The influence of organizational factors on safety in Taiwanese high-risk industries

Organizational theorists have recently begun to pay research attention to the workforces of emerging countries in Asia, especially the greater China regions. However, little research has focused on the influence of organizational factors on safety in these countries. This study hypothesized that organizational factors, characterized as safety leadership perspective (management commitment, blame culture) and safety climate perspective (harmonious relationships), would influence group-level safety management, which would in turn influence individual level safety awareness and practices. To test this hypothesis, a safety climate questionnaire was distributed to ten Taiwanese plants in high-risk industries. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the linkages among organizational level factors, work-group-level factors, and workers’ safety awareness and practices. We found that safety leadership style and organizational harmony in Taiwanese high-risk industries can exert significant influences on work-group processes, which in turn have greater effects on individual safety awareness and practices. These findings and implications can serve as a basis for safety improvement in areas of the greater China region.     

Reduced-impact logging and biodiversity conservation: a case study from Borneo

A key driver of rain forest degradation is rampant commercial logging. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques dramatically reduce residual damage to vegetation and soils, and they enhance the long-term economic viability of timber operations when compared to conventionally managed logging enterprises. Consequently, the application of RIL is increasing across the tropics, yet our knowledge of the potential for RIL also to reduce the negative impacts of logging on biodiversity is minimal. We compare the impacts of RIL on birds, leaf-litter ants, and dung beetles during a second logging rotation in Sabah, Borneo, with the impacts of conventional logging (CL) as well as with primary (unlogged) forest. Our study took place 1-8 years after the cessation of logging. The species richness and composition of RIL vs. CL forests were very similar for each taxonomic group. Both RIL and CL differed significantly from unlogged forests in terms of bird and ant species composition (although both retained a large number of the species found in unlogged forests), whereas the composition of dung beetle communities did not differ significantly among forest types. Our results show little difference in biodiversity between RIL and CL over the short-term. However, biodiversity benefits from RIL may accrue over longer time periods after the cessation of logging. We highlight a severe lack of studies investigating this possibility. Moreover, if RIL increases the economic value of selectively logged forests (e.g., via REDD+, a United Nations program: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries), it could help prevent them from being converted to agricultural plantations, which results in a tremendous loss of biodiversity.     

Comparing removal of trace organic compounds and assimilable organic carbon (AOC) at advanced and traditional water treatment plants

Stability of drinking water can be indicated by the assimilable organic carbon (AOC). This AOC value represents the regrowth capacity of microorganisms and has large impacts on the quality of drinking water in a distribution system. With respect to the effectiveness of traditional and advanced processing methods in removing trace organic compounds (including TOC, DOC, UV₂₅₄, and AOC) from water, experimental results indicate that the removal rate of AOC at the Cheng Ching Lake water treatment plant (which utilizes advanced water treatment processes, and is hereinafter referred to as CCLWTP) is 54%, while the removal rate of AOC at the Gong Yuan water treatment plant (which uses traditional water treatment processes, and is hereinafter referred to as GYWTP) is 36%. In advanced water treatment units, new coagulation–sedimentation processes, rapid filters, and biological activated carbon filters can effectively remove AOC, total organic carbon (TOC), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In traditional water treatment units, coagulation–sedimentation processes are most effective in removing AOC. Simulation results and calculations made using the AutoNet method indicate that TOC, TDS, NH₃-N, and NO₃-N should be regularly monitored in the CCLWTP, and that TOC, temperature, and NH₃-N should be regularly monitored in the GYWTP.     

Application of chlorine dioxide for disinfection of student health centers

In Taiwan, the immediate health care requirements of students and faculty members are satisfied by on-campus medical service centers. The air quality within these centers should comply with the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of various chlorine dioxide applications in disinfecting a local student health center (SHC). The air quality before and after disinfection were evaluated in terms of the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. The average background levels of bacteria and fungi before disinfection were found to be 1,142 ± 455.4 CFU/m³ and 520 ± 442.4 CFU/m³, respectively. Chlorine dioxide (0.3 mg/m³) was applied using three different methods, namely a single, one-off application, multiple applications within a single day, and regular (daily) applications. Among the three disinfection methods, the regular application method was found to yield a high disinfection efficiency for both bacteria and fungi, i.e., 6.5 ± 0.7% and 4.2 ± 0.3%, respectively. The average residual bacteria and fungi levels after regular daily interval disinfection were 318.8 ± 51.5 CFU/m³ and 254.0 ± 43.8 CFU/m³, respectively. Therefore, the results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for SHCs and other healthcare facilities can best be achieved by applying chlorine dioxide at regular (daily) intervals.     

Multireservoir real-time operations for flood control using balanced water level index method

This paper presents a real-time simulation-optimization operation procedure for determining the reservoir releases at each time step during a flood. The proposed procedure involves two models, i.e., a hydrological forecasting model and a reservoir operation model. In the reservoir operation model, this paper compares two flood-control operation strategies for a multipurpose multireservoir system. While Strategy 1 is the real-time joint reservoir operations without using the balanced water level index (BWLI) method, Strategy 2 involves real-time joint reservoir operations using the BWLI method. The two strategies presented are formulated as mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problems. The idea of using the BWLI method is derived from the HEC-5 program developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The proposed procedure has been applied to the Tanshui River Basin system in Taiwan using the 6h ahead forecast data of six typhoons. A comparison of the results obtained from the two strategies reveals that Strategy 2 performs much better than Strategy 1 in determining the reservoir real-time releases throughout the system during flood emergencies in order to minimize flooding, while maintaining all reservoirs in the system in balance if possible. Consequently, the proposed model using the BWLI method demonstrates its effectiveness in estimating real-time releases.     

