Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, and ease of behavior as determinants of pro-environmental behavior intentions

This study investigates relations between environmental concern, attitude toward frugality, perceived ease of behavior, and stated intentions to engage in four different types of pro-environmental behavior, i.e., reductions in electricity and gas use, garbage, and automobile use, using data from 341 Japanese respondents. Environmental concern, attitude toward frugality and perceived ease of implementation were considered possible determinants. A structural equation analysis indicated that perceived ease of implementation had effects for all of the pro-environmental behaviors. It also indicated that environmental concern had a positive effect solely for garbage reduction, while attitude toward frugality had positive effects for gas and electricity reduction. For automobile use reduction, neither environmental concern nor attitude toward frugality had significant effects. The relationship between attitude toward frugality and mottainai, that is a Japanese concept indicating respect for resources, is then discussed, and it is suggested that educating people to have not only a high level of environmental concern but also a positive attitude toward frugality would be an effective means of promoting pro-environmental behavior.     

Behavior of potassium in bread by ion chromatography

Public attention was aroused when mutagenicity was found in potassium bromate (KBrO₃) which has been used as an oxidizing agent in baking bread. Ion chromatography was found to be very useful for analyzing bromide and bromate ions in food. The residual condition of potassium bromate added to bread in the baking process was clarified.It was found that the residual rate of bromate ions in bread was approximately 30% at the added level of 100 μg/g, but it decreased markedly when the added levels went down. At 40 μg/g no residue was detected.     

The pollution release and transfer register system in the U.S. and Japan: an analysis of productivity

This study analyzes Total Factor Productivity (TFP), which includes all categories of productivity. Our measure investigates productivity in the context of the provision and dissemination of environmental information policies. We investigated data on the emission of toxic chemical substances for the U.S. and Japanese manufacturing firms, including 386 firms for the period 1999-2007 and 466 firms for the period 2001-2008. The results show that productivity improved in all nine industrial sectors and that pollution levels were high in the U.S. and Japan from 2001 to 2007. In particular, the electronics industry improved rapidly after 2002 in both countries, which may be attributed to the enforcement of RoHS and the REACH directive in Europe. As a result of these stringent policies on toxic chemical emissions, the U.S. and Japanese firms, many of which export to the European market, have strong incentives to reduce their toxic chemical emissions.     

Evaluation of the adsorption behavior of mixed perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances onto granular activated carbon and styrene-divinylbenzene resins

Because of the remarkable chemical structure of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as the complex conditions of water, selecting an appropriate adsorbent for treating PFAS is critical. Adsorption needs to be environmentally friendly, low cost, and consider the types of adsorbents that work well in mixed PFAS solutions. In the present study, we used mixed PFAS to estimate the PFAS activity. This research aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of the adsorption of PFAS from water using different adsorbents: granular activated carbon (GAC), IRA 910 (strong anion resin), and DOWEX MB-50 (mixed exchange resin). Batch adsorption isotherms and kinetic studies were performed for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). Freundlich models consistently described the kinetic behavior with a high correlation coefficient (R² > 0.98). PFAS adsorption capacities on GAC and IRA910 were dependent on the chain length (PFOS > PFOA > PFHxS). The adsorption capacity of DOWEX MB-50 decreased because of the sulfonate effects (PFOS > PFHxS > PFOA). The rate constants (k₂) that represented the adsorption of PFAS on different adsorbents observed within 96 h were accurately determined by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. GAC achieved followed the relationship k₂(PFOS) > k₂(PFOA) > k₂(PFHxS). Furthermore, k₂ of IRA910 decreased in the order of k₂(PFOA) > k₂(PFOS) > k₂(PFHxS), implying that IRA910 promoted hydrophobicity more significantly on the adsorption of PFCAs than perfluoroalkane (-alkyl) sulfonic acids. The kinetics of DOWEX MB-50 revealed k₂(PFHxS) > k₂(PFOS) > k₂(PFOA) because gel-type resins like DOWEX MB-50 are more suitable for shorter-chain PFAS. Further investigation is needed to determine the effect of organic matter under natural conditions and evaluate adsorptive selection caused by operational complexities.     

An Index to Determine Vulnerability of Communities in a Coastal Zone: A Case Study of Baler, Aurora, Philippines

A coastal community vulnerability index (CCVI) was constructed to evaluate the vulnerability of coastal communities (Buhangin, Pingit, Reserva, Sabang, and Zabali) in the municipality of Baler, Aurora, Philippines. This index was composed of weighted averages of seven vulnerability factors namely geographical, economic and livelihood, food security, environmental, policy and institutional, demographic, and capital good. Factor values were computed based on scores that described range of conditions that influence communities’ susceptibility to hazard effects. Among the factors evaluated, economic and livelihood, policy and institutional and food security contributed to CCVI across communities. Only small variations on CCVI values (i.e., 0.47–0.53) were observed as factor values cancelled out one another during combination process. Overall, Sabang received the highest CCVI, which was contributed mainly by geographical and demographic factors. This technique to determine factors that influenced communities’ vulnerability can provide information for local governments in enhancing policies on risk mitigation and adaptation.     

