Characterization of pollutants in Florida street sweepings for management and reuse

Disposal and beneficial-use options for street sweeping residuals collected as part of routine roadway maintenance activities in Florida, USA, were assessed by characterizing approximately 200 samples collected from 20 municipalities. Total concentrations (mg/kg or μg/kg) and leachable concentrations (mg/L or μg/L) of 11 metals and a number of organic pollutant groups (volatile organics, semi-volatile organics, pesticides, herbicides, carbamates) in the samples were measured. The synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) was performed to evaluate the leachability of the pollutants. From the total metal analysis, several metals (e.g., arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc) were commonly found above their detection limits. Zinc was found to have the highest mean concentration of all metals measured (46.7 mg/kg), followed by copper (10.7 mg/kg) and barium (10.5 mg/kg). The metal with the smallest mean concentration was arsenic (0.48 mg/kg). A small fraction of the total arsenic, barium, lead, and zinc leached in some samples using the SPLP; leached concentrations were relatively low. A few organic compounds (e.g., 4,4′-DDT, endrin, and endosulfan II) were detected in a limited number of samples. When the total and leaching results were compared to risk-based Florida soil cleanup target levels and groundwater cleanup target levels, the street sweepings were not found to pose a significant human-health risk via direct exposure or groundwater contamination.     

Human health risks in megacities due to air pollution

This study evaluates the health risks in megacities in terms of mortality and morbidity due to air pollution. A new spreadsheet model, Risk of Mortality/Morbidity due to Air Pollution (Ri-MAP), is used to estimate the excess numbers of deaths and illnesses. By adopting the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline concentrations for the air pollutants SO₂, NO₂ and total suspended particles (TSP), concentration-response relationships and a population attributable-risk proportion concept are employed. Results suggest that some megacities like Los Angeles, New York, Osaka Kobe, Sao Paulo and Tokyo have very low excess cases in total mortality from these pollutants. In contrast, the approximate numbers of cases is highest in Karachi (15,000/yr) characterized by a very high concentration of total TSP (～670 μg m^?3). Dhaka (7000/yr), Beijing (5500/yr), Karachi (5200/yr), Cairo (5000/yr) and Delhi (3500/yr) rank highest with cardiovascular mortality. The morbidity (hospital admissions) due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) follows the tendency of cardiovascular mortality. Dhaka and Karachi lead the rankings, having about 2100/yr excess cases, while Osaka-Kobe (～20/yr) and Sao Paulo (～50/yr) are at the low end of all megacities considered. Since air pollution is increasing in many megacities, and our database of measured pollutants is limited to the period up to 2000 and does not include all relevant components (e.g. O₃), these numbers should be interpreted as lower limits. South Asian megacities most urgently need improvement of air quality to prevent excess mortality and morbidity due to exceptionally high levels of air pollution. The risk estimates obtained from Ri-MAP present a realistic baseline evaluation for the consequences of ambient air pollution in comparison to simple air quality indices, and can be expanded and improved in parallel with the development of air pollution monitoring networks.     

Color removal from paper mill effluent through adsorption technology

The bagasse fly ash, obtained from the local sugar industry, has been used as an inexpensive and effective adsorbent for the removal of color from pulp and paper industry. Effect of various operating variables, viz., contact time, initial concentration, adsorbent dose and particle size on the removal of color has been studied and discussed. It is found that for optimum removal of color, contact time for adsorption equilibrium equals to 60 min., at dosage of 2 g/l of baggase fly ash. The material exhibits good removal capacity (86%) and follows both the Langmuir and the Freundlich models.     

Pesticide residues in river Yamuna and its canals in Haryana and Delhi, India

Yamuna, a prominent river of India covers an extensive area of 345,843 km(2) from Yamunotri glacier through six Indian states. Residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) namely, isomers of HCH and endosulfan, DDT and its metabolites, aldrin, dieldrin, were analysed in water of river Yamuna along its 346 km stretch passing through Haryana-Delhi-Haryana and the canals originating from it. beta-HCH, p.p'-DDT, p.p'-DDE and p.p'-DDD had maximum traceability in test samples (95-100%) followed by gamma-HCH, alpha-HCH and o.p'-DDD (60-84%) and o.p'-DDT, delta-HCH and o.p'-DDE (7-30%) while aldrin, dieldrin, alpha and beta endosulfan remained below detection limits (BDL). The concentration of SigmaHCH and SigmaDDT at different sites of the river ranged between 12.76-593.49 ng/l (with a mean of 310.25 ng/l) and 66.17-722.94 ng/l (with a mean of 387.9 ng/l), respectively. In canals the values were found between 12.38-571.98 ng/l and 109.12-1572.22 ng/l for SigmaHCH and SigmaDDT, respectively. Water of Gurgaon canal and Western Yamuna canal contained maximum and minimum concentration, respectively both of SigmaHCH and SigmaDDT residues. Sources of these pesticides and suggested measures to check pesticide pollution of this major Indian river, keeping in view its vital link with life, are discussed in this paper.     

