This study reports concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust samples collected from 17 homes in Kuwait. PBDEs were measured in all homes investigated with mean summation operatorPBDEs concentration ranging from 1 to 393 ng g(-1), with a geometric mean of 76 ng g(-1). The dominant congener in all samples was BDE 209 constituting ca. 85% of the summationPBDEs followed by BDE 99 (5%), BDE 47 (4.5%), and BDE 183 (2%). The congener mixture in dust is dominated by those in deca and penta formulations. Using the measured concentrations and estimates of dust ingestion rates for children and adults, estimated human non-dietary exposure based on mean PBDE levels were 14.8 and 1.5 ng day(-1) for children and adults, respectively. The 10-fold difference in exposure estimates between children and adults in this study supports previous reports that children are at greater risk from pollutants that accumulate indoors. The ubiquitous distribution of these chemicals as noted in this study highlights the fact that we are continuously exposed to low doses of chemicals in the indoor environment. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Emerging economies are experiencing considerable economic changes due to change in energy demand and CO2 emissions. To explore the link between energy... 相似文献
Pakistan is an agricultural country and due to the shortage of clean water, most of the irrigated area (32,500 ha) of Pakistan was supplied with wastewater (0.876?×?109 m3/year). Concentrations of heavy metals in radish (Raphanus sativus) and turnip (Brassica rapa) taken from vegetable fields in Sargodha, Pakistan, were measured. Untreated wastewater was used persistently for a long time to irrigate these vegetable fields. A control site was selected that had a history of fresh groundwater irrigation. Mean metal concentrations were found for irrigation water, soil, and vegetables. In irrigation water, concentrations of Mo and Pb at three sites and Se at sites II and III were higher than the recommended limits. In vegetables, concentrations of Mo and Pb were above the maximum permissible limits. High bioconcentration factor was observed for Zn (12.61 in R. sativus and 11.72 in B. rapa) at site I and high pollution load index was found for Pb (3.89 in R. sativus and 3.87 in B. rapa) at site II. The differences in metal concentrations found in samples depended upon different soil nature and assimilation capacities of vegetables at different sites which in turn depended upon different environmental cues. The entrance of metal and metalloids to human body may happen through different pathways; however, the food chain is the chief route through which metals are transferred from vegetables to individuals. Health risk index observed for metals, (Mo, As, Ni, Cu, and Pb) higher than 1 indicated high risk through consumption of these vegetables at three sites.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current global spirit for sustainable development has led to increased attention to reducing the use of conventional energy sources and managing... 相似文献
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a policy tool used for evaluating a project proposal from physical and socioeconomic
environmental perspectives. Its aim is to reduce the impact of development on environment, hence, ensuring environmental sustainability.
It is mandatory to submit an Environmental Impact Statement before starting a mega project as required by Environmental Protection
Act of 1997 and Environmental Policy of Pakistan. Public consultation plays a key role in an EIA system, identifying the likely
aspects and impacts of a development activity. This aspect has been ignored in effective enactment of environmental legislation
in Pakistan. Sufficient legislative instruments are there to support EIA system in the country but the agencies responsible
for the enforcement of environmental regulations have failed to do so. The current research gives an insight into the actual
status of EIA system in Pakistan along with the feedback of EIA specialists and university teachers of the concerned departments.
A new index has been devised on the basis of questionnaire response to work out the overall performance of EIA system in Pakistan
or any other country. The weaknesses and deficiencies of each EIA stage have been worked out for Pakistan and elaborated with
the help of the controversial Zero point Interchange Project in the capital city of Pakistan. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Energy is an essential parameter for the economic growth and sustainable development of any country. Due to the rapid increase in energy demand,... 相似文献
Drylands (41 and 35% of global land and population, respectively) have the lowest biological productivity of any ecosystem,
contain populations with the highest growth rates on earth, and share a significant fraction of global poverty for which desertification
is implicated. A global assessment of the available information indicates that the inherent low productivity of drylands,
when combined with other adverse factors, can generate poverty. It additionally indicates that while the drylands may exist
in a locally stable and sustainable state, this is readily destabilized by non-linear, threshold-crossing transitions to an
alternative steady-state leading to desertification, poverty and conflicts. The “desertification paradigm” (human and climatological
pressures driving overexploitation of land resources, leading to desertification, poverty and reduced security) is challenged
by its “counter-paradigm” (adversity elicits innovation, leading to ingenuous solutions for avoiding desertification). But
the latter does not account for the inevitability of continued and increasing pressure on the finite dryland resources, expected
to be further exacerbated by a globally increasing need for agricultural land. A companion paper points out that this situation
can be avoided by reducing dependence on land productivity, through adoption of “alternative livelihoods.” These livelihoods,
while economically advantageous, reduce pressure on land resources. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Climate change resulting from the higher concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a threat to the sustainability of life on earth. To... 相似文献