Thermal analysis of polyethylene glycol: evolved gas analysis with ion attachment mass spectrometry

The thermal decomposition of polyethylene glycol was investigated by using a technique combining evolved gas analysis (time-resolved pyrolysis) with ion-attachment mass spectrometry. This technique allows the detection of intact pyrolysis products and, therefore, offers the opportunity for direct real-time monitoring of thermal by-products. Unstable products can thus be detected; for instance, many highly reactive organic peroxides, such as CH₃OOH and HOCH₂OOH, were found in this study. Classification analysis revealed 10 major compositional formulas among the product species: C_nH_2n+2O, C_nH_2n+2O₂, C_nH_2n+2O₃, C_nH_2n+2O₄, C_nH_2n+2O₅, C_nH_2n+2O₆, C_nH_2n+2O₇, C_nH_2nO, C_nH_2nO₂, and HO(CH₂CH₂O)_nH ethylene glycol oligomers. The Li⁺ ion adduct mass spectra showed a characteristic profile in terms of both the appearance of unique components and the distribution of pyrolysis products. Among the products of the thermal decomposition of PEG, formaldehyde (HCHO) and organic peroxides were particularly interesting. Formaldehyde, one of the 10 most abundant products, is a known human carcinogen. The detection of peroxides suggests that they may form during the incineration of PEG, which may have important environmental implications. The existence of peroxide products may have implications for chemical evolution in incinerator systems.     

Levels and profiles of long-chain perfluorinated carboxylic acids in human breast milk and infant formulas in East Asia

In this study, 90 human breast milk samples collected from Japan, Korea, and China were analyzed for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (C8), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) (C9), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (C10), perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) (C11), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA) (C12), and perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) (C13). In addition, infant formulas (n = 9) obtained from retail stores in China and Japan were analyzed. PFOA was the predominant compound and was detected in more than 60% of samples in all three countries. The PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, and PFUnDA levels in Japan were significantly higher than those in Korea and China (p < 0.05). The PFTrDA level was highest in Korea (p < 0.05). The median PFOA concentrations were 89 pg mL⁻¹ (48% of total perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) (C8-C13)) in Japan, 62 pg mL⁻¹ (54%) in Korea, and 51 pg mL⁻¹ (61%) in China. The remaining ∑PFCAs (C9-C13) were 95 pg mL⁻¹ in Japan, 52 pg mL⁻¹ in Korea, and 33 pg mL⁻¹ in China. Among the long-chain PFCAs, odd-numbered PFCAs were more frequently detected than even-numbered PFCAs, except for PFDA in Japan. There were no evident correlations between the mother’s demographic factors and the PFCA concentrations. PFOA, PFNA, and PFDA were frequently detected in both Japan and China, but there were no significant differences between the two countries. The total PFCA concentrations in the infant formulas were lower than those in the breast milk samples in Japan (p < 0.05), but not in China (p > 0.05). In conclusion, various PFCAs were detected in human breast milk samples from East Asian countries.     

Metabolism of potassium bromate in rats I. In vivo studies

Potassium Bromate was administered orally to rats and its fate in the body was studied. The bromate was rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract and was partly excreted in the urine within two hours of administration. No bromate was detected in body organs or in the blood 24 hours after dosing. Excretion of bromate into the urine was proportional to the dose, except that at 2.5mg/kg or less no excretion was observed. The administration of bromate increased the bromide concentration in various organs and in urine.     

Effects of abiotic factors on growth and chemical defenses in cultivated clones of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laurencia dendroidea</Emphasis> J. Agardh (Ceramiales,Rhodophyta)

Laurencia dendroidea shows high inter- and intrapopulation variability in the amount of the sesquiterpene elatol, caused by genetic variation as well as environmental factors. To test the independent effect of physical and nutritional conditions, the growth and the levels of elatol in L. dendroidea clones were evaluated under different conditions of temperature, salinity, irradiance, and culture medium in the laboratory. Growth of L. dendroidea was clearly affected by all these factors, but elatol levels were influenced only by temperature and salinity. Better conditions for growth did not produce a similar effect on elatol production in L. dendroidea, contradicting the carbon/nutrient balance and growth/differentiation balance models. On the contrary, severe conditions of temperature and salinity promoted a decrease in elatol levels, as predicted by the environmental stress model. Our results using clones indicated that abiotic factors clearly take part in fostering chemical variations observed in natural populations, in addition to genetic factors, and can promote differential susceptibility of plant specimens to natural enemies.     

Determinants of eco-efficiency in the Chinese industrial sector

This study measures productive inefficiency within the context of multi-environmental pollution (eco-efficiency) in the Chinese industrial sector. The weighted Russell directional distance model is applied to measure eco-efficiency using production technology. The objective is to clarify how external factors affect eco-efficiency. The major findings are that both foreign direct investment and investment for pollution abatement improve eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutant substances. A levy system for wastewater discharge improves eco-efficiency as measured by wastewater pollutant substances. However, an air pollutant levy does not significantly affect eco-efficiency as measured by air pollutants.