Ecological risk maps showing 'hotspots' of risk to wildlife from single or combined soil pollutants have been developed. These maps can be used to improve risk analysis and stakeholder communications.

EU pesticide regulations have encouraged farmers in developing countries to adopt alternative pest management practices and employ safer means of handling pesticides, according to a recent study which investigated green bean farming in Kenya.

A recent study has investigated the effectiveness of the EU concentration limit for Plant Protection Products (i.e., agricultural pesticides) in protecting groundwater ecosystems. For the majority of pesticides, the standard of 0.1 micrograms per litre for each individual pesticide was found to be sufficient, but this may not be the case for some insecticides.

A new index that condenses the overall environmental impact of pollutants at a particular site into a single value has been developed. This unique number captures the health status of the territory in terms of the risk of the pollutants to animals and plants in ecosystems, human health and the long-term fate of the pollutants in the environment.

New research has indicated that, at its current levels in the environment, a commonly used antibiotic (chlortetracycline) is toxic to freshwater bacteria. Moreover, when combined with four other antibiotics, the collective effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects.

Pesticides and biocides can cause serious harm to aquatic ecosystems. A study by Swiss researchers has found that the levels of some common biocides entering wastewater and rivers from urban environments are similar to those of pesticides from agricultural land. Although smaller quantities are used in urban areas, similar total amounts escaped into surface waters.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains a large variety of heavy metals which threaten the environment and human health. New research has assessed environmental and technological preferences for materials in products of individuals within the US electronics industry. Strict international legislation, such as the EU's RoHS Directive, was found to reduce the use of lead for companies that market their products abroad.

New research compared criteria for accepting environmental risk as tools to evaluate cost-effective measures that would prevent tanker oil spills. The results suggest that the Cost of Averting one Tonne of Spilled oil (CATS) criterion is the best candidate, as it appears to be both practical and meaningful in actual risk assessments, and can lead to sensible recommendations.

A new study has developed risk assessment criteria for engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to help inform innovation and policy decisions. It illustrates that product design can influence the unintended release of ENMs and that combining knowledge about the product life cycle with a systematic assessment of the potential hazards may enable responsible choices for future product developments to be made.

The official criteria used to assess how easily a chemical is taken up by biological organisms, known as the bioaccumulation potential, are considered reliable for most types of chemical. However, according to a new analysis, the criteria need updating to include uptake from contaminated sediment and food in order to reflect the realistic bioaccumulation risk for all chemicals.

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.

Improving air quality in offices, public buildings and in cars is likely to have a significant impact on human health, even more so than reducing exposure to outdoor air pollutants or pesticides, according to a new study. Researchers also revealed that the estimation of risk of exposure to a mixture of chemicals increased when they accounted for interactions between the chemicals, although more data are needed to improve the scientific certainty of these predictions.

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.

In a new study, scientists have analysed the outcome of millions of barrels of oil and gas discharged into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. By measuring changes in the composition of the fluid, scientists now have a better understanding of how pollution behaves in the deep ocean, to improve estimates of environmental impact.

Research in four German rivers indicates that several organic compounds pose a risk of acute toxic effects on invertebrates. Some of these compounds are already priority substances under the EU Water Framework Directive1 (WFD); others could warrant designation at least as river basin specific pollutants in the German River Basin Management Plans.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have unique physical and chemical properties, but their increasing use in technological innovations has raised concerns about possible risks to the environment and human health. A new Chinese study has assessed the effects of NPs on plants and ecosystems. The findings indicated that NPs restrict wheat growth and damage soil ecosystems, which may have implications for the environment, agricultural productivity and human health.

A new review of the anti-microbial substance triclosan argues that past risk assessments have underestimated its toxicity to aquatic organisms. New data from Germany suggest that aquatic organisms are frequently overexposed to damaging levels of triclosan in waterways, and the researchers suggest it could be restricted under EU legislation.

A recent study has considered the levels at which active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) residues are safe when released into water bodies from drug manufacturing plants. It proposes that environmental reference concentrations and maximum tolerable concentrations are adopted for each API.

Marine microorganisms responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by boosting the abundance of species capable of breaking down crude oil, according to new research. This method of ‘bioremediation’ could help manage crises in deep sea environments, where other clean-up methods are ineffective.

There has been an established increase in reproductive disorders and other hormonal diseases, according to a recent European Environment Agency (EEA) report. The report documents a growing body of research that indicates this increase is influenced by growing levels of chemical pollutants in the environment known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

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.

A new study has examined contamination of fully grown soybean plants by two nanomaterials – nano-cerium oxide and nano-zinc oxide. The results could be concerning, as they indicate that the nanomaterials are absorbed by plants, possibly affecting growth, yield, and the fixation of nitrogen in soil, an important ecosytem service.

