Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) support a complex, dynamic and diverse range of global ecosystems, and provide important economic and societal services. However, infrastructure built to use these services — most notably 2.8 million dams worldwide — has caused many rivers to become fragmented and disconnected, affecting river biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study constructed a global information system with which to map the fine-scale dynamics and fragmentation of FFRs and to determine how human pressures affect the world’s river systems.

Considering the impact on soil carbon, biodiversity and ecotoxicity is important when assessing the environmental footprint of dairy products, suggests a new study, which explored the impacts of organic and conventional milk production in three types of system established in Western Europe. The study found that organic milk production had a significantly lower impact on ecotoxicity and biodiversity than conventional milk production, and suggests that including soil carbon changes in the assessment would result in greater reductions in the carbon footprint of organic, rather than conventional, milk — in some cases by up to 18%.

When I started thinking about a post featuring CCC, I decided to search online for it - so many different meanings! Here's a small sample:... read more >>

Today I'd like to introduce a guest blogger, Stephen Doe, who works for the MATLAB Documentation team here at MathWorks. In today's post, Stephen discusses how to take advantage of recent performance improvements when indexing into tables. The same approach applies to many different data types. While the release notes describe the performance improvements, in today's post Stephen also offers further advice based on a simple code example.... read more >>

A new study shows how titanium dioxide nanoparticles used in sunscreens may cause cancer in mice. Although there is no proof that the nanoparticles can cause cancer in humans, the researchers say the study raises concerns about the safety of workers exposed to high concentrations of the nanoparticles in factory settings.

A comprehensive analysis of pharmaceuticals in Spanish wastewater has indicated that they are widespread pollutants. The majority of pharmaceuticals present in incoming wastewater were still present in both treated water and in the river waters receiving the treated water.

A recent report raises awareness of the impact of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Experts from science, industry and the state sector have drawn up a series of proposals for actions that need to be taken at the European level to increase understanding and improve management of the risks.

A new study has indicated that metallic pollutants in river basins have more sources than other dangerous substances. Sources include stormwater, industrial effluents, treated effluents, agricultural drainage, sediments, mining drainage and landfills.

A new study has combined two research methods to assess the risk of pesticide contamination within a river basin and identify locations of risk. Six groups of pesticides were identified in a French river basin and one specific area was labelled as 'high risk' due to intense agriculture.

New research has supported a more thorough integration of toxic mixture assessments into two major pieces of EU legislation: REACH and the Water Framework Directive. It recommended constructing a database of harmful chemicals in the environment which, among other uses, could assess mixture toxicity using a 'Concentration Addition' method.

The United Nation's Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is an international initiative to standardise how chemicals are managed across the world. A recent study has proposed a suite of indicators which measure progress in implementing the GHS.

Because natural conditions in the environment, such as temperature, can significantly affect the toxicity of pollutant chemicals on living organisms, the effects of pollutants can differ according to region. Ecological risk assessment should therefore include environmental characteristics relevant to each region, according to recent research.

To test the possible health impacts of human exposure to methylmercury through fish consumption, researchers fed mice a diet containing fish at levels that corresponded to a typical Western diet for humans. The mice suffered adverse health impacts after two months of being fed this diet, including reduced body growth rates and modified gene expression patterns.

Research into reuse of domestic 'greywater' (non-toilet wastewater) has found that typical treatment systems can significantly reduce overall water consumption. However, non-biodegradable micropollutants will continue to reach municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), unless a new disposal route is found for the greywater treatment sludge.

A new study suggests that the energy sources used in chemical production contribute significantly to environmental damage in developed countries. The researchers recommend increasing the efficient use of heat and electricity, in addition to reducing direct emissions of harmful pollutants, to dramatically improve the environmental impact of the chemical industry.

A new study has developed a set of indicators to evaluate how well companies voluntarily manage dangerous chemicals. These indicators can be used to check progress towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development goal of effectively managing chemicals.

In line with EU legislative requirements, new research has developed models to assess the toxicity of chemicals in terms of their effects on human development. One of the models has been made freely accessible online, so that it is easy to use for industry and regulators.

