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The Japanese government’s unilateral decision to discharge the nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean has caused immense nuclear safety risks. Monitoring the unclear-contaminated water is a starting point to combat these risks and seek remedies for the rights and interests of all concerned parties. The establishment of a mechanism for international cooperation in this respect is necessary to handle the risks of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water and to lay the foundation of a framework for tackling any future disposal of nuclear-contaminated water following Japan’s example. At present, the international legal systems in the spheres of nuclear safety and security, marine environmental protection, and other areas, as well as the questioning of the monitoring reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the relevant parties, the monitoring practices of historical nuclear accidents, and numerous radioactivity monitoring mechanisms have provided the institutional and practical basis for constructing such a mechanism. The mechanism can be promoted by the IAEA through its existing mechanisms or be jointly initiated by China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Pacific Island countries, among other stakeholders. Specifically, this mechanism should consist of three levels: first, the framework of the basic legal system, including the cooperative principles of national sovereignty, interest-relatedness, and procedural fairness, and the signing of the Framework Convention on the Monitoring of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water and its Optional Protocol; second, the organizational structure and its responsibilities, which may include the Conference of Parties as the decision-making body, the Secretariat as the central coordinating body, and the monitoring committees in various fields as specific implementing agencies; and third, specific administrative arrangements, which involve the standardization of monitoring, the management system of monitoring networks and stations, the rules for monitoring procedures, and the rules for the utilization of the monitoring data, etc. With the urgent need for the scientific and fair monitoring of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water, China, as a stakeholder country, can promote the establishment of such a mechanism for monitoring nuclear-contaminated water through the following paths: ① It is necessary to clarify the factors affecting the construction of an international cooperation mechanism for monitoring nuclear-contaminated water so as to ascertain the standpoints of the stakeholders, claims of their interests, contents of their cooperation, and the relevant international relations. ② On the basis of existing practices, China should consider improving the monitoring mechanism to cope with the risks of the discharge of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water by formulating targeted policies and systems, setting up specialized monitoring institutions, and establishing a systematic monitoring network system. ③ This is an effective way for China to actively promote the participation of stakeholders in the construction of an international cooperation mechanism for monitoring nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima by further innovating the dissemination mechanism to address the risk of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water discharging into the sea and facilitating the identification of issues for international cooperation in monitoring Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water based on the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Remediation of contaminated water with organic dyes originated from variety of industrial processes deserves increased attention. Raw clay is an effective low-cost and eco-environmentally friendly adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from solution. This study aims to determine kinetics and thermodynamics of MB adsorption onto raw kaolin clays (halloysite and kaolinite/illite) from northeast of Morocco. The apportion capacity of the two kaolin clays to adsorb the MB dye by varying temperature and pH conditions was studied. The thermodynamic parameters show that the sorption of MB is spontaneous and endothermic for halloysite-rich clay, whereas adsorption onto kaolinite/illite is inhibited by electrostatic exothermic effects and the sorption is thermodynamically unfavorable. The kinetic study showed that the adsorption capacity of MB on halloysite is greater than on kaolinite. The intraparticle diffusion process controls the adsorption reaction, and the kinetic is more important for halloysite.

