Thyroid dysfunction affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, yet the environmental contributors remain poorly characterized. Dibromoacetic acid (DBA), an unregulated brominated disinfection byproduct, is frequently detected in drinking water and is widely present in human populations. Despite its widespread human exposure, its potential to disrupt thyroid function and induce hypothyroidism has remained largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we adopted an integrative strategy combining network toxicology, transcriptomics, and in vivo and in vitro experimental validation. Phenotypic results showed that in DBA-exposed SD rats, plasma thyroid hormone (TH) levels decreased, and thyroid histomorphology and ultrastructure were impaired. Mechanistically, DBA dysregulated thyroid miRNA expression, particularly upregulating miR-365-5p/miR-448-5p to downregulate SOCS1. Subsequently, SOCS1 depletion coupled with oxidative stress hyperactivated the Jak1/Stat1 signaling cascade, which, in turn, positively regulated YY1 to transcriptionally repress TPO in thyrocytes, ultimately suppressing TH synthesis. Moreover, DBA disrupted TH metabolism, transport, selenium trafficking, and receptor expression, further exacerbating the hypothyroidism. Taken together, our results identify DBA as an unrecognized thyroid-disrupting chemical beyond a simple unregulated drinking-water DBP. This integrative paradigm bridges computational prediction and mechanistic validation, establishing a reliable workflow to assess endocrine disruption triggered by poorly characterized DBPs and emerging environmental contaminants.

Disease burden of ground-level ozone (O3) may be underestimated partly due to unresolved inconsistencies in O3 health effects reported in the literature. Inaccurate exposure assessment, copollutant confounding, and other methodological issues have not fully explained the inconsistencies. To explore an alternative explanation, we hypothesize that acute cardiorespiratory effects of O3 can be modified by longer-term PM2.5 exposure (30 day average), which may predispose people to heightened susceptibility. We tested the hypothesis by using two complementary approaches, including a panel study in healthy adults and a meta-regression analysis of O3 on cardiorespiratory effects reported in the literature. In the panel study, we observed significantly stronger associations between short-term O3 exposure and decreased lung function (FEV1, FEF25-75, and PEF) and increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure under higher PM2.5 exposure levels (>22 μg/m3). These findings were further supported by the meta-regression analysis, which showed that study areas with higher annual PM2.5 concentrations had greater effect sizes of short-term ozone exposure on both FEV1 and blood pressure. Together, our results suggest that higher background PM2.5 concentrations may amplify the acute adverse cardiorespiratory effects of O3, which may partly explain the inconsistent health effect of ozone exposure reported in prior studies.

Tire wear particles (TWP) that runoff into aquatic habitats are linked to fish kills in urbanized watersheds of the Pacific Northwest. These TWP leach complex chemical mixtures, including photodynamic compounds that can become orders of magnitude more toxic under solar radiation. This enhancement is especially relevant for transparent aquatic organisms in high-solar environments, such as Gulf of Mexico (GoM) estuaries that provide critical nursery habitats for recreationally and ecologically valuable early life stage (ELS) fishes. Yet data on TWP contamination and photoinduced toxicity in these systems remain limited. Using a fully factorial design, we exposed ELS red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) to TWP leachate under ambient indoor lighting or simulated solar radiation (as UV-A). Sensitivity was species-specific and dependent on UV coexposure. Red drum mortality increased independently with dose and UV, while southern flounder were sensitive regardless of UV. Sublethal impacts were mixed: red drum showed reduced growth, altered energy utilization, and diminished development under UV, whereas southern flounder showed reduced size and significant pericardial edema regardless of UV. These results demonstrate that TWP toxicity is species-specific and mediated by both phototoxic and nonphototoxic mechanisms, highlighting the vulnerability of ELS fishes in critical nursery habitats.

Polyurethane soft foam (PSF), one of the most extensively used plastics in household products, presents both convenience and disposal challenges. The chemical makeup of PSF, particularly its released substances, remains unclear, as do the drivers of toxicity to aquatic organisms. Here, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used as a model to evaluate the potential adverse effects of 47 PSF and similar-use products through swimming behavior and metabolomic profiling, and to identify the key toxic chemicals leached from these products by means of liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and correlation analysis. Among these, PSF leachates showed more severe adverse effects on larvae compared to latex and silicone leachates, with a higher number of chemical features and greater total abundance. Notably, linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS), which accounted for nearly half of the chemicals significantly associated with toxicity, were predominantly found in PSF products. The concentrations of LAS in these products ranged from 5.6 to 4078.9 μg/g, with an average of 1015.6 μg/g. Of these, p-(3-dodecyl)benzenesulfonic acid was selected as the representative driver of LAS toxicity, which induced consistent behavioral and metabolic disruption in zebrafish similar to the effects observed with PSF leachates. This work suggests that LAS are potential adverse chemicals in PSF products and that their continued, widespread use raises concern for aquatic ecosystems.

