Development of inherent safety and health index for formulated product design

The numerous formulated products which are introduced to the market consist of chemical ingredients that may cause various safety and health hazards to the consumers. Therefore, it is extremely important to practice a systematic methodology to formulate products with acceptable safety and health performances. This work presents an index-based methodology to assess the safety and health hazards of the ingredients during the early formulation stage of product design. Hence, new inherent safety and health sub-indexes are introduced to improve the current safety and health hazards that are needed in formulated product design. The inherent safety and health sub-indexes are assigned with scores based on the degree of potential hazards. A higher score indicates a higher safety risk or severe health effect, and vice versa. The proposed methodology will greatly assist the users to identify the adverse safety and health effects caused by the ingredients. Hence, it is pivotal to eliminate or reduce the safety and health impacts from product usage. A case study on common ingredients used in the formulation of paint is presented on this study to describe the proposed method.     

组合式生物膜法处理炼油废水的研究

针对炼油废水成分复杂、有毒物质含量高和可生化性差的特点,采用组合式生物膜法进行处理.试验结果表明,该工艺对COD、NH3-N和挥发酚(Ar-OH)具有较好的去除效果,去除率分别为92.6%、96.5%和98.1%,达到《污水综合排放标准》(GB 8978-1996)一级标准.     

A synergetic model for implementing an integrated management system: an empirical study in China

The implementation and certification of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management systems have become a priority for many organizations. They are viewed as symbol for success and prerequisite for survival. However, it has been proved to be difficult to operate multiple parallel management systems covering quality, environment, and occupational health and safety and to ensure their alignment with the organization's strategy. To investigate the current status of integrated management system (IMS), a structured questionnaire survey was administrated. It is concluded that the major problems for enterprises to operate multiple parallel management systems include: it causes complexity of internal management, it lowers management efficiency, it incurs cultural incompatibility, it causes employee hostility, and increases management costs. The survey also examined the internal and external factors that affect the implementation of IMS. The internal factors include: (1) human resources, (2) organizational structure, (3) company culture, and (4) understanding and perception. The external factors consist of: (1) technical guidance, (2) certification bodies, (3) stakeholders and customers, and (4) the institutional environment. The article proposes a multi-level synergy model (strategic synergy, organizational structural-resource-cultural synergy, and documentation synergy) for an effective implementation of IMS.     

Sustainable management of shellfish resources in Bandon Bay, Gulf of Thailand

Bandon Bay (Surat Thani Province) is one of the most productive coastal areas in southern Thailand. The Tapi River and 18 channels are the main sources of freshwater, nutrients, organic matter and sediment to the bay and the loading of freshwater and nutrients provide essential support for the production of phytoplankton in the estuarine ecosystem. Bandon Bay is important as natural spawning, nursery and feeding grounds for shellfish such as oysters, blood cockles, green mussels, short-necked clams, mud crabs and shrimps, and the estuary also serves as an excellent area for mariculturing of shellfish. In fact, oysters and blood cockles cultured in Bandon Bay are now being exported worldwide. However, Bandon Bay is also a textbook example of overexploitation of coastal resources in the tropics including all the derived changes in the estuarial ecosystem with severe socio-economic consequences. Hence, there is an urgent need for setting up an integrated management plant for a sustainable use of shellfish resources in Bandon Bay. The present study attempts to integrate water quality simulation results, socio-economic data and information on existing shellfish resource use in the process of proposing a set of sustainable management strategies for shellfish resources in Bandon Bay. These strategies involve: (1) using water quality modeling to monitor ecological and environmental changes in shellfish culture beds and their natural habitats in the process of setting up a master plan for management of waste water discharge into Bandon Bay; (2) zoning of shellfish mariculture in the coastal area in order to solve conflicts between resource users; (3) setting up a clear system for taxation of mariculture where the revenue may be used for (4) setting up and managing mangrove strips as filters of pollution and sediment around Bandon Bay; and finally (5) it is suggested to form a committee with members representing all relevant stakeholders plus the local government in order to work on resolving the existing and potential future conflicts over resource usage in Bandon Bay. This methodology may be seen as an important contribution towards a Bandon Bay sustainable management approach, based on the principles of integrated coastal zone management because it is science-based and takes into consideration the needs and perceptions of people involved in coastal resource extraction.     

