Local Air Quality Management policy and practice in the UK: The case for greater Public Health integration and engagement

The UK’s Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) regime is designed to protect people’s health from the ill-effects of air pollution, but it is failing to achieve its full potential. The Public Health aspects of, perspectives on, and integration and engagement in, LAQM have been poorly considered to date. This critical literature review assessed LAQM-related strengths and limitations in order to explore how Public Health, through greater integration and engagement, can add value to the regime.‘Structure’ and ‘process’ weaknesses were identified, including: a poorly defined Public Health role, a narrowly-scoped prescribed process, risk assessment uncertainties, ineffective communications, shallow evaluations and disconnected policies. Separately and cumulatively, these have hindered Public Health integration in LAQM policy and practice and stunted the regime's evolution. Engaging Public Health in LAQM future design and delivery can help solve these problems, by improving risk assessments and raising awareness of air pollution and other health-influencing relationships, targeting action in high-need areas, coordinating air pollution mitigation and health improvement interventions, and connecting different policy areas.Increasing Public Health integration and engagement in LAQM can enhance the existing regime. Acting now is timely from both LAQM and Public Health perspectives. This review's findings should be used to inform debates and decisions around the future development of Local Air Quality Management arrangements both in the UK and beyond.     

沂河小埠东橡胶坝蓄水段表层沉积物中重金属的分布及生态风险评价

为探讨沂河小埠东橡胶坝对蓄水段表层沉积物中重金属分布和富集的影响,在该河段设置了8个监测站位,分别于枯水期、丰水期、平水期监测了表层沉积物和水体中6种重金属的含量.结果表明:表层沉积物中w(As)、w(Cd)、w(Cr)、w(Cu)、w(Hg)和w(Pb)的平均值分别为6.65、0.40、71.21、42.48、0.15和41.54 mg/kg,而表层水体中重金属质量浓度均符合GB 3838—2002《地表水环境质量标准》Ⅲ类标准;蓄水段沉积物浓缩系数为2.85×103～3.04×105,并且坝前表层沉积物中重金属含量从上游到下游递增,说明橡胶坝的建成促进了沉积物中重金属的富集;采用沉积物质量基准(SQG)方法评价表明,蓄水段As处于低风险水平,Cd、Cr、Cu、Hg和Pb均处于中等风险水平,其风险水平Cr>Cu>Pb>Hg>Cd>As.建坝后水动力条件的改变是坝前沉积物中重金属富集的主要原因.      

A descriptive study of the OHS management auditing methods used by public sector organizations conducting audits of workplaces: Implications for audit reliability and validity

Past research has identified a research gap regarding studies of the reliability and validity of OHS management audit methods. This study describes 17 audit methods used by OHS auditing organizations in the broader public sector in the province of Ontario, emphasizing aspects relevant to audit reliability and validity. Wide variation was found in pertinent characteristics of the audit methods and in their corresponding programs. In addition, some discrepancies were found between actual auditing practices and international standards on management system auditing. Further research is needed to precisely determine the impact of these variations and discrepancies on the measurement properties of audit data and on the performance of audit programs. This study determined that such research is feasible with some, but not all, auditing programs.     

Measuring the impact of rehabilitation services on the quality of life of disabled people in Cambodia

The present study aimed to measure the quality of life (QOL) of disabled people in Cambodia and the impact of rehabilitation services. The categories of services were: physical rehabilitation (prosthetics/orthotics with physiotherapy); community-based rehabilitation; and (3) labour market assistance. The 164 respondents were from a range of urban and rural settings. The results suggest that QOL was substantially lower among disabled Cambodians who had received no rehabilitation services compared to those who had received one of the three categories of rehabilitation services. QOL scores tended to be highest, however, among those who had received a combination of all three services. The results also highlighted the vulnerability of certain sub-groups who may need specific provision in planning, policy-making and service delivery. The present study suggests that an integrated approach may be the best way to maximise the impact of individual rehabilitation services in Cambodia.     

