The deployment of γ-irradiation for reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and microbial load in wheat kernels

Food contamination may contribute to serious human health problems. In this work, the effect of γ-irradiation 0, 5, 10, and 15 kGy doses on the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from wheat kernels was investigated. Additionally, variations in the contents of 16 congeners on bacterial load and other chemical parameters were studied. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography followed by fluorescence detection. The effects of γ-irradiation on the concentrations varied for each congener, with the highest irradiation dose being the most effective. Benzo[a]pyrene was reduced by ～50%, and the total concentration of all congeners decreased dramatically from 154 to 21 µg.kg^?1 upon 15 kGy irradiation at a dose rate of 8.49 kGy h^?1. The total bacterial load was reduced from 2.4 to < 1 log₁₀ cfu g^?1, while wheat chemical properties were not affected.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Biobased Ion-Exchange Bisfuran Polyamides Prepared by Interfacial Polycondensation of Bisfuran Diamine Monomer and Sustainable Dicarboxylic Acid Derivatives

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Polymers based on the furanic compounds derived from renewable carbohydrates have seen massive growth due to their unique properties and increasing...     

Serum concentrations of selected organochlorine pesticides in a Lebanese population and their associations to sociodemographic,anthropometric and dietary factors: ENASB study

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were banned by the Stockholm Convention many years ago; however, they are still detected in the environment due to their high persistence, their current illegal use, and their import from countries where they have not been banned. We evaluated the serum concentrations of selected OCPs (hexachlorobenzene (HCB), β-hexachlorocyclohexanes (β-HCH), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) in a sample of Lebanese adults using gas chromatography coupled to an ion trap mass spectrometer detector. The mean concentrations of HCB, β-HCH, DDT, and DDE were 7.1, 8.6, 2.1, and 18.9 ng/g of lipids, respectively, and the major contributor among the four OCPs was DDE. The OCP levels in the present study were in general lower than the values observed in several countries worldwide and their concentrations at the 95th percentile were lower than the biomonitoring equivalents (BEs) excluding any appreciable health risk. We observed an inverse association between HCB concentrations and body mass index (BMI) as well as HCB, β-HCH, and DDE levels, and smoking habits. Milk consumption however was positively associated with an increased serum level of β-HCH. This study, which was the first to investigate OCP serum levels in a Lebanese population, provides a baseline to which future measurements can be compared.     

Phytoextraction of heavy metals from contaminated soil,water and atmosphere using ornamental plants: mechanisms and efficiency improvement strategies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in soil, water and air is one of the major environmental concerns worldwide, which mainly occurs due to...     

Analysis of Extreme Summer Rainfall Using Climate Teleconnections and Typhoon Characteristics in South Korea1

Abstract: It is now widely acknowledged that climate variability modulates the frequency of extreme hydrological events. Traditional methodologies for hydrologic frequency analysis are not devised to account for variation in the exogenous teleconnections. Flood frequency analysis is further plagued by the assumptions of stationary in the causal structure as well as ergodicity. Here, we propose a dynamical hierarchical Bayesian analysis to account for exogenous forcing that govern the summer season rainfall. The precursors for Korean summer rainfall at different frequencies are identified utilizing wavelet and independent component analyses. The sea surface temperatures, the ensemble of rainfall predictions by General Circulation Model, in addition to the typhoon attributes were found to have direct correlation with extreme rainfall events and were used as inputs to the logistic regression model. The model parameters are estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo and the resulting posterior distributions associated with individual inputs are analyzed to advance our understanding of the spatiotemporal impact of the teleconnections. Eight rainfall stations throughout Korea are considered in this analysis. We demonstrate that the probability of occurrence of extreme events could be successfully projected at a 90% rate of correct classification of extreme events.     

A charge model for household waste management services: a case study of Tehran municipality

In practice, it is difficult to implement Pay-As-You-Throw charge systems based on accurate estimates of waste generation. In many cities, this is made impossible, due to lack of technical and administrative infrastructure and cultural considerations, especially in developing countries. This paper presents an alternative two-component charge model that is the combination of cost-accounting technique of Waste Management Services (WMSs) and econometric functions of waste generation. Practical and computation steps considered by the model are presented as a proposal to reform the current system of waste charge in Tehran municipality. The presented model is simple to implement and resolves some of the disadvantages of the traditional methods of waste charge systems, including insufficient revenue to cover the cost of waste management and unfairness related to social inequality.     

Air quality in Yanbu,Saudi Arabia

Yanbu, on the Red Sea, is an affluent Saudi Arabian industrial city of modest size. Substantial effort has been spent to balance environmental quality, especially air pollution, and industrial development. We have analyzed six years of observations of criteria pollutants O₃, SO₂, particles (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and the known ozone precursors—volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x). The results suggest frequent VOC-limited conditions in which ozone concentrations increase with decreasing NO_x and with increasing VOCs when NO_x is plentiful. For the remaining circumstances ozone has a complex non-linear relationship with the VOCs. The interactions between these factors at Yanbu cause measurable impacts on air pollution including the weekend effect in which ozone concentrations stay the same or even increase despite significantly lower emissions of the precursors on the weekends. Air pollution was lower during the Eids (al-Fitr and al-Adha), Ramadan and the Hajj periods. During Ramadan, there were substantial night time emissions as the cycle everyday living is almost reversed between night and day. The exceedances of air pollution standards were evaluated using criteria from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), World Health Organization (WHO), the Saudi Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) and the Royal Commission Environmental Regulations (RCER). The latter are stricter standards set just for Yanbu and Jubail. For the fine particles (PM_2.5), an analysis of the winds showed a major impact from desert dust. This effect had to be taken into account but still left many occasions when standards were exceeded. Fewer exceedances were found for SO₂, and fewer still for ozone. The paper presents a comprehensive view of air quality at this isolated desert urban environment.

Implications: Frequent VOC-limited conditions are found at Yanbu in Saudi Arabia that increase ozone pollution if NO_x is are reduced. In this desert environment, increased nightlife produces the highest levels of VOCs and NO_x at night rather than the day. The effects increase during Ramadan. Fine particles peak twice a day—the morning peak is caused by traffic and increases with decreasing wind, potentially representing health concerns, but the larger afternoon peak is caused by the wind, and it increases with increasing wind speeds. These features suggest that exposure to pollutants must be redefined for such an environment.     

Thermal and FT-IR Characterization of Gigantochloa levis and Gigantochloa scortechinii Bamboo, a Naturally Occurring Polymeric Composite

This research presents, thermal (TGA, Kinetics, DSC) analysis and FT-IR characterization of two bamboo species viz. Gigantochloa levis and Gigantochloa scortechinii at different position and locations (Internode and node). The internodes and nodes of Gigantochloa levis and Gigantochloa scortechinii exhibited similar thermal stability, observed up to 200 °C. The decomposition of cellulose and hemicelluloses component of the bamboo species occurred between 220 and 390 °C, while the degradation of lignin was observed above 400 °C. The kinetic studies revealed that Gigantochloa levis is more sensitive to degradation as compared to Gigantochloa scortechinii. The FT-IR studies were carried to assign the functional groups available at different positions and locations.     

Correction to: Reducing ammonia emission by aluminum sulfate addition in litter and its influence on productive,reproductive, and physiological parameters of dual-purpose breeding hens

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Investigating feasible sites for multi-purpose small dams in Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,Pakistan: socioeconomic and environmental considerations

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The low water storage capacity caused water crisis in Pakistan; therefore, the country needs both small- and large-scale reservoirs to store surplus...