Does improvement in the environmental sustainability rating help to reduce the COVID-19 cases? Controlling financial development,price level and carbon damages

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The study’s objective is to evaluate the impact of environmental sustainability rating, financial development, changes in the price level and...     

Physical and motor development in male and female rat offspring prenatally exposed to gamma radiation

Abstract

The effects of radiation on physical and motor development of male and female rats exposed to ionizing radiation in utero were studied. Rats were exposed to three different doses of radiation (150 rad, 15 rad and 6.8 rad, considered as high, moderate and low doses of radiation respectively) on the 20th day of prenatal life. Exposure to 150 rad contributed to significantly lower body weights of both male and female rat offspring. Upper jaw tooth eruption was delayed in 150 rad treated male offspring, as well as in 15 rad and 150 rad treated female offspring. Cliff‐avoidance response was delayed in 6.8 rad, 15 rad, and 150 rad treated male offspring; and 150 rad treated female offspring. Lower jaw tooth eruption, eye opening, and crawling were not affected by radiation in male or female animals. Results indicate that radiation affected the developmental parameters of both male and female rat offspring, and sex of the offspring played no role in the magnitude of radiation induced damages.     

Evaluation of possible health risks of heavy metals by consumption of foodstuffs available in the central market of Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

Considering the human health risk due to the consumption of foodstuffs, the concentrations of heavy metals (lead, manganese, chromium, cadmium, and arsenic) are investigated in vegetables, fruits, and fish species collected from the central market (called Shaheb Bazar) of Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. The foodstuffs examined for metal constituents are the basis of human nutrition in the study area. The highest concentrations of Mn and As in vegetables (onion and pointed gourd, respectively), Cr and Cd in fruits (black berry and mango, respectively), and Pb in fish (catla) are recorded. Health risks associated with these heavy metals are evaluated due to dietary intake. Target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) are calculated to evaluate the non-carcinogenic health risk from individual and combined heavy metals. The THQ values for individual heavy metals are below 1, suggesting that people would not experience significant health risks if they ingest a single heavy metal from one kind of foodstuff (e.g., vegetables). However, consumption of several of the foodstuffs could lead a potential health risk to human population since HI value is higher than 1. The relative contributions of vegetables, fishes, and fruits to HI are 49.44, 39.07, and 11.53 %, respectively. Also, the relative contributions of Pb, Cd, As, Mn, and Cr to HI are 51.81, 35.55, 11.73, 0.85, and 0.02 %, respectively. The estimation shows that the carcinogenic risk of arsenic exceeds the accepted risk level of 1?×?10^?6. Thus, the carcinogenic risk of arsenic for consumers is a matter of concern.     

Nanoflower synthesis,characterization and analytical applications: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The occurrence of contaminants in the environment requires very sensitive analytical techniques for their determination. For that, analytical techniques have been...     

Evaluating pollution damage function through carbon pricing,renewable energy demand,and cleaner technologies in China: blue versus green economy

Climate change and increased greenhouse gas emissions boost the global average temperature to less than 2°C, which is the estimated breakeven point. The globe is moving into blue pollution economies as the environmental sustainability objective becomes more distorted. The study looked at three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely (i) affordable and clean energy; (ii) industry, innovation, and infrastructure; and (iii) climate change, to see how far the Chinese economy has progressed toward green and clean development strategy. In the context of China, the “pollution damage function” was intended to refer to carbon damages related to carbon pricing, technological variables, sustained economic growth, incoming foreign investment, and green energy. The data was collected between 1975 and 2019 and analyzed using various statistical approaches. The results of the autoregressive distributed lag model suggest that carbon taxes on industrial emissions reduce carbon damages in the short and long run. Furthermore, a rise in inbound foreign investment and renewable energy demand reduces carbon damages in the short term, proving the “pollution halo” and “green energy” hypotheses; nonetheless, the results are insufficient to explain the stated results in the long run. In the long run, technology transfers and continued economic growth are beneficial in reducing carbon damages and confirming the potential of cleaner solutions in pollution mitigation. The causal inferences show the one-way relationship running from carbon pricing and technology transfer to carbon damages, and green energy to high-technology exports in a country. The impulse response estimates suggested that carbon tax, inbound foreign investment, and technology transfers likely decrease carbon damages for the next 10 years. On the other hand, continued economic growth and inadequate green energy sources are likely to increase carbon pollution in a country. The variance decomposition analysis suggested that carbon pricing and information and communication technology exports would likely significantly influence carbon damages over time. To keep the earth’s temperature within the set threshold, the true motivation to shift from a blue to a green economy required strict environmental legislation, the use of green energy sources, and the export of cleaner technologies.

Graphical abstract

Source: Authors’ self-extract

     

A review on impacts of COVID-19 on global agricultural system and Scope for Bangladesh after pandemic

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the global food production system. Large-scale food producing countries restricted exports for food...