Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and clinically relevant bacterial taxa are environmental-health concerns in wastewater-impacted ecosystems. However, the capacity of lagoon systems to attenuate these AMR-related signals before effluent discharge or reuse remains insufficiently characterized in semi-arid regions. Shotgun metagenomics was applied to 34 influent and treated-effluent samples collected approximately weekly during January-March 2025 from two Moroccan lagoon systems: Settat (urban, n = 18) and Ouled Said (rural, n = 16). TPM-normalized taxonomic, resistome, and mobilome profiles were analyzed using diversity metrics, PERMANOVA, differential-abundance testing, and correlation networks. Lagoon treatment produced site-dependent microbial restructuring, with a marked shift in Ouled Said (Aitchison PERMANOVA, R[2] = 0.376, p = 0.002) but a weaker, non-significant shift in Settat (R[2] = 0.125, p = 0.054). ESKAPE-associated bacteria declined from approximately 38% to 32% of CARD-annotated taxa but remained detectable in effluents. The resistome was broadly attenuated, but last-resort antibiotic resistance genes (LR-ARGs) responded unevenly: most mcr variants decreased by 82.4-89.9%, with significant reductions for several variants, whereas blaVIM-1 and tet(X) showed limited or non-significant reductions. The mobilome declined, although transposases and insertion sequences remained prominent. Network analysis indicated denser residual statistical ARG-MGE-taxa co-occurrence after treatment, without implying increased genetic mobility or HGT. Overall, the systems acted as selective, context-dependent barriers, reducing AMR-related burdens while retaining clinically relevant residual signals. The contrasting site responses indicate that treatment performance should not be assumed to be uniform across lagoon systems and support targeted effluent surveillance for safer discharge and reuse.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure may attenuate antibody responses to vaccination. However, vaccine effectiveness as an outcome has not been investigated. This study assessed whether maternal PFAS concentrations during pregnancy modified childhood vaccine effectiveness. We analyzed mother-child pairs from the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Children's vaccination status for varicella, mumps, and influenza was collected via self-reported questionnaires at 2 years of age. Subsequent infection incidence was similarly assessed until 6 years for varicella and mumps, and 3 years for influenza. Maternal plasma samples collected during pregnancy provided PFAS measurements. Logistic regression models, incorporating interaction terms between vaccination status and PFAS concentrations, examined effect modification on both additive (relative excess odds due to interaction) and multiplicative (ratio of odds ratios) scales. Vaccinations were associated with reduced infection risk across PFAS exposure levels for all three diseases. Effect modification assessments revealed that perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) significantly reduced varicella and mumps vaccine effectiveness on the additive scale. For mumps, the odds ratio for infection among unvaccinated versus vaccinated children (higher values indicate greater vaccine effectiveness) was higher in the lowest PFNA tertile than in the highest, with a relative excess odds due to interaction of 0.94 (95% confidence interval: 0.33-1.54, P = 0.0025). Multiplicative scale effect modifications were not statistically significant. Vaccinations reduced infections in children across all maternal PFAS exposure levels. Evidence of effect modification was limited, isolated, and inconsistent. These analyses are exploratory, and confirmation is warranted.

Urban air pollution remains a major environmental health challenge, yet longitudinal evidence linking particulate matter exposure to genotoxic biomarkers across contrasting climatic conditions remains limited. This study examined the association between particulate matter exposure, climatic season, and chromosomal damage in urban workers from Uberlândia, Brazil. A prospective repeated-measures panel study was conducted with 238 male participants who completed four sampling campaigns spanning rainy and dry seasons, including 116 street vendors working in the central urban area and 122 formal indoor vendors working in a reference area. Ambient PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations were monitored at seven fixed monitoring points, and genotoxic damage was assessed using the micronucleus (MN) assay in exfoliated buccal mucosa cells. Particulate matter concentrations varied significantly across campaigns (p < 0.001) and were consistently higher in the central urban work environments. MN frequency also showed significant temporal variation and was consistently higher among street vendors across all campaigns (p < 0.05), whereas binucleated cell frequency showed no significant temporal variation. In multivariable Poisson generalized estimating equation models accounting for repeated measurements and spatial heterogeneity, higher PM2.5 concentrations were positively associated with MN frequency during both the rainy season (IRR = 1.024 per 1 μg/m[3] increase; 95% CI: 1.013-1.034) and the dry season (IRR = 1.026; 95% CI: 1.019-1.034). The PM2.5 x season interaction was not statistically significant (p = 0.378), providing no evidence that climatic season modified the association between PM2.5 and MN frequency. These findings demonstrate a consistent positive association between ambient PM2.5 concentrations and chromosomal damage across contrasting climatic conditions, alongside marked differences in particulate exposure and MN frequency between urban occupational environments. Integrating environmental monitoring with longitudinal human biomonitoring may provide a useful framework for urban environmental health surveillance.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have raised concerns about their potential immunosuppressive effects. However, the association between prenatal PFAS exposure and childhood rubella remains unclear. This study examined whether prenatal PFAS exposure is associated with childhood rubella incidence. We analyzed data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, including children whose mothers had plasma PFAS concentrations measured during pregnancy. The primary outcome was caregiver-reported physician-diagnosed rubella up to 6 years of age. Seven PFAS with detection frequencies >60% were analyzed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate associations between PFAS concentrations and rubella incidence. Age-stratified analyses were performed, mixture effects were evaluated using quantile g-computation, and a nested case-control sensitivity analysis using conditional logistic regression was conducted. Of 25,253 eligible children, 15,694 were included after excluding non-first-born children from multiple births and participants with missing data; 43 had caregiver-reported physician-diagnosed rubella. No significant associations were observed between maternal PFAS concentrations and childhood rubella incidence in either the regression or age-stratified analyses. Mixture exposure analyses also showed no significant association, and the nested case-control sensitivity analysis yielded similar findings. In conclusion, we did not find a statistically significant association between maternal PFAS exposure during pregnancy and childhood rubella incidence up to 6 years of age. However, the limited number of rubella cases reduced statistical power to detect modest associations, and larger studies are warranted.