Modeling the Production and Uses of Biological Resources from the Viewpoint of Energy Flow in a Rural Village in Sichuan,China

This study aimed at clarifying the impact of deforestation and afforestation on the quality of life in a village in Sichuan Province, China. We devised a conceptual model of bioresource production and use based on quantified energy flow. The basic structure of the model has three sectors: production, use, and externals. We developed comprehensive methodology to quantify the model. Bioresource use per person in 1997 was 3.7 GJ for food, 10.2 GJ for fodder, 0.2–0.4 GJ for building material, 12.8 GJ for fuel, and 1.8 GJ for fertilizer, totaling 28.6–28.8 GJ.We used four environmental indicators to evaluate bioresource production and use: a biological productivity indicator, a use-efficiency indicator, a supply–demand balance indicator, and a self-sufficiency indicator. Use of these indicators showed that supply-demand balance of fuel was dramatically improved from 30% to 85% by afforestation, but 99% of bioresource use still depends on domestic products. Thus, it is necessary to improve biological productivity and promote the efficient use of bioresources to achieve sustainable living in the area. Massive deforestation in the 1950s caused a direct shortage of building material and fuel wood. The shortage of wood led to a stagnation in the rebuilding of houses, and fuel wood was substituted with crop residues. Because crop residues had been used for fertilizer and fodder, their use as fuel caused a shortage of fertilizer and fodder. This was an indirect impact of deforestation on peoples quality of life.     

Development of a GIS tool for qualitative assessment of the Egyptian’s quality of life

A frame work was presented for the assessment of the quality of life through the development of different indicators applied for Egypt. This paper focuses on the assessment of the quality of life using previously developed indicators in the first part of the study. A GIS user-friendly interface was developed to enhance the presentation of the study. This enables non technical users to directly use the developed GIS application to explore different concerns. Three cases were demonstrated in this paper, where an assessment of the quality of life of farmers, civilians, and agricultural investors was attained under specific scenario in each case. Assessment for other cases can still be made by browsing through the dropdown menu for each interest group under the selected scenario. Based on the demonstrated results for the three groups of people, it was found that the quality of life for a certain group of people under the strict scenario is in general less than the quality of life for the same group under the relax scenario.     

Environmental quality criteria: Some considerations

The physicochemical characteristics of the recipient environment into which chemical contaminants are deposited may influence their chemical speciation, mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity. In formulating Water Quality Criteria, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States (EPA) considered the modifying effect of abiotic environmental factors on pollutant toxicity in an innovative regulatory approach. Scientific knowledge of the interactions and correlations between pollutant toxicity and abiotic factors remains limited. Recognition of the influence of the physicochemical characteristics of the recipient environment on pollutant toxicity has implications for the eventual formulation of regional, rather than uniform and national, criteria. In addition, in developing Water Quality Criteria that incorporate the effects of pollutants on aquatic life, EPA primarily focused on toxicity to aquatic animals and plants (including unicellular algae). The effects of pollutants on microbe-mediated ecological processes that are necessary for maintaining the state and quality of the ecosphere (such as biogeochemical cyclings, litter decomposition, and mineralization) were not included in the formulation of the Water Quality Criteria. To facilitate the recognition and quantification of adverse effects of pollutants on these ecological processes, the development of a computation, termed the ecological dosage 50% (EcD₅₀) is recommended. Such a formulation could also be applied to setting environmental quality criteria for terrestrial ecosystems.     

秦皇岛市空气质量分析与改善对策

秦皇岛市从1998年5月29日至1999年2月25日空气污染指数平均为84.92,首要污染物是总悬浮微粒(TSP),空气质量Ⅱ级,属良好范围,在北方城市中仅次于大连和烟台。影响秦皇岛市空气质量的不利因素有煤炭运输规模大、建筑工地及城市卫生管理不严、绿地分布不合理、集中供热规模偏小等。为此,应继续治理煤尘,实行热电连产,改进绿化,加强管理。     

雅安市环境空气质量时空动态变化及改善途径分析

根据雅安市4个空气自动站监测数据,按照《环境空气质量标准》(GB3095-2012)中的二级标准,采用综合污染指数法分析了雅安市2009~2013年环境空气质量时空动态变化趋势及其影响因素。结果表明:从年际变化看,PM1 0和SO 2浓度呈下降趋势,NO2浓度在2013年略有上升;年内变化显示,各污染物浓度季节变化明显,冬季污染最严重,污染程度由高到低的顺序为冬季、秋季、春季、夏季;空间变化显示,SO2浓度存在一定的空间差异性,各监测点位SO 2浓度随年限均呈下降趋势。NO 2和PM 10浓度空间分布差异明显。雅安空气环境综合污染指数呈下降趋势,空气污染程度得到了明显缓解,空气质量逐渐改善,并在上述研究基础上,提出了环境空气质量的改善途径。