Heavy metals in playgrounds in Lublin (E Poland): sources,pollution levels and health risk

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the paper, the pollution of playgrounds in Lublin with heavy metals was assessed. Since playgrounds are a place of activity of children—the...     

Correction to: Keeping pace with forestry: Multi-scale conservation in a changing production forest matrix

Ambio - In the original published article, the sentence “Nevertheless, semi-natural forest remnants continue to be harvested and fragmented (Svensson et al. 2018; Jonsson et al. 2019), and...     

Novel Tough Crystalline Blends of Polylactide with Ethylene Glycol Derivative of POSS

Blending of polylactide (PLA) with low stereoregularity and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane grafted with arms of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether, acting as a plasticizer, allowed us previously to obtain a novel stable elastomeric-like material. The present contribution focuses on the properties of semi-crystalline PLA plasticized with this compound. Melt blends of PLA with 5–15 wt% of the plasticizer, were compression molded, quenched and annealed, which enabled cold-crystallization. The glass transition temperature of the blends and their drawability depended on their crystallinity and plasticizer content. The best ductility was reached at the plasticizer content of 15 wt%; the achieved strain at break was 6.5 (650%) and 1.3 (130%), for the quenched and annealed material, respectively. The latter value exceeded 20 times the strain at break of neat crystalline PLA. The tensile toughness of the annealed 15 wt% blend was 12 times larger than that of crystalline PLA. Moreover, annealing of 15 wt% blend improved its yield strength by 40%. Despite the two peaks of the loss modulus, indicating the two glass transitions in this blend, no heterogeneities were found by scanning electron microscopy, indicating that the plasticizer enriched phase formed instead of distinct inclusions of the plasticizer.     

Preparation of Viscose Fibres Stripped of Reactive Dyes and Wrinkle-Free Crosslinked Cotton Textile Finish

The chemical recycling of cellulosic fibres may represent a next-generation fibre–fibre recycling system for cotton textiles, though remaining challenges include how to accommodate fibre blends, dyes, wrinkle-free finishes, and other impurities from finishing. These challenges may disrupt the regeneration process steps and reduce the fibre quality. This study examines the impact on regenerated viscose fibre properties of a novel alkaline/acid bleaching sequence to strip reactive dyes and dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneureas (DMDHEU) wrinkle-free finish from cotton textiles. Potentially, such a bleaching sequence could advantageously be integrated into the viscose process, reducing the costs and environmental impact of the product. The study investigates the spinning performance and mechanical properties (e.g., tenacity and elongation) of the regenerated viscose fibres. The alkaline/acid bleaching sequence was found to strip the reactive dye and DMDHEU wrinkle-free finish from the cotton fabric, so the resulting pulp could successfully be spun into viscose fibres, though the mechanical properties of these fibres were worse than those of commercial viscose fibres. This study finds that reactive dyes and DMDHEU wrinkle-free finish affect the viscose dope quality and the regeneration performance. The results might lead to progress in overcoming quality challenges in cellulosic chemical recycling.     

Effects of falling weight impact on industrial safety helmets used in conjunction with eye and face protection devices

Industrial workplaces pose concurrent hazards to the upper part of the head and the eyes. Under the circumstances, workers may use protective helmets in conjunction with protective goggles or spectacles. In order to assess the compatibility of this equipment, a method and a test stand for evaluating the behavior of safety helmets and protective goggles/spectacles upon the impact of a falling weight were designed. The results of tests concerning the displacement and deformation of helmets and spectacles/goggles, the forces acting on the helmets, as well as the forces exerted by the spectacles/goggles on the headform upon falling weight impact are presented. The results revealed the ways in which the tested equipment interacted with each other. The influence of equipment construction on the test results was analyzed and inferences concerning the safety of the studied protective devices were made. Some general construction guidelines were formulated for the compatibility of the equipment.     

Correction to: Determination of phthalates in particulate matter and gaseous phase emitted in indoor air of offices

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11749-1     

Ergonomic assessment of selected workstations on a merchant ship

This study describes some key ergonomic factors within the engine room, navigation bridge and other locations of a merchant ship. Ergonomic assessments were carried out on a crew of a merchant ship. The study examines the importance of factors such as noise, vibration, heat radiation (in machinery areas), psychological stress and ergonomics of the physical arrangement of the navigation bridge. It also addresses the effect of working in confined areas for a long duration and the need to process large amounts of data, decision-making and the influence of specific operating conditions in different areas of a ship. This study includes analysis of workstations, working methods and the burden of environmental factors as well as a discussion of specific marine environmental conditions such as confined working and leisure spaces, long-term family and sociocultural separation, frequent changes in climate and time zones, and temporary physical overload and long-term psychological burdens.     

Validation of the Polish version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) in an elderly population (60–70 years old)

Purpose. To assess the reliability and validity of the Polish version of the 36-point World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) in an elderly population. Method. One thousand randomly selected individuals, aged 60–70 years, living in south-eastern Poland were assessed using the Polish version of the WHODAS 2.0. Results. The analysis confirmed the high reliability and validity of the tool. Cronbach’s α index was 0.89. The tool had high stability, and the correlation between test and retest results was high. The relevance of the domain selection was high or very high. A factor analysis confirmed the relevance of assigning questions to domains. High theoretical relevance was also demonstrated. Statistically significant differences between those who were and were not suffering from health problems were observed. An analysis of the internal structure of the WHODAS 2.0 revealed strong correlations between the components of each domain and the final result. Conclusion. The Polish version of the WHODAS 2.0 showed high reliability and validity; thus, it can be used to assess health, functioning and disability in the elderly population of Poland.     

Utilization of Industrial Wastes from Mining and Packaging Industries in Wood-Plastic Composites

The manufacturing industry produces a lot of different by-products and waste. In this research, the utilization of different industrial wastes as a part of wood-plastic composites was tested. Limestone waste and carton cutting waste were tested by replacing part of the reinforcing fibers of the composite with these materials. The materials were made with the extrusion process, and they were tested for their mechanical properties, water absorption and thickness swelling. The materials were also viewed with a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that both industrial wastes affected the properties of the composite. Mining waste in the composite improved the moisture properties, impact strength and hardness of the material. Carton cutting waste improved the impact strength remarkably.