Ukraine entered the definitive period of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in January 2026 as the largest exporter of CBAM-covered goods to the EU by physical volume, while its industrial base remains under direct wartime pressure. This study provides the first structural analysis of the open microaggregated dataset of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (SSSU) on air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, covering 1990–2025 across 1284 territorial units, 128 substances, and 605 economic activities (NACE/KVED-2010). A documented harmonization procedure is proposed that resolves the 2020/2021 dimensional break and the ambiguity between oblast (region)- and hromada (municipality)-level records, yielding consistent 36-year series with independent national total validation for 2015–2025. Four phases are identified: transformational decline (1990–1999, −56.5%), stabilization (1999–2013, +4.6%), post-2014 structural decline (2013–2021, −47.9%), and the full-scale war shock (2021–2025, −55.0%). Stationary source emissions fell by 89.3% overall, but the wartime reduction reflects destruction and occupation of capacity, not decarbonization, as reflected in the collapse of metallurgy (−73.8%) and coke production (−89.6%) and the loss of the Mariupol district from statistical coverage after 2022. Mobile sources now supply 65% of the national total. Coal mine methane dominates stationary CH4 (301 kt in 2021; ≈9.0 Mt CO2 eq), directly relevant to Regulation (EU) 2024/1787. The regional Herfindahl–Hirschman index fell from 1847 (2021) to 1524 (2025), indicating war-driven regional deconcentration and a westward shift in the emission center of gravity. The findings are validated against independent satellite-based and conflict attribution estimates, and implications for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) infrastructure, CBAM default value exposure, and the phased design of Ukraine’s emissions trading system are derived.
The presence of plastic marine litter (ML) and its associated negative environmental impacts have been documented in all existing parts of the marine and coastal environment, including protected areas (PAs). The aim of this study is to identify gaps in existing research related to the lack of standardization of methods and scarcity of detailed information on the characteristics of ML found. This systematic review provides current information on the methods and results of studies focused on the problem of ML and microplastic (MP) pollution on the coastlines of PAs. This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement. It is based on 28 peer-reviewed publications from four online databases and search platforms: ScienceDirect, PubMed, MDPI and Google Scholar, published between 2021 and 2025. The presence of ML was detected in all 28 studies (100%), confirming the relevance of the problem along the coastlines of PAs, even those far from industrial centers. The reported densities, however, ranged from a few fragments of litter to several thousand items. Plastic was the most common material of ML among all the peer-reviewed publications analyzed. Most of the studies showed that polyethylene (PE) fragments were the dominant type of microplastic (MP) found in coastal environments of PAs. However, despite the growing research on this topic, the problems of lack of detailed information and standardization of methods remain unresolved. This review emphasizes the importance of applying unified methods and conducting long-term monitoring experiments in future research.
Methanol is highly soluble and with spreads quickly in natural water bodies, which could bring about serious environmental risks if leaked. In the present work, the transport and diffusion behavior of methanol in an open-channel flume under controlled hydraulic conditions is investigated experimentally. A closed-loop experimental system was designed to mimic the pipeline leakage scenarios and image-based reconstruction methods were applied to quantify the spatiotemporal evolution of the methanol concentration fields. Systematic analysis was performed on the effects of flow velocity, water depth, leakage rate and leakage location. The results indicate that flow velocity is the dominant factor controlling the downstream advective transport, with increasing velocity significantly reducing the downstream extent of high-concentration zones. Water depth affects vertical mixing and dilution capacity, with deeper flows maintaining more persistent plume structures. Higher leak rates result in higher local concentrations and larger near-field contaminated regions. The position of the leakage is also very important for the plume morphology: the boundary effects lead to a limited and asymmetric dispersion when the leakage is close to the boundary, while the dispersion is more symmetric when the leakage is in the middle of the domain. The study highlights the combined roles of advection, turbulent mixing and boundary confinement in governing methanol plume evolution. The results provide experimental evidence for the understanding of soluble pollutant transport mechanisms in open-channel flows under simplified hydraulic conditions.
Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental particles with complex physical and chemical properties that enable them to interact with other contaminants. Recent evidence suggests that microplastics act as carriers for various chemical pollutants, altering their transport, deposition, and deposition dose. This conceptual review synthesizes current knowledge of radon progeny behavior and microplastic properties and suggests potential mechanisms for their interaction, although direct experimental validation of radon progeny specifically is currently lacking. It discusses attachment kinetics, transport pathways in air and water, and microplastic-mediated shifts in human lung deposition patterns and ecological exposure. Theoretical dosimetry reasoning suggests that, if attachment occurs, small respirable microplastics (1–10 μm) could increase inhalation doses by prolonging the airborne residence time of progeny indoors, whereas macro- and coarse microplastics would primarily affect localized environmental hotspots. These possibilities remain to be tested experimentally. Integrated experimental and modelling approaches, including radon chamber studies, aerosol and aquatic transport experiments, respiratory tract modelling, and ecological bioassays, are proposed to quantify these processes and inform risk assessment. Knowledge gaps remain in attachment efficiency, retention, co-contaminant interactions, and long-term exposure scenarios. Addressing these gaps is critical for refining human and ecological risk assessments and guiding regulatory frameworks in radon-microplastic-impacted environments.
Chromium contamination in aquatic systems represents a significant environmental concern due to its toxicity and complex geochemical behaviour. This study analyzes the spatial distribution of total chromium (Cr) in sediments from streams and surface waters of the Iron Quadrangle (IQ), one of the world’s most important mining provinces, with the aim of establishing regional reference values and identifying anomalous concentrations. A total of 487 samples were collected, corresponding to an average sampling density of one sample per 14.37 km2. Statistical approaches, including the Upper Inner Fence (UIF) method, were applied to distinguish background levels, elevated concentrations, and anomalies, while contamination factor and enrichment factor indices were used to assess contamination and enrichment patterns. The results indicate a wide range of Cr concentrations, with sediments reaching up to 2581 mg·kg−1 and surface waters up to 384.7 μg·L−1. Although most samples reflect natural background conditions, significant anomalies were identified, particularly in areas associated with mafic–ultramafic lithologies and mining activities. Approximately 73.3% and 42.3% of sediment samples exceeded TEL and PEL thresholds, respectively, while 35.3% of surface water samples surpassed drinking water limits. The results highlight the need for continuous environmental monitoring and reinforce the importance of integrating geochemical mapping with risk assessment approaches to better understand contamination dynamics in complex mining regions.
Air pollution negatively impacts human health and environmental sustainability, particularly in areas with high industrial activity. This study comparatively evaluated deep learning-based models for estimating PM10 and SO2 pollutants in Dilovası and Ereğli (Turkey), industrial areas with high pollutant loads. The study utilized Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs), an RNN–GRU stacked hybrid model, an attention-based hybrid model, and the proposed GRU–LSTM dual-path hybrid model. The proposed method consists of four main stages: data conversion into a time-series format, data preprocessing and feature generation, model architecture development, and model training and performance evaluation. The dataset consisted of 365 daily PM10 and SO2 observations obtained from the Air Monitoring Center for the Dilovası and Ereğli monitoring stations. Model performance was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2), training time, root mean squared error (RMSE), mean squared error (MSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) metrics. The findings showed that the hybrid models provided higher accuracy compared to the single-track models. Specifically, the proposed GRU–LSTM dual-path hybrid model produced the highest R2 and lowest error values for both pollutant parameters in both the Dilovası and Ereğli regions. In Dilovası, this model achieved R2 = 0.97 for SO2 and R2 = 0.96 for PM10; in Ereğli, it reached R2 = 0.92 for SO2 and R2 = 0.98 for PM10. Thus, it has been shown that the GRU–LSTM dual-path hybrid model, which models short-term and long-term temporal dependencies in parallel, is an effective and reliable method for air pollutant forecasting in industrial areas. These findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed model to support air quality monitoring, early warning systems, and environmental decision-making in industrial regions.
This study aims to investigate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental footprint of BOCOM Petroleum, a mid-sized downstream oil company operating in Douala, Cameroon. In response to the critical need for empirical data on industrial emissions in Sub-Saharan Africa, a mixed-methods approach combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), carbon accounting, and stakeholder interviews was adopted. Emissions were categorised following the GHG Protocol into Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (energy-related), and Scope 3 (value chain). Results reveal total annual emissions of 51,734 CO2, kg/year, with Scope 3 accounting for 38%, Scope 2 for 33%, and Scope 1 for 29%. Major emission sources include stationary combustion, laboratory processes, and the use of electricity-intensive heat-generating machines. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was developed, proposing actionable measures such as process optimisation, adoption of energy-efficient equipment, electrification of vehicle fleets, and improved waste management. Findings underscore the need for systemic decarbonisation strategies among mid-sized oil firms and highlight the alignment of corporate initiatives with Cameroon’s climate commitments. This study contributes a replicable methodological framework for emission auditing in industrial enterprises across the region and calls for further integration of environmental and financial planning in corporate sustainability strategies.