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.

Commercial bottom trawling, the technique of pulling fishing gear across the seabed to catch fish and other seafood, releases pollutants trapped in the seabed, which can negatively affect local marine life and ecosystems. Recent findings from a Norwegian fjord show how mussels can take up high levels of contaminants released by trawling, with important health implications for consumers.

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.

To date, it has been difficult to collect data that are robust enough to demonstrate specific effects of chemical pollution in rivers on aquatic wildlife. However, a recent study combining detailed chemical, toxicological and ecological data in three European river basins now provides evidence linking cause and effect by revealing significant differences in the effects of differently polluted sediments on the organisms living in the river basins and the riverbed biodiversity.

Applying a low voltage to polluted river sediment can boost microbes’ natural ability to degrade harmful polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminants, according to a new study. The approach could be a cost-effective, sustainable strategy to bioremediate polluted sites.

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.

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.

Exposure to polluted soil can affect human health, but the risk may vary depending on the soil type. A recent study has shown that the differing amounts of cadmium and lead that can be dissolved in the human digestive system can be predicted for contaminated agricultural, urban and woody habitat soils using a model. Its authors suggest this is a useful method for assessing the risks of contaminated land.

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.

Changes in complex microbial communities known as ‘biofilms’ at the bottom of rivers can reveal the effects of pesticide and pharmaceutical pollution of river water, according to a recent study. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs were found to have a significant effect on the structure and functioning of the biofilms.

Leakage of radioactive material from the wreck of the nuclear submarine K-159 in the Barents Sea could increase levels of radioactivity in local populations of cod by a hundred times, new research suggests. However, this level remains well below ‘safe’ standards set by the Norwegian government.

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.

New research has provided the first conclusive evidence that microplastics ingested by marine wildlife can transfer toxic pollutants to their tissues. The researchers studied lugworms fed on PVC particles contaminated with either widespread marine pollutants or plastic additives and found that these 'earthworms of the sea' absorbed the chemicals into their gut tissue, which reduced their ability to perform essential functions.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is likely to have damaged large numbers of tuna and amberjack fish embryos, new research suggests. Fish embryos exposed to oil samples taken during the spill developed abnormalities in their hearts and, consequently, their spines, fins and eyes. This is likely to have caused population declines in these commercially important species, 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.

Silver nanoparticles are toxic to common bacteria at concentrations found in many aquatic environments across the globe, new research has found. Bacteria often form a key part of ecosystems and these impacts may be felt by the entire system, the researchers warn.

Nutrient pollution in The Netherlands is falling as a result of national and EU policies, new research has shown. However, many waters still routinely fail to meet environmental quality standards. The study, which focused on the headwaters of 167 rivers where agricultural fertilisers are the main cause of pollution, showed that up to 76% of these did not meet water quality standards.

The combined effects of pollution and rising levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, including CO₂, may have effects on marine ecosystems that are more damaging than expected, warns new research. The study found that bacteria capable of breaking down oil pollution were far less abundant in sediment in acidified waters. Although increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light reduced these negative impacts, the researchers caution that deeper waters or other waters with less UV-B, may still suffer.

Nanolithography — a way of making finely detailed patterns or structures, such as those found in advanced computer microchips, uses toxic and corrosive chemicals. Researchers have now shown that these could be replaced with eco-friendly silk proteins and water, eliminating the need to use and dispose of hazardous chemicals, while achieving similar levels of detail to conventional methods.

A guide has been published on the known and potential health and safety effects of human exposure to graphene. It is designed to help inform those working with graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials and could be especially useful as a growing number of industries begin to experiment with and use these materials.

Ninety-eight per cent of radioactive iodine in Arctic sea ice may come from Europe, new research suggests. The study concludes that atmospheric transport of Iodine-129 from European nuclear fuel reprocessing plants is the most likely source.

Disposable components of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes and e-pens, could pose a potential environmental risk unless properly regulated, suggests new research. The study examined the levels of potentially toxic chemicals in disposable battery and 'cartomiser' ENDS components.

Concentrations of three pharmaceuticals (ethinylestradiol, oestradiol and diclofenac), have been mapped in a recent study of European rivers. The researchers predict that levels of ethinylestradiol, a contraceptive and hormone replacement drug, could exceed the WFD's suggested environmental quality standards in 12% of the total length of Europe’s rivers

Petrochemical lubricants have toxic effects on Antarctic seafloor ecosystems even after five years of degradation, a new study suggests. Examining the impacts of a standard lubricant and one marketed as biodegradable, the researchers were able to show that algae, which form the basis of the food chain, remained affected even after five years. Furthermore, the biodegradable lubricant appeared to provide no environmental benefits, as it had greater impacts in the long term.