Ecological Safety Assessment Research Articles

Assessment of Ecological Safety of Packing Materials

The issues of assessing the environmental safety of packaging materials based on life cycle analysis are considered. The results of calculations of material environmental safety indices and product ecological risk indices are given. The ecological footprint at all stages of the life cycle of the investigated packaging materials is revealed and their comparative analysis is carried out. The obtained results allow to choose the packaging material with the smallest ecological footprint during its life cycle.

Comprehensive analysis of biotransformation pathways and products of chloramphenicol by Raoultella Ornithinolytica CT3: Pathway elucidation and toxicity assessment

Microbial degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) has become important for reducing the adverse impact of environmental pollution with antibiotics. Although several pathways for CAP degradation have been identified in various bacteria, multiple metabolic pathways and their respective intermediate metabolites within a single strain are rarely reported. Here, Raoultella ornithinolytica CT3 was first isolated from silkworm excrement using CAP as the sole carbon source, and 100 mg/L CAP was almost completely degraded within 48 h. The biodegradation type of CAP followed first-order kinetics. Twenty-two CAP biotransformation products were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. The CAP biotransformation pathways were predicted mainly in the acetylation and auxiliary pathways of propionylation and butyrylation. The toxicity of CAP biotransformation products was evaluated using the ecological structure-activity relationship (ECOSAR) model and biological indicators. The results showed that the toxicity of the intermediate metabolites changed slightly, but the final metabolite was harmless to the environment. Genomic analysis predicted that genes encoding acetyltransferase, amido-linkage hydrolase, nitroreductase, haloacetate dehalogenase, and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase were associated with CAP biodegradation. This study provides new insights into the microbial degradation pathway of CAP and constitutes an ecological safety assessment for CAP-contaminated environments.

Ecological Safety Assessment and Convergence of Resource-Based Cities in the Yellow River Basin

Promoting the sustainable development of resource-based cities is of great significance for the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. In order to solve the dilemma of the sustainable development of resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin, this paper constructs an ecological security evaluation system. It calculates the ecological security level of 30 resource-based cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2020 using the TOPSIS model and carries out a classification convergence analysis. The DID empirical test of ecological security factors by sustainable development planning policies is used to distinguish the development characteristics of different resource-based cities. The results show that (1) the ecological security level of resource cities in the Yellow River Basin is generally well developed, and there are differences between different types of resource cities; (2) the resource cities in the Yellow River Basin mainly rely on industrial transformation to improve the ecological security level; and (3) the local governments pay limited attention to environmental protection.

The Ecological Safety Assessment and Brand Communication of Ice-Snow Tourism Under the Internet of Things and Deep Learning

The Ecological Safety Assessment and Brand Communication of Ice-Snow Tourism Under the Internet of Things and Deep Learning

Assessment of the impact of marine ferry routes on the environmental situation of the Baltic Sea based on data from information-measuring systems

Passenger and accompanying cargo-passenger maritime transportation on the Baltic Sea acts as systematic elements of the Baltic transnational macro-region. Ships that meet various environmental requirements today operate the ferry routes. The task of ecological safety assessment when introducing new ferry routes takes on special urgency. The paper contains analytical data of the marine ferry transportation industry, the main trends of the industry development. The analysis of the main ferry companies is performed and the main variables for estimating the level of possible pollution of the Baltic Sea are determined. Models for calculation of navigation autonomy by taking into account dimensions of allowable sewage and dry garbage are given. Based on the performed analysis of intensity of operation of sea ferry lines the forecast of areas of the Baltic Sea in which there will be an increase of ecological load is made. The necessity of development of information-measuring system for the assessment of the ecological situation of the Baltic Sea on the main directions of the sea ferry lines is substantiated. The structure of information-measuring system for monitoring of ecological situation at performance of sea ferry transportations is offered.

A Transformative Vision for an Omics-Based Regulatory Chemical Testing Paradigm.

