Indicators as a tool for the evaluation of effective national implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)

This paper briefly outlines the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and what is meant by GHS implementation in terms of policy-related information for decision-makers plus a framework of actions to enable such policies to be effectively undertaken. The paper discusses the need for simple indicators to measure progress with GHS implementation. Two groups of indicators have been described that comprehensively reflect basic components of GHS implementation. The first group was presented as aggregated indicators or indices, for national capability evaluation. Indicators to evaluate management performance linked to stated objectives were presented as the second group. Information from an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published questionnaire on GHS implementation and a questionnaire by the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) on chemical safety that included GHS have provided the basic information for applying the management capability indicators approach. Through the use of information in these two questionnaires, country-relevant and regional progress with GHS implementation was illustrated. Despite the GHS implementation target of 2008 set by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, very few countries have reported they have achieved this target. The simple management indicators proposed in this paper are based on adoption of a questionnaire and a numerical scoring system that could be used to chart progress towards GHS implementation. It was concluded, therefore, that the use of indicators as described in this paper does provide a quick survey of the overall situation in a country and facilitates comparison between countries across regions in terms of GHS implementation. Furthermore such results may indicate which countries require additional assistance with GHS implementation thus strengthening policies and actions across all sectors and involving governments, business, trade, and civil society.     

染发废水及其对水环境影响

在提出染发废水这一概念的基础上,调查和分析了染发废水的水量与水质,确定了染发废水的基础数据,并以此为依据预测染发废水对水环境的污染程度.结果表明:(1)1次染发所产生的废水量一般为8～18 L,染发废水中COD为528.0～2 926.1 mg/L,氨氮为6.43～36.69 mg/L,总磷为0.62～5.48 mg/L,色度为32～512倍,pH为5.5～9.0,苯胺类污染物为0.16～2.46 mg/L;(2)按性别和年龄层分类估算的染发废水总量较为相近,其均值为324 266.28 m3,相当于江苏省2005年总用水量的0.008 3%;(3)从水量与水质看,染发废水对水环境的污染程度很大,而且染发废水中部分成分属药品和个人护理用品(PPCPs)污染物范畴,有"假持续性".因此,染发废水及其相关研究存在必要性.     

The possible climate impact on the collapse of an ancient urban city in Mu Us Desert, China

Tongwan City is one of the most famous and best-researched archaeological sites in China. By using palaeoclimatology proxy records from China over the last 2,000 years and archaeological/historical documents, we analyse the possible effect of climate on the collapse of Tongwan City, an ancient urban city of the Daxia state (AD 407–427). During Tongwan City’s existence (AD 413–994), two severe cold and drought stages were recorded by both natural proxy data and the synthesis compiled from the historical documents. The first cold and drought stage occurred at about AD 420–550, with the lowest point centred at about AD 500. The second cold and drought stage occurred at about AD 780–950. These periods correspond to the times of climate deterioration, especially weak summer monsoons, which eventually resulted in the intensive desertification and collapse of Tongwan City.     

煤气化封闭框架内可燃气与煤尘泄漏事故分析与防治对策

针对煤气化框架内可燃气泄漏事故及其可能造成的严重后果,基于建筑火灾中“性能化”防火设计思路,设定了煤气化框架敞开与封闭设计下火灾场景,结合可燃气体泄漏的浓度分布机理,分析了煤气化框架敞开与封闭设计对易燃混合气浓度影响的机理,提出采取改进通风等综合措施降低火灾爆炸危险性.通过对典型情况下可燃气与煤尘泄漏规律的仿真分析,结果表明,增加通风口密度、适当调整通风强度可以降低泄漏期间的可燃气体聚集浓度,显著降低危险性,提高了煤气化封闭框架内建筑防火安全性.     

Biosafety Act 2007: Does It Really Protect Bioethical Issues Relating To GMOS

Despite the (serious) global concerns about the safety and genetic stability of genetically modified organisms, the Malaysian National Biosafety Board (NBB) has recently approved the field testing for genetically modified (GM) male mosquitoes. With this development, bioethical issues, which in some respect could adversely impinge on the social, economic and environmental aspects of the society, have surfaced, and these concerns must be addressed by the authorities concerned. In reviewing this application, the National Biosafety Board has followed the requirements of the Biosafety Act 2007, which was created to strike a balance between promoting biotechnology and at the same time protecting against its potential environmental and human health risks in Malaysia. However, the 2007 Act fails to adequately take into account any bioethical issues in spite of the inclusion of a provision on socio-economic consideration. As part of an ongoing doctoral research project, and by way of an instrumental critique of the 2007 Act, the present paper attempts to address the role and function of the Malaysia biosafety legal framework in governing bioethical concerns relating to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) within the current biotechnology background in Malaysia. Additionally, the paper suggests that the ambiguity of the provisions contained within the 2007 Act in governing such concerns, representing wider societal interests and welfare, in some ways might defeat the balancing role that this act was originally intended to fulfil.     

