Efficiency in heavy metal purge in crustaceans during the ecdysis

Environment, Development and Sustainability - An abundant population of Ucides cordatus swamp crabs is present at Lameirão Ecological Station (Brazil), a tropical ecosystem man-made with...     

A review of plant–pharmaceutical interactions: from uptake and effects in crop plants to phytoremediation in constructed wetlands

Pharmaceuticals are commonly found both in the aquatic and the agricultural environments as a consequence of the human activities and associated discharge of wastewater effluents to the environment. The utilization of treated effluent for crop irrigation, along with land application of manure and biosolids, accelerates the introduction of these compounds into arable lands and crops. Despite the low concentrations of pharmaceuticals usually found, the continuous introduction into the environment from different pathways makes them ‘pseudo-persistent’. Several reviews have been published regarding the potential impact of veterinary and human pharmaceuticals on arable land. However, plant uptake as well as phytotoxicity data are scarcely studied. Simultaneously, phytoremediation as a tool for pharmaceutical removal from soils, sediments and water is starting to be researched, with promising results. This review gives an in-depth overview of the phytotoxicity of pharmaceuticals, their uptake and their removal by plants. The aim of the current work was to map the present knowledge concerning pharmaceutical interactions with plants in terms of uptake and the use of plant-based systems for phytoremediation purposes.     

Differential blood counting in fish as a non-destructive biomarker of water contamination exposure

Differential white blood cell counting was performed on blood from the fish species Oreochromis niloticus and was used as an in situ indicator of the species’ exposure to contamination. Ten young fish were collected in an area influenced by the discharge of effluents and from a fish farm (control group). The fish were anesthetized and caudal puncture was used to collect the blood. Differential white blood cell counting was performed, as well as the counting of total leukocytes and thrombocytes (in 2000 cells). Physicochemical parameters of the water from both sites were analyzed. The water from the polluted area was found to have high conductivity and low levels of dissolved oxygen, factors that indicate poor environmental quality. Fish collected from the polluted site presented higher percentages of eosinophils and monocytes and fewer thrombocytes because of exposure to pollution and hypoxic conditions. The differential white blood cell count represents a suitable biomarker of environmental health and provides a tool for biomonitoring water quality.     

Environmental Impact and Sustainable Development: An Analysis in the Context of Standards ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001

In this study, we seek to verify the contributions made by three international standards to efforts by eight companies to reduce their environmental impacts and move toward sustainable development. The standards considered in this article are the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental management systems), and the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001. The eight companies analyzed for this study are located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. As part of this work, the authors generated a proposed sustainable positioning matrix and placed each company within one of four quadrants—economic approach, environmental approach, social approach, and sustainability approach—derived from the context of the Triple Bottom Line (Elkington, 2004 ).     

Collective work and resilience of complex systems

This article aims to describe the characteristics of collective working situations in complex systems – especially those in nuclear power plants – related to common forms of cooperation, in order to improve systems resilience. In addition, we will try to detail some aspects of collective working situations, emphasizing the differences between various forms of control. The similarities between work activities (multi-addressed messages, linkage to regulation, central and peripheral information) are nonetheless exposed. We conclude by proposing a contribution to support systems design, thus facilitating cooperation in teamwork activities.     

Study of new reinforcing materials for cementitious panel production

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The development of building materials using new types of raw materials is currently on demand by society and the industry. It is intended to reduce...     

Treatment of a clinical analysis laboratory wastewater from a hospital by photo-Fenton process at four radiation settings and toxicity response

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The photo-Fenton process was performed with four radiation settings to treat clinical analysis laboratory wastewater (CALWW) from a hospital, with the...     

Distribution of genetic elements associated with antibiotic resistance in treated and untreated animal husbandry waste and wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Animal breeding for meat production based on swine, cattle, poultry, and aquaculture is an activity that generates several impacts on the environment,...     

Steel mill waste application in soil: dynamics of potentially toxic elements in rice and health risk perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are of great concern in steel mill wastes. Therefore, in order to use them as potential fertilizers in soil, risk...