Metals from automotive brake pads pollute water, soils and the ambient air. The environmental effect on water of antimony (Sb) contained in brake pads has been largely untested. The content of Sb in one abandoned brake pad reached up to 1.62 × 104 mg/kg. Effects of initial pH, temperature and four organic acids (acetic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid and humic acid) on Sb release from brake pads were studied using batch reactors. Approximately 30% (97 mg/L) of the total Sb contained in the brake pads was released in alkaline aqueous solution and at higher temperature after 30 days of leaching. The organic acids tested restrained Sb release, especially acetic acid and oxalic acid. The pH-dependent concentration change of Sb in aqueous solution was best fitted by a logarithmic function. In addition, Sb contained in topsoil from land where brake pads were discarded (average 9 × 103 mg/kg) was 3000 times that in uncontaminated soils (2.7 ± 1 mg/kg) in the same areas. Because potentially high amounts of Sb may be released from brake pads, it is important that producers and environmental authorities take precautions. 相似文献
Introduction: The purposes of this study are to characterize Israeli undergraduate students' driving violations in the terms of problem behavior theory and to identify whether there is any relationship between driving violations and health risk behaviors, daring behaviors, excitement seeking, and health promotion behaviors.
Methods: This study is based on a structured self-reported anonymous questionnaire distributed to undergraduate students in an academic institution. The sample included 533 undergraduate students (374 females and 159 males). The mean age was 23.4 (SD = 1.4, range = 5).
Results: A higher prevalence of self-reported driving violations was found among males in comparison to females. All substance use measures were positively related to driving violations; for example, use of cigarettes (OR = 4.287, P <.001) and water pipes (odds ratio [OR] = 3.000, P <.001) as well as binge drinking (OR = 5.707, P <.001) and regular cannabis smoking (OR = 5.667, P <.001) raise the probability of committing rare driving violations. The strongest predictive factors for the frequent driving violations group were alcohol consumption–related variables: binge drinking (OR = 2.560, P <.01) and drunkenness (OR = 2.284, P <.05). Strong odd ratios were also found between the frequent driving violations group and selling or dealing drugs (12.143, P <.001), and stealing something valuable (13.680, P <.001). The strongest predicted variable for the rare driving violations group was physical confrontation due to verbal disagreement (3.439, P <.05) and the concept that selling or dealing drugs is socially acceptable (2.521, P <.05). The probability of executing rare driving violations was higher for subjects who reported intense physical workout regimens (OR = 1.638, P <.05).
Conclusions: Problem behavior theory succeeded in explaining health risk behavior and driving violations. This study shows that bachelors tend to be more involved in risk behaviors, such as substance use, excitement-seeking behaviors, and daring behaviors and are active physically and thus constitute a risk group for driving violations. As such, intervention resources should be directed toward this group. 相似文献
Objective: This study aimed to understand the awareness, riding behaviors, and legislative attitudes of electric bike (e-bike) users and non-e-bike road users toward e-bikes in Tianjin, a municipality in China.Methods: This cross-sectional investigation included 2 components. The field survey was conducted in 9 districts (4 urban and 5 rural) from 2015 to 2017. Adult participants were interviewed using a street intercept method. The online survey was conducted using the WeChat social platform. A series of questions related to awareness and practice of e-bike safety-related issues was asked.Results: A total of 16,859 interviews were completed, including 1,653 (794 e-bike users and 859 other road users) in-person interviews by field survey and 15,206 (4,426 e-bike users and 10,780 other road users) by online survey. Except for ignoring a red light when making a left turn (P?=?.000) and waiting across the white line at a red light (P?=?.000), which e-bike users were lower than other road users, there were no significant differences between e-bike users and other road users in regards to the correct awareness rate of riding in the opposite direction, riding in a motor vehicle lane, running red lights, jaywalking, speeding, carrying adult passengers, and riding on the expressway (P?>?.05). In addition, 74.2% of e-bike users considered helmet use necessary (P?=?.000) and 54.7% thought that installing a windshield is wrong (P?=?.000), which was higher than other road users (49.1 and 48.4%, respectively). Other road users had greater awareness than e-bike users regarding whether turning left at a red light is wrong (91.7 vs. 85.1%), waiting across the white line when the light is red is wrong (86.6 vs. 75.9%), lighs should be turned on at night (94.8 vs. 90.3%). Correct practices were far behind awareness in all kinds of violation behaviors (P?=?.000) among e-bike users in the field survey. The rate of public support for legislation including those who very much support and support legislation was 93.34% in the field survey and 87.68% in the online survey.Conclusions: E-bike users had lower correct awareness rate than other road users regarding e-bike violation behaviors but were more concerned about safety protection than other road users. E-bike users’ correct practices were far behind their awareness for all kinds of violation behaviors. Public education on the traffic law needs to be strengthened among e-bike users. The public strongly supported special regulations for e-bike use, such as helmet use. 相似文献
In industrialized countries, large amounts of mineral wastes are produced. They are re-used in various ways, particularly in road and earth constructions, substituting primary resources such as gravel. However, they may also contain pollutants, such as heavy metals, which may be leached to the groundwater. The toxic impacts of these emissions are so far often neglected within Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) of products or waste treatment services and thus, potentially large environmental impacts are currently missed. This study aims at closing this gap by assessing the ecotoxic impacts of heavy metal leaching from industrial mineral wastes in road and earth constructions. The flows of metals such as Sb, As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, V and Zn originating from three typical constructions to the environment are quantified, their fate in the environment is assessed and potential ecotoxic effects evaluated. For our reference country, Germany, the industrial wastes that are applied as Granular Secondary Construction Material (GSCM) carry more than 45,000 t of diverse heavy metals per year. Depending on the material quality and construction type applied, up to 150 t of heavy metals may leach to the environment within the first 100 years after construction. Heavy metal retardation in subsoil can potentially reduce the fate to groundwater by up to 100%. One major challenge of integrating leaching from constructions into macro-scale LCA frameworks is the high variability in micro-scale technical and geographical factors, such as material qualities, construction types and soil types. In our work, we consider a broad range of parameter values in the modeling of leaching and fate. This allows distinguishing between the impacts of various road constructions, as well as sites with different soil properties. The findings of this study promote the quantitative consideration of environmental impacts of long-term leaching in Life Cycle Assessment, complementing site-specific risk assessment, for the design of waste management strategies, particularly in the construction sector. 相似文献