Environmental Protection Agency Regulations Research Articles

Atmospheric bulk depositions: state-of-the-art and European legislative framework with focus on Italy.

The determination of total atmospheric deposition (bulk) is an essential tool to assess the state of environmental contamination and the consequent exposure of the population to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) through the intake of contaminated food. Over the past 20years, international authorities and the European Union through various pieces of legislation have emphasised the importance of conducting monitoring and studies on depositions to better understand their impact on the environment and human health without setting reference values. Despite the absence of such values, several European countries, through national laws, have adopted limit values and/or guideline values for the deposition fluxes of some organic (dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and inorganic persistent pollutants (metals). The aim of this review is both to summarise the present European legislation on depositions both to discuss the different legislations adopted by the various member states. Furthermore, a focus of this paper will be dedicated to the Italian legislation, where there is currently no specific guideline values for POPs in atmospheric deposition. In any case, some national authorities in Italy, such as the National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA), have conducted numerous monitoring activities on depositions, providing the scientific community and policymakers with numerous data on which to establish national reference values.

Assessing environmental injustice in Kansas City by linking paediatric asthma to local sources of pollution: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveA grassroots environmental-justice organisation in Kansas City has been examining the disproportionate exposure to air pollution experienced by residents living fenceline to the largest classification railyard in the USA. Prior...

Evaluation of Watershed Carrying Capacity on Flood Management in Greater Malang East Java Indonesia

Purpose: The over-depletion of natural resources in the Ambang watershed is the recent cause of the flooding in the region. The Ambang watershed, located in the larger Malang region of Indonesia's East Java Province, is the subject of this article because of the importance of this resource to local residents.This study follows the rules set out by Regulation No. P.61/2014 of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, which governs the assessment and monitoring of watershed management, in order to determine the Ambang watershed's effectiveness. Finding out how much water the Ambang watershed can hold and how well the regulation works to control floods were the two main goals of this research Method: This study primarily uses data on floods, conservation initiatives, land use, and water value in the Ambang river basin. Data and information on floods, conservation regulations, and the worth of water infrastructure comes from government sources and community discussions. The data on land usage was derived from the analysis of satellite images. Literature reviews and reports from key government agencies (such as the regional agricultural agency, the regional environmental protection agency, and the district government) were used to gather secondary data for the Ambang watershed management study Results and Conclusion: Land cover, as a percentage, can reduce run-off rates and enhance infiltration capacity in a watershed, hence monitoring it is crucial for assessing the state of land carrying capacity. With an area of 86,783.77 ha, the Ambang sub-watershed has 27,311.79 ha of vegetative land cover (PPV), which is classed as poor, falling between 20 and 40%. The result is expressed as a percentage. One way to measure the difference between allowed and actual erosion is via the Erosion Index. Based on the analysis, the Ambang sub-watershed, which covers an area of 86,783.77 ha, experiences heavy erosion on average with 190.8 tons/ha/year. The erosion index is 14.2, and the IE classification is > 2, which is very bad. This is due to factors such as steep to very steep slopes in some areas, poor to moderate soil conservation, and the presence of annual plants on the land, with some exceeding 25%. Research Implications: In order to better educate the public about the conservation and restoration efforts of different stakeholders and to improve the recommendations for potential conservation and restoration actions in each of the Ambang watershed regions, a series of investigations and experimental projects are planned. Laws enacted by the Indonesian government (number 37/2012) and the Ministry of Forestry (number 6061/2014) control the administration of water-related regions in the country. Before receiving any funds from the National State Budget, regional (provincial) governments must develop a management plan that takes into account the watershed's ability to sustain initiatives. Our investigation showed that Regulation 61/2014, issued by the Federal Forestry Minister, does not adequately evaluate the Ambang watershed's harbor capacity. Especially in arid regions, further studies should help Indonesian watersheds better gauge the potential of their water supplies.

Fate and Transport of Chloroform in VI Evaluations

ABSTRACTChloroform is frequently detected in indoor air in vapor intrusion (VI) studies. At many sites, initial screening shows potential indoor air impacts for chloroform at unacceptable levels. During follow‐up site characterization, however, the VI pathway for chloroform is rarely found to be the primary source of chloroform in indoor air. This paper sets forth a conceptual model for understanding these results and summarizes data from 10 field sites from various US Environmental Protection Agency regions to illustrate the concepts. Chloroform is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is categorized as being a trihalomethane. It is well documented that it can be formed when chlorine is used to disinfect water. Chloroform also may be emitted directly into indoor air from treated water and may be formed and/or emitted from various cleaning products. The typical indoor air background concentration in residential buildings is approximately 0.5–1 µg/m3, but results will vary, and values of 10 µg/m3 or higher have been measured. The indoor air background concentrations presented in the literature are well above typical screening level concentrations for residential buildings. Field data are presented that demonstrate that the attenuation factor for chloroform often differs widely from attenuation factors of other VOCs that may pose a potential risk via the VI pathway.

Estimation of Daily Ground Level Air Pollution in Italian Municipalities with Machine Learning Models Using Sentinel-5P and ERA5 Data

Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest in air pollutants and their effects on human health. More generally, it has become evident how human, animal and environmental health are deeply interconnected within a One Health framework. Ground level air monitoring stations are sparse and thus have limited coverage due to high costs. Satellite and reanalysis data represent an alternative with high spatio-temporal resolution. The idea of this work is to build an Artificial Intelligence model for the estimation of surface-level daily concentrations of air pollutants over the entire Italian territory using satellite, climate reanalysis, geographical and social data. As ground truth we use data from the monitoring stations of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) covering the period 2019–2022 at municipal level. The analysis compares different models and applies an Explainable Artificial Intelligence approach to evaluate the role of individual features in the model. The best model reaches an average R2 of 0.84 ± 0.01 and MAE of 5.00 ± 0.01 μg/m3 across all pollutants which compare well with the body of literature. The XAI analysis highlights the pivotal role of satellite and climate reanalysis data. Our work can facilitate One Health surveys and help researchers and policy makers.

ARPALData: an R package for retrieving and analyzing air quality and weather data from ARPA Lombardia (Italy)

We present ARPALData, an R package that can help international users retrieve, handle, and analyze air quality and weather data in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy). The software provides a user-friendly tool that directly inquires into the platform of the regional environmental protection agency and ensures real-time updating of information using standardized syntax. The software provides data in standard statistical formats. Eventually, all measurements, metadata, and subsequent analytical