The effects of national culture and human development on environmental health

While there is considerable research on environmental performance of countries, there is very little that focuses on environmental health as a component of environmental performance and how environmental health is affected by national culture and human development. This study proposes and empirically tests three models that examine the effects of cultural values and human development on environmental health by incorporating different variables from Human Development Index, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, and Environmental Performance Index. Multiple linear regression models were employed to test the hypotheses on a sample of 67 countries. Empirical results conclude that cultural dimensions of individualism and uncertainty avoidance, as well as human development components of life expectancy at birth, education, and income significantly influence environmental health performance of countries when we execute separate models. A combined model of the effects of national culture and human development on environmental health, however, shows only significant effects of human development components. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.     

Mixing ratios of carbonyls and BTEX in ambient air of Kolkata, India and their associated health risk

Mixing ratios of 15 carbonyls and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes) were measured for the first time in ambient air of Kolkata, India at three sites from March to June 2006 and their photochemical reactivity was evaluated. Day and nighttime samples were collected on weekly basis. Formaldehyde was the most abundant carbonyl (mean concentration ranging between 14.07 microg m(-3) to 26.12 microg m(-3) over the three sites) followed by acetaldehyde (7.60-18.67 microg m(-3)) and acetone (4.43-10.34 microg m(-3)). Among the high molecular weight aldehydes, nonanal showed the highest concentration. Among the mono-aromatic VOCs, mean concentration of toluene (27.65-103.31 microg m(-3)) was maximum, closely followed by benzene (24.97-79.18 microg m(-3)). Mean formaldehyde to acetaldehyde (1.4) and acetaldehyde to propanal ratios (5.0) were typical of urban air. Based on their photochemical reactivity towards OH. radical, the concentrations of the VOCs were scaled to formaldehyde equivalent, which showed that the high molecular weight carbonyls and xylenes contribute significantly to the total OH-reactive mass of the VOCs. Due to the toxic effect of the VOCs studied, an assessment for both cancer risk and non-cancer hazard due to exposure to the population were calculated. Integrated life time cancer risk (ILTCR) due to four carcinogens (benzene, ethyl benzene, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) and non-cancer hazard index for the VOCs at their prevailing level were estimated to be 1.42E-04 and 5.6 respectively.     

Assessment of phenol infiltration resilience in soil media by HYDRUS-1D transport model for a waste discharge site

The movement of contaminants through soil imparts a variety of geo-environmental problem inclusive of lithospheric pollution. Near-surface aquifers are often vulnerable to contamination from surface source if overlying soil possesses poor resilience or contaminant attenuation capacity. The prediction of contaminant transport through soil is urged to protect groundwater from sources of pollutants. Using field simulation through column experiments and mathematical modeling like HYDRUS-1D, assessment of soil resilience and movement of contaminants through the subsurface to reach aquifers can be predicted. An outfall site of effluents of a coke oven plant comprising of alarming concentration of phenol (4–12.2 mg/L) have been considered for studying groundwater condition and quality, in situ soil characterization, and effluent characterization. Hydrogeological feature suggests the presence of near-surface aquifers at the effluent discharge site. Analysis of groundwater of nearby locality reveals the phenol concentration (0.11–0.75 mg/L) exceeded the prescribed limit of WHO specification (0.002 mg/L). The in situ soil, used in column experiment, possess higher saturated hydraulic conductivity (K _S ?=?5.25?×?10^?4 cm/s). The soil containing 47 % silt, 11 % clay, and 1.54 % organic carbon content was found to be a poor absorber of phenol (24 mg/kg). The linear phenol adsorption isotherm model showed the best fit (R ²?=?0.977, RMSE?=?1.057) to the test results. Column experiments revealed that the phenol removal percent and the length of the mass transfer zone increased with increasing bed heights. The overall phenol adsorption efficiency was found to be 42–49 %. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) predicted by HYDRUS-1D model appears to be close fitting with the BTCs derived from the column experiments. The phenol BTC predicted by the HYDRUS-1D model for 1.2 m depth subsurface soil, i.e., up to the depth of groundwater in the study area, showed that the exhaustion point was reached within 12 days of elapsed time. This clearly demonstrated poor attenuation capacity of the soil to retard migration of phenol to the groundwater from the surface outfall site. Suitable liner, based on these data, may be designed to inhibit subsurface transport of phenol and thereby to protect precious groundwater from contamination.     