The use of environmental tracers brings comprehensive benefits to the management of water resources since it helps to prevent their pollution, minimize public health risks, and thus reduce the impact of urbanization. In Brazil, the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) has strategic and environmental importance, making its preservation and sustainable exploitation mandatory. The present study aimed at evaluating sources of contamination in the GAS using the combination of geochemical data and two environmental tracers: nitrate isotopes ( 15 N NO3 and 18 O NO3 ) and one rare earth element (Gadolinium—Gd). For that, five wells—four exploiting the GAS and one the Bauru Aquifer System (BAS)—were selected to discuss the human inputs in groundwater used for public supply in an urban area. Traditional physicochemical analyses were conducted for six campaign samplings and nitrate monitoring for this period was evaluated on a time scale, also considering the accumulated rainfall. Besides that, the double isotopic method (DIM), e.g., δ 18 O NO3 e δ 15 N NO3 , was applied to identify the fractionation and enable the distinction of the nitrate contamination source. In addition, the determination of anomalies of Gd, a wastewater-derived contaminant, was also performed to verify recent human inputs in groundwater. The results show that the local existence of nitrate in the GAS and BAS—even at low concentrations (values from 0.26 to 6.68 mg L −1 )—originated from anthropogenic inputs (septic waste), as indicates the typical isotopic signals ratio in the isotopic approach. Associated with that, the evaluation of Gd permitted the separation of groundwater samples into older or more recent leakages. The use of environmental tracers to assess anthropogenic inputs in groundwater reiterates the importance of adopting more effective protection strategies for water resources management systems, in order to prevent contamination. Graphical Abstract

Scedosporium apiospermum （S.apiospermum,sexual form of Pseudallescheria boydii） is a highly invasive and opportunistic pathogen.It can invade various organs of the body,causing lethal infections.S.apiospermum is widely distributed in natural environments,including marshes,wetlands,sewage,putrilage,and salt waters.The incidence of S.apiospermum infection can be especially high in humid temperate and subtropical regions.

Photocatalytic water splitting converts sunlight directly into storable hydrogen, but commonly involves the use of pure water and land for plant installation while generating unusable waste heat. Here we report a hybrid device consisting of a photocatalyst (PC) and a solar vapour generator (SVG) for simultaneous overall water splitting and water purification from open water sources. Specifically, an ultraviolet light-absorbing RhCrO x –Al:SrTiO 3 PC is deposited on top of a floating, visible and infrared light-absorbing porous carbon SVG, which produces green fuel with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.13 ± 0.03% and 0.95 kg m −2  h −1 of water vapour as the feed for the PC and collectable purified water. This integrated system maintains operational stability in seawater and other aqueous waste streams for over 154 h due to the isolation of the PC from contaminants in the liquid feedstock. This work provides a new concept for developing an off-grid energy production/storage solution and is a first step towards alleviating both energy and water supply challenges.

Objectives. To evaluate universal access to clean drinking water by characterizing relationships between community sociodemographics and water contaminants in California domestic well areas (DWAs) and community water systems (CWSs). Methods. We integrated domestic well locations, CWS service boundaries, residential parcels, building footprints, and 2013–2017 American Community Survey data to estimate sociodemographic characteristics for DWAs and CWSs statewide. We derived mean drinking and groundwater contaminant concentrations of arsenic, nitrate, and hexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]) between 2011 and 2019 and used multivariate models to estimate relationships between sociodemographic variables and contaminant concentrations. Results. We estimated that more than 1.3 million Californians (3.4%) use domestic wells and more than 370 000 Californians rely on drinking water with average contaminant concentrations at or above regulatory standards for 1 or more of the contaminants considered. Higher proportions of people of color were associated with greater drinking water contamination. Conclusions. Poor water quality disproportionately impacts communities of color in California, with the highest estimated arsenic, nitrate, and Cr(VI) concentrations in areas of domestic well use. Domestic well communities must be included in efforts to achieve California’s Human Right to Water. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(1):88–97. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306561 )

This project is centered on the design and implementation of a pollution-sensitive optical fiber using a No core optical fiber. The sensors are used for estimating refractive indices and concentrations of various contaminated water (dirty pond water (contains mud and animal excrement), chemically contaminated water, oiled water, drainage water is an environmental pollutant, Sodium chloride water and sucrose water) and distilled water (The refractive index was measured in the laboratory with an Abbe refractometer device) as well as for evaluating the performance parameters such as sensitivity (11.11μm/RIU for tapered sensor 10min and 11.13μm/RIU for tapered sensor 20min) and resolution (0.000069 RIU for tapered No core 10min and 0.000079 RIU for 20min tapered) of sensor (multimode fiber-no core fiber-multimode fiber), with 40 nm thick gold (Au) metal film of the exposed sensing region).

Numerous indicator models have been developed and utilized for the assessment of pollution levels in water resources. In the present study, modified water quality index (MWQI), integrated water quality index (IWQI), and entropy-weighted water quality index (EWQI) were integrated with statistical analysis for the assessment of drinking water quality in Umunya suburban district, Nigeria. There is no known study that has simultaneously compared their performances in water quality research. Overall, the results of this study showed that the water supplies are threatened by heavy metal pollution. The parametric quality rating analysis observed that Pb contamination has the most significant impact on the water supplies. Hierarchical cluster analysis was proved very efficient in the allotment of the possible sources of pollution in the study area. MWQI results classified the water supplies as “marginal”, signifying that they are frequently threatened. Based on the IWQI, 26.67% of the samples are suitable for drinking, 13.33% are acceptable for domestic uses, and 60% are unfit for drinking purposes. Similarly, the EWQI results showed that 60% of the samples are unfit for human consumption, whereas 40% are suitable. Investigation into the performance and sensitivity of the MWQI, IWQI and EWQI models in water quality assessment was analyzed and the results showed that they are all sensitive, efficient and effective tools. This study has indicated that the integration of the three models gives a better understanding of water quality. The excessive concentration of some potentially toxic heavy metals in the water supplies suggests that the contaminated water supplies should be treated before use.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh has been recognized as a major public problem. The arsenic contamination was first identified in the tubewell water in 1993 in a northern district of Bangladesh. Tubewells are the main source of drinking water in rural areas, and except hilly and terrace upland throughout the Bangladesh, the arsenic-contaminated tube-wells are distributed. Fifty million people of Bangladesh were estimated to be at risk of exposure to arsenic through consumption of water from contaminated tubewells. Chronic exposure to arsenic causes arsenicosis and may include multi-organ pathologies. Many of the health effects of chronic toxicity are evident in Bangladesh. Besides dermatological manifestations, noncommunicable diseases including cancer, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and decreased intelligence quotient among the children are reported to be increasing. Cancer due to long-term low-dose arsenic exposure through consumption of contaminated water is now an important concern of Bangladesh as it is being increasingly reported from arsenic-exposed individuals. Stoppage of consumption of the arsenic-contaminated water is the mainstay of arsenicosis prevention and case management. At present, a higher proportion of the people are still consuming arsenic-contaminated water because of the lack of sustainable arsenic-safe water supply. In providing sustainable arsenic-safe water options, any option advocated should be cheap, easy to use, locally maintainable, and owned by the community. In addressing arsenic-related health issues, arsenic-exposed population needs to be brought under the coverage of the regular surveillance program for detection and subsequent management of noncommunicable diseases and cancers.

Synthetic fertilizers have been revolutionary in the way that the increased production of food crops has increased as a result of the application of synthetic fertilizers. Despite the fact that global N, P, and K consumption have increased from 64.9, 25.9, and 18.2 kg/ha in the year 2000 to 85.5, 33.2, and 20.4 kg/ha, respectively, they are still relatively low. Additionally, excessive use of inorganic fertilizers has also resulted in a deterioration of environmental systems, especially that of water resources. The presence of this toxic substance inside the human body is therefore due to the fact that it enters the body through the food chain and causes serious illnesses, such as cancer. For instance, in most countries, the maximum nitrate concentration for drinking water is restricted to between 45 and 50 mg/L. Besides promoting the use of chemicals and the application of fertilizers in farming, there should be a push to encourage the sustainable use of biofertilizers to protect the environment and human health. Composts that have been developed from various waste materials, such as poultry farms, dairy farms, and other sources, have proven to be very rich in N, P, and K. For example, compost generated from dairy farm wastes can provide a value of 45,100, 7300, and 9100 mg/kg of N, P, and K, respectively. In order to make the use of these biofertilizers in agriculture possible, it will be necessary to spread awareness among the farmers so that they can adopt the concepts of sustainable management in agriculture.