New research has shed light on the source of highly toxic monomethylmercury (MMHg) in Arctic marine waters. A study of polar seawater suggests that relatively harmless inorganic mercury is being transformed into the toxic MMHg within the water itself.

Record high prices for gold have driven a recent six-fold increase in deforestation in parts of the Peruvian Amazon with damage that can be measured from space, according to a new study. Rates of forest clearance and imports of mercury, used to process gold ore by local, small-scale miners, were both found to increase with the rising international price of gold.

A new approach to assessing the risk posed by 500 organic chemicals potentially found in the surface waters of river basins across Europe has been developed. It allows pollutants of concern, including emerging substances, to be identified and prioritised by Member States for monitoring and action as required by the Water Framework Directive.

A new study examines different methods for assessing the health impacts of chemicals that people are exposed to at work. Combining two different approaches may help reduce the effect of the shortcomings of each approach and provide greater assurance that the most damaging chemicals are prioritised for regulatory action.

There are differences in the assessment and restriction of chemicals exempt from the EU’s regulatory instrument REACH. A new study has analysed the differences between several regulatory frameworks that govern these chemicals and recommended greater harmonisation in assessment criteria and regulatory follow-up.

Comparative toxic assessments across regions and countries are needed to minimise human exposure to harmful chemicals associated with consumer products. A new study has developed a US version of the EU Toxic Potential Indicator (TPI) and compared the two models for over 500 chemicals. Differences in results exist, indicating a need for more harmonisation between regulatory thresholds and guidelines.

Evidence to indicate that early exposure to environmental contaminants may result in a greater risk of serious disease later on in life has been presented by researchers in a new White Paper. Measures to prevent non-contagious illnesses, such as diabetes, asthma and cancer should therefore focus on the early stages in life, including the time spent in the womb, they suggest.

A new modelling study has indicated that rivers could be the main pathway of mercury entering the Arctic Ocean. More research is needed to support this claim, but climate change could be increasing the release of mercury into rivers through thawing permafrost and increased wildfires.

Populations of otters, grey seals and sea eagles are slowly recovering in Sweden, which is likely to be thanks in part to a ban on organochlorine chemicals, such as PCBs and DDT, in the 1970s, according to a new study. However, the research shows that negative effects of these chemicals on the reproductive health of female animals persisted for more than 15 years after the ban was introduced.

A US study has concluded that issuing public health advice on fish consumption is the best short-term solution to reducing people’s exposure to mercury contamination. Reducing mercury emissions at source is considered a longer-term solution. Health advice should be targeted towards populations at greatest risk and consider the pollution levels of the water from which the fish came.

A new study has evaluated disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during the treatment of ballast water. As some of the DBPs produced are hazardous, the study concludes that more information is needed to ensure DBPs from treatment methods do not harm human health or aquatic environments.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with the hormonal systems of both humans and wildlife. New research quantifying EDCs in marine environments in Greece found concentrations which present significant risks to sediment-dwelling organisms.

A recent study compared the decentralised treatment of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater at hospitals with centralised treatment at conventional and upgraded wastewater plants. The results suggest that additional (post) treatments may not always provide significant benefits.

A recent study has described a simple method to screen the toxicity of materials used in consumer products. Using utility meter products as examples, the study found, for example, that stainless steel and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) had high toxicity potentials and suggests less toxic, but equally effective and priced, alternatives that could be used instead.

Research into mercury has identified two genes in bacteria that appear to be required for turning the metal into its most toxic form, methylmercury. The study adds to a growing body of research that helps us to understand the transformations that mercury undergoes in the environment and the microbes involved in these transformations.

A new tool has been developed which highlights ‘hot spots’ of pharmaceutical pollution in Europe, where human health and aquatic environments could potentially be affected. The results suggest that the substances and locations posing the greatest risk are not the same for the aquatic environment as for human health.

Methylmercury may accumulate more quickly in fish as the climate grows warmer, new research suggests. Researchers in the US have found that levels of the toxin were higher in fish exposed to higher temperatures; global warming could therefore lead to increased human exposure to methylmercury through seafood consumption.

Combinations of antibiotics have been found in high enough concentrations to pose a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems, in a recent Spanish study. Antibiotics can have toxic effects on the bacteria and algae that form the basis of aquatic ecosystems.

