Multi-level modelling of chlorination by-product presence in drinking water distribution systems for human exposure assessment purposes

During drinking water treatment and distribution, chlorine reacts with organic matter occurring in water to form various chlorination by-products (CBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). This paper presents the occurrence of THMs and HAAs in different water distribution systems (DS) of the same region and their modelling for exposure assessment purposes. This study was conducted in eight DS supplying chlorinated water to the population of Québec City, Canada. These systems differ in type of water source (i.e. surface, ground or mixed water), in treatment applied at the plant, and in size and structure of the DS. Two spatio-temporal databases for THMs and HAAs were implemented, one for model development and the other for model validation. The analysis of the data demonstrates significant seasonal and spatial variations of these compounds. A multi-level statistical modelling approach was applied to estimate the ranges for occurrence of THMs and HAAs in the eight DS (i.e. a single model for the study region for each CBP species). The modelling approach integrates available or easily measurable parameters. For both THMs and HAAs, a two-level model considering a sampling-site random effect was selected among various models initially developed. The model capacity for estimating the presence of THMs and HAAs in drinking water and its usefulness for exposure assessment purposes in the studied region was demonstrated.     

Analysis of energy security and sustainability in future low carbon scenarios for Brazil

This study estimated a series of indicators to assess the energy security of supply and global and local environmental impacts under different mitigation scenarios through 2050 in Brazil, designed with the integrated optimization energy system model MESSAGE‐BRAZIL. The assessment of interactions between environmental impacts and energy security dimensions was complemented through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Overall results imply energy security establishes more synergies than trade‐offs in increasingly stringent mitigation scenarios, especially patent within the sustainability dimension, which increases energy security and provides additional benefits regarding climate change mitigation and air pollution emissions. It is still necessary to extend analysis to other energy sectors in addition to the power supply sector and to promote a better understanding of repercussions of energy scenario expansion in energy security.     

A new recoding method for treating protest responses in contingent valuation studies using travel cost data

In this paper, it is proposed one method to recode protest responses applicable to the simple dichotomous format valuation question made to visitors to natural environment in contingent valuation studies. Those respondents that give a protest response but have a travel cost greater than the bid proposed in the valuation question are recoded as an affirmative answer to the proposed payment. The economic justification lies in the minimum willingness to pay for enjoying the environment that travel cost reveals, while valuation question tries to obtain information about respondent maximum willingness to pay. Recoding allows to recover information and to improve estimates, accuracy. It also avoids computational complexity associated with sample selection models used to avoid biases derived from excluding protest responses.     

Electrochemical degradation of psychotropic pharmaceutical compounds from municipal wastewater and neurotoxicity evaluations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are released daily into surface water, and their recalcitrant properties often require tertiary treatment....     

Enhanced Cu(II) adsorption using sodium trimetaphosphate–modified cellulose beads: equilibrium,kinetics, adsorption mechanisms,and reusability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current study is focused on the simple synthesis of two novel biosorbent beads: BASB/STMP and CNFB/STMP, derived respectively from bleached almond...     

Silver nanoparticles induce histopathological alterations in juvenile Penaeus vannamei

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The objective of this study was to evaluate the histopathological alterations in juvenile Penaeus vannamei caused by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for...     

Phytotoxicity,cytotoxicity, and in vivo antifungal efficacy of chitosan nanobiocomposites on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chitosan (CS) nanosystems have potential applications for the control of microorganisms in the medical, environmental, and agrifood fields. In vivo...     

Mercury removal using ground and calcined mussel shell

We determined mercury retention on calcined and ground mussel shell, in presence and absence of phosphate, using batch and stirred flow chamber experiments. In batch experiments the calcined shell exhibited higher Hg adsorption, with good fitting to Freundlich equation （R^2： 0.925-0.978）; the presence of phosphate increased Hg adsorption; mercury desorption was 13% or lower, diminishing up to 2% under the presence of phosphates. In stirred flow chamber experiments calcined shell retained more Hg than ground shells （6300 vs. 4000-5200 μmol/kg）; Hg retention increased an additional 40% on calcined shell and up to an additional 70% on ground shells when phosphates were present; mercury desorption was quite similar in all shell types （20%-34%）, increasing up to 49%-60% in ground shells when phosphates were present. The higher Hg adsorption on calcined shell would be related to its calcite and dolomite concentrations; mercury-phosphate interactions would cause the increase in Hg retention when phosphates are present. Data on Hg desorption suggest that Hg retention was not easily reversible after batch experiments, increasing in the stirred flow chamber due to convective flow. Calcined and ground mussel shells could be recycled removing Hg from water, with the presence of phosphates in solution improving efficacy.     

Analysis of the “European Charter on General Principles for Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development” The Council of Europe Document CO-DBP (2003)2

For almost 50 years, the Council of Europe through a series of documents has been helping to build up a set of rules, principles, and strategies related to culture, environment, ethics, and sustainable development. At the moment, one of the most important aims of the Council of Europe’s agenda deals with the elaboration of the General Principles for the Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development, as raised in document CO-DBP (2003)2 related to the environmental subject. The intention of the Council of Europe is to encourage national authorities to implement these General Principles into their national environmental policies. These principles should have an important effect, especially in those countries which are new members of the European Union. The primary target of this paper is the study of these principles and the setting of their entailed implications in order to establish a relation between values and policy making. Quite often, the conclusions adopted by the agreements generated within the framework of the European Union are controversial. Therefore, a study aiming to lay the foundations of these principles will make the exchange of ideas easier, providing a wider and more detailed scope in the European environmental policy.