Use of molecular data in human and ecological health risk assessments of industrial chemicals and agrochemicals has been anticipated by the scientific community for many years; however, these data are rarely used for risk assessment. Here, a logic framework is proposed to explore the feasibility and future development of transcriptomic methods to refine and replace the current apical endpoint-based regulatory toxicity testing paradigm. Four foundational principles are outlined and discussed that would need to be accepted by stakeholders prior to this transformative vision being realized. Well-supported by current knowledge, the first principle is that transcriptomics is a reliable tool for detecting alterations in gene expression that result from endogenous or exogenous influences on the test organism. The second principle states that alterations in gene expression are indicators of adverse or adaptive biological responses to stressors in an organism. Principle 3 is that transcriptomics can be employed to establish a benchmark dose-based point of departure (POD) from short-term, in vivo studies at a dose level below which a concerted molecular change (CMC) is not expected. Finally, Principle 4 states that the use of a transcriptomic POD (set at the CMC dose level) will support a human health-protective risk assessment. If all four principles are substantiated, this vision is expected to transform aspects of the industrial chemical and agrochemical risk assessment process that are focused on establishing safe exposure levels for mammals across numerous toxicological contexts resulting in a significant reduction in animal use while providing equal or greater protection of human health. Importantly, these principles and approaches are also generally applicable for ecological safety assessment.

In-Forest Planting of High-Value Herb Sarcandra glabra Enhances Soil Carbon Storage without Affecting the Diversity of the Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungal Community and Composition of Cunninghamia lanceolata.

Sarcandra glabra in-forest planting, an anthropogenic activity that may introduce a variety of disturbances into the forest, is being popularly promoted in southern China, while its consequential influences on soil nutrients, as well as the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungal (AMF) community of key forest keystone plants, are still unelucidated, which hampers the assessment of ecological safety and the improvement of agronomic measurements. In this research, topsoil from a 3-year-old Sarcandra glabra planted forest and a nearby control forest were sampled, and the annual variation in the soil nutrients and AMF community of the keystone tree Cunninghamia lanceolata were investigated. Our result showed that the total amount of soil organic carbon of the Sarcandra glabra cultivation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05), which indicated that Sarcandra glabra cultivation significantly enhanced the topsoil carbon storage. Yet, there were only insignificant differences in the Shannon index and Chao index of the AMF community between the two groups (p > 0.05). PCoA analysis found that the compositional differences between two groups were also insignificant. This indicated that Sarcandra glabra cultivation had no significant influence on the diversity and composition of the Cunninghamia lanceolata AMF community. However, we found that the differences in the total amounts of nitrogen and total phosphorus between the two groups were relatively lower in April and September, which indicated the higher nutrient demands and consumption of Sarcandra glabra in these two periods and suggested that a sufficient fertilizer application in these two stages would reduce the potential competition for nutrients between Sarcandra glabra and Cunninghamia lanceolata in order to ensure Sarcandra glabra production and forest health. Lastly, our results reported a total extra income ranging from of CNY 127,700 hm−2 (7 years of cultivation) to CNY 215,300 hm−2 (10 years cultivation) provided by Sarcandra glabra in-forest planting, which indicated its powerful potential for mitigating poverty. Our research systematically investigated the annual variation in the soil nutrient content and keystone tree AMF community caused by Sarcandra glabra cultivation and offers constructive guidance for Sarcandra glabra cultivation and fertilization management and ecological safety assessment.

Chemical characteristics analysis of automobile exhaust particles and the method for evaluating its ecological effect