Malodorous sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) pose severe environmental and health risks, while existing physical or chemical abatement technologies suffer from low efficiency and poor economic viability. Herein, a low concentration ozone-assisted swelling-fixation of SVOCs (OSS) strategy is proposed using YMn2O5 mullite as a sulfur-fixing material, with CH3SH as a model pollutant. A sulfur fixation capacity of 1344.2 wt % (13.4× the YMO mass) is achieved and validated in a prototype device. Combined experimental characterizations and theoretical simulations reveal that ozone-derived reactive oxygen species synergize with Mn-Mn dimers, enable the thermodynamically and kinetically favorable conversion of CH3SH into liquid CH3SO2SCH3 and solid Mn(CH3SO3)2/SO42- products. The accumulation of these products builds a swollen surface layer on YMn2O5 that remains reactive toward CH3SH/O3 and allows continued sulfur fixation. Life-cycle assessment reveals a favorable trend in reducing carbon emissions, pollutant emissions, and eco-costs compared with conventional adsorption and oxidation routes. This room-temperature strategy enables scalable and sustainable SVOCs abatement, odor control, and sulfur resource fixation.

Sulfide oxidation mediated by pyrogenic carbon (PyC) is critical for initiating reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in subsurface systems. Nitrogen-rich pyrogenic carbon (N-PyC), containing abundant heterocyclic N, serves as a highly reactive component of the PyC pool; yet, its role in regulating sulfide oxidation remains unclear. The study systematically investigated the overlooked role of N-PyC in dark •OH generation during sulfide oxidation. Compared to counterpart PyC, N-PyC significantly increased •OH production during sulfide oxidation by ∼2-3 times, elevating pollutant degradation efficiencies in soils by >50%. Spectroscopic and electron paramagnetic resonance analyses revealed a novel electron transfer pathway mediated by N-PyC, which effectively facilitated the formation and subsequent propagation of polysulfide radicals. Unlike the previously reported two-electron transfer mechanisms on conductive graphitic domains, these polysulfide radicals induced by N-PyC enhanced •OH generation by >80% via a single-electron transfer mechanism with oxygen, as evidenced by electrochemical results. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that pyridinic N thermodynamically promoted the binding and homolytic cleavage of reactive sulfur structures by 0.7 and 0.13 eV, respectively, thereby activating polysulfide radicals. Soil incubations confirmed a significant positive correlation between N-PyC-mediated sulfide oxidation and •OH production in natural sulfide-rich zones (R2 = 0.87, p < 0.01). This study reveals a polysulfide radical-mediated electron transfer pathway for •OH formation, offering insights into the biogeochemical processes of sulfide oxidation and the involved ROS dynamics in pyrogenic-impacted environments.

