Arsenic contribution of poultry manure towards soils and food plants contamination and associated cancer risk in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Exposure to high level of arsenic (As) through the ingestion of contaminated soil, dust and food plants can pose health risk to humans. This study...     

Correlation of MSH2 exonic deletions and protein downregulation with breast cancer biomarkers and outcome in Pakistani women/patients

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Mismatch repair (MMR) pathway is one of the underlying mechanisms of predisposition to breast cancer (BC). The present study explored the association...     

Comparison of composting of chemically pretreated and fermented sugarcane bagasse for zero-waste biorefinery

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Sugar industries produce vast quantity of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) waste which is used as raw material by biorefineries; however, the resulted...     

Examining foreign direct investment and environmental pollution linkage in Asia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the causal linkage between environmental pollution by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and net foreign direct investment (FDI),...     

Organochlorine pesticides in surface soils and sediments from obsolete pesticides dumping site near Lahore city,Pakistan: contamination status and their distribution

Surface soil and sediment samples were collected from the surroundings of Lila stream, which passes through the obsolete pesticides dumping area Kalashah Kaku near Lahore city, to evaluate the residual levels of 19 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), their distribution and potential sources. OCPs followed the order: ∑ DDT>∑ HCH>dicofol>endrin>heptachlor>dieldrin. Ratios of β to γ-HCH highlighted an old source of technical HCH in the study area, whereas the predominance of p, p′-DDT and p, p′-DDE indicated presence of technical DDT in surface soils. Factor analysis based on principal component analysis identified the origin of OCPs from industrial activities in Kalashah Kaku and waste dumping from Ittehad Chemical Industries via open drains into Lila stream. Greater levels of DDTs and HCHs above quality guideline pose potential exposure risk to biological organisms, safety of agricultural products and human health in the surrounding of Lila stream.     

Calcium invigorates the cadmium-stressed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis> L. plants by strengthening their photosynthetic system

Introduction  

Cadmium (Cd) in plants interrupts numerous metabolic processes and reduces the water and nutrient uptake that cause chlorosis, growth retardation, and ultimately plant death. Response of Brassica napus L. to calcium (Ca) enrichment in growth medium for reducing Cd toxicity stress by strengthening the photosynthesis organelles and their functionality was explored in this study.     

Comparison effect of feedstock to inoculum ratios on biogas yields of cafeteria,vegetable, fruit wastes with cattle manure using co-digestion process

Cafeteria, vegetable, fruit, and cattle manure are available year around at low cost and have the potential to complement each other for anaerobic digestion (AD). The objectives of this study were to determine the preferred mixing ratios and effects of feedstock to inoculum ratios for the optimal biogas production. The mesophilic digestion tests were performed with five mixing ratios of CW, VW, FW with CM and five feedstock to inoculum (F/I) ratios using batch anaerobic digesters. Co-digestion of CW, VW, FW with CM was carried out at F/I ratios of 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0. The results showed that the F/I ratio significantly affected the biogas production rate. Increasing the CW, VW, FW in the CM resulted in an increased methane yield by decreasing the F/I ratios in the reactors from 5.0 to 1.0. The highest biogas yields of 591.3, 432.9, and 450.6 L/kg VS_feed were obtained with CW/CM (50:50), VW/CM (25:75), and FW/CM (25:75) ratios, respectively. At five F/Is tested, after 45 days of AD, the total biogas yields were determined to be 629.74, 552.64, 501.87, 464.66, and 396.04 L and 496.93, 460.02, 420.5, 398.14, and 336.20 L, and 455.03, 382.81, 349.78, 340.95, and 298.53 L, respectively. However, the highest average CH₄ contents obtained at an F/I of 1.0 were 62.14%, 60.72%, and 61.08% that are 5.87%, 9.47%, and 10.17% higher than those obtained at F/I ratio of 5.0 for CW/CM (50:50), VW/CM (25:75), and FW/CM (25:75), respectively.     

Quality of tube well water intended for irrigation and human consumption with special emphasis on arsenic contamination at the area of Punjab,Pakistan

In the present study, the tube well water quality and the associated health risks, emphasizing on arsenic contamination, were investigated in rural and urban samples from Tehsil Mailsi located in Punjab, Pakistan. Arsenic concentrations (μg/L) were ranged from 12 to 448.5 and which exceeded the WHO recommended limit (10 μg/L) in all cases. The calculated average daily dose (3.3 × 10^?0.4 to 1.2 × 10^?0.2 mg/kg day) and hazard quotient (1.1–40) reflected the potential health risk to local population due to tube well water consumption as drinking purpose. Sodium percent (Na%), sodium absorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, Kelly’s index and magnesium absorption ratio were also determined to assess the suitability of tube well water for irrigation purpose. The resulting piper plot revealed the Na–Ca–HCO₃ type water chemistry of the area and generally alkaline environment. The spatial distribution of arsenic in the tube well waters pinpoints the significant contribution of anthropogenic activities to arsenic pollution. Nevertheless, different statistical tools, including principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation matrices, revealed the contribution of both natural and anthropogenic activities and alkaline type of aquifers toward the high level of arsenic contamination.     

Growth-corruption-health triaca and environmental degradation: empirical evidence from Indonesia,Malaysia, and Thailand

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examines the impact of economic growth, corruption, health, and poverty on environmental degradation for three countries from ASEAN, namely...     

Wheat productivity responses in the rice-based system under different no-till techniques and nitrogen sources

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - No-till wheat is gaining popularity in rice-based cropping system as it provides a better chance for timely planting of wheat, management of crop...