Waste management in a more unequal world: centring inequality in our waste and climate change discourse

ABSTRACT

Climate change is expected to contribute to global inequality, and exacerbate ecological risk for the world's poor. Despite recent trends within waste management academic discourse, which has begun to engage with inequality, and its underlying socio-economic and socio-political causes, discussions of inequality have so far remained absent from our investigations on climate change's impacts on waste management systems and practices. The purpose of the discussion is to call for a centring of inequality within our waste and climate discourse. I identify two main pathways for scholarly investigation, specifically, developing alternative waste management solutions for contexts in which waste management systems fail, which do not just perpetuate existing inequalities, and addressing the growing inequality in waste management technology and practice between the Global North and the Global South.     

Radon concentrations in groundwaters of the Polish part of the Sudety Mountains (SW Poland)

In the course of researches into radon occurrence in the groundwaters of the Polish part of the Sudety Mountains, conducted in various research centres in Poland, almost 1000 radon concentration determinations have been collected. These results have given the basis for an attempt to characterise the groundwaters of this region with respect to radon content. Radon concentrations oscillated within the range of 0.2-1645 Bq/dm3, with the arithmetic mean at 240.0 Bq/dm3 and the geometric mean at 106.7 Bq/dm3. The largest number of radon concentrations found in the Sudetic groundwaters ranged between ca. 3-6 and 1000 Bq/dm3. The values over 1000 Bq/dm3 can be considered anomalously high. They constitute 3.9% of all the results and occur around six localities within different geological units of the Sudety Mountains. These are shallow circulation, low mineralised groundwaters, which outflow from gneisses and granites. In the face of the fact that from 12.8% to 72.7% (depending on the adopted norm of maximum radon concentration for drinking waters) of the examined waters cannot be drunk directly without removing at least part of the radon, and in the face of the possibility of recognizing as many as 63.5% of the waters as potentially medicinal, extensive research of radon geochemistry in the Sudety Mountains area should be urgently undertaken.     

Comparative studies of health hazard from radon (Rn-222) in two selected lithologic formations in the Suwałki region (in Poland)

The aim of this work was to make a comparison of indoor radon concentrations in dwellings and in soil air in the area of two geological formations in the Suwa?ki region (Poland). The mean arithmetic airborne concentration was found to be the highest (301 Bq m (-3)) in the basements of buildings in the gravel and sand areas, whereas in the boulder clay areas it reached 587 Bq m (-3). Out of 54 measurements of radon concentrations performed at the ground floor, in eight cases concentrations were found to exceed 200 Bq m (-3) - permissible radon level in new-built houses in Poland and in three cases these values were even higher than 400 Bq m (-3). The highest radon levels were noted in houses with earthen basement floors and with direct entrance from the basement to rooms or kitchens. The mean arithmetic radon concentration in the soil air in the sandy and gravel formations was 39.7 kBq m (-3) and in clay formation it was 26.5 kBq m (-3). Higher radon levels were also found in the water obtained from household wells reaching 8367 Bq m (-3) as compared with tap water (2690 Bqm (-3)). The mean indoor concentration for the whole area under study was found to be 169.4 Bq m (-3), which is higher than the mean value for Poland (49.1 Bq m (-3)) by a factor of 3.5.     

Identification of organic extractables from commercial resin-modified glass-ionomers using HPLC-MS

Elution of organic compounds from resin-based dental fillings during their application in the human mouth environment may have a potential impact on the human health. Ethanol, water and other solvents very often present in the human mouth have the ability to penetrate dental fillings placed in the human tooth. Penetration of liquids into the tooth may lead to the liberation of unreacted dental filling ingredients or their degradation products. Determination of these compounds is necessary for better knowledge from possible harmful effects caused by dental fillings. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of compounds released from resin-modified glass-ionomer cements (RMGICs), resin-based dental materials applied in dentistry. Compounds were extracted from fillings by using four solvents (40% ethanol, water, 1% acetic acid and artificial saliva). Liquid samples containing eluted compounds were then extracted, evaporated and analyzed by using of HPLC-MS (high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) and HPLC-DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection) techniques. Almost thirty components (monomers and additives) of RMGICs were identified. The main identified extractables were: Bis-GMA (bisphenol A glycidyl dimethacrylate), Bis-EMA (ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate), UDMA (urethane dimethacrylate), TEGDMA (triethylene glycol dimethacrylate), HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) as monomers and diphenyliodonium chloride, camphorquinone (initiators), BHA (inhibitor), 4-(dimethylamino) ethyl benzoate (co-initiator) as additives.     

Measurements of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide concentrations in urban and rural areas of Poland using a passive sampling method

Measurements of 1-month concentrations of NO(2) and SO(2) were carried out in the period from May 1993 to April 1994 in 147 points in 30 major cities of Poland and in 31 points in rural areas. The measurement points were divided into five classes representing: centres of cities, residential areas, industrial areas, traffic locations and rural areas. Passive samplers were prepared in one laboratory, mailed to local laboratories for sampling and then returned for analysis. The same samplers were used for collecting both NO(2) and SO(2). Analyses for NO(2) absorbed as nitrite were made spectrophotometrically after reaction with Saltzman reagent. Sulphur dioxide was determined as sulphate with ion chromatography. The consistency of data allowed comparison of levels of air pollution in different cities and the production of maps of spatial distribution of NO(2) and SO(2) in rural areas of Poland.     

