Pesticide residue removal in classic domestic processing of tomato and its effects on product quality

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of several household practices (washing with water or acidic, alkaline, and oxidizing solutions, and peeling) in minimizing pesticide residue contamination of tomatoes, as well as the impact on the quality of the treated fruit. Tests were performed using two systemic fungicides (azoxystrobin and difenoconazole) and one contact fungicide (chlorothalonil). Solid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (SLE/LTP) and liquid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (LLE/LTP) were used to prepare the samples for pesticides determination by gas chromatography. Washing the tomatoes with water removed approximately 44% of chlorothalonil, 26% of difenoconazole, and 17% of azoxystrobin. Sodium bicarbonate (5%) and acetic acid (5%) solutions were more efficient, removing between 32 and 83% of the residues, while peeling removed from 68 to 88% of the pesticides. The washing solutions altered some fruit quality parameters, including acidity and chroma, and also caused weight loss. Acetic acid (0.15 and 5%) and hypochlorite (1%) solutions had the greatest effect on these parameters.     

Public opinion and awareness towards MSW and separate collection programmes: A sociological procedure for selecting areas and citizens with a low level of knowledge

The principal aim of this study was to define and apply a procedure based on a structured questionnaire survey useful to analyze the people’s environmental knowledge in order to select the areas and age groups with a low level of knowledge in a municipality (in Southern Italy) and, therefore, suggest a specific educational campaign for each. The detailed sampling procedure made it possible to carry out a meticulous statistical analysis of the results. The youngest and oldest people showed the lowest level of awareness for each district. A high level of education did not necessarily imply a high level of environmental awareness as well as a greater acceptance of MSW facilities. The satisfaction level of the recycling program was higher amongst the oldest age group. All the citizens in the several areas were unanimous in pointing out the presence of dirt in the street as the main shortcoming of the bring separate collection program. Only the youngest age group self-criticised, considering that they revealed a low level of participation to the separate collection program. While, the oldest people retaining them less influential, claimed that the citizens were not responsible for the failure of the separate collection program. The prevailing opinion of the sample was that people protested against the construction of waste facilities because they were not well-informed, with the most significant opinion of all the age subdivisions being that incineration is a hazardous treatment. The presence of criminal organizations was indicated as the main reason why the Campania Region suffers a serious solid waste emergency. While, the percentage of people pointing their finger at politicians increases with the average age of the respondents with there being a very strong correlation (r² = 0.9903).     

Atmospheric composition change research: Time to go post-normal?

For more than two decades a number of frameworks for scientific knowledge production are being proposed by science and technology researchers. They all advocate an extended involvement of non-specialists, in particular when it comes to knowledge production applicable to practical societal problems. We look to what extent these new frameworks have taken ground within a particular research community: the ACCENT Network of Excellence which coordinates European atmospheric chemistry and physics research applicable to air pollution and climate change. We did so by stimulating a debate through a “blog”, a survey and in-depth interviews with ACCENT scientists about the interaction between science, policy making and civil society, to which a great deal of ACCENT member contributed in writing or verbally. Most of them had interactions with policy makers and/or the general public, and they generally believe that interactions with spheres other than the scientific are needed. While such interactions give personal insight and satisfaction, they seem to have little impact on the goals and the practice of the scientific work itself. Extended frameworks of science production that go beyond the disciplinary mode seem to emerge at the level of individual scientists, yet they still need to find their way to the level of scientific project management. In this paper we discuss the justifications and barriers to implement a higher degree of extended knowledge integration in applied science projects such as ACCENT. It is felt that the community of atmospheric chemists and physicists is mature for such an implementation and recommendations are given to help and make this happen.     

Education in environmental health of health care professionals: What needs to be done?

BackgroundHealth professionals are key actors in environmental health. Taking on this role requires a certain degree of competence. That is the reason why education in environmental health of health care professionals became a major concern at international level, notably at WHO level. However, in the European Union only the individual Member States are responsible for organizing education and no official body seems to have started outlining recommendations on how to set up this kind of training.ObjectivesWe set out to draw up some propositions for training in environmental health on the basis of the practice of educational institutions involved in training health care professionals.MethodsA survey was conducted in 934 educational institutions involved in training health care professionals in 11 European countries and in Canada.ResultsOur data reveal that, whereas there are many establishments — nearly half of those that replied — engaged in educating health care professionals in environmental health, they do so in a great variety of ways, whether in terms of objectives, content, the number of teaching hours, or their target groups. Moreover, there is only limited evaluation of this training, which makes the question of recognition a very difficult one.ConclusionsNumerous difficulties have been raised in relation to education in environmental health, both by trainers and trainees. Some solutions to these difficulties are suggested but the need of official guidelines keeps going.     

The relation between Acid Volatile Sulfides (AVS) and metal accumulation in aquatic invertebrates: Implications of feeding behavior and ecology

The present study evaluates the relationship between Acid Volatile Sulfides (AVS) and metal accumulation in invertebrates with different feeding behavior and ecological preferences. Natural sediments, pore water and surface water, together with benthic and epibenthic invertebrates were sampled at 28 Flemish lowland rivers. Different metals as well as metal binding sediment characteristics including AVS were measured and multiple regression was used to study their relationship with accumulated metals in the invertebrates taxa.Bioaccumulation in the benthic taxa was primarily influenced by total metal concentrations in the sediment. Regarding the epibenthic taxa metal accumulation was mostly explained by the more bioavailable metal fractions in both the sediment and the water. AVS concentrations were generally better correlated with metal accumulation in the epibenthic invertebrates, rather than with the benthic taxa. Our results indicated that the relation between AVS and metal accumulation in aquatic invertebrates is highly dependent on feeding behavior and ecology.     

