Relationship of safety climate perceptions and job satisfaction among employees in the construction industry: the moderating role of age

This study examines the degree to which construction sector employees perceive that safety is important in their organizations/sites and how job satisfaction affects these perceptions when age is introduced as a moderator variable. Two-way analysis of variance demonstrated that job satisfaction has a strong effect on perceived management commitment to work safety and that this relationship was moderated by respondents’ age. Job satisfaction was associated with perceived accident rate and safety inspection frequency, but the proposed role of age in this linkage was not confirmed. Consequently, the findings indicated that by increasing the level of job satisfaction, perceptions of these safety climate aspects proved to be more positive. The conclusion is that these relationships could further lead to a lower percentage of accidents and injuries in the workplace and better health among employees. A significant relationship between job satisfaction, age and perceived co-workers’ commitment to work safety was not found.     

Insight into selected emerging micropollutant interactions with wastewater colloidal organic carbon: implications for water treatment and analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study reports how adding a membrane filter (0.45-μm cellulose nitrate filter) between a glass fibre filter and the solid phase extraction...     

Innovative aspects of environmental chemistry and technology regarding air,water, and soil pollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

First inter-laboratory comparison exercise for the determination of anticancer drugs in aqueous samples

The results of an inter-laboratory comparison exercise to determine cytostatic anticancer drug residues in surface water, hospital wastewater and wastewater treatment plant effluent are reported. To obtain a critical number of participants, an invitation was sent out to potential laboratories identified to have the necessary knowledge and instrumentation. Nine laboratories worldwide confirmed their participation in the exercise. The compounds selected (based on the extent of use and laboratories capabilities) included cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, etoposide, methotrexate and cisplatinum. Samples of spiked waste (hospital and wastewater treatment plant effluent) and surface water, and additional non-spiked hospital wastewater, were prepared by the organising laboratory (Jo?ef Stefan Institute) and sent out to each participant partner for analysis. All analytical methods included solid phase extraction (SPE) and the use of surrogate/internal standards for quantification. Chemical analysis was performed using either liquid or gas chromatography mass (MS) or tandem mass (MS/MS) spectrometry. Cisplatinum was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A required minimum contribution of five laboratories meant that only cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, methotrexate and etoposide could be included in the statistical evaluation. z-score and Q test revealed 3 and 4 outliers using classical and robust approach, respectively. The smallest absolute differences between the spiked values and the measured values were observed in the surface water matrix. The highest within-laboratory repeatability was observed for methotrexate in all three matrices (CV?≤?12 %). Overall, inter-laboratory reproducibility was poor for all compounds and matrices (CV 27–143 %) with the only exception being methotrexate measured in the spiked hospital wastewater (CV?=?8 %). Random and total errors were identified by means of Youden plots.     

Study of sorptive properties of trap systems for selective enrichment of volatile organic compounds from tobacco smoke samples

There is a dearth of data on the consumer product concentrations of iron, lead, and nickel for accurate comparison to be made. The levels of these elements were determined in 85 samples of six different classes of personal care products commonly used in Nigeria using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results of the analysis showed that the range of the mean concentrations of Fe was 0.485–1.108 ppm, Pb ND–0.163 ppm, and Ni ND-0.160 ppm. The analytical data have demonstrated that the selected consumer products are possible sources of iron, lead, and nickel exposure. Users can be exposed to these metals directly through dermal contact or inhalation. The regulations relating to cosmetic products give no limit values for heavy metals in cosmetic products, hence, it was difficult to establish if the values obtained in this study are safe or not. Prolonged use of soaps, creams, and detergent containing these elements may pose threat to human health and the environment. This could be responsible for various skin diseases such as allergic skin, follicular and pigmentary disorders, which are common among the users (exposed groups) of these products in Nigeria. A body of evidence has presented a rare example of systemic allergic dermatitis caused by topical application of a mercury-containing cosmetic to the upper lip of a 32-year-old Turkish patient.     

Treatment and skin decontamination of sarin intoxicated mice

Abstract

This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of oral treatment and skin decontamination with the mineral cationic carrier in sarin-intoxicated mice. Mice were contaminated with increasing percutaneous sarin doses and decontaminated. Furthermore, the surviving mice were treated per os. The behavioral patterns of the surviving animals were monitored for 72?h, including the animals’ posture, desire for food and water, and approach and touch response. The results showed the mineral cationic carrier to be capable of efficiently decontaminating animals percutaneous poisoned with triple lethal dose. The comparison of behavioral pattern of control animals against those treated per os showed statistically significant differences. Oral treatment with mineral cationic carrier may be a detoxification tool against nerve agents’ poisoning, and this merits further research.     

Diets of fan shells (Pinna nobilis) of different sizes: fatty acid profiling of digestive gland and adductor muscle

Pinna nobilis is a large bivalve, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that was shown in a previous study to ingest significantly different proportions of different food items according to its shell height. Fatty acid profiling of total lipids was used to examine these differences in diet in relation to shell size. Small (shell height 23.0 ± 3.3 cm), medium (SH 41.5 ± 5.5 cm) and large (SH 62.7 ± 4.8 cm) P. nobilis were collected from Mali Ston Bay, Adriatic Sea, in March 2010, and fatty acid analysis was performed on digestive gland and adductor muscle tissues. Based on the analysis of the digestive gland, small P. nobilis were associated with a detrital food chain, characterized by saturated and branched-chain fatty acids, while the diets of medium and large individuals had a greater proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This likely reflects the fact that smaller individuals feed within the benthic boundary layer where the detritus concentrations are high. Fatty acid incorporation into the adductor muscle, likely representative of food taken up over a longer time period, was reversed, that is, larger individuals had lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This most probably reflects energy expenditure, which typically increases with increasing organism size.