Investigations of nitrogen fluxes and pools on a limestone site in the Alps

In the North Tyrolean Limestone Alps a site was investigated over a four-year period (1998–2001) in order to assess the nitrogen saturation status, the nitrogen budget (quantification of the net uptake of nitrogen by the canopy and of the nitrogen mineralization, nitrogen uptake from roots and N₂O emission rates, proof of the origin of nitrate in the soil water with stable isotope analyses), and the effects of the actual nitrogen input on ground water quality. The main goals were to quantify the nitrogen input rate, the nitrogen pools in above-ground and below-ground compartments, nitrogen turnover processes in the soil as well as the output into the groundwater and into the atmosphere. The findings are based on continuous and discontinuous field measurements as well as on model results.While nitrogen input exceeded the Critical Loads of the WHO (1995), nitrogen deficiency and nutrient imbalances were verified by needle analyses. The atmospheric input of inorganic nitrogen was higher than the nitrogen output in 50 cm soil depth. A tracer experiment with¹⁵N helped to prove that not more than half of the applied nitrate could be discharged. This allows the conclusion that nitrogen is stored in the system and that the site cannot yet be said to be saturated with nitrogen. The same result was also obtained by modelling. In addition, it was proved that the nitrogen discharge did not stem from deposition but from processes within the system.     

Mean annual (222)Rn concentration in homes located in different geological regions of Poland: first approach to whole country area

The paper presents the results of year-long measurements of radon (²²²Rn) concentration inside 129 buildings in Poland in relation to the geological conditions of their foundation. The authors took into account the division of the country into tectonic units, as well as the lithology of the rocks forming the bedrock of these buildings. As expected, the highest value of mean annual ²²²Rn concentration (845 Bq/m³) was recorded in a building situated in the area of the Sudetes, while the highest geometric mean (characteristic of the expected log-normal data distribution) was calculated based on measurements from buildings located within the East-European craton, in the area of Mazury-Podlasie monocline, where it reached 231 Bq/m³. Such results reflect geological conditions - the occurrence of crystalline rocks (especially U- and Ra-enriched granites and orthogneisses) on the surface in the Sudetes, and of young post-glacial sediments containing fragments of Scandinavian crystalline rocks, also enriched with U and Ra, in the area of Mazury-Podlasie monocline. However, the least expected result of the investigations was finding out that, contrary to the hitherto widespread belief, none of the major tectonic units of Poland can be excluded from the list of those containing buildings with mean annual ²²²Rn concentration exceeding 200 Bq/m³. The mean annual concentration of radon for all the buildings were much higher than the mean concentration value (49.1 Bq/m³) of indoor radon in Poland quoted so far. These results cast a completely new light on the necessity to perform measurements of radon concentration in residential buildings in Poland, no more with reference to small areas with outcrops of crystalline rocks (especially the Sudetes, being the Polish fragment of the European Variscan belt), but for all the major tectonic units within Poland.     

EDDS and EDTA-enhanced zinc accumulation by Solanum nigrum inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi grown in contaminated soil

The effect of two different chelating agents [EDTA and EDDS (S,S-ethylenediaminedissucinic acid)] on Zn tissue accumulation in Solanum nigrum L. grown in a naturally contaminated soil was assessed. Under those conditions, the response of the plant to the inoculation with two different isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)--Glomus claroideum and Glomus intraradices--was also studied. Plants grown in the local contaminated soil (Zn levels of 433mg kg(-1)) accumulated up to 1191mg kg(-1) of Zn in the roots, 3747mg kg(-1) in the stems and 3409mg kg(-1) in the leaves. S. nigrum plants grown in the same soil spiked with extra Zn (Zn levels of 964mg kg(-1)) accumulated up to 4735, 8267 and 7948mg Zn kg(-1) in the leaves, stems and roots, respectively. The addition of EDTA promoted an increase in the concentration of Zn accumulated by S. nigrum of up to 231% in the leaves, 93% in the stems and 81% in the roots, while EDDS application enhanced the accumulation in leaves, stems and roots up to 140, 124 and 104%, respectively. In the stems, the presence of Zn was predominantly detected in the cortex collenchyma cells, the starch sheath and the internal phloem and xylem parenchyma, and the addition of chelating agents did not seem to have an effect on the localisation of accumulation sites. The devise of a chelate-enhanced phytoextraction strategy, using chelating agents and AMF, is discussed.     

Trend, seasonal and multivariate modelling study of wet precipitation data from the Austrian Monitoring Network (1990-1997)

The aim of the present study was to analyse the data structure of a large data set from rainwater samples collected during a long-term interval (1990-1997) by the Austrian Precipitation Monitoring Network. Eleven sampling sites from the network were chosen as data sources (chemical concentrations of major ions only) covering various location characteristics (height above sea level, rural and urban sampling positions, Alpine rim and Alpine valley disposition, etc.). The analytical results were treated by the application of already classical environmetric approaches, such as linear regression analysis, time-series analysis and principal components analysis (PCA). For most of the sampling sites, a distinct trend of acidity decrease of the wet precipitation was observed. An overall decrease in sulfate concentration for the whole period and all sites of 3.9% year(-1) (2.0 muequiv. L(-1) year(-1)) was found. The free acidity decrease for most of the sites was between 3.5 and 10.9% year(-1). No significant linear trends were found for nitrate. Base cations either decreased (mean percentage decrease for calcium was 5.4% year(-1) and for magnesium 4.4% year(-1)) or did not show any significant change (sodium, potassium). The overall decrease in ammonium concentration was 2.3% year(-1). Further, some typical "rural" (summer minima and winter maxima) and "urban" (winter minima and spring maxima) seasonal behaviour for the majority of the sites in consideration could be defined, indicating the influence of local emission sources. Several latent factors, named "anthropogenic", "crustal" and "mixed salt", were revealed by the multivariate modelling procedure (PCA) possessing a similar structure for most of the sites. The unavoidable exceptions observed were indications of the influence of sporadic local events (construction and agricultural activities, secondary emission sources, etc.), and an effort was made to explain these exceptions.