Leachate from market refuse and biomethanation study

The market place is considered to be an important centre of daily life of campus community. In India, as in Europe and the USA, other forms of shopping have emerged significantly and now predominate, for instance department stores and supermarkets. Though, it is suffered from poor waste management, but the place could be a potential source for obtaining non-conventional energy. The present study examined the quality of market waste management of the Indian Institute of Technology Campus along with the feasibility of biogas production from leachate generated in the waste. Solid wastes from different storage locations of the market place were collected and analyzed. The characteristics of solid wastes were found to be degradable in nature. The wastes, composed of 85% of vegetable origin, were placed in a container and water was added to to generate leachate. The self-purification efficiency of leachate was also studied in the Indian environment and compared with research findings in the USA under an identical moisture application rate. Leachate characterization was investigated both under saturated and submerged conditions. The treatability of leachate was studied in a laboratory-scale up-flow anaerobic filter with hollow burnt clay rings as packing media. It was observed that 4,000–6,000 mg/l would be the optimum range of inlet chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration for leachate treatment because of the inhibitory effect of ammonia, sulphide, volatile fatty acids and toxic metals in high concentrations at higher strengths of leachate. The gas production rate was found to be at a maximum at 38°C and containing 70–75% methane. From experimental data, it was revealed that 83% COD was removed with input COD concentration of 5,475 mg/l at 2 days hydraulic retention time with biogas yield coefficients of 0.61. The present study also investigated the removal efficiency of chloride, ammonia, sulphide and nitrate.     

Cytogenetic studies of chromium (III) oxide nanoparticles on Allium cepa root tip cells

The current study evaluates the cytogenetic effects of chromium (III) oxide nanoparticles on the root cells of Allium cepa. The root tip cells of A. cepa were treated with the aqueous dispersions of Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) at five different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μg/mL) for 4 hr. The colloidal stability of the nanoparticle suspensions during the exposure period were ascertained by particle size analyses. After 4 hr exposure to Cr₂O₃ NPs, a significant decrease in mitotic index (MI) from 35.56% (Control) to 35.26% (0.01 μg/mL), 34.64% (0.1 μg/mL), 32.73% (1 μg/mL), 29.6% (10 μg/mL) and 20.92% (100 μg/mL) was noted. The optical, fluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopic analyses demonstrated specific chromosomal aberrations such as—chromosome stickiness, chromosome breaks, laggard chromosome, clumped chromosome, multipolar phases, nuclear notch, and nuclear bud at different exposure concentrations. The concentration-dependent internalization/bio-uptake of Cr₂O₃ NPs may have contributed to the enhanced production of anti oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase to counteract the oxidative stress, which in turn resulted in observed chromosomal aberrations and cytogenetic effects. These results suggest that A. cepa root tip assay can be successfully applied for evaluating environmental risk of Cr₂O₃ NPs over a wide range of concentrations.     

Air pollutant levels are 12 times higher than guidelines in Varanasi,India. Sources and transfer

Air quality in an urban atmosphere is regulated by both local and distant emission sources. For air quality management in urban areas, identification of sources and their relationships with local meteorology and air pollutants are essential. The critical condition of air quality in Indo-Gangetic plain is well known, but lack of data on both local and distant emission sources limits the scope of improving air quality in this region. Concentrations of particulate matter of size lower than 10 μm (PM₁₀) were assessed in the highly urbanized Varanasi city situated in middle Indo-Gangetic plain of India from 2014 to 2017, to identify the distant air pollution sources based on trajectory statistical models and local sources by conditional bivariate probability function. Modifying effects of meteorology and air pollutants on PM₁₀ were also explored. Mean PM₁₀ concentration for the study period was 244.8 ± 135.8 μg m^?3, which was 12 times higher than the WHO annual guideline. Several distinct sources of traffic as the major source of PM₁₀ were identified in the city. Trajectory statistical models like cluster analysis, potential source contribution function and concentration-weighted trajectory showed significant contributions from north-west and eastern directions in the transport of polluted air masses to the city. Dew point, wind speed, temperature and ventilation coefficient are the major factors in PM₁₀ formation and dispersion.     

