Soil monitoring system in Slovakia

It can be said that the quality of the environment has become of increasing interest for many developed countries especially during the last one or two decades. It is important to know what has been the influence of human activity (especially industry, agriculture, etc.) upon the quality of the main components of the environment.Soil as one important part of the environment is more complicated as it includes organic and inorganic components and which involves comparing the monitoring with other environment components (i.e. monitoring of air, water, etc.).     

Think globally,act locally: neighbourhood pollution and the future of the earth

Each year governments and industry around the globe spend billions of dollars in search of treatments and cures for diseases that shorten lives, which often means gadgets, implants, radiation and pills. These “cures”, do not get to the root of the problem. Perhaps it is time for us to adjust our thinking to be more proactive instead of reactive in public health. Perhaps we need to consider confronting environmental pollution of air, soil and water at a local level. As the Physicians for Social Responsibility point out, we should be “preventing what we cannot cure”. One such preventive measure is ensuring that our communities, including our poor inner-city neighbourhoods, enjoy a clean environment. We challenge local and national policy-makers to respond to the global call and to take action to address environmental toxins; to take local action to ameliorate the pollution of the air, water and soil in so many of our nation’s neighbourhoods. A person’s neighbourhood, and the proximity of dangerous environmental contaminants within it, is a powerful predictor of how long s/he will live. While situations like the poisoning of the water in Flint, Michigan have gotten some attention, they are generally treated as the exception rather than a reflection of real environmental hazards that exist in the west. Moreover we wonder why more endemic issues of neighbourhood environmental contamination that shorten human lives are not a priority for local action or that it is not linked to disproportionate production of greenhouse gases that cause climate change/warming/chaos.     

Environment contamination by mycotoxins and their occurrence in food and feed: Physiological aspects and economical approach

The contamination of food and feed by mycotoxins as toxic metabolites of fungi is a risk not only for consumers resulting in various embarrassment regarding health status and well-being, but also for producers, companies and export market on the ground of economic losses and ruined stability of economic trade. As it is given in historical evidence, the contamination of food by mycotoxins is a topic as old as a history of mankind, finding some evidence even in the ancient books and records. Nowadays, the mycotoxins are used in modern biotechnological laboratories and are considered an agent for targeting the specific cells (e.g., defected cells to eliminate them). However, this promising procedure is only the beginning. More concern is focused on mycotoxins as abiotic hazard agents. The dealing with them, systematic monitoring, and development of techniques for their elimination from agricultural commodities are worldwide issues concerning all countries. They can be found alone or in co-occurrence with other mycotoxins. Thus, this review aims to provide widened information regarding mycotoxins contamination in environment with the consequences on health of animals and humans. The inevitability for more data that correctly determine the risk points linked to mycotoxins occurrence and their specific reactions in the environment is demonstrated. This review includes various symptoms in animals and humans that result from mycotoxin exposure. For better understanding of mycotoxin's impact on animals, the sensitivities of various animal species to various mycotoxins are listed. Strategies for elimination and preventing the risks of mycotoxins contamination as well as economical approach are discussed. To complete the topic, some data from past as historical evidences are presented.     

Gas–particle partitioning of persistent organic pollutants in the Western Balkan countries affected by war conflicts

Background, aim, and scope  

Bombing and destruction of the industrial and military targets accompanied by complete or incomplete combustion during the war conflict and NATO operation in former Yugoslavia caused the emission of persistent organic pollutants into the atmosphere, water, and soil. A total of 129 ambient air samples from 24 background, urban, and industrial sites, including hot spots, were collected to assess a gas–particle partitioning behavior of various persistent organic pollutants.     