During the first three years of the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC), we derived health-based human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GVs) for 11 substances to enable the direct health-related interpretation of human biomonitoring (HBM) results. HBM-GVs indicate the concentration threshold of the substance or its specific metabolite(s) in human biological samples up to which according to current knowledge no adverse health effects are expected, assuming exposure to the individual substance alone. New HBM-GVs are now available for the pesticides' active ingredients gamma-/lambda-cyhalothrin, acetamiprid, and imidacloprid, the ortho-phthalate diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) and the ortho-phthalate substitute diethylhexyl terephthalate (DEHTP), the UV filters DHHB (diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, Uvinul® A plus) and benzophenone-3, the metals aluminium and its inorganic compounds, methyl mercury and elemental/inorganic mercury, and nickel. In addition, we updated the HBM-GVs, which were derived as part of the European HBM4EU initiative using the mass balance approach, in light of new findings regarding the body mass normalised daily urine volumes and taking into account consistent rounding in the calculation and presentation of the values. For one substance, chromium VI, we updated HBM Exposure Equivalents for Cancer Risk (HBM-EECR) for workers exposed to highly soluble chromates, e.g. in the chrome-plating sector, and newly derived HBM-EECR for workers exposed to chromium (VI) oxides formed under hot conditions, e.g. in welding. In addition, we drew up an HBM-GV-related scoping document for selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The main conclusions of the work described above are summarised in this publication.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) in children is a risk factor for adult hypertension and is increasing globally. Ambient particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased BP in children in urban areas, but data from rural regions are sparse. The Children's AIRE study enrolled children 6-8 years in 2017-2019 and collected data bi-annually through Spring 2022. Residential addresses were spatially linked to regulatory air pollution monitors to determine long-term (12-month) and short-term (7-day) exposure to PM2.5 and PM10. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured up to five times in 592 children, standardized, and categorized as normal or elevated/hypertensive. We used linear mixed models to evaluate associations between PM exposures and 1) continuous BP and 2) risk of elevated/hypertensive SBP. In adjusted models, exposure to an additional 38 days (the interquartile range) in the prior year of daily average PM10 > 50 μg/m[3] was associated with a 1.1 mmHg (95% CI 0.8, 1.5) increase in DBP and a 0.9 mmHg (95% CI 0.3, 1.5) increase in SBP. Children exposed to the highest quartile of average short-term PM2.5 and PM10 levels had a 5.8 percentage point (95% CI 0.4%, 11.2%) and 5.9 percentage point (95% CI 0.2%, 11.6%) increase in risk of elevated/hypertensive SBP, respectively, compared to children in the lowest quartiles of exposure. Long-term exposure to PM may lead to increased BP in rural children, while short-term exposures may raise the risk of elevated or hypertensive levels of SBP. These results suggest that air pollution can impact children's cardiovascular health.

The European Joint Programme HBM4EU was established to address politically relevant questions on chemical risks to public health through a targeted human biomonitoring research programme. Running from 2017 to 2022, it was co-financed by the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement No. 733032) and national or institutional funds from participating partners. HBM4EU was the first large European initiative to establish a robust science-to-policy interface by systematically aligning research activities with concrete regulatory needs. The programme introduced a structured governance model that actively involved policy-makers at European and national levels, scientists from multiple disciplines, and other stakeholders. A transparent prioritisation process defined key chemical groups as scientific focus areas, each supported by dedicated topic leaders. These leaders formulated relevant policy questions and translated them into targeted scientific tasks implemented via annual work programmes. To support regulatory uptake, HBM4EU produced tailored, policy-oriented communication products for all priority chemicals. At the end of the project, a structured survey among project partners assessed collaboration between scientists and policy-makers, as well as coordination, management and knowledge transfer. The results highlighted factors enabling effective communication and mutual understanding at the science-policy interface. They showed that shared governance promoted transparency, fair distribution of effort and synergies, and underlined the importance of continuous dialogue to ensure lasting impact. Overall, the findings provide practical guidance for future EU-funded projects seeking strong scientific excellence and policy relevance.

