OBJECTIVES Particulate air pollution has been shown to cause adverse health effects, and the ultrafine particle component has been implicated. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether an ultrafine particle exerted its effects through transition metals or other soluble factors released from the surface of the particles. METHODS Both in vitro and in vivo models were used to test ...

A test road constructed with municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash was monitored over a period of 36 months. Using chemical and toxicological characterisation, the environmental impact of leachates from bottom ash was evaluated and compared with leachates from gravel used as reference. Initial leaching of Cl, Cu, K, Na, NH4-N and TOC from bottom ash was of major concern. However,...

Decomposition of plant litter is a fundamental process in ecosystem function, carbon and nutrient cycling and, by extension, climate change. This study aimed to investigate the role of temperature on the decomposition of water soluble phenolics (WSP), carbon and soil nutrients in conjunction with the phytotoxicity dynamics of Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. monilifera (boneseed) litter. Trea...

A severe root rot of tomato caused by Meloidogyne incognita and Rhizoctonia solani was associated with nutrient mobilization into gall tissue and root exudation. Root decay did not develop when root exudates were continuously removed by leaching. When leachates were collected from M. incognita-infected and control roots and applied to roots of tomatoes inoculated with R. solani alone, roots rec...

Landfill leachates result from the degradation of solid residues in sanitary landfills, thus presenting a high variability in terms of composition. Normally, these effluents are characterized by high ammoniacal-nitrogen (N-NH₄⁺) concentrations, high chemical oxygen demands and low phosphorus concentrations. The development of effective treatment strategies becomes difficult, posing a serious pr...

This study characterises the heavy-metal content in leachates collected from eight landfills in France. In order to identify heavy metal occurrence in the different size fractions of leachates, a cascade filtration protocol was applied directly in the field, under a nitrogen gas atmosphere to avoid metal oxidation. The results of analyses performed on the leachates suggest that most of the meta...

Pinus halepensis Mill. is a Mediterranean pioneer forest species with shade intolerance features. The 15 purpose of this study is to better understand how stand fertility and allelopathic properties of adult trees influence 16 shade acclimation of saplings. Crown growth and morphological plasticity were studied under different light, 17 fertilization, and allelopathic conditions in a nursery ex...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have demonstrated that several mineral products sold for medicinal purposes demonstrate antimicrobial activity, but little is known about the physicochemical properties involved in antibacterial activity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using in vitro mineral suspension testing, we have identified two natural mineral mixtures, arbitrarily designated BY07 and CB07, wit...