Air concentrations and urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons among paving and remixing workers

The exposure of paving workers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) during stone mastic asphalt (SMA) paving and remixing was evaluated. The effects on the workers' PAH exposure were also evaluated during the use of an industrial by-product, coal fly ash (CFA), instead of limestone as the filler in the SMA. The PAH exposure was measured by personal air sampling and by analysing the levels of urinary naphthols, phenanthrols and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) in the workers' pre- and post-shift urine samples. The respiratory PAH exposure of the paving workers (geometric mean (GM) 5.7 microg m(-3)) was about ten-fold that of the traffic controllers (GM 0.43 microg m(-3)). The levels of PAH metabolites were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the post-shift urine samples than in the pre-shift urine samples, and the levels of metabolites in the post-shift urine of paving workers were significantly higher than in that of the controls (p < 0.01). Urinary 1-naphthol correlated well with the airborne concentrations of the two- to three-ring PAHs (r = 0.544, p = 0.003) and naphthalene (r = 0.655, p < 0.001), when non-smoking paving workers were tested. A good correlation was observed between urinary 1-OHP and the airborne concentrations of the four- to six-ring PAHs (r = 0.524, p = 0.003) as well as total PAHs (r = 0.575, p = 0.001). The concentrations of 1-OHP and phenanthrols in the urine of the pavers were significantly higher (p < 0.01) during remixing than during SMA paving. The CFA in the asphalt had no effect on the airborne PAH exposure or on the concentrations of the PAH metabolites in the paving workers' urine.     

Climate-resilient strategies for sustainable management of water resources and agriculture

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Warming of the earth is considered as the major adverse effect of climate change along with other abnormalities such as non-availability of water...     

Biofuel production,hydrogen production and water remediation by photocatalysis,biocatalysis and electrocatalysis

The energy crisis and environmental pollution have recently fostered research on efficient methods such as environmental catalysis to produce biofuel and to clean water. Environmental catalysis refers to green catalysts used to breakdown pollutants or produce chemicals without generating undesirable by-products. For example, catalysts derived from waste or inexpensive materials are promising for the circular economy. Here we review environmental photocatalysis, biocatalysis, and electrocatalysis, with focus on catalyst synthesis, structure, and applications. Common catalysts include biomass-derived materials, metal–organic frameworks, non-noble metals nanoparticles, nanocomposites and enzymes. Structure characterization is done by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy. We found that water pollutants can be degraded with an efficiency ranging from 71.7 to 100%, notably by heterogeneous Fenton catalysis. Photocatalysis produced dihydrogen (H₂) with generation rate higher than 100 μmol h⁻¹. Dihydrogen yields ranged from 27 to 88% by methane cracking. Biodiesel production reached 48.6 to 99%.

     

Effect of the CITES trade ban on preferences for ivory in Japan

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - This paper characterizes the ivory demand in Japan, formerly, the largest consumer country of ivory, by imports of worked ivory since 1970. During the...     

Perceived Mental Stress and Reactions in Heart Rate Variability—A Pilot Study Among Employees of an Electronics Company

In this study perceived mental stress during occupational work was compared to heart rate variability (HRV) using a traditional questionnaire and a novel wristop heart rate monitor with related software. The aim was to find HRV parameters useful for mental stress detection. We found the highest correlation between perceived mental stress with the differences between the values of triangular interpolation of rythm-to-rythm (RR) interval histogram (TINN) and the root mean square of differences of successive RR intervals (RMSSD) obtained in the morning and during the workday(r = -.73 andr = -.60, respectively). The analysis shows that as the RMSSD and TINN value differences increase from night to morning, the stress decreases.     

The environmental cost of broiler production and carbon sequestration potential of eucalyptus plantations around farms in Mato Grosso do Sul,Brazil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study aimed to evaluate the environmental cost of the production process of broilers from the approach of emergy accounting and carbon...     

Feasibility of energy recovery from municipal solid waste in an integrated municipal energy supply and waste management system.

A decision-support model for determining the feasibility of a planned energy-from-waste (EfW) investment for an integrated waste management and energy supply system is presented. The aim is to present an easy-to-understand, inexpensive and fast-to-use tool to decision-makers for modelling and evaluating different kinds of processes. Special emphasis is put on forming the model and interpretation of the results of the example case. The simple integrated system management (SISMan) model is presented through a practical example of the use of the model. In the example the viability of the described system is studied by comparing five different cases including different waste-derived fuels (WDF), non-segregated municipal solid waste (MSW) being one of the fuel options. The nominal power output of the EfW plant varied in each case according to the WDF classification. The numeric values for two main variables for each WDF type were determined, the WDF price at the gate of the EfW plant and the waste management fee (WMF) according to the 'polluter pays' -principle. Comparison between the five cases was carried out according to two determinants, the WMF related to each case and the recovery rate related to each case. The numeric values for the constants and variables used in the calculations were chosen as realistically as possible using available data related to the issue. In the example of this paper, the mass-incineration solution ('pure' MSW as a fuel) was found to be the most viable solution for the described system according to the calculations. However, the final decision of the decision-makers might differ from this in the real world due to extra 'fuzzy' information that cannot be reliably included in the calculations. This paper shows that certain key values of modelled systems can be calculated using an easy-to-use tool at the very early stages of a larger design process involving municipal and business partners. The use of this kind of tools could significantly decrease the overall design costs of large systems in the long run by cutting out irrational system options at the very beginning of the planning.     

Synthesis of malachite@clay nanocomposite for rapid scavenging of cationic and anionic dyes from synthetic wastewater

Synthesis of malachite@clay nanocomposite was successfully carried out for the removal of cationic (Methylene Blue, MB) and anionic dyes (Congo Red, CR) from synthetic wastewater. Nanocomposite was characterized by TEM, SEM, FT-IR, EDS analysis and zeta potential. TEM analysis indicated that the particle diameter of nanocomposite was in the range of 14 to 23 nm. Various important parameters viz. contact time, concentration of dyes, nanocomposite dosage, temperature and solution pH were optimized to achieve maximum adsorption capacity. In the case of MB, removal decreased from 99.82% to 93.67% while for CR, removal decreased from 88.55% to 75.69% on increasing dye concentration from 100 to 450 mg/L. pH study confirmed the higher removal of CR in acidic range while MB removal was higher in alkaline range. Kinetic study revealed the applicability of pseudo-second-order model for the adsorption of both dyes. Negative values of ΔG⁰ for both systems suggested the feasibility of dye removal and support for spontaneous adsorption of CR and MB on nanocomposite. Nanocomposite showed 277.77 and 238.09 mg/g Langmuir adsorption capacity for MB and CR respectively. Desorption of dyes from the dye loaded nanocomposite was easily carried out with acetone. The results indicate that the prepared malachite@clay nanocomposite is an efficient adsorbent with high adsorption capacity for the aforementioned dyes.     

Cadmium and chromium in human lung tissue in relation to smoking and lung cancer

The pulmonary Cd and Cr content was determined from 53 lung cancer patients operated for cancer and from 39 patients who died of non‐malignant diseases. The results were correlated with smoking habits, pulmonary emphysema and occupational history. Both the pulmonary Cd and Cr increased with the amount of smoking. In ex‐smokers the Cr content in lung tissue did not diminish with the time since stopping smoking, but the Cd did follow the half‐life of about 9 years. The pulmonary Cd, compared with smoking habits, behaved similarly in both the lung cancer and control patients, whereas Cr in the lung cancer patients could not be explained solely by smoking, but some of the cancer patients may have been occupationally exposed to Cr. Speciation was not studied.