Assessment of present and future risk to Italian forests and human health: Modelling and mapping

A review of ozone pollution in Italy shows levels largely above the thresholds established by EU regulation for vegetation and human health protection. The Italian air quality monitoring network appears quantitatively inadequate to cover all the territorial surface, because of scarcity and unequal distribution of monitoring sites. By applying the integrated assessment model RAINS-Italy to the year 2000, the whole of Italy exceeds the AOT40 critical level for forest, while Northern and central areas show strong potential of O₃ impact on human health with ∼11% of territory >10 O₃-induced premature deaths. Two scenarios for the year 2020, the Current Legislation and the Maximum Technical Feasible Reduction, show a reduction of AOT40Forest by 29% and 44%, SOMO35 by 31% and 47%, and O₃-induced premature deaths by 32% and 48%, compared to 2000. RAINS-Italy can be used to improve the map quality and cover areas not reached by the national monitoring network.     

Lactational exposure to phthalates in Southern Italy

BackgroundPhthalates, reproductive toxicants in animals, are synthetic chemicals with ubiquitous human exposures because of their extensive use, with potential detrimental health effects. Infants are considered to represent a population at increased risk, as they are exposed early in life to several different sources of exposure to phthalates.Objectives and methodsLittle information exists on phthalate exposure through breast milk from different geographic areas. By means of a LC/LC–MS/MS method we tested the presence of several different phthalate metabolites in breast milk from 62 healthy mothers living in Southern Italy.ResultsThe simple monoesters mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) (median 18.8 μg/l) and mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) (median 8.4 μg/l) were present in all milk samples, whereas mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) (median 1.5 μg/l) and mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP) (median < 0.3 μg/l) were found in 64.5% and 43.5% of the samples, respectively. Among the oxidative metabolites of DEHP and DiNP only mono(2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP) and monoisononyl phthalate with one hydroxyl group (OH-MiNP) were detectable in one and 13 samples (21%), respectively.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that exposure to phthalates through breast milk in Southern Italian infants is comparable to that of other countries, thus confirming that human milk may represent an additional potential source of phthalate exposure in a population at increased risk. However, different milk concentrations of MiBP may suggest a different pattern of usage of di-iso-butyl phthalate in Europe, as compared to USA, whereas for the first time, we detected an oxidative DiNP metabolite, whose significance remains unclear.     

Organochlorine and heavy metals in newborns: Results from the Flemish Environment and Health Survey (FLEHS 2002–2006)

To collect regional information on internal levels of pollutants in humans in Flanders, 1196 mother–child pairs were systematically recruited in 2002–2003 via 25 maternities across Flanders. Cd, Pb, PCB congeners 118, 170, 138, 153 and 180, p,p′-DDE — a key metabolite of DDT- and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in cord blood or plasma. Cd was detected in 64% of the samples (geometric mean 0.21 µg/L cord blood). p,p′-DDE (110 ng/g plasma lipids) and Pb (14.7 µg/L blood), were measurable in nearly all samples. The individual PCB congeners could be detected in 40 to 81% of the newborns (138 + 153 + 180 = 64.4 ng/g plasma lipids). HCB (18.9 ng/g plasma lipids) and dioxin-like compounds measured by DR-CALUX® (23 pg CALUX-TEQ/g lipids) were above detection limit in more than 75% of the samples. Age and smoking habits of the mothers, did not influence the cord blood Pb and Cd levels. The organochlorines increased 4 to 9% per year of the mother's age (partial R² = 0.05 to 0.22). Mothers had 2.6% less PCBs in cord blood (partial R² = 0.02) for each unit increase in pre-pregnancy BMI. Season of delivery, breastfeeding previous children or consumption of local dairy products, were minor determinants. Up to 20% of the variability in organochlorine concentrations was explained by residence area. It was concluded that the place of birth in Flanders is an important determinant of the load of pollutants measured at the start of life. This underlines the validity of human biomonitoring on (relatively) small geographical scale.     

Renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sectors of European Union member states: a panel data analysis

In the last two decades, there has been a rich debate about the environmental degradation that results from exposure to solid urban waste. Growing public concern with environmental issues has led to the implementation of various strategic plans for waste management in several developed countries, especially in the European Union. In this paper, the relationships were assessed between economic growth, renewable energy extraction and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the waste sector. The Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis was analysed for the member states of the European Union, in the presence of electricity generation, landfill and GHG emissions for the period 1995 to 2012. The results revealed that there is no inverted-U-shaped relationship between income and GHG emissions in European Union countries. The renewable fuel extracted from waste contributes to a reduction in GHG, and although the electricity produced also increases emissions somewhat, they would be far greater if the waste-based generation of renewable energy did not take place. The waste sector needs to strengthen its political, economic, institutional and social communication instruments to meet its aims for mitigating the levels of pollutants generated by European economies. To achieve the objectives of the Horizon 2020 programme, currently in force in the countries of the European Union, it will be necessary to increase the share of renewable energy in the energy mix.     

滇中城市经济圈资源环境支撑能力综合评价

滇中城市经济圈作为云南省优先开发区,其社会经济发展与资源环境保障之间的矛盾日益突出。科学评价滇中城市经济圈的资源环境基础,是制定滇中城市经济圈发展战略的客观依据。为了克服传统资源环境单要素评价方法的不足,从资源环境多要素视角出发对滇中城市经济圈的资源环境支撑能力进行了综合评价,明确资源环境系统的优劣势,从而为滇中城市经济圈的可持续发展提供资源环境保障。