RECETOX

Disruption of the thyroid hormone (TH) system by environmental chemicals poses significant risks to human and wildlife health. Reliable in vitro assays are essential for assessing thyroid peroxidase (TPO) inhibition, which disrupts a key step in thyroid hormone (TH) synthesis, while adhering to 3R principles. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of two types of in vitro assays, tyrosine iodination (Tyr-I) detected by HPLC-ICP-MS and Amplex UltraRed (AUR) and its modifications, using human HEK-TPOA7 cells and rat thyroid microsomes. It involved the evaluation of TPO inhibition by 21 chemicals (concentration range 0.002-200µM) from diverse use categories, including industrial pollutants, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. TPO-inhibition potential was indicated for 14 compounds. The Tyr-I assay, which measures the conversion of L-tyrosine to monoiodotyrosine, demonstrated superior sensitivity by capturing both the peroxidation and iodination steps of TPO activity, with effective concentrations for some human exposure-relevant chemicals (benzophenone 2, resorcinol) in the 15-74nM range confirmed with both human and rat TPO sources. In contrast, the AUR assay detects only the peroxidation step, limiting its ability to fully assess TPO inhibition. The inclusion of sodium iodide (NaI) in the AUR assay significantly enhanced its sensitivity (though it was still lower than in Tyr-I assay), while adding L-tyrosine together with NaI did not. The study documents the advantages and limitations, as well as the application and interpretation potential of the different assays´ variants. It provides valuable information and scientifically sound methodology to support the development of efficient testing strategies for the assessment of thyroid hormone system-disrupting chemicals.

Limited knowledge exists on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in mother-child pairs from Northern Finland. This study examines plasma PCB and OCP concentrations and their determinants. Blood plasma concentrations of 13 PCBs and 6 OCPs were measured in mothers and in cord samples from the NUGEN birth cohort (N = 102, 2012-2014). Correlations between maternal and cord POPs were assessed using Spearman correlation, and linear regression identified factors influencing lipid-adjusted POPs. Maternal age and alcohol consumption during pregnancy were positively associated with PCBs and OCPs. Pre-pregnancy BMI and weight change during pregnancy were inversely associated with PCBs, but positively with p,p'-DDE in children. Increasing parity and smoking were associated with lower PCBs. Maternal fish consumption was associated with higher PCBs in children. Finnish pregnant women had lower PCBs and OCPs than other European populations. These findings inform exposure risk assessment and prevention strategies.

MALDI MS analysis of liquid biopsy combined with ML enables non-invasive disease screening and monitoring. Here we present an open-source R-based workflow covering all steps from raw data preprocessing to predictive model evaluation. The pipeline is fully customizable and transparent, with validation performed on clinical plasma samples from hemato-oncological patients. This workflow enhances data reproducibility, enables a straightforward end-to-end workflow for liquid biopsy biotyping, and provides a foundation for integrating MALDI MS into routine clinical workflows.

Plastics used in agriculture, commonly known as agriplastics (AP), offer numerous advantages in terrestrial agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, but the diffusion of AP-intensive practices has led to extensive pollution. This review aims to synthesise scientific and policy discussions surrounding AP, examining evidence of their benefits and detrimental environmental and agricultural impacts. Following the proposal of a preliminary general taxonomy of AP, this paper presents the findings from a survey conducted among international experts from the plastic industry, farmer organisations, NGOs and environmental research institutes. This analysis highlights knowledge gaps, demands and perspectives for the sustainable future use of AP. Stakeholder positions vary on the options of ‘rejection’ or ‘reduction’ of AP, as well as the role of alternative materials such as (bio)degradable and compostable plastics. However, there is consensus on critical issues such as redesign, labelling, traceability, environmental safety standards, deployment and retrieval standards, as well as innovative waste management approaches. All stakeholders express concern for the environment. A ‘best practice’-based circular model was elaborated capturing these perspectives. In the context of global food systems increasingly reliant on AP, scientists emphasise the need to simultaneously preserve nature-based and traditional knowledge-based sustainable agricultural practices to enhance food system resilience.

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a persistent and mobile substance that has been increasing in concentrations within diverse environmental media, including rain, soils, human serum, plants, plant-based foods, and drinking water. Currently, TFA concentrations are orders of magnitude higher than those of other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This accumulation is due to many PFAS having TFA as a transformation byproduct, including several fluorinated gases (F-gases), pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, in addition to direct release of industrially produced TFA. Due to TFA’s extreme persistence, concentrations are increasing irreversibly. What remains less clear is the thresholds where irreversible effects on local or global scales occur. There are indications from mammalian toxicity studies that TFA is toxic to reproduction and that it exhibits liver toxicity. Ecotoxicity data are scarce, with most data for aquatic systems; fewer data are available for terrestrial plants, where TFA bioaccumulates most readily. Collectively, these trends imply that TFA meets the criteria of a planetary boundary threat for novel entities because of increasing planetary-scale exposure, where potential, irreversible disruptive impacts on vital earth system processes could occur. The rational response to this is to instigate binding actions to reduce emissions of TFA and its many precursors.

Understanding the occurrence and fate of current-use pesticides (CUPs) in coastal and open marine waters is essential for conducting exposure and risk assessments to ensure the protection of marine ecosystems from chemical pollution. While CUPs have been frequently studied in freshwater systems, knowledge of their behavior in marine environments remains fragmentary. This study investigated 28 CUPs across 50 sites along a transect from the Baltic outflow to pristine Arctic waters using ships of opportunity with installed FerryBox system. Overall, 14 CUPs were detected at least at one site at concentrations ranging from sub-ng/L to ng/L. CUP concentrations were higher in the Baltic outflow and decreased along the transect. Atrazine, simazine, tebuconazole, and propiconazole were detected in > 40 % of samples, including remote open sea regions, suggesting their potential for long-range marine transport. This Baltic Sea was identified as a major source of CUPs to connected marine systems. Additional CUPs were detected in the Baltic outflow, encompassing diuron, isoproturon, metazachlor, metolachlor, pyrazon, terbuthylazine, and chlortoluron. Ecotoxicological assessment indicated a moderate risk posed by metolachlor to algae. The use of the described infrastructure holds great promise for advancing our understanding of the occurrence and fate of CUPs in marine environments.

Plastics used in agriculture, commonly known as agriplastics (AP), offer numerous advantages in terrestrial agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, but the diffusion of AP-intensive practices has led to extensive pollution. This review aims to synthesise scientific and policy discussions surrounding AP, examining evidence of their benefits and detrimental environmental and agricultural impacts. Following the proposal of a preliminary general taxonomy of AP, this paper presents the findings from a survey conducted among international experts from the plastic industry, farmer organisations, NGOs and environmental research institutes. This analysis highlights knowledge gaps, demands and perspectives for the sustainable future use of AP. Stakeholder positions vary on the options of ‘rejection’ or ‘reduction’ of AP, as well as the role of alternative materials such as (bio)degradable and compostable plastics. However, there is consensus on critical issues such as redesign, labelling, traceability, environmental safety standards, deployment and retrieval standards, as well as innovative waste management approaches. All stakeholders express concern for the environment. A ‘best practice’-based circular model was elaborated capturing these perspectives. In the context of global food systems increasingly reliant on AP, scientists emphasise the need to simultaneously preserve nature-based and traditional knowledge-based sustainable agricultural practices to enhance food system resilience.