A study on abundance and distribution of mangrove species in Indian Sundarban using remote sensing technique

Conservation and management of Sundarban mangrove forest is difficult chiefly due to inaccessibility and hostile condition. Remote sensing serves as an important tool to provide up-to date baseline information which is the primary requirement for the conservation planning of mangroves. In this study, supervised classification by maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) has been used to classify LANDSAT TM and LANDSAT ETM satellite data. This algorithm is used for computing likelihood of unknown measurement vector belonging to unknown classes based on Bayesian equation. Image spectra for various mangrove species were also generated from hyperspectral image. During field visits, GPS locations of five dominant mangrove species with appreciable distribution were taken and image spectra were generated for the same points from hyperion image. The result of this classification shows that, in 1999 total mangrove forest accounted for 55.01 % of the study area which has been reduced to 50.63 % in the year 2010. Avicennia sp. is found as most dominating species followed by Excoecaria sp. and Phoenix sp. but the aerial distribution of Avicennia sp., Bruguiera sp. and Ceriops sp. has reduced. In this classification technique the overall accuracy and Kappa value for 1999 and 2010 are 80 % and 0.77, 85.71 % and 0.81 respectively.     

Arsenic uptake by plants and possible phytoremediation applications: a brief overview

This review focuses the behaviour of arsenic in plant?Csoil and plant?Cwater systems, arsenic?Cplant cell interactions, phytoremediation, and biosorption. Arsenate and arsenite uptake by plants varies in different environment conditions. An eco-friendly and low-cost method for arsenic removal from soil?Cwater system is phytoremediation, in which living plants are used to remove arsenic from the environment or to render it less toxic. Several factors such as soil redox conditions, arsenic speciation in soils, and the presence of phosphates play a major role. Translocation factor is the important feature for categorising plants for their remediation ability. Phytoremediation techniques often do not take into account the biosorption processes of living plants and plant litter. In biosorption techniques, contaminants can be removed by a biological substrate, as a sorbent, bacteria, fungi, algae, or vascular plants surfaces based on passive binding of arsenic or other contaminants on cell wall surfaces containing special active functional groups. Evaluation of the current literature suggests that understanding molecular level processes, and kinetic aspects in phytoremediation using advanced analytical techniques are essential for designing phytoremediation technologies with improved, predictable remedial success. Hence, more efforts are needed on addressing the molecular level behaviour of arsenic in plants, kinetics of uptake, and transfer of arsenic in plants with flowing waters, remobilisation through decay, possible methylation, and volatilisation.     

Understanding clay minerals with fuzzy mathematics

A long-existing geochemical problem is the lack of a means of chemically defining non-stoichiometric complex minerals such as clays, which have no distinct composition and no clear compositional boundaries. We propose here a novel approach for describing the chemical nature of clay minerals using fuzzy logic. This non-conventional mathematical approach allows us to quantify compositional vagueness in such systems. We show that a clay mineral can be described in terms of how compositionally representative it is, of its own type ('belonging-ness') and to what extent it resembles other types (compositional overlap). Many clay minerals are seen to be far from the ideal, and most minerals are also to a lesser (and sometimes greater) extent, close to types other than their own. This has provided a means of grading such minerals, evaluating how 'good' a sample is, and defining the extent of transition to other phases. We have derived here the fundamental methodology for such computations, which could be a framework for the analysis of other complex chemical systems, especially in the fields of geology and metallurgy.