Automobile exhaust has become the main source of atmospheric particulate matter with the increase in the number of automobiles. Automobile exhaust particles (AEPs) discharged into the atmosphere can enter the aquatic environment through atmospheric deposition, rain runoff, leaching, drainage water and urban sewage and further affect aquatic organisms. However, there is no comprehensive theory and method to evaluate the ecological effects of AEPs on aquatic environment. The new European driving cycle (NEDC) and the world harmonized light-duty test cycle (WLTC) were used to analyze the ecotoxicity of AEPs. The SUV gasoline, SUV hybrid and sedan gasoline under WLTC were used for further analysis. The chemical characteristics of AEPs were analyzed, and the ecotoxicity of AEPs on aquatic organisms was studied with Vibrio fischeri and Danio rerio as test organisms. The ecological effect of AEPs was studied through species sensitivity distribution based on interspecies correlation estimation (ICE) models. The results showed that (ⅰ) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were the main organic substances in AEPs. The total concentrations of PAHs in AEPs measured under the NEDC and WLTC were 237.4 and 159.8 mg kg−1, respectively, and the EC50 values for V. fischeri measured under the NEDC and WLTC were 42.02 and 47.05 mg L−1, respectively. (ⅱ) Total heavy metal concentrations in AEPs from SUV gasoline, SUV hybrid, and sedan gasoline were 197.52, 104.86, and 89.68 mg kg−1, respectively, and the LC50 values for D. rerio were 3.22, 4.46 and 5.62 mg L−1. Cu and Mn were the main toxic heavy metals in AEPs. (ⅲ) The PNEC values of AEPs from SUV gasoline, SUV hybrid and sedan gasoline were 0.57, 0.83 and 1.02 mg L−1, respectively. This exploratory study can provide technical information on water ecological safety assessment for determining the impact of AEPs on the surface water environment and for further improving automobile exhaust emission standards.

Ecological Safety Assessment and Analysis of Regional Spatiotemporal Differences Based on Earth Observation Satellite Data in Support of SDGs: The Case of the Huaihe River Basin

Terrestrial ecosystems provide a variety of benefits for human life and production, and are a key link for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The basin ecosystem is one type of terrestrial ecosystem. Ecological security (ES) assessments are an important component of the overall strategy to achieve regional sustainable development. The Huaihe River Basin (HRB) has the common characteristics of most basins, such as high population density, a rapidly developing economy, and many environmental problems. This study constructed an ES evaluation system by applying a pressure-state-response framework as an assessment method for the sustainable development of basins. Taking the HRB as an example, this study determined the ES status of the region from 2001 to 2019 and analyzed crucial factors for any variation observed by combining remote sensing and climate data, relevant policies, and spatial information technology. The results highlight the importance of reserves and the negative impact of urban expansion on ES. Additionally, the enactment of policies had a positive impact on ES, whereas precipitation had a negative effect on ES in most areas of the HRB. Based on these results, the government should strengthen the protection of forests, grasslands, and wetlands and improve water conservation facilities. This study provides guidance for the subsequent economic development, environmental protection, and the achievements of SDG 15 in the HRB.

Development of Methodology and Assessment of Ecological Safety of the EAEU and CIS Regions in the Context of Sustainable Development

The trends of sustainable development and green agenda transform the production processes, leading industries, and regional markets, and reveal objective contradictions in ensuring the ecological safety of certain territories. This study aims to develop a methodology and assess ecological safety at aggregated system levels, taking into account natural and socioeconomic factors as well as the factor of human capital development with specification of the place of ecological safety in the concept of sustainable development. The objects of empirical research are the EAEU and CIS countries for the period 2010–2019, as well as 85 Russian regions. The scientific research toolkit is based on the methods of structural-logical, economical-statistical, and comparative analyses, and expert judgments. The concepts of sustainable development and human capital and the theory of the national school of ecological safety are analyzed using the systematic approach. The mixed methodological approach showed the interconnection of four approaches of assessing ecological safety (technogenic, environmental, institutional, resource-based). The authors developed a method for assessing ecological safety taking into account the contribution of human capital. The assessment results are typologized and grouped according to the dynamic trend. For the majority of the considered countries, changes in the level of ecological safety correlate with changes in socioeconomic indicators. The same trend is observed when considering the Russian regional formations. The contribution of human capital was recorded to a lesser extent. For several regions, the increased number of objects polluting the environment is accompanied by a decreased volume of polluting emissions into the atmosphere.

