The consumption of disposable materials is booming with the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, which may inevitably cause the release of toxic and harmful substances during use of them in daily life. This study was to estimate element levels such as Beryllium (Be), Vanadium (V), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), Antimony (Sb), Barium (Ba), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), and Selenium (Se) in leachate and subsequently assess the health risk of exposure to those disposable products such as paper and plastic food containers. We found that a large amount of metals was released from disposable food containers in hot water, and the order of metal concentration is Zn > Ba > Fe > Mn > Ni > Cu > Sb > Cr > Se > Be > Pb > Co > V > Cd. Additionally, the hazard quotient (HQ) of metals in young adults were less than 1, and were decreased in the order of Sb > Fe > Cu > Be > Ni > Cr > Pb > Zn > Se > Cd > Ba > Mn > V > Co. Furthermore, the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) results of Ni and Be indicated that chronic exposure to Ni and Be may have a non-negligible carcinogenic risk. These findings suggest that potential health risk of metals may exist for the individuals to use disposable food containers under high temperature environment.

This review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the environmental contaminants N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its quinone derivative (6PPDQ) derived from tire wear particles (TWPs), focusing on their environmental distribution, transformation, human exposure pathways, toxicological effects, and health risks to ecological and human health. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, compiling and analyzing data from environmental monitoring studies, toxicological assessments on aquatic and mammalian models, and emerging human biomonitoring research. Key findings on concentrations, toxicological endpoints (e.g., LC50, oxidative stress, genotoxicity), and exposure pathways were evaluated. 6PPD and its transformation product 6PPDQ are ubiquitous environmental pollutants found in air, water, soil, sediment, and dust. 6PPDQ is notably highly toxic to aquatic organisms, with an acute LC50 of 790 ng/L for coho salmon. Human exposure to these compounds occurs through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, and their presence has been confirmed in human matrices including blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Toxicological studies, primarily on model organisms, indicate that 6PPD and 6PPDQ can induce oxidative stress, cause DNA damage, and disrupt metabolic and neurological functions. Adverse outcomes such as intestinal toxicity, reproductive impairment, neurobehavioral changes, and potential carcinogenicity have been observed. However, direct evidence of their health impacts on humans remains limited. 6PPD and 6PPDQ pose significant and widespread ecological risks, with 6PPDQ representing a particularly potent aquatic toxicant. While human exposure is confirmed, the full scope of human health implications is not yet well understood. The review highlights the need for longitudinal environmental tracking, mechanistic studies, and refined exposure models to inform regulatory actions and mitigate risks. Addressing these challenges is essential to mitigate the ecological and health burdens posed by 6PPD and 6PPDQ. This study underscores the global societal importance of addressing 6PPD-related pollution—a pervasive and transboundary environmental challenge stemming from universal tire wear.

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been the primary air pollutant and the fourth leading risk factor for disease and death in the world. Exposure to PM_2.5 is related to activation of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, but the mechanism of PM_2.5 affecting the NLRP3 inflammasome is still unclear. Previous studies have shown that PM_2.5 can cause alterations in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and an increase in extracellular ATP and a decrease in intracellular ATP can trigger the activation process of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Therefore, we emphasize that ATP changes may be the central link and key mechanism of PM_2.5 exposure that activates the NLRP3 inflammasome. This review briefly elucidates and summarizes how PM_2.5 acts on ATP and subsequently further impacts the NLRP3 inflammasome. Investigation of ATP changes due to exposure to PM_2.5 may be essential to regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation and treat inflammation-related diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Graphical abstract

Background: Bone mineral density (BMD) has been positively associated with lung function in patients diagnosed with respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis. However, the relationship between BMD and lung function is inconsistent in the general population. Methods: To investigate the association between BMD and lung function in a Chinese general population, a total of 1024 adults aged 40–70 years old from Qiliying (an industrial polluted exposure area) and Langgongmiao (the reference area with non-industrial pollution) were recruited and underwent BMD and spirometry tests. Results: Both BMD and lung function levels were lower in the exposed area compared to the reference area. In addition, BMD and lung function levels were also lower in females compared to males. Both Spearman and partial correlation analyses showed that BMD was positively correlated with FVC and FEV₁. After adjusting linear regression analyses for potential confounding factors, every 0.1 g/cm² drop in BMD was associated with 53.0 mL decrease in FVC and 33.5 mL decrease in FEV₁. Conclusions: A reduction of BMD is associated with lower lung function in a general population from China.

OBJECTIVES: The association between obesity parameters and lung function indicators in the general Chinese rural adult population remains unclear.METHODS: In total, 8,284 Chinese adults aged 20 years to 80 years old from Xinxiang were recruited. Obesity-related parameters, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waistto-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage (BFP), basal metabolism, and visceral fat index, and lung function parameters such as forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in first second were measured.RESULTS: The total prevalence of obesity defined by BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR, and BFP was 23.2%, 58.2%, 66.7%, 69.2%, and 56.5%, respectively. Spearman correlation analyses showed significant correlations between all obesity-related parameters and lung function. Linear regression analyses further demonstrated that BMI, WHtR, BFP, and general obesity defined using those indicators were negatively associated with lung function, while WC, WHR, and central obesity defined accordingly were positively associated with lung function. The relationship between general obesity and lung function was more evident in women than in men, while the link between central obesity and lung function was more obvious in men than in women.CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is closely related to lung function in the general Chinese adult population. Weight control and loss are important strategies to improve lung function and respiratory health.

Electronic and electrical products have deeply permeated all aspects of life, bringing a lot of convenience to individuals. However, the generation of e-waste after their end-of-life has resulted in serious risks both to the ecological environment and human health due to a lack of scientific and effective recycling and treatments. As two major types of components in e-waste, heavy metals and plastics can not only directly enter the human body via inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption, but also accumulate in the human body indirectly through the food chain. E-waste is full of resources such as valuable metals like gold, silver, and copper that are often discarded incorrectly. Environmental and health risks derived from unregulated e-waste dismantling activities may be finally addressed through the application of advanced e-waste recycling technology, policy support of governments, legislation on recycling laws and regulations, and the improvement of public environmental protection awareness. This review gives a brief overview of the history, current situation, and future development of e-waste in China, which may provide novel thinking and approaches to e-waste management in the world.