Bisphenol analogues (BPs) have already attracted wide concern owing to the environmental and health risks they pose. The exposure pathways and health risk of preschool-aged children to BPs, however, are still poorly understood. In this study, we choose population survey with 184 preschool-age children from a suburb of Nanjing, eastern China, further reveal the internal and external exposures concentrations, distribution profiles, potential sources and eventually assess health risk of preschool-age children to eight kinds of BPs. The results verify that the 95th percentile (P95) concentrations of Ʃ₈BPs ranged from 0.27 to 41.6 ng/mL, with a median concentration of 7.83 ng/mL in the urine samples. BPA, and BPF were the predominant BPs in urine, accounting for 67.3%, and 18.0% of Ʃ₈BPs. The urine-based estimated daily intake (EDI) of Ʃ₈BPs was 187 ng/kg body weight/day. Similarly, BPA, and BPF were the main BPs in the environmental exposure sources, accounting for 80.8%, and 11.7% of the total BPs. Moreover, the total external exposure dose of Ʃ₈BPs via the environmental sources was 68.1 ng/kg body weight/day, including BPA (56 ng/kg body weight/day), BPF (7.68 ng/kg body weight/day) and BPB (2.62 ng/kg body weight/day). The oral intake of drinking water and food (vegetables and rice) was the main exposure pathways of BPs in preschool-age children. Furthermore, the hazard quotient (HQ) of BPs have been evaluated and the results show no occurrence of high risk. Additionally, the urine-based EDI was significantly higher than the total external exposure dose, suggesting the existence of other pathways of BP exposure to be further explored. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to conduct both an internal and external exposure assessment of BPs.

The removal, and its mechanism, of arsenate from aqueous solutions was investigated using Yunnan red soil. A series of adsorption experiments was designed to disclose the effect of key factors (soil types, soil/solution rates, initial arsenate concentrations, and shaking speeds) on the adsorption capacity of Yunnan red soil for arsenate. The soil/solution ratio was optimized as 0.05 g/100 mL to balance the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency. The optimal shaking speed (225 rpm) not only ensured enough contact frequency between the Yunnan red soil and the arsenate, but also reduced the mass transfer resistance. The results from applying an orthogonal array method showed that the most significant factor affecting arsenate removal efficiency was soil type, followed by the soil/solution ratio, contact time, and shaking speed. The IR spectra of the precipitates further confirmed that the metal arsenide was settled by the Yunnan red soil, indicating that the arsenate ion existed on the red soil surface in the form of protonated bidentate surface complexation of –FeO₂As(O)(OH)⁻ and FeO₂As(O)²⁻. These results indicate that Yunnan red soil is promising for the removal of arsenate from aqueous solutions; it may thus be suitable as a new adsorbent for arsenate removal during water treatment.

Background: The present study aims to explore the relationship between perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and hyperlipidemia using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: A total of 1600 subjects were included in the analysis, and nine kinds of PFAS were measured. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the association between serum PFAS and hyperlipidemia. Results: Compared with the lowest quartile of perfluoromethylheptane sulfonic acid isomers (Sm-PFOS), the percentage change for hyperlipidemia was 57% and 41% in the third and highest quartile of PFOS. The positive association between Sm-PFOS and hyperlipidemia remained significant in population younger than 60 years, and the odds ratio for hyperlipidemia in fourth quartile of Sm-PFOS was 1.81. Conclusions: These findings indicated that serum Sm-PFOS was independently associated with a higher risk for hyperlipidemia. The epidemiological study warrants further study to elucidate the causal relationship between them.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are contaminants of emerging global concern, yet their long-term fate and distribution in strategic trans-boundary water source areas remain underexplored. This study conducted a comprehensive monitoring campaign spanning from 2018 to 2020, with six sampling campaigns carried out in August 2018, December 2018, May 2019, August 2019, December 2019, and May 2020, to investigate the occurrence, spatiotemporal dynamics, source apportionment, and ecological risks of 54 PPCPs in the surface water and sediments of the Taipu River in eastern China. Utilizing non-target screening via liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), 54 PPCPs across 15 categories were detected, with average total concentrations of 28.60 ng/L in surface water and 13.01 ng/g in sediments. Sulfonamides, quinolones, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) dominated the aqueous phase (with bisphenol A and sulfamethoxazole highly prevalent), while hormones (e.g., estriol) and quinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin (CIP)) exhibited significant accumulation in the benthic zone. Spatiotemporal analysis revealed a seasonal pattern where PPCP concentrations were higher in the dry season than in the wet season, primarily driven by hydrological dilution and climate-induced degradation. Furthermore, Positive Matrix Factorization (EPA PMF 5.0) extracted five distinct source factors for each matrix. Specifically, surface water pollution was primarily driven by domestic wastewater, municipal effluents, medical discharges, and localized pharmaceutical emissions, whereas sediments acted as a long-term sink predominantly for domestic wastewater, agricultural/veterinary runoff, and municipal/industrial emissions. Ecological risk assessment indicated that while most of the nine high-frequency contaminants posed low risks, specific compounds such as CIP, SM2, and E3 presented medium risks in surface water, whereas ENR, CIP, and SPI posed medium risks in sediments. These findings emphasize that the continuous multi-source input and the resulting pseudo-persistence of PPCPs in sediments warrant prioritized continuous attention and targeted pollution control strategies in the Taipu River Basin.