Effect of fabricated V-rib roughness experimentally investigated in a rectangular channel of solar air heater: a comprehensive review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Solar power is one of the main sources of renewable energy which helps for protecting the environmental and reducing pollution. Technologies and...     

Do drivers of renewable energy consumption matter for BRICS economies? Nexus among technological innovation,environmental degradation,economic growth,and income inequality

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In light of increasing concerns about climate change and energy security, renewable energy has been seen as the most promising solution to fulfil...     

Pulling force prediction using neural networks

Purpose. In ergonomics and human factors investigations, pulling force (PF) estimation has usually been achieved using various types of biomechanical models, and independent approximation of PF was done with the help of upper extremity joints. Recently, multiple regression methods have gained importance for task-relevant inputs in predicting PF. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) also play a vital role in fitting the data; however, their use in work-related biomechanics and ergonomics is inadequate. Therefore, the current research aimed to accomplish comparative investigation of ANN and regression models by assessing their capacity to predict PF values. Methods. Multipositional PF data were acquired from 200 subjects at three different handle heights and body locations. ANN and regression models were formed using a random sample of three subsets (75% training, 15% selection, 10% validation) for proving the outcomes. Results. The comparison of ANN and regression models shows that the predictions of ANN models had a profoundly explained variance and lower root mean square difference values for the PF data at three handle heights. Conclusions. These outcomes advise that ANNs offer a precise and robust substitute for regression methods, and should be considered a useful method in biomechanics and ergonomics task assessments.     

Assessment of ground water quality for drinking purpose, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

The ground water quality of District Nainital (Uttarakhand, India) has been assessed to see the suitability of ground water for drinking and irrigation applications. This is a two-part series paper and this paper examines the suitability of ground water including spring water for drinking purposes. Forty ground water samples (including 28 spring samples) were collected during pre- and post-monsoon seasons and analyzed for various water quality constituents. The hydrochemical and bacteriological data was analyzed with reference to BIS and WHO standards and their hydrochemical facies were determined. The concentration of total dissolved solids exceeds the desirable limit of 500 mg/L in about 10% of the samples, alkalinity values exceed the desirable limit of 200 mg/L in about 30% of the samples, and total hardness values exceed the desirable limit of 300 mg/L in 15% of the samples. However, no sample crosses the maximum permissible limit for TDS, alkalinity, hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride. The concentration of chloride, sulfate, nitrate, and fluoride are well within the desirable limit at all the locations. The bacteriological analysis of the samples does not show any sign of bacterial contamination in hand pump and tube-well water samples. However, in the case of spring water samples, six samples exceed the permissible limit of ten coliforms per 100 ml of sample. It is recommended that water drawn from such sources should be properly disinfected before being used for drinking and other domestic applications. Among the metal ions, the concentration of iron and lead exceeds the permissible limit at one location whereas the concentration of nickel exceeds the permissible limit in 60 and 32.5% of the samples during pre- and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The grouping of samples according to their hydrochemical facies indicates that majority of the samples fall in Ca–Mg–HCO₃ hydrochemical facies.     

Assessment of indoor air concentrations of VOCs and their associated health risks in the library of Jawaharlal Nehru University,New Delhi

The present work investigated the levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene (BTEX) in different microenvironments in the library of Jawaharlal Nehru University in summer and winter during 2011–2012. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks due to organic compounds were also evaluated using US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) conventional approaches. Real-time monitoring was done for TVOC using a data-logging photo-ionization detector. For BTEX measurements, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standard method which consists of active sampling of air through activated charcoal, followed by analysis with gas chromatography, was performed. Simultaneously, outdoor measurements for TVOC and BTEX were carried out. Indoor concentrations of TVOC and BTEX (except benzene) were higher as compared to the outdoor for both seasons. Toluene and m/p-xylene were the most abundant organic contaminant observed in this study. Indoor to outdoor (I/O) ratios of BTEX compounds were generally greater than unity and ranged from 0.2 to 8.7 and 0.2 to 4.3 in winter and summer, respectively. Statistical analysis and I/O ratios showed that the dominant pollution sources mainly came from indoors. The observed mean concentrations of TVOC lie within the second group of the Molhave criteria of indoor air quality, indicating a multifactorial exposure range. The estimated lifetime cancer risk (LCR) due to benzene in this study exceeded the value of 1?×?10^?6 recommended by USEPA, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of non-cancer risk came under an acceptable range.