Sediment reducing capacity (RC) regulates benthic habitat function and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nutrients, and pollutants. However, the compositional complexity and dynamic responses of RC to redox alternation remain inadequately characterized. Through laboratory stimulation experiments of redox alternation with 20 freshwater sediments from four water bodies with distinct trophic status in China (Honghu Lake: HL, n = 3; Xiashan Reservoir: XR, n = 6; Yudong Reservoir: YR, n = 7; and Zhanghe Reservoir: ZR, n = 4), we monitored the dynamics of RC and its fractions (RCpH7.0, RCpH2.0), and quantified the responses of major reducing components (reducing organic substances (RedOr), Fe(II), and sulfides (Sn, -2 ≤ n < 0)). Redox alternation triggered asynchronous RC responses, with depletion during oxic phases and recovery under anoxia. RC fluctuation amplitude exhibited sediment-type dependence, with RedOr-Sn sediments (HL/XR) showing greater variability than RedOr-Fe(II) systems (YR/ZR). Component-specific contributions differed significantly between sediment types (p < 0.05). RedOr contributed most to RC variation in RedOr-Sn sediments (45.9-71.2% vs 35.7-52.2% in RedOr-Fe(II)), whereas Fe(II) contributed 45.8-61.5% in RedOr-Fe(II) sediments (18.9-26.6% in RedOr-Sn), and Sn accounted for 8.73-27.5% in RedOr-Sn sediments (1.62-2.62% in RedOr-Fe(II)). These differences reflected anoxia-driven differences in component reactivity and abundance. RedOr-Sn sediments exhibited concurrent enrichment of RedOr, Fe(II), and Sn, whereas RedOr-Fe(II) sediments showed mainly enhanced Fe(II) reactivity with limited RedOr/Sn changes. Mechanistically, the observed RC patterns were consistent with distinct Fe cycling pathways. In RedOr-Sn sediments, limited labile Fe(III) was associated with greater apparent involvement of magnetite, whereas easily reducible/reducible Fe(III) fractions were more prominent in RedOr-Fe(II) systems. Our findings demonstrate the high lability of eutrophic sediment RC and establish redox alternation as an efficient diagnostic tool for identifying reductive sediment types and pinpointing regulatory targets.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are central to low-carbon transportation, yet research has predominantly focused on passenger vehicles, leaving the climate, air quality, and equity implications of commercial fleet electrification underexplored. Here, we quantify the climate and health impacts of electrifying different vehicle fleets by integrating fleet projections, hybrid life-cycle assessment, and air quality modeling for 367 Chinese cities in 2023 and 2030. Although commercial EVs (electric trucks and public fleets) account for less than 10% of China's EV stock, they deliver 48% of climate benefits and 60% of health benefits in 2023, increasing to 52% and 71% by 2030, with electric trucks driving most future gains. While electric trucks are not yet climate-beneficial in some coal-intensive regions, ongoing grid decarbonization will address the climate concern soon nationwide. By 2030, the poorest 50% of the population will receive only 33% of health benefits from passenger EV adoption, but nearly half (47%) from electrifying trucks and public fleets. Unlike the uneven, income-biased health benefits from passenger EVs, electrifying commercial fleets yields dominant and more equitable gains, highlighting it as an efficient and just pathway toward low-carbon mobility.

The rapid expansion of urban wastewater treatment has rendered the sustainable management of sludge a global environmental challenge. Gasification technology is emerging as a promising treatment pathway due to its high conversion efficiency and resource recovery potential. However, this process oxidizes the sulfur in the sludge into SO2, introducing an inherent conflict between its energy-saving and emission-reduction objectives. To resolve this dilemma, this study proposes a three-tier data-model-decision framework. First, by integrating material and energy flow analysis (MEFA) with reaction mechanisms, multisource process signals are mapped into the energy recovery efficiency and SO2 emission intensity per unit of sludge. Second, we develop a mechanism-informed feature engineering method and comprehensively compare multiple algorithms to select the optimal surrogate model for process optimization. Finally, jointly considering operational importance and feasibility, this process is systematically optimized under varying emission scenarios using DE, PSO, and NSGA-II algorithms to achieve coordinated emission reduction and energy saving. The results demonstrate that, despite the intrinsic tension between the two objectives, the proposed method can improve energy recovery efficiency by 45.28%-65.34% without additional treatment costs. In particular, the mechanism-informed feature engineering substantially enhances model performance. By bridging data science and industrial ecology, this work systematically identifies the operational bottlenecks and optimization potential of the sludge gasification process, providing actionable decision support for different environmental goals.

Pyrethroids, despite their widespread use in agriculture and household pest control, are often overlooked as persistent and potential toxicity contaminants. Their extensive applications lead to ubiquitous indoor and environmental residues, thereby raising risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health; however, effective on-site monitoring tools remain lacking. Herein, we pioneered an advanced indoor and environmental sensing device, i.e., the first online monitoring system for real-time detection of residual pyrethroids in waters. By designing a coumarin derivative that exhibited rapid and selective fluorescence enhancement upon binding to pyrethroids, a reversible sensor immobilized on a glass substrate was developed. Integrated into a Portable Online Monitoring Equipment (POME), this system enabled continuous, in situ monitoring and full signal regeneration within 5 min. The present method demonstrates excellent selectivity, stability across waters, and minimal environmental impact by virtue of zebrafish (Danio rerio) toxicity assays. This work bridges the gap between laboratory analysis and field-deployable sensing, offering a powerful tool for tracking these under-monitored pollutants and advancing real-time water quality assessment.