Mercury, in the form of monomethylmercury, can accumulate in fish to high concentrations, presenting the greatest concern for human exposure to this potent neurotoxin. New long-term research of fish in a natural setting has shown that removal rates of the toxin from body tissues are likely to be even slower than thought.

A new study assessing the levels, and potential health risk, of toxic heavy metals in market-bought fish and shellfish in Spain has found that they are generally below European Commission regulatory limits, and that these products are therefore safe to eat for the average consumer in Spain. However, for high level consumers of specific fish species, toxic element levels could pose a risk to health.

Human activities, including industrial development along coastal areas, risk polluting the marine environment with heavy metals which can harm human health and aquatic life. A recent study has found elevated levels of metal pollution in the Jade area of the German Wadden Sea, but concludes that metal contamination of the sediments would not be expected to have harmful effects on the marine environment and living organisms here.

Non-target aquatic wildlife species may be more vulnerable to pesticides’ effects, with repeated exposure to low doses over the long-term, if they compete with other species for food, according to a recent study. Understanding how this process occurs can help those undertaking risk assessments and managing pesticides in the natural environment.

A model for chemical use that involves collaboration between suppliers and end-users could benefit both parties as well as the environment, according to recent research. In a Serbian case study, a bottled water manufacturer reduced its costs, water and chemicals consumption, and production of hazardous wastewater when it collaborated with its supplier of lubricant for factory conveyor belts using the ‘Chemical Leasing’ model.

Levels of toxic metals in batteries were not immediately reduced in line with new limits imposed by EU regulations, according to a survey from Germany. The study focuses on concentrations of toxic metals contained in batteries sold in Germany in 2010 and 2011, but its authors say the results are relevant to other EU countries.

Certain chemicals that were once used as flame retardants are now banned in the EU, but can remain in the environment. A new study adds to our limited knowledge regarding the presence of the chemicals polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in humans. The study suggests levels in Polish and Ukrainian men are lower than in those living in the US and Greenland.

Natural wetlands can provide effective long-term remediation of contamination from abandoned mines, new research suggests. The study examined a natural wetland receiving water from a copper mine in the UK, and showed that the water’s acidity and levels of toxic metals were significantly reduced once it had passed through the wetland.

A risk-based tool built using multi-criteria decision analysis has been developed to rank environmental contaminants, giving each a level of concern. It can be used by decision makers to prioritise areas for further assessments, based on expected human health impacts.

Halving meat and dairy consumption in Europe could reduce agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 42% and nitrogen pollution by 40%, new research suggests. The amount of land needed to grow food for each EU citizen would fall from 0.23 to 0.17 hectares and the reduced intake of saturated fats and red meat could have substantial health benefits, the researchers conclude.

Ash from waste incineration can be made safer simply by mixing it with rice husks, water and other forms of waste ash at temperatures under 100 °C, according to new research. Once dried, the end product not only locks away toxic metals lead and zinc, but also stores carbon. Furthermore, it can be used in the polymer industry to lower costs, improve polymer properties and reduce the use of natural resources.

Mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) reduce albatrosses’ chances of successfully breeding, a recent study finds. These pollutants add to the list of environmental pressures, including climate change, disease and fishery bycatch, affecting this highly threatened species.

Levels of aquaculture pesticides exceed UK environmental quality standards (EQSs) in samples taken from near Norwegian fish farms, a recent study has shown. The researchers examined five pesticides used to kill sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) and showed that in many cases their concentrations exceeded UK EQSs. They used UK standards, they explain, because there are currently no Norwegian EQSs for these chemicals, and call for international quality standards to be drawn up.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable approach to reduce pesticide use and risks of adverse effects on human health and the environment. However, its adoption by European farmers cannot be based only on mandatory regulation by the European Union, a new study suggests. The research identified four key factors driving IPM adoption; including market forces, policy instruments and farmers’ attitudes to the environment.

A new method for mapping the spread of oil released by ships is presented in a recent study, where it is applied to the Adriatic and Ionian Seas of the Mediterranean. The method pulls together a range of data, including information on shipping routes, oil particle behaviour, currents and climate. In this case study, it reveals pollution hotspots in the south-western Adriatic Sea and north-eastern Ionian Sea.