Microplastics (MPs) adsorb hazardous substances and are ingested by a wide range of organisms; therefore, indicators for managing their environmental concentrations are needed. Ideally, threshold values should be based on health impacts. However, the diversity of MPs and the complexity of their environmental behavior make it difficult to establish unified environmental concentration standards. In this study, we propose a threshold for the presence of MPs on sandy beaches based on “visual cleanliness,” derived from the amount of MPs that people find psychologically unacceptable. Three types of MPs were used: white polypropylene (PP), blue PP, and white polystyrene (PS; expanded polystyrene). The survey was conducted in Japan, and the number of valid responses was 245. For defining a narrow-range cleanliness threshold, volume concentration was more appropriate than mass concentration. White particles were expected to be less noticeable because they tended to blend with white shell fragments, which are ubiquitous on beaches. In contrast, blue particles were expected to be less acceptable owing to their rarity. However, we found no difference in unacceptability between white PP and blue PP. The threshold, defined as the volume concentration at which half of the respondents find MPs psychologically unacceptable, ranged from 1 to 2 cm3-MPs/m2-sand. Gender, age, travel time to the beach, and frequency of beach visits did not influence unacceptability. Strong concern about marine plastic pollution and experience in cleaning public spaces were associated with a tendency toward low tolerance for MP contamination on beaches.
Background: Human exposure to environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) rarely occurs in isolation, yet most epidemiological research has assessed chemicals individually. PFASs, toxic metals, phthalates, and VOCs are ubiquitous contaminants with well-documented reproductive toxicity. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the joint and individual effects of 28 EDCs spanning four chemical classes on six reproductive hormone biomarkers in a nationally representative U.S. population—using an innovative approach that simultaneously characterizes nonlinear mixture effects and chemical interactions across multiple exposure domains. Methods: This cross-sectional study used NHANES 2017–2018 data (n = 9254). Multivariable linear regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) characterized individual and mixture associations, respectively. Missing data were handled using multiple imputations by chained equations. Survey design weights were applied in linear regression models. Results: Linear regression revealed heterogeneous associations across chemical classes and hormones. PFOA was positively associated with SHBG (β = 12.35; 95% CI: 8.33, 16.38) and LH (β = 6.91; 95% CI: 1.44, 12.38), while mercury was inversely associated with estradiol (β = −3.38; 95% CI: −5.12, −1.65). BKMR analyses identified pronounced non-monotonic dose–response relationships and emergent mixture effects not predictable from single-chemical analyses for all six hormones. Posterior inclusion probabilities identified cadmium, PFOA, MEHP, and MBzP as the most influential predictors across hormone endpoints. Conclusions: Concurrent real-world exposure to PFASs, toxic metals, phthalates, and VOCs is associated with measurable, nonlinear alterations in reproductive hormone profiles. Chemical mixture effects cannot be reliably predicted from single-pollutant analyses, underscoring the necessity of mixture-based methodologies in environmental reproductive epidemiology. Prospective studies are needed to establish causal temporality and identify critical windows of susceptibility.