Evaluation of a detailed model of secondary organic aerosol formation from α-pinene against dark ozonolysis experiments

BOREAM, a detailed model for the gas-phase oxidation of α-pinene and its subsequent formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA), is tested against a large set of SOA yield measurements obtained in dark ozonolysis experiments. For the majority of experiments, modelled SOA yields are found to agree with measured yields to within a factor 2. However, the comparisons point to a general underestimation of modelled SOA yields at high temperatures (above 30 °C), reaching an order of magnitude or more in the worst cases, whereas modelled SOA yields are often overestimated at lower temperature (by a factor of about 2). Comparisons of results obtained using four different vapour pressure prediction methods indicate a strong sensitivity to the choice of the method, although the overestimated temperature dependence of the yields is found in all cases. Accounting for non-ideality of the aerosol mixture (based on an adapted UNIFAC method) has significant effects, especially at low yields. Our simulations show that the formation of oligomers through the gas-phase reactions of Stabilised Criegee Intermediates (SCI) with other molecular organic products could increase the SOA yield significantly only at very low relative humidity (below 1%). Further tests show that the agreement between model and measurements is improved when the ozonolysis mechanism includes additional production of non-volatile compounds.     

Economic benefits from decreased mercury emissions: Projections for 2020

Anthropogenic processes have increased the exposure of humans and wildlife to toxic methyl mercury (MeHg). Mercury emissions will increase by about 25% between 2005 and 2020, if the present trajectory is maintained. A global assessment of societal damages caused by the ingestion of methyl mercury, based merely on loss of IQ (Intelligence Quotient), suggests that the annual cost will be approximately US$3.7 billion (2005 dollars) in 2020. The corresponding cost of damages resulting from the inhalation of methyl mercury is estimated at US$2.9 million (2005 dollars). Under a higher degree of emission control such as in the case of the Extended Emission Control (EXEC) and the Maximum Feasible Technological Reduction (MFTR) scenarios, total emissions could decrease in the period 2005–2020 by about 50–60%. The corresponding annual benefits in 2020 are estimated to be about US$1.8–2.2 billion (2005 dollars). Large economic benefits can be achieved by reducing global mercury emissions.     

Seasonal Differences in the Levels of Gaseous Air Pollutants in the Vicinity of a Waste Dump

Hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, mercaptans and sulphur dioxide (H₂S, NH₃, NO₂, R-SH, SO₂) concentrations were measured at the location in the vicinity of the waste dump to determine the air pollution level of these pollutants prior to the operation of the Mobile Thermal Treatment Plant. Samples were collected over one year period. Seasonal differences, and the influence of meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, pressure and wind direction) on the air pollution levels were studied. Results show relatively low concentrations of H₂S, NO₂, R-SH and SO₂, while NH₃ levels were higher compared to the guideline values. Good weather conditions (high air pressure and low relative humidity) are connected to long range transport of NO₂, while higher temperatures result in elevated NH₃ and R-SH concentrations. Because of the predominant northeast wind direction (the same as the waste dump direction), the contribution of air pollution from the direction of the waste dump at the measuring site is significant, but that does not necessarily mean that the pollutants originated from that source.     

Heavy metal concentration in fish tissues inhabiting waters of “Buško Blato” reservoar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Heavy metals concentration (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, copper, zinc and chromium) in tissues (muscles, liver, kidney and gonads) of Dalmatian barbelgudgeon, the nase, the souffie and brown trout, inhabiting waters of Busko Blato reservoir in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The meat of the tested fish sorts does not contain elevated concentration of most analyzed heavy metals with exception of lead (higher than MAC in Italy, Germany and Denmark) and mercury (in muscles of brown trout higher than MAC in most countries). The lowest level of all heavy metals is always detected in gonads, with higher values in fry compared to milt for copper, zinc, chromium and arsenic. The highest copper concentration is observed in the liver from the souffie which is suggested as a suitable biomonitor for copper intoxication. In muscles of all fish sorts, lead was always present in much higher concentration than cadmium, while in kidneys of most fish sorts, lead and cadmium concentrations were similar. We showed that bioaccumulation of some heavy metals in the fish sorts analyzed is tissue and sex dependent. Also, we concluded that the small water exchange in reversible shallow reservoir does not induce elevated concentration of heavy metals in fish tissues inhabiting Busko Blato.