The survival and removal mechanism of Sphingobacterium changzhouense TC931 under tetracycline stress and its’ ecological safety after application

Sphingobacterium changzhouense TC931 was isolated as a novel TC (tetracycline) removal bacterium through adsorption on extracellular polymerase substances (EPS) and cellular surface and biodegradation. TC biodegradation efficiency by strain TC931 was affected by solution initial pH and carbon source. Polysaccharides and hydrocarbons in EPS and cellular surface were responsible for TC biosorption. Eight possible biodegradation products were identified and the biodegradation pathway was proposed. Strain TC931 was rich in antibiotic resistance genes, and tetX-TC931 and antibiotics resistance genome island (GI) may be acquired via horizontal gene transfer in early evolutionary history. The GI was incomplete and may stable in strain TC931, but it could develop into an intact and transferability GI with help of other mobile genetic elements. This work offers a theoretical basis for understanding the survival and biodegradation mechanisms of S. changzhouense TC931 under TC stress, and offers an ecological safety assessment for its application in environmental bioremediation.

Presence of clinically significant endophytic yeasts in agricultural crops: monitoring and ecological safety assessment

Endophytic yeasts from internal tissues of 54 names of nuts and vegetables from 36 countries were studied. In total, 74 species of yeasts were isolated from analysed agricultural crops. The study revealed high values of occurrence and abundance of clinically significant yeasts Candida parapsilosis and Meyerozyma guilliermondii in some internal tissues that may pose a potential threat to human health, primarily for immunocompromised individuals.

Assessment of ecological safety of fish from anthropogenically polluted freshwater reservoir

The content of heavy metals in fish of different ecological groups in the conditions of the Argazinsky reservoir (Russia) has been studied, its ecological safety when used as a product nutrition was given. The material of the study was “local” fish (bream, pike, perch, roach, whitefish) caught by fishermen. The content of heavy metals was determined by atomic absorption method. Compared to muscular tissue, bone tissue has been found to accumulate more manganese, zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt, nickel, iron (except for roach), copper, except for perch. The value of the metal pollution index (Pi) is greater than one in bream muscles in nickel, lead and cobalt; pike — nickel. The multifactor index of metal contamination (MPI) in the muscular tissue of fish are located in the following order: bream &gt; pike &gt; roach, whitefish &gt; perch. Pi &gt;1.0 value in skeletal tissue of bream in lead, nickel, cobalt, manganese, cadmium, zinc, iron; pike — lead, nickel, cadmium, zinc, manganese; perch — lead, cadmium; roach — zinc, cobalt, lead, cadmium; whitefish — manganese, lead, cadmium. By the magnitude of MPI, the skeletal tissue is ranked in the following order: pike &gt; bream &gt; whitefish &gt; roach &gt; perch. Pike MPI=3, 85, bream MPI=3, 10. The following row is formed by the value of fish fatness: perch &gt; roach &gt; whitefish &gt; bream &gt; pike. The fatness amount in the body of pike and bream is affected by excessively accumulated metals (nickel, cobalt and lead in bream, nickel, cadmium, and lead in pike), and in perch, roach, and whitefish - essential (iron, cobalt, copper and zinc in perch, manganese, iron and copper in roach, manganese, cobalt and zinc in whitefish).

Cu2+/ATP reversible ratiometric fluorescent probe through strip, hydrogel, and nanofiber, and its application in living cells and edaphic ecological safety assessment

Specific and visual detection of copper ion (Cu2+) and ATP was critical for environmental and biological fields. In this work, a new rhodol-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for the reversible recognition of Cu2+ and ATP was designed under theoretical analysis. The Cu2+/ATP-induced emission intensity showed linearly proportional to the Cu2+/ATP concentration (0.0–10.0 μM) with the low detection limit of 0.11 μM/0.08 μM. Due to its excellent spectral properties, the reversible detection of Cu2+ and ATP was exploited through test strips and hydrogel. More importantly, Electrospun PMMA doped with the probe was constructed as a fluorescent sensing platform for specific and visual detection of Cu2+ under UV lamp by the naked eyes and the fluorescent sensing platform could be efficiently regenerated and recycled for several times by the treatment with ATP solution. Furthermore, the probe was applied to visualize Cu2+ and ATP in living cells and determine the content of Cu2+ in real soil samples which demonstrated the first reported probe for Cu2+ with application in edaphic ecological safety assessment. We prospected that this present work could promote the potential applications of fluorescent sensing platform in multifunctional environmental and biological portable sensing devices.