Morocco’s recent legalization of industrial and medicinal cannabis has created a rapidly expanding seed-oil sector whose sustainability has yet to be fully assessed. This study applies an environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006, complemented by a qualitative social responsibility assessment based on ISO 26000:2010, aiming to evaluate the life cycle sustainability of Moroccan cannabis seed oil. Three representative processing chains, traditional artisanal presses, producer cooperatives and regulated industrial plants are compared using a functional unit of 1 kg of cold-pressed oil packaged for local distribution. Inventory data were drawn from field measurements and interviews and were modeled in OpenLCA with background datasets from Ecoinvent 3.8 and Agribalyse v3.1. Impact assessment used the ReCiPe 2016 (H) method at the midpoint level across nine categories (climate change, fossil resource scarcity, water use, freshwater eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, land occupation, carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic human toxicity, and fine particulate matter formation). Sensitivity analyses varied seed yield, electricity mix and transport distances by ±20% to gauge uncertainty. Results show that the cooperative scenario achieves the lowest impacts across nearly all categories because of higher extraction yields (3 kg seed per kg oil), lower energy use (0.54 kWh kg−1 oil) and more effective co-product recovery. In contrast, artisanal extraction requires approximately 1 kg of additional seed input per functional unit compared to optimized scenarios, significantly increasing upstream environmental burdens and causing upstream agricultural burdens to multiply. Industrial facilities perform comparably to cooperatives if powered by renewable electricity. Integrating a semi-quantitative social responsibility assessment reveals that legalization has markedly improved organizational governance, labor conditions, consumer protection and community involvement. Cooperatives display the most balanced social performance, whereas industrial plants excel in governance and quality control. A set of recommendations, including drip irrigation, cultivar improvement, co-product valorisation, renewable energy adoption, eco-designed packaging and cooperative governance, is proposed to enhance the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of Morocco’s emerging cannabis seed-oil industry.
This article presents a systematic review of land-based marine pollution in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), focusing on the river–sea interface. Using the PRISMA protocol, 30 articles published between 2015 and 2025 were selected. Key pollutants identified include microplastics, nutrients, heavy metals, and urban effluents, which travel through river basins and impact coastal ecosystems and communities. The region faces serious challenges due to limited wastewater treatment coverage, with many urban areas lacking adequate infrastructure or using outdated technologies. This leads to widespread discharge of untreated effluents into rivers. Fragmented governance, weak institutional capacity, and insufficient implementation of regional treaties further hinder pollution control. Climate change exacerbates these pressures by increasing hydrological extremes and the vulnerability of sanitation systems. Despite existing legal instruments, cooperation on monitoring and wastewater management remains limited. The integration of basin and coastal planning, improved governance, and transboundary collaboration are essential to reduce pollution and promote ecological and social resilience in the region.
Based on data from the literature in the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases, this study collected 325 articles published between 2020 and 2025. Using Citespace software (version 6.4) to analyze publication volume, countries, institutions, disciplinary categories, and keywords, we examined research characteristics, hotspots, and bottlenecks in the field of ecological remediation for heavy metal pollution in mining area soils. Results indicate: (1) Publication volume in this field showed an upward trend from 2020 to 2024, accounting for 70.2% of this dataset being from the environmental sciences. Chinese scholars demonstrated significant dominance and high engagement, though interdisciplinary depth remained insufficient; (2) from 2020 to 2025, the research focus shifted from risk identification to precise remediation, forming a complete logical chain of ‘identification–remediation–optimization’. Green technologies (biological/combined remediation) emerged as mainstream approaches in integrated remediation. (3) A significant gap exists between research and practice. Many innovative technologies are costly and difficult for enterprises to bear, while low-cost techniques like ‘waste-to-waste treatment’ lack sufficient research and application, hindering large-scale implementation. This study reveals the current situation of ‘intense research but difficult application’ in the ecological remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils in mining areas. The findings provide a scientific basis for technological innovation, practical implementation, and policy making.
The gut microbiota of fish plays a crucial role in nutrition, metabolism and immune regulation, and is highly sensitive to environmental stressors such as pesticide exposure. This study investigated the effects of emamectin benzoate (EMB) exposure on Asian stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) gut microbiota using an integrated culture-dependent and culture-independent approach to assess functional and taxonomic dysbiosis. Gut smear samples from control and EMB-treated fish at two sublethal concentrations (0.5 µg/L and 5 µg/L) were analyzed for major functional bacterial groups, including heterotrophic, lipid-hydrolysing, starch-hydrolysing, spore-forming, and Gram-negative bacteria and Pseudomonas spp., using standard plate count techniques. In parallel, microbial community composition and diversity were examined through 16S rRNA (V3–V4 region) gene amplicon sequencing followed by bioinformatic analysis. Culture-based results showed a significant decline in total heterotrophic bacteria and key functional groups in EMB-treated fish, indicating suppression of microbial metabolic activity and functional imbalance. Lipid-hydrolysing and starch-hydrolysing bacteria showed pronounced sensitivity to pesticide exposure, while spore-forming bacteria exhibited a marked reduction, suggesting compromised microbial resilience. Although Gram-negative bacteria declined overall, Pseudomonas spp. displayed a non-linear response, with an initial decrease, followed by partial recovery under higher exposure. Culture-independent analysis demonstrated reduced alpha diversity, altered community structure, and taxonomic shifts in EMB-treated fish. Pseudomonadota exhibited a distinct pattern characterized by decline at 0.5 µg/L and partial recovery at 5 µg/L, reflecting adaptive tolerance rather than restoration of microbial homeostasis. Overall, the combined evidence indicates pronounced EMB-induced gut dysbiosis at both functional and compositional levels. This study highlights the fish gut microbiome as a sensitive biomarker of stress and underscores the ecological risks associated with EMB in aquatic environments.