正念对应急疏散行为:风险感知和自我效能的中介作用*

为明确正念对应急疏散行为的影响机制,提高应急疏散效率,构建包含应急正念、风险感知、自我效能、掩蔽效应和应急疏散行为的概念模型,基于调查问卷结果,利用结构方程模型进行实证研究。研究结果表明:正念、风险感知和自我效能对应急疏散行为存在正向影响,正念通过风险感知和自我效能对应急疏散行为产生部分中介效应;掩蔽效应在自我效能影响应急疏散行为过程中具有显著调节作用;正念通过风险感知能力提高自我效能,进一步对应急疏散行为产生影响。研究结果可为缓解突发事件带来的不良情绪及压力,增强个体自信程度及风险感知能力,提高应急疏散效率提供参考和借鉴。     

Impact of anthropogenic heat emissions on meteorological parameters and air quality in Beijing using a high-resolution model simulation

• The Large scale Urban Consumption of energY model was updated and coupled with WRF. • Anthropogenic heat emissions altered the precipitation and its spatial distribution. • A reasonable AHE scheme could improve the performance of simulated PM_2.5. • AHE aggravated the O₃ pollution in urban areas. Anthropogenic heat emissions (AHE) play an important role in modulating the atmospheric thermodynamic and kinetic properties within the urban planetary boundary layer, particularly in densely populated megacities like Beijing. In this study, we estimate the AHE by using a Large-scale Urban Consumption of energY (LUCY) model and further couple LUCY with a high-resolution regional chemical transport model to evaluate the impact of AHE on atmospheric environment in Beijing. In areas with high AHE, the 2-m temperature (T₂) increased to varying degrees and showed distinct diurnal and seasonal variations with maxima in night and winter. The increase in 10-m wind speed (WS₁₀) and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) exhibited slight diurnal variations but showed significant seasonal variations. Further, the systematic continuous precipitation increased by 2.1 mm due to the increase in PBLH and water vapor in upper air. In contrast, the precipitation in local thermal convective showers increased little because of the limited water vapor. Meanwhile, the PM_2.5 reduced in areas with high AHE because of the increase in WS₁₀ and PBLH and continued to reduce as the pollution levels increased. In contrast, in areas where prevailing wind direction was opposite to that of thermal circulation caused by AHE, the WS₁₀ reduced, leading to increased PM_2.5. The changes of PM_2.5 illustrated that a reasonable AHE scheme might be an effective means to improve the performance of PM_2.5 simulation. Besides, high AHE aggravated the O₃ pollution in urban areas due to the reduction in NO_x.     

Predicting flocculant dosage in the drinking water treatment process using Elman neural network

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Predicting the flocculant dosage in the drinking water treatment process is essential for public health. However, due to the complexity of water...     

Intercalating negatively charged pillars into graphene oxide sheets to enhance sulfonamide pharmaceutical removal from water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Herein, novel composite materials were prepared by intercalating functional pillars, i.e., pentafluorobenzene (PFB) and sodium...     

Influence of a municipal solid waste incinerator on ambient air and soil PCDD/Fs levels

To examine the influence of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) on the environment, we measured the levels of PCDD/Fs in ambient air and soil samples collected near a MSWI in Bucheon, Korea. The PCDD/Fs concentrations in the ambient air samples ranged from 0.22 to 1.16 pg I-TEQm(-3) (13.39-75.16 pg m(-3)), with an average of 0.66 pg I-TEQ m(-3) (35.62 pg m(-3)). The soil samples contained between 1.25 and 74.98 pg I-TEQ g(-1) (38.15-3,303.33 pg g(-1)), with an average of 19.06 pg I-TEQ g(-1) (1,077.11 pg g(-1)). These levels were higher than those previously reported by other investigators in a number of surveys. The furan homologues predominated in the air samples and some soil samples, and the soil PCDD/Fs levels decreased with increasing distance from the MSWI. Comparison of the homologue patterns and a multivariate statistical analysis showed that PCDD/Fs emission from the MSWI directly affected the pattern of PCDD/Fs in air, while the PCDD/Fs patterns in soil differed according to the location relative to the MSWI, roads, and construction sites. These results collectively indicate that the MSWI was the major PCDD/Fs emission source in this area, but that unidentified combustion sources and vehicles might influence the environment to some extent.