TSFs to investigate the soil heavy metal contamination, considering 8 heavy metals. The findings reveal that (i) Cd, Pb, and Hg are the prominent pollutants across the non-failed TSF sites in China; (ii) lead-zinc and tungsten mine tailings storage sites exhibit the most severe pollution; (iii) Pb, Cd, and Ni present noteworthy non-carcinogenic risks to human health; (iv) >85 % of TSF sites pose carcinogenic risks associated with arsenic; and (v) health risks resulting from dermal absorption surpass ingestion for the majority of heavy metals, with the exception of Pb, where ingestion presents a more pronounced route of exposure. Our study presents a comprehensive evaluation of environmental and human health risks due to TSFs, highlighting the necessity for risk assessment of >14,000 existing TSFs in China.

Cadmium (Cd) hazard is a serious limitation to plants, soils and environments. Cd-toxicity causes stunted growth, chlorosis, necrosis, and plant yield loss. Thus, ecofriendly strategies with understanding of molecular mechanisms of Cd-tolerance in plants is highly demandable. The Cd-toxicity caused plant growth retardation, leaf chlorosis and cellular damages, where the glutathione (GSH) enhanced plant fitness and Cd-toxicity in Brassica through Cd accumulation and antioxidant defense. A high-throughput proteome approach screened 4947 proteins, wherein 370 were differently abundant, 164 were upregulated and 206 were downregulated. These proteins involved in energy and carbohydrate metabolism, CO2 2 assimilation and photosynthesis, signal transduction and protein metabolism, antioxidant defense response, heavy metal detoxification, cytoskeleton and cell wall structure, and plant development in Brassica. . Interestingly, several key proteins including glutathione Stransferase F9 (A0A078GBY1), ATP sulfurylase 2 (A0A078GW82), cystine lyase CORI3 (A0A078FC13), ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase 1 (A0A078HXC0), glutaredoxin-C5 (A0A078ILU9), glutaredoxin-C2 (A0A078HHH4) actively involved in antioxidant defense and sulfur assimilation-mediated Cd detoxification process confirmed by their interactome analyses. These candidate proteins shared common gene networks associated with plant fitness, Cd-detoxification and tolerance in Brassica. . The proteome insights may encourage breeders for enhancing multi-omics assisted Cd-tolerance in Brassica, and GSH-mediated hazard free oil seed crop production for global food security.