Micro- and nano-plastic pollution caused by the mismanagement of plastics waste is a significant problem worldwide, causing severe impacts in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adsorption capacity of a thermally stable and superhydrophobic bio-substrate to remove microplastic particles (MPPs) from aqueous systems. In this work, the adsorption efficiency of cattail fluff towards MPPs from pristine PP, PVC, PA6, LDPE, HDPE, and their blend was evaluated. The effect of temperature (30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C) and two binding environments (distilled water and industrial wastewater) on adsorption was determined. Non-linear regressions of seven adsorption isotherm models including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R), Redlich–Peterson (R–P), Toth, and Sips were applied to fit the experimental data. Error function analysis confirmed that the D–R adsorption isotherm model offers the best fit of the experimental data. The results show that the bio-substrate is very effective in adsorbing MPPs from aqueous systems with adsorption capacities of qe = 3597 mg/g and qe = 2807 mg/g in distilled water and synthetic industrial water, respectively. The composition of the MPPs determines the effect of temperature and binding environment on the adsorption performance of the bio-substrate. Physisorption dynamics for the MPP/bio-substrate system are also provided and discussed. Overall, the hydrophobic bio-substrate is highly effective in removing MPPs from aqueous systems, with the added advantages of low cost, sustainability, and scalability for practical applications.
Microplastic (MP) contamination has become a global environmental and public health concern due to the extensive use of plastics and ineffective waste management. These microscopic particles are now detected in air, water, soil, and food products, raising serious concerns about their persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential risks. Microplastics (MPs) have been shown to disrupt marine biodiversity, affect plant metabolism, and enter food webs, leading to accumulation in human tissues. Chronic exposure is increasingly linked to reproductive toxicity, carcinogenesis, neurotoxicity, and metabolic disorders. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the sources, pathways, and environmental fate of microplastics, with an emphasis on their ecotoxicological effects and human health implications. It also summarises key analytical methods for detecting microplastics in environmental and food matrices, including spectroscopy, microscopy, and emerging sensor-based technologies. Finally, the review highlights the need for improved waste management, stronger policy interventions, and enhanced public awareness to mitigate microplastic pollution and protect ecosystem and human health.
Nanoplastics (NPs, <100 nm) have emerged as nano-scale contaminants with superior mobility and biological barrier-crossing capacity, yet risk assessment fails due to unstandardized analytical methods and a lack of realistic exposure data. This perspective proposes an “Exposome–Microbiome–Immune” (EMI) framework as a One Health paradigm to integrate detection, toxicokinetics, and systemic effects. We prioritize the following actions: (i) validated nano–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nanoFTIR) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for environmental/human monitoring; (ii) multigenerational studies in zebrafish and organoids; (iii) longitudinal cohorts for biomonitoring. Without shifting from descriptive reviews to systems toxicology, NP risk will remain underestimated.
Open environmental monitoring datasets are increasingly used in water-pollution research because they provide broad spatial and temporal coverage and support reproducible large-scale analyses. However, their interpretation may depend strongly on preprocessing decisions, particularly when many observations are reported below the limit of quantification (LOQ). This study evaluated the sensitivity of inferred heavy-metal pollution patterns to preprocessing choices in open European surface-water monitoring data. Publicly available Waterbase records for cadmium, lead, and nickel were restricted to rivers and lakes. After removing missing values and a subset of implausible extreme observations above 1000 µg/L, the main analytical dataset contained 1,475,409 observations. Below-LOQ records accounted for 66.6% of cadmium, 57.3% of lead, and 36.1% of nickel observations. A separate censoring-analysis dataset (1,259,636 observations) was used to compare three scenarios: removal of below-LOQ observations, substitution with half the LOQ, and substitution with the full LOQ. Censoring treatment substantially affected concentration summaries, with the strongest sensitivity observed for cadmium, followed by lead, whereas nickel was comparatively more stable. The effect persisted after station-year aggregation and also altered hotspot identification. These findings show that although open monitoring data are valuable for pollution research, robust interpretation requires explicit and transparent reporting of preprocessing decisions.
