AI Networking Cookbook: Practical recipes for AI-assisted network automation and development
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Integrated analysis demonstrated that the co-occurrence and distribution of PAHs and heavy metals are influenced by shared sources and environmental conditions, including organic load, particulate content, and system dynamics that favour pollutant retention and reduced degradation.
Industrial and domestic effluent discharge contributes significantly to surface and groundwater pollution. Industrialisation in rapidly urbanising regions of Sub-Saharan Africa often impacts the environment, leading to severe aquatic degradation. This study presents a comprehensive physicochemical, metal, and toxicological characterisation of industrial effluents within Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Twenty-nine representative samples were collected from strategic discharge points: nine from the Royal Salt processing area, which doubles as a lead-zinc mining region; four each from abattoirs, the building material market area, the Iyiudele River, and municipal drainage canals; and four from control (unpolluted reference) sites. Analysis was conducted for eighteen parameters following the 24th edition of the American Public Health Association (APHA, 2023) Standard Methods and ASTM D3370-18 sampling protocols, including heavy metal speciation by spectrophotometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. Results indicated a critical state of pollution, with several parameters significantly exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) permissible limits. Notably, arsenate (As) and lead (Pb) exhibited mean concentrations of 0.07 mg/L and 0.105 mg/L, respectively, representing substantial exceedance of safety thresholds. Organic loading was equally severe, with five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) averaging 88.5 mg/L, corresponding to a Contamination Factor (CF, the ratio of the observed mean concentration to the permissible limit) of 2.95, while dissolved oxygen (DO) fell to a hypoxic mean of 1.85 mg/L. Nutrient enrichment was extreme, with total phosphate (5.29 mg/L) exceeding the guideline value more than ten-fold, signalling a high risk of irreversible eutrophication in receiving water bodies such as the Iyiokwu River. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA, p < 0.05) confirmed significant spatial variation in contaminant plumes, linking the Royal Salt processing zone to metal toxicity and abattoir discharge to organic hypoxia. The study concludes that uncontrolled discharge of untreated effluents poses an immediate threat to the regional “One Health” framework, necessitating urgent bio-remediation strategies such as phytoremediation and low-cost adsorption treatment, alongside stricter enforcement of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) discharge permits. These findings provide baseline data for future longitudinal studies on the biomagnification of neurotoxic metals within the local food chain.
As the primary substitutes for traditional brominated flame retardants, organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely employed in industrial manufacturing and consumer products, and they have been detected in most rivers across China. The Zhuozhang River, a major tributary of the Haihe River, is situated in a region characterized by intensive anthropogenic activities and water scarcity. Nevertheless, research on OPE contamination and its associated environmental impacts in the Zhuozhang River basin remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, this study investigated the occurrence, sources, and ecological risks of 12 OPEs in water samples collected from representative sites, including major reservoirs, upstream river sections, main river channels, and wastewater treatment plants. The results showed that tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) were the dominant compounds by mass, with concentrations ranging from 1108 to 1977 ng/L and 202 to 238 ng/L in the mainstream. Ecological risk assessment using the RQ method revealed that EHDPP and TDCIPP fall into the moderate-risk category. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied to explore the sources of OPEs. The results show that plastic-related industries most likely serve as the dominant contributors to OPE contamination.
Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are important pathways for microplastics (MPs), plastic additives, and other associated contaminants to enter receiving waters, yet their combined pollution and risks remain poorly constrained across broad geographic regions. Here, MPs and plastic additives were investigated in effluents from 46 typical WWTPs distributed across 31 provincial-level regions of China. MPs occurred in all effluents at 6.0-589.0 items L⁻¹ ; fragments dominated, 95.6% were < 1 mm, and polystyrene was the most abundant polymer. National emissions were estimated at 2.35 × 1015 particles yr-1, equivalent to 552 yr-1, with loads positively associated with served population. Sixty-four plastic additives and associated contaminants were detected at total organic concentrations of 799.54-5534.19 ng L⁻¹ . Bisphenols, phthalate esters, and organophosphate esters dominated the organic profile, contributing 58.9%, 26.5%, and 11.4%, respectively. Organic risks were driven mainly by bisphenols, whereas elevated Zn contributed to metal-related risk at some sites. Polymer-dependent co-occurrence patterns between MPs and additives indicated potential combined exposure. An ecological risk index integrating CRITIC-derived and expert-judgment weights classified all sites as moderate risk or higher. These findings provide broad geographic evidence from typical WWTPs and a tool for coordinated management of MPs, plastic additives, and associated contaminants in WWTP effluents.
