Seasonal evolution of gas-phase PCB concentrations in the Venice Lagoon area

The concentrations of gas-phase PCBs were measured from March 2002 to June 2003 at two sites of the Venice Lagoon and at one site of the Euganei hills. The aims of this study were to evaluate the various gas-phase PCB sources, the spatial and temporal variability of PCB concentrations in the gas-phase that enter the Venice Lagoon atmosphere and the influence of the air temperature on PCB trends. The highest annual average concentration of summation PCBs was observed at the station directly influenced by "urban" sources with values about 3 and 1.5 times higher compared to the concentrations found at the stations where "marine" sources and "not subjected to direct local sources" were respectively sampled from. The temporal trends of summation PCBs concentrations were similar at the three sampling stations corresponding to seasonal temperature changes. Greater concentrations occurred in the summer and first autumn months while the lower ones occurred in late autumn and winter. The temperature dependences were investigated using plots of the natural logarithm of the summation PCBs concentrations vs. reciprocal mean temperatures.     

Pesticide exposure and lung cancer mortality in Leningrad province in Russia

This study was carried out to examine the association between pesticide exposure and lung cancer mortality. We conducted an autopsy based case-control study in Leningrad Province in Russia. A total of 540 lung cancer cases and 582 controls were identified among subjects who had died in the hospitals of the Leningrad province between 1993 and 1998. Using work history records, we assessed exposure to pesticide at the level of industry and job title. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio for pesticide exposure and lung cancer mortality. There was no association between ever exposure to pesticide and lung cancer mortality overall (odds ratio=1.06, 95% confidence interval=0.82-1.36) and in both men (odds ratio=1.11, 95% confidence interval=0.84-1.46) and women (odds ratio=0.74, 95% confidence interval=0.37-1.46). We observed no statistically significant odds ratio by duration of pesticide exposure, intensity of pesticide exposure, and cumulative pesticide exposures with lung cancer mortality in both smokers and nonsmokers. Odds ratio also did not differ when the analysis was restricted to individuals who had exposure data with high confidence scores. Our findings suggest no associations between pesticide exposures and mortality of lung cancer in the population of the Leningrad province in Russia that deserves further evaluation.     

Construction and demolition waste management in Kosovo: a survey of challenges and opportunities on the road to circular economy

Managing Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a severe and growing urban challenge, particularly in post-conflict countries. Though Kosovo has significantly rebuilt and developed after the Liberation War, these initiatives have accompanied suboptimal waste management. This research evaluates CDW management in Kosovo by assessing current practices and operations vis-a-vis the legal framework and EU requirements. It identifies instruments and policies capable of ameliorating gaps and proposes a more sustainable and circular CDW management system for Kosovo. Information was primarily collected during on-site visits to Pristina and the surroundings by a cohort of Urban Management Students from the Technische Universität Berlin, students from Kosovo, and the local office of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ. The analysis identified gaps in Kosovo's CDW management and its observance and enforcement of existing CDW legislation, including an ambiguous licensing system impeding sustainable demolition, storage, and transport; the absence of approved CDW storage options leading to uncontrolled disposal; and an underdeveloped market for recycling and reuse, deterring stakeholders from further pursuit of circular practices. These gaps were compounded by poor recordkeeping, obscuring precise information on CDW streams. Possible instruments and incentives to support Kosovo's transition to a more sustainable CDW management system were then identified.

     

Methods for selenium removal from contaminated waters: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Worldwide contamination of waters by metals, metalloids, and organometallic pollutants is a major health issue. In particular, the occurrence of the selenium...