Agricultural intensification in Eastern Africa has raised concerns about the transport of pesticides and nutrients from farmland into surface waters, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. This study systematically reviews the peer-reviewed literature published between 2010 and 2024 to assess the extent, patterns, and drivers of agrochemical contamination in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the region. Reported pesticide concentrations ranged from <0.01 to 0.55 μg L−1, with several studies indicating exceedances of drinking-water or environmental guideline values, particularly for organophosphate and carbamate compounds. Nutrient enrichment was widespread, with nitrate concentrations of 0.99–5.6 mg L−1 and phosphate levels of 0.16–2.0 mg L−1, frequently linked to eutrophication. Many studies showed strong seasonal variability, with higher concentrations during rainy periods due to increased runoff and erosion. Variability among findings reflected differences in land use, catchment characteristics, sampling design, and analytical approaches. Where evaluated, mitigation measures such as vegetated buffer strips, cover cropping, and improved nutrient management were associated with reductions in agrochemical runoff of approximately 50–80%. Overall, agrochemical contamination is widespread across Eastern African basins and influenced by agricultural practices and hydrological dynamics, highlighting the need for strengthened monitoring, improved stewardship, and broader adoption of mitigation strategies.
Air pollution is among the key topics in environmental policies and mitigation policies. Governments and institutions worldwide are working towards a better understanding of the phenomenon and means to reduce its impact on the environment and human health. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many countries to introduce strict regulations, effectively stopping non-essential anthropic activities. Italy had a pioneering role in this regard, anticipating other countries in Europe and across the world. These exceptional circumstances caused the concentrations of pollutants in the atmosphere to reach lower levels, thus allowing researchers to evaluate a number of hypotheses concerning the contribution of anthropogenic emissions. At the Lamezia Terme (code: LMT) World Meteorological Organization—Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO/GAW) regional station in Calabria, Italy, previous research highlighted the effects of governmental restrictions on the concentrations of gases (carbon monoxide, CO; carbon dioxide, CO2; methane, CH4, nitrogen oxides, NOx) and aerosols (black carbon, BC). In this work, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3) are also evaluated and all parameters are subject to the analysis based on the O3/NOx ratio, the ONRPI (Ozone to Nitrogen Oxides Ratio Proximity Indicator), which has been widely used at LMT to verify the balance between local and remote sources of emission. The implementation of this method to the first 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in the country has allowed significant improvement in our understanding of the variability of all evaluated parameters at the site, assessing with greater detail weekly cycles and day–night contrasts, and the influence of local and remote sources of emission.
Microplastics (MPs)—synthetic polymer particles less than 5 mm in size—have emerged as ubiquitous contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments worldwide, raising concerns about their ecological and human health impacts. While research has predominantly focused on urban and marine settings, evidence shows that rural ecosystems are also affected, challenging assumptions of pristine conditions outside cities and coasts. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the presence, pathways, and impacts of MPs in rural environments, highlighting complex contamination dynamics driven by both local sources (agricultural plastics, domestic waste, rural wastewater, and road runoff) and regional processes (atmospheric deposition, hydrological transport, and sediment transfer). Key findings highlight that rural lakes, streams, soils, and groundwater systems are active sinks and secondary sources of diverse MPs, predominantly polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in fibrous and fragmented forms. These particles vary in size, density, and color, influencing their transport, persistence, and bioavailability. Ecological effects include bioaccumulation in freshwater species, soil degradation, and potential food chain transfer, while human exposure risks stem from contaminated groundwater, air, and locally produced food. Despite these growing threats, rural systems remain underrepresented in monitoring and policy frameworks. The article calls for context-specific mitigation strategies, enhanced wastewater treatment, rural waste management reforms, and integrated microplastics surveillance across environmental compartments.