Footprint assessments on organic farming to improve ecological safety in the water source areas of the South-to-North Water Diversion project

In recent decades, conventional intensive agricultural practices have led to serious non-point-source pollution in China and have imposed serious ecological threats to agroecosystems, especially in ecologically sensitive areas. The Middle Line of the South-to-North Water Diversion project, which covers one of the largest ecologically sensitive areas in China, began in December 2014. In the study area around the Danjiangkou Reservoir belonging to the Middle Line of the South-to-North Water Diversion project, organic farming has been encouraged instead of conventional farming. This study aimed to measure the difference in ecological safety between conventional and organic farming based on the ecological footprint combined with life cycle assessment, which integrated the assessments of carbon footprint (CF), water footprint (WF) and nitrogen footprint (NF). This paper hypothesized that the ecological footprint of organic farming in the target area would be lower than that of conventional farming because of the reduced chemical inputs. The results showed that, as expected, first, organic farming had a lower footprint with a higher ecological remainder than conventional farming in 2015, indicating that organic farming practices made greater contributions to regional ecological safety in the study area. Second, in conventional farming, the total grey water footprint (nitrogen, phosphorus pentoxide and potassium oxide) was much higher than that of the farms in which only nitrogen fertilizer were used, indicating that both phosphorus pentoxide and potassium oxide also play indispensable roles in water footprint evaluation. Third, the energy-related nitrogen footprint was greatest in organic farming, caused by higher diesel oil consumption due to greater farm size for mechanical operation. Finally, the methods of calculating the amount of ecological compensation were improved. According to reduced ecological footprints, an extra payment (CF = 115.17 CNY ha−1; WF = 0.09 CNY ha−1; NF = 102.20 CNY ha−1) for organic farming should be seriously considered by different stakeholders, due to its benefit to greater ecological safety. From the perspective of ecological footprints, ecological compensation policies for organic farming might effectively promote ecological safety in the South-to-North Water Diversion watershed in the future. Footprint, as an accounting tool, offers great potential in assessment of ecological safety and ecological compensation worldwide and needs to be further explored in more dimensions such as phosphorus footprint, biodiversity footprint and so on.

Measures to improve environmental safety of urban gas stations

Placement of gas stations (gas stations) in the city, as a rule, is not ordered. In connection with the current development of the city, the placement of the gas station is a point building on the free places, which leads to a violation of the norms and deterioration of the environmental condition in the territory of the nearest building. The authors systematize the factors affecting the environmental safety of gas stations in the urban area. This was done on the basis of previously obtained results of theoretical and experimental studies, as well as the results of numerical simulation. It became possible to characterize the degree of influence of existing or newly built gas stations on the environment. The algorithm of complex assessment of ecological safety of gas stations is offered on the basis of system of the revealed factors. Practical recommendations were developed to reduce the negative impact of existing and newly designed gas stations on the nearest development.

Assessment of Ecological Safety in Zones of Influence of Water Intake Technological Complex of Multipurpose Water Supply Systems

