A monitoring study of workers handling pesticides in warehouses and godowns

Abstract

Monitoring observations made on 60 operators involved in pesticide application work in godowns and warehouses and 60 matched control workers are reported. Occupational exposure history and medical history are noted. Biochemical investigations, plasma and RBC cholinesterase estimations are included along with medical examination of the workers. Workers were found to be mostly exposed to Celphos, DDVP, Malathion, Pyrethrum, etc, and the use of protective devices were very limited. Cases of significant reduction in plasma and RBC cholinesterase activity were found. Frequency of symptoms like dizziness, headache, lachrymation, burning sensation in eyes, nausea and anorexia, etc, were much more in the exposed workers. No cases of clinical poisoning attributable to occupational exposure to pesticides were reported by the workers.     

Limitations of Long-Path Averaging Instruments

ABSTRACT

Long-path averaging instruments measure the average velocity or concentration of a substance or substances over an averaging path. These measurements are then often used for calculation of the average concentration and mass flow rate of the substance. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the limitations of these instruments and to suggest ways in which these limitations can be minimized. Two limitations were examined: measuring concentration in a single dimension (e.g., ignoring the variation in concentration over the width of the sample plane), and deriving an average concentration without considering velocity effects. The resultant errors will be application-specific.

Estimates of the second source of error can be obtained from the covariance of concentration and velocity profiles over the path length. Unfortunately, suitable field data were not available, and to illustrate the method, estimates of the error were obtained for a range of possible concentration and velocity profiles. Errors of 50% or greater in the mass flow were incurred for the concentration and velocity profiles considered. This error was reduced to a negligible level by segmenting the averaging path length. It is recommended that velocity and concentration profiles be obtained for a broad range of applications to enable the importance of covariance errors to be better assessed.     

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticle Capped with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium cepa</Emphasis> and Their Catalytic Reduction of Textile Dyes: An Ecofriendly Approach

Today, environment pollution control is a matter of concern, everybody is willing to make a product that should be ecofriendly. Nowadays, water resources are full of untreated waste materials, discharge of hazardous and toxic dyes coming from textile and other chemical industries. These environmental hazards are difficult to remove by commercial water treatment plans, thus we need something that would present an efficient means for removal of these hazards. In this research paper, we have synthesize silver nanoparticle in a green way by using aqueous extract of Allium cepa (onion), and further these silver nanoparticle were tested for the catalytic degradation of various dyes by UV/Visible spectroscopy and silver nanoparticle showed reduction in dyes intensity after a particular period of incubation time. SEM and TEM, Particle size and Zeta potential analysis was done to analyze the surface morphology, particle size range and stability of the silver nanoparticle. Greenly synthesized silver nanoparticle was found to be spherical in shape, having particle size value ranged from 50 to 100 nm with a zeta potential value of ?29 mV. An EDX spectroscopy method was used to confirm the presence of silver nanoparticle in the synthesized material. An X-ray crystallography was done to ensure the crystallinity of the silver nanoparticle. Further an ATR-FTIR was performed to confirm the capping of the silver nanoparticle with the phenolic group of the onion. All these study emphasized that silver nanoparticle capped with onion (AgNPs@Ac) is the excellent catalyst for the reduction of hazardous and toxic dyes as well as they serve best purpose of the eco-friendly approach.     

An empirically derived taxonomy of pilot violation behavior

Violations occur when pilots deliberately break safety rules; they are a serious and vexing problem in aviation. Study one engaged cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and Pathfinder network analysis on an experimentally derived similarity matrix of violation causes to discover the structure of violation reasoning. Using the insights so gained, a classification was constructed based on actor intent with four categories:

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Improvement. The intention is to increase safety or production, a desire to do better.

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Malevolent. The intention is to cause harm or reduce production, a desire to do damage.

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Indolent. The intention is to increase operator ease, a desire for lethargy.

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Hedonic. The intention is to increase operator excitement, a desire for sensation.

Study two tested the taxonomy for reliability by having aviation experts assign categories to six accident reports. The taxonomy was found to have a free-marginal multirater kappa of 0.82, which is considered excellent.     

The environmental risks of neonicotinoid pesticides: a review of the evidence post 2013

Neonicotinoid pesticides were first introduced in the mid-1990s, and since then, their use has grown rapidly. They are now the most widely used class of insecticides in the world, with the majority of applications coming from seed dressings. Neonicotinoids are water-soluble, and so can be taken up by a developing plant and can be found inside vascular tissues and foliage, providing protection against herbivorous insects. However, only approximately 5% of the neonicotinoid active ingredient is taken up by crop plants and most instead disperses into the wider environment. Since the mid-2000s, several studies raised concerns that neonicotinoids may be having a negative effect on non-target organisms, in particular on honeybees and bumblebees. In response to these studies, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was commissioned to produce risk assessments for the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam and their impact on bees. These risk assessments concluded that the use of these compounds on certain flowering crops poses a high risk to bees. On the basis of these findings, the European Union adopted a partial ban on these substances in May 2013. The purpose of the present paper is to collate and summarise scientific evidence published since 2013 that investigates the impact of neonicotinoids on non-target organisms. Whilst much of the recent work has focused on the impact of neonicotinoids on bees, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that persistent, low levels of neonicotinoids can have negative impacts on a wide range of free-living organisms.     

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 2: impacts on organisms and ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - New information on the lethal and sublethal effects of neonicotinoids and fipronil on organisms is presented in this review, complementing the...     

Policy entrepreneurs and strategies for change

Regional Environmental Change - Despite the fact that we currently witness an increasing interest in the study of the role of agency in policy dynamics, it remains in many respects a puzzle how...