Pharmaceutical pollution of freshwater ecosystems is an emerging environmental and public-health issue in India. The high drug consumption in the country, along with the presence of concentrated manufacturing hubs, inadequate wastewater treatment, and weak monitoring systems, is leading to rising pollutant release. This review summarizes the existing evidence on pharmaceutical contaminants in Indian freshwaters with the focus on classes of pollutants, sources of contamination, environmental fate, toxicological pathways, ecological risks and remediation strategies. Antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, stimulants and anticonvulsants are identified in the review as priority contaminant groups owing to their frequent detection, high use volume, environmental persistence and ecotoxicological relevance. These residues can enter freshwater systems through discharges from pharmaceutical manufacturing, hospital effluents, domestic wastewater, livestock runoff and agricultural pathways. Their persistence is due to their physicochemical properties, adsorption to sediment, incomplete biodegradation and limited removal in conventional wastewater treatment plants. Toxicological evidence points to risks of selection for antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, reproductive impairment, genotoxicity and bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs. The review also covers microbial degradation, phytoremediation, constructed wetlands and advanced oxidation processes as remediation options and points out that the choice of technology should be context specific for industrial, municipal and natural water systems. This review offers a novel India-centric synthesis that links pharmaceutical production, consumption, environmental occurrence, ecological effects and remediation feasibility into an integrated framework for monitoring, policy reform and future research.
The widespread usage of plastic items, plastics are often seen as a serious concern especially in metropolitan areas. This study investigates the abundance, geographical distribution and composition of micro-plastics (MPs), adsorbed contaminants (Heavy metals, microbes) on MPs in urban wastewater in Faisalabad, Pakistan, with a focus on the effects of human activities. To support this study, analyses of water quality and the connection between microplastic contaminants and the physicochemical characteristics of water quality were also conducted. Faisalabad, a sizable industrial and inhabited city has significant micro-plastics (MPs) pollution in its wastewater systems as a result of poor plastic waste management. Wastewater samples from 14 main disposal sites were analyzed for micro-plastics (MPs) concentration, form, polymer composition and relationship to adsorbed contaminants and water quality variables. The results showed that MPs were present in all samples, with an average concentration of 2281±0.19 MPs/m3 and a maximum of 9256±0.35 MPs/m3 in dense areas. The most common type was large sized MPs (300-500 μm) which included 50.5% fragments and 31.5% fibers. The three main polymers identified by FTIR analysis were polyethylene (PE) 37%, polypropylene (PP) 29%, and polystyrene (PS) 25%. Human consumption appears to be the main source of MP, as evidenced by the strong correlation between MP content and water quality indicators. The findings confirmed that micro-plastic presence is associated with increased levels of TS, conductivity, turbidity, BOD5, COD, Temperature, along with reduced DO, pH, NO3-N, NO2-N, and NH4-N. MPs extracted from the waste water are loaded with heavy metals Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni and As. Bacterial Colonization Potential Index (BCPI) further explore a significant impact of MPs on bacterial colonization and health risk index. This study highlights the need of improving regulations for the handling of plastic waste in cities like Faisalabad in order to reduce MP contamination.
The open burning system of municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal releases varying concentrations of emissions into the atmosphere. One of such, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere have been documented to be a threat to humans. This study assessed the concentration of the ambient air PAHs in a MSW dumpsite at Egbedi, Osun State. A polyurethane foam (PUF) passive sampler was installed in 10 locations for 28 days to trap PAHs. The PAH results were subjected to a toxicity equivalence (TEQ), sources were identified by employing the existing diagnostic ratios, and inhalation dosage was investigated using the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk Assessment (ELCR). The summation of the carcinogenic PAHs and the highest toxicity equivalence for rain and dry seasons were 0.241 µg/m3 and 0.369 µg/m3, and 0.070 and 0.110, respectively. The analysis revealed that the PAHs were mainly from the combustion of MSW. The ELCR values were (9.1 × 10–4) and (5.8 × 10–4), which were above the acceptable carcinogenic risk level of 1.0 × 10–6. The concentration of PAHs released is at a carcinogenic level and the TEQ and diagnostic ratio show that the emission source is from certain wastes. The PCA score plot showed a single cluster that was close to the center, indicating that the burning of MSW was the only source of emissions from the study location that added to the majority of the PAHs in the surrounding atmosphere. There is an urgent need to develop the dumpsite into a standard landfill.
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