The use of water resources in various types of economic activity (EA) of industrial and agricultural production, the generation of electrical energy at a nuclear power plant (NPP), the State District Power Plant (SDPP), a thermal power plant (TPP), a hydroelectric power station (HES), communal sphere, water supply and sanitation of urban households, etc. is inherently associated with existing and under construction new water intake technological complexes (“WITC”) . In the development of the class of natural-technical systems (NTS) “Natural Environment-Object of Activity-Population” (“NE-OA-P”) on the use of water resources in the multifaceted types of economic and other activities, giving the results of theoretical studies of a specialized type “NTS” in where the component “NE” means the natural water environment (NWE) of a water body as a source of the multi-purpose water supply system (MWS) of the objects of urban households, settlements, enterprises of the fuel and energy complex (TPP, HES, NPP); Under the “OA” water intake technological complex (WITC) is considered, which includes various for the functional purpose of hydraulic structures (HS) and devices for ensuring the selection of estimated water flow (Qm3/s) with an environmentally safe level of protection of the water environment of the water body in the zones of influence of the WITC and the functional work of the treatment facilities in the composition of the MWS; under the “P” is MWS that provides water of normative quality to specific water consumers

Landscape ecological safety assessment and landscape pattern optimization in arid inland river basin: Take Ganzhou District as an example

Landscape ecological security assessment aims to make a comprehensive evaluation of regional landscape ecological security through the construction of regional ecological security evaluation indicator system. According to the theory of landscape ecology, spatial principal component analysis (SPCA) and GIS techniques, we obtained the distribution of landscape ecological security pattern of Ganzhou District, Gansu province, China. We obtained the ecological sources, corridors, and nodes according to the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model to optimize the structure and function of ecological function network. The following results were found: the comprehensive landscape ecological security situation of the research area was on the average. The spatial distribution pattern of landscape ecological security level indicated that the low level of safety were mainly distributed in the Gobi and desert areas in the north, accounting for 19.9% of the study area, while the high safety level was mainly distributed in the northwest and southeast of the Heihe River basin, accounting for 24.8% of the study area. With points, lines, and surfaces being interlaced, a regional ecological network was constructed, which was consisted of six ecological corridors, 14 ecological nodes, a large ecological source area and a plurality of small source areas, and could effectively improve landscape ecological security level of the study area.

Response of chloramphenicol-reducing biocathode resistome to continuous electrical stimulation

Understanding the fate of overall antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during the biological treatment of antibiotic containing wastewater is a central issue for the water ecological safety assessment. Although the microbial electrode-respiration based biotransformation process could significantly detoxify some antibiotic contaminants, e.g. chloramphenicol (CAP), the response of CAP-reducing biocathode microbiome and resistome to continuous electrical stimulation, especially ARGs network interactions, are poorly understood. Here, using highthroughput functional gene array (GeoChip v4.6) and Illumina 16S rRNA gene MiSeq sequencing, the structure, composition, diversity and network interactions of CAP-reducing biocathode microbiome and resistome in response to continuous electrical stimulation were investigated. Our results indicate that the CAP bioelectroreduction process could significantly accelerate the elimination of antibacterial activity of CAP during CAP-containing wastewater treatment compared to the pure bioreduction process. Continuous electrical stimulation could obviously alter both the microbiome and resistome structures and consistently decrease the phylogenetic, functional and overall ARGs diversity and network complexity within the CAP-reducing biofilms. The relative abundances of overall ARGs and specific CAP resistance related major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter genes were significantly negatively correlated with the reduction efficiency of CAP to inactive antibacterial product AMCl (partially dechlorinated aromatic amine), which may reduce the ecological risk associated with the evolution of multidrug-resistant bacteria and ARGs during antibiotic-containing wastewater treatment process. This study offers new insights into the response of an antibiotic reducing biocathode resistome to continuous electrical stimulation and provides useful information on the assessment of overall ARGs risk for the bioelectrochemical treatment of antibiotic contaminants.

Analysis of the stability of water bodies to the action of destabilizing factors

Methodical approaches to the assessment of ecological safety of ecosystems based on the establishment of a comprehensive indicator of the degradation of environmental components have been developed, which will allow us to assess non-additive properties of different-scale aquatic ecosystems. The analysis of methods for assessing the stability of water bodies to change the parameters of natural and anthropogenic regimes is carried out. Investigation of the nature of resistance of water bodies has revealed not only their desire for balance, but also a complex fight against regular and irregular (fluctuations) forces.