Occupational exposure to environmental hazardous chemicals poses health risks, yet nationwide evidence across diverse occupational groups remains limited. This study aimed to assess exposure levels to environmental hazardous chemicals across occupational groups among Korean adults and to identify chemicals and occupations potentially overlooked in current management systems. Data were obtained from 2974 adults in the Fourth Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2018-2020). Occupations were classified into 21 groups based on the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations. Thirty-two chemicals, including heavy metals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phthalate metabolites, environmental phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites, and volatile organic compound (VOC) metabolites, were analyzed. Survey-weighted one-way analysis of variance was used to compare chemical concentrations across occupational groups. All 32 chemicals had detection rates above 60%. Wood and furniture manufacturing workers showed the highest proportion of chemicals exceeding the general population mean (84.4%), followed by sales workers, metal and material manufacturing workers, and driving and transportation workers (71.9% each). Mean concentrations of all chemicals differed significantly across occupational groups. PFAS were higher in tour, accommodation, leisure service, and food-related occupations. Phthalates and environmental phenols were elevated in service and wood/furniture manufacturing workers. PAH metabolites were higher in metal/material and wood/furniture manufacturing workers, while VOC metabolites were elevated in machinery/manufacturing and caregiving/health service workers. Chemical exposure patterns differed by occupation, suggesting the need to improve management of chemicals and occupational groups that may be insufficiently addressed by current policies.

Global chemical production is projected to increase sharply by 2050, intensifying concerns about population exposure and related health and environmental risks. Human biomonitoring (HBM) provides a direct measure of aggregate internal exposure to chemicals and can act as an early warning tool for emerging health risks. There are growing international efforts to strengthen chemicals management and integrated risk assessment, including the EU's One Substance, One Assessment (OSOA) framework. Systematic HBM data are increasingly recognised as essential for translating exposure information into actionable evidence for chemical risk assessment and policy development. Several countries have established national HBM programmes, demonstrating their value for public health, regulatory decision-making, transparency for citizens and chemical safety. Yet many countries still lack such programmes despite having capable laboratories or prior scientific HBM experience. Establishing a sustainable national HBM programme requires coordinated governance, stakeholder engagement, infrastructure, technical expertise, mechanisms for linking science to policy and communication strategies. This study addresses this gap by proposing a holistic and adaptable framework, informed by best practices identified across 14 countries. The framework outlines the key elements required for the establishment and operation of national HBM programmes, including governance structures that facilitate collaboration among relevant stakeholders through either cross-ministerial steering committees or centralised coordinating bodies. It further emphasises systematic chemical prioritisation, standardised operating procedures, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), harmonised sample collection and processing, transparent science-to-policy translation mechanisms, integration with existing health surveys, shared infrastructure, international collaboration, and strategic biobanking as essential components for ensuring comparability, cost-efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been associated with altered lipid metabolism in general populations, but evidence remains limited among patients with established coronary artery disease, particularly for emerging PFAS replacement compounds. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 155 patients with chronic coronary syndrome from Beijing Anzhen Hospital to examine associations between serum legacy and emerging PFAS and lipid biomarkers. Serum concentrations of 33 PFAS were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and 10 compounds with detection rates >80% were included in the primary analyses. Lipid outcomes included total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), non-HDL cholesterol, remnant cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a). PFAS concentrations were log2-transformed, lipid outcomes were ln-transformed. Associations were estimated using multivariable linear regression, with Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate correction applied separately within each lipid outcome-specific family of 10 PFAS tests. In fully adjusted models, each doubling of serum PFOS and 6:2 Cl-PFESA concentrations was associated with higher HDL-C levels after outcome-specific BH-FDR correction within the family of 10 PFAS-HDL-C tests (PFOS: β = 0.040, 95% CI: 0.011 to 0.070, q = 0.038; 6:2 Cl-PFESA: β = 0.048, 95% CI: 0.019 to 0.077, q = 0.012). However, neither association remained statistically significant after BH-FDR correction across all 70 individual PFAS-lipid tests. Effect estimates were similar in robust regression and after excluding influential observations, but were attenuated after excluding the highest 5% of exposure values. These findings should not be interpreted as indicating a favorable lipid effect and require confirmation in larger prospective studies.