凌河保护区综合管理的洪水模拟预报研究

近年来,水文部门根据降水预报,探索流域洪水模拟预报,对密切监视暴雨洪水、做好防汛调度决策起到良好作用。文章在统计分析小凌河多年暴雨洪水的基础上,采用不同雨级平均24 h时段比率,进行凌河保护区洪水模拟预报成果编制研究。构建"以流域为单元、以干流为主线、以水库和河道水文站为控制节点"的流域河库联合模拟预报调度成果图表,实现流域水系河库模拟预报调度。通过科学的实时洪水调度可以调蓄洪水,减轻洪水灾害。同时,也可为流域洪水资源化提供保障和科学依据,实现流域的综合管理。     

Changing Approaches to Mountain Watersheds Management in Mainland South and Southeast Asia

Mountain watersheds, comprising a substantial proportion of national territories of countries in mainland South and Southeast Asia, are biophysical and socioeconomic entities, regulating the hydrological cycle, sequestrating carbon dioxide, and providing natural resources for the benefit of people living in and outside the watersheds. A review of the literature reveals that watersheds are undergoing degradation at varying rates caused by a myriad of factors ranging from national policies to farmers' socioeconomic conditions. Many agencies—governmental and private—have tried to address the problem in selected watersheds. Against the backdrop of the many causes of degradation, this study examines the evolving approaches to watershed management and development. Until the early 1990s, watershed management planning and implementation followed a highly centralized approach focused on heavily subsidized structural measures of soil conservation, planned and implemented without any consultation with the mainstream development agencies and local people. Watershed management was either the sole responsibility of specially created line agencies or a project authority established by external donors. As a consequence, the initiatives could not be continued or contribute to effective conservation of watersheds. Cognizant of this, emphasis has been laid on integrated, participatory approaches since the early 1990s. Based on an evaluation of experiences in mainland South and Southeast Asia, this study finds not much change in the way that management plans are being prepared and executed. The emergence of a multitude of independent watershed management agencies, with their own organizational structures and objectives and planning and implementation systems has resulted in watershed management endeavors that have been in complete disarray. Consistent with the principle of sustainable development, a real integrated, participatory approach requires area-specific conservation programs that are well incorporated into integrated socioeconomic development plans prepared and implemented by local line agencies in cooperation with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and concerned people.     

On the Design of Computer-Based Models for Integrated Environmental Science

The current research agenda in environmental science is dominated by calls to integrate science and policy to better understand and manage links between social (human) and natural (nonhuman) processes. Freshwater resource management is one area where such calls can be heard. Designing computer-based models for integrated environmental science poses special challenges to the research community. At present it is not clear whether such tools, or their outputs, receive much practical policy or planning application. It is argued that this is a result of (1) a lack of appreciation within the research modeling community of the characteristics of different decision-making processes including policy, planning, and (2) participation, (3) a lack of appreciation of the characteristics of different decision-making contexts, (4) the technical difficulties in implementing the necessary support tool functionality, and (5) the socio-technical demands of designing tools to be of practical use. This article presents a critical synthesis of ideas from each of these areas and interprets them in terms of design requirements for computer-based models being developed to provide scientific information support for policy and planning. Illustrative examples are given from the field of freshwater resources management. Although computer-based diagramming and modeling tools can facilitate processes of dialogue, they lack adequate simulation capabilities. Component-based models and modeling frameworks provide such functionality and may be suited to supporting problematic or messy decision contexts. However, significant technical (implementation) and socio-technical (use) challenges need to be addressed before such ambition can be realized.     

Integrated environmental management: strengthening the conceptualization

Although espoused by many, integrated environmental management (IEM) has been difficult to accomplish in practice. There are many reasons for this shortfall, but certainly a key factor is the lack of agreement among scholars and practitioners regarding the concept and its defining elements. Our purpose here is to sharpen the conceptual basis for IEM by elaborating and pragmatically characterizing a framework for the practice of more integrated environmental management. We outline four fundamental dimensions of IEM: (1) comprehensive, (2) interconnective, (3) strategic, and (4) interactive/coordinative. IEM efforts in the Black Earth Creek watershed in Wisconsin illustrate specific attributes and examples pertaining to our conceptualization of IEM. Acceptance of the conceptual framework elaborated here should alleviate some of the confusion associated with IEM and help move this widely heralded approach from theory into practice.     

全过程固体废物管理研究进展及其对我国相关管理的启示

当某种固态、半固态物质不再具有原有的价值,它就成了固体废物,并可能在产生、排放、收集、贮存、运输、利用、处理和处置过程的任何一个或多个环节产生对环境的污染危害。对固体废物进行全过程监督管理因而显得尤为重要。本文回顾了全过程固体废物管理实施方法,包括生命周期清单和生命周期评价方法,用于废物管理系统的模型,在固体废物产生量预测、收集系统最优化以及处理处置设施选址等步骤中,各自所用不同方法的进展,以及在一些较发达国家和地区的管理实例。最后讨论了这些进展对我国固体废物相关管理的启示。