Developmental exposure to decabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE 209): effects on thyroid hormone and hepatic enzyme activity in male mouse offspring

Decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE 209) is the second most used brominated flame retardant (BFRs). Many studies have shown that some of the BFRs act as endocrine disruptors via alterations in thyroid hormone homeostasis and affect development. Little is known about the effect of prenatal exposure to PBDE 209 on the development in male offspring. Using a CD-1 mouse model, we attempt to estimate the possible effect of in utero exposure to PBDE 209 on thyroid hormone and hepatic enzymes activities in male offspring. Pregnant mice were administered different doses of PBDE 209 (10, 500, and 1500 mg/kg/day) or corn oil for controls per gavage from gestational days 0-17. In adult male offspring whose mothers had been treated with 1500 mg/kg of PBD 209, hepatic enzyme activity of S9 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) was weak but significantly increased (54%). However, no significant changes were observed in S9 4-nitrophenol uridinediphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UDPGT) in any of the treatment groups. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) was found to have decreased significantly (ca. 21% both 10 mg/kg and 1500 mg/kg) in offspring, but not thyroxine (T4). Histopathological examination revealed that prenatal exposure of PBDE 209 might be related with cell swelling of hepatocytes in male offspring and there were mild changes in the thyroid glands in 1500 mg/kg group. These data demonstrate that PBDE 209 is likely an endocrine disrupter in male mice following exposure during development. Further studies using environmentally relevant doses are needed for hazard identification.     

High variation of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs ratio in cooked food from the first total diet survey in Taiwan

This study determined the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in 240 individual food samples, belonging to 37 different foodstuffs in first total diet study (TDS) in Taiwan. The foods were collected from markets located in eight cities or counties around Taiwan. The food was cooked in a laboratory according to recipes typically used in Taiwan. In this study, PCDD/Fs were lower than the limits proposed by the European Union (EU) regulation for commercialized food, except for a notable PCDD/Fs level in ducks (3.660 pg WHO-TEQ/g, fat) obtained from central Taiwan. We hypothesize the duck meat might be probably polluted via emission of a fly ash recycling plant located near the duck farms. In addition to fish, most foods had high PCDD/Fs to dl-PCBs ratio. Needle fish and sea perch had relatively lower PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs levels compared with those in other fish. Data from this study can be utilized for further consideration about dietary intake.     

Threat of heavy metal pollution in halophytic and mangrove plants of Tamil Nadu, India

Mangrove and halophytic plants occur along the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, south India and these plants have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Heavy metals are known to pose a potential threat to terrestrial and aquatic biota. However, little is known on the toxic levels of heavy metals found in mangrove and halophytic plants that are used in traditional medicine in India. To understand heavy metal toxicity, we investigated the bioconcentration factors (BCF) of heavy metals in leaves collected from eight mangroves and five halophytes in the protected Pichavaram mangrove forest reserve in Tamil Nadu State, south India. Data presented in this paper describe the impact of essential (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn and Zn) and non-essential/environmentally toxic trace metals (Hg, Pb and Sn) in mangrove and halophytic medicinal plants. The concentrations of Pb among 13 plant species were higher than the normal range of contamination reported for plants. The average concentration of Hg in the halophytic plants (0.43+/-0.37mug/g) was seven times higher than mangrove plants (0.06+/-0.03mug/g) and it indicated pollutants from industrial sources affecting halophytes more than mangroves.     

Comprehensive characterization of ambient nanoparticles collected near an industrial science park: Particle size distributions and relationships with environmental factors

We investigated the characteristics of ambient particles and their relationships with various environmental factors, including gaseous pollutants (CH4, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), total hydrocarbons (THC), NOx, CO, SO2), meteorological parameters (humidity, temperature), and time (day/night, workday/weekend). We used an electrical low-pressure cascade impactor to measure the number and size distributions of ambient particles (0.007–10 m) that were collected approximately 1 km northwest of Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan between February and May 2007. The number concentrations of particles were enhanced through photochemical reactions during the day. In addition, high traffic flow during workdays increased the formation of particulates. Except for SO2, all of the gaseous pollutants we studied (CH4, NMHC, THC, NOx, CO) correlated positively with the total number concentrations of ambient particles during daytime, indicating that they might contribute to the particulate burden. The poorer relationship between the SO2 level and the total number concentration of particles suggests that SO2 might participate indirectly in the nucleation process during particle formation, The high enrichment factors for Zn, Pb, Cu, and Mn, which mostly comprised the ultrafine particles (diameter: < 0.1 m) and fine particles (diameter: 0.1–1 m), presumably arose from emissions from traffic and high technology factories. Heterogeneous reactions on solid particles might play a role in the removal of SOx and NOx from the atmosphere. Sulfides and nitrides can further react with these local pollutants, forming specific Cu-containing compounds: CuO (39%), CuSO4 (34%), and Cu(NO3)2 (27%), within the ambient particles in this industrial area.