The presence of emerging contaminants in the environment, such as pharmaceuticals, is a growing global concern. The excessive use of medication globally, together with the recalcitrance of pharmaceuticals in traditional wastewater treatment systems, has caused these compounds to present a severe environmental problem. In recent years, the increase in their availability, access and use of drugs has caused concentrations in water bodies to rise substantially. Considered as emerging contaminants, pharmaceuticals represent a challenge in the field of environmental remediation; therefore, alternative add-on systems for traditional wastewater treatment plants are continuously being developed to mitigate their impact and reduce their effects on the environment and human health. In this review, we describe the current status and impact of pharmaceutical compounds as emerging contaminants, focusing on their presence in water bodies, and analyzing the development of bioremediation systems, especially mycoremediation, for the removal of these pharmaceutical compounds with a special focus on fungal technologies.

With the increase in environmental monitoring and assessing, we are gaining insight into the extent of microplastic pollution in our environment. The threat posed by microplastics to biota could come, e.g., from leached substances. As some plastic materials have been decaying in nature for extended periods already, the toxic effects of leaching compounds need to be investigated. It is furthermore essential to understand the adverse effects of new plastic and how these effects differ from the effects elicited by old plastic material. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of exposure to leachates from new and artificial aged polycarbonate as well as new and aged polycarbonate granules on various germination parameters of Lepidium sativum were studied. Germination, root, and shoot length, as well as the calculated germination rate index as a measure for germination speed, was negatively influenced in substrate-free and substrate containing exposures. From an ecological and agricultural point of view, this implies possible yield losses with less germinating seeds, slower plant germination speed, and smaller seedlings in general.

Plastic waste is recognised as hazardous, with the risk increasing as the polymers break down in nature to secondary microplastics or even nanoplastics. The number of studies reporting on the prevalence of microplastic in every perceivable niche and bioavailable to biota is dramatically increasing. Knowledge of the ecotoxicology of microplastic is advancing as well; however, information regarding plants, specifically aquatic macrophytes, is still lacking. The present study aimed to gain more information on the ecotoxicological effects of six different polymer types as 4 mm microplastic on the morphology (germination and growth) and the physiology (catalase and glutathione S-transferase activity) of the rooted aquatic macrophyte, Nelumbo nucifera. The role of sediment was also considered by conducting all exposure both in a sediment-containing and sediment-free exposure system. Polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane exposures caused the highest inhibition of germination and growth compared to the control. However, the presence of sediment significantly decreased the adverse effects. Catalase activity was increased with exposure to polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, and polystyrene, both in the presence and absence of sediment but more so in the sediment-free system. Glutathione S-transferase activity was significantly increased with exposure to polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate in the sediment-free system and exposure to polyethylene terephthalate and polyurethane in the absence of sediment. There was no clear correlation between the morphological and physiological effects observed. Further studies are required to understand the underlying toxicity mechanism of microplastics.

Microcystins (MCs) are the most commonly studied cyanotoxins. While these past studies have mainly focused on the toxicity of MCs, the evolutionary history of life has shown that toxicity can be considered as an assigned role to MCs. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in understanding the importance of cyanotoxins in any of the physiological processes or beyond at the ecological level. This review evaluates variously proposed intracellular and extracellular functions of MCs and how they benefit the producing cyanobacterium. However, the strain-specific and divergent laboratory and field results obtained to date have made it difficult to generalize.

In the last few years, several studies have investigated microplastics (MPs) in marine ecosystems, but data monitoring and assessing the occurrence in freshwater environments are still scarce. The present study aims to investigate the occurrence, distribution, and chemical composition of MP pollution in Vesijärvi lake and Pikku Vesijärvi pond close to the city of Lahti (Finland) in winter. Sediment, snow, and ice core samples were collected near the shore of these two aquatic systems. MPs were analysed and identified by a non-destructive method using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) 2D imaging. The mean concentrations of MPs detected in sediment, snow, and ice samples were 395.5 ± 90.7 MPs/kg, 117.1 ± 18.4 MPs/L, and 7.8 ± 1.2 MPs/L, respectively. FTIR results showed the predominant abundance of microplastics, such as polyamides (up to 53.3%), polyethylene and polypropylene (up to 17.1%), and natural fragments such as cellulose (up to 45.8%) and wool (up 18.8%) in the same size range. The potential release of MPs arising from stormwaters and sport and recreational activities was evidenced.