Textile industry wastewater (TIWW) is considered as one of the worst polluters of our precious water and soil ecologies. It causes carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic, cytotoxic and allergenic threats ...to living organisms. TIWW contains a variety of persistent coloring pollutants (dyes), formaldehyde, phthalates, phenols, surfactants, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), pentachlorophenol and different heavy metals like lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) etc. TIWW is characterized by high dye content, high pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total organic carbon (TOC), chlorides and sulphates. Thus, requires adequate treatment before its final discharge into the water bodies to protect public health and environment. The treatment of TIWW is a major challenge as there is no particular economically feasible treatment method capable to adequately treat TIWW. Therefore, there is a need to develop a novel, cost-effective and eco-friendly technology for the effective treatment of TIWW. This review paper emphasizes on the different textile industry processes, wastewater generation, its nature and chemical composition, environmental impacts and health hazards and treatment approaches available for TIWW treatment. It also presents various analytical techniques used to detect and characterize TIWW pollutants and their metabolites, challenges, key issues and future prospectives.
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•Textile wastewater has unfixed dyes, salts, phthalates, phenols and toxic metals.•Textile wastewater pollutants have environmental and health hazards.•Textile wastewater pollutants have carcinogenic, mutagenic and cytotoxic effects.•Various existing and advanced treatment methods are discussed.•Various analytical techniques used to characterize pollutants are discussed.
The leather industry is a major source of environmental pollution in India. The wastewater generated by leather industries contains very high pollution parameters due to the presence of a complex ...mixture of organic and inorganic pollutants even after the treatment at a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and disturbs the ecological flora and fauna. The nature, characteristics and toxicity of CETP treated wastewater is yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, this study aims to characterize and evaluate the toxicity of CETP treated tannery wastewater collected from the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, India. In addition to measuring the physico-chemical parameters, the residual organic pollutants was identified by GC-MS analysis and phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the treated wastewater was evaluated using Vigna radiata L. and Allium cepa L. Results showed that the treated wastewater contained very high pollution parameters (TDS 3850 mg/L, BOD 680 mg/L, COD-1300 mg/L). GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of various types of residual organic pollutants including benzoic acid, 3-4,-(T-butyl) Phenyl furan-2-5-dione, benzeneacetamide, resorcinol, dibutyl phthalate, and benzene-1,2,4-triol. Further, toxicological studies showed the phytotoxic nature of the wastewater as it inhibited seed germination in V. radiata L. and root growth of A. cepa. Genotoxicity was evidenced in the root tip cell of A. cepa where chromosomal aberrations (stickiness, chromosome loss, C-mitosis, and vagrant chromosome) and nuclear abnormalities like micronucleated and binucleated cells were observed. Thus, results suggested that it is not safe to discharge these wastewater into the environment.
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•Tannery wastewater rich in organic and inorganic pollutants.•Tannery wastewater possesses genotoxic and cytotoxic pollutants.•Phytotoxic nature of tannery wastewater was evaluated by Vigna radiata seeds.•Allium cepa chromosomal tests revealed genotoxic nature of treated tannery wastewater.•Wastewater also induced chromosomal aberrations and nuclear abnormalities in cells.
The pressing issue of the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and resistant bacteria in the environment (ARGs and ARB, respectively) requires procedures for assessing the risk to health. The ...chemo-centric environmental risk assessment models identify hazard(s) in a dose–response manner, obtaining exposure, toxicity, risk, impact and policy. However, this risk assessment approach based on ARGs/ARB evaluation from a quantitative viewpoint shows high unpredictability because ARGs/ARB cannot be considered as standard hazardous molecules: ARB duplicate and ARGs evolve within a biological host. ARGs/ARB are currently listed as Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC). In light of such characteristics, we propose to define ARGs/ARB within a new category of evolving CEC (or e-CEC). ARGs/ARB, like any other evolving determinants (e.g., viruses, bacteria, genes), escape environmental controls. When they do so, just one molecule left remaining at a control point can form the origin of a new dangerous and selection-responsive population. As a consequence, perhaps it is time to acknowledge this trait and to include evolutionary concepts within modern risk assessment of e-CEC. In this perspective we analyze the evolutionary responses most likely to influence risk assessment, and we speculate on the means by which current methods could measure evolution. Further work is required to implement and exploit such experimental procedures in future risk assessment protocols.
Cities that are densely populated are reservoirs of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs). The overall presence of all resistance genes in a specific environment is defined as a resistome. Spatial ...proximity of surfaces and different hygienic conditions leads to the transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) within urban environments. Built environments, public transportation, green spaces, and citizens' behaviors all support persistence and transfer of antimicrobial resistances (AMR). Various unique aspects of urban settings that promote spread and resilience of ARGs/ARB are discussed: (i) the role of hospitals and recreational parks as reservoirs; (ii) private and public transportation as carriers of ARGs/ARB; (iii) the role of built environments as a hub for horizontal gene transfer even though they support lower microbial biodiversity than outdoor environments; (iv) the need to employ ecological and evolutionary concepts, such as modeling the fate of a specific ARG/ARB, to gain enhanced health risk assessments. Our understanding and our ability to control the rise of AMR in an urban setting is linked to our knowledge of the network connecting urban reservoirs and the environment.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development. Urgent action is needed at all levels of society to reduce the impact and spread of antibiotic ...resistance. For a more sustaining approach, education in children, college students, citizens and caregivers are essential. The One-Heath approach is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary strategy in which, no single organizations or sector can address the issue of antimicrobial resistance at the human-environment interface alone. Within this strategy, education plays a central role. In this scoping review, we highlighted a range of learning activities on antibiotic resistance as part of the One-Health approach. In particular, those applications that can be introduced to a wide audience to help arrest the current crisis for the next generation. The review identifies a high number of teaching opportunities: board and role-play games, round tables, musicals, e-learning and environmental experiments to couple with more curricula and formal education to inform a diverse group of audiences.
The presence of enteric pathogens in produce can serve as a significant means of transmitting infections to consumers. Notably, tomatoes, as a type of produce, have been implicated in outbreaks ...caused by various human pathogens, such as
enterica and pathogenic
coli. However, the survival characteristics of
spp. in tomatoes have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we assess the survival of
2a in two distinct varieties of post-harvested tomatoes.
2a was used to inoculate both regular-sized Vine tomatoes and cherry-type Mini Plum tomatoes. Our findings reveal no significant difference in
survival in the pericarp of both varieties on day 2 post-inoculation. However, a significant disparity emerges on day 6, where all recovered
colonies exclusively belong to the Mini Plum variety, with none associated with the Vine type. When
was inoculated into the locular cavity (deep inoculation), no significant difference between varieties was observed. Additionally, we investigate the potential role of the SRL pathogenicity island (SRL PAI) in the survival and fitness of
2a in post-harvested tomatoes. Our results indicate that while the SRL PAI is not linked to the survival of the strains in tomato, it does impact their fitness. These findings underscore the variability in
strains' survival capabilities depending on the tomato variety, highlighting the importance of understanding
ecology beyond the human host and identifying molecular determinants influencing bacterial survival to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks. The significance of this data on
persistence in fresh vegetables should not be underestimated, as even a small number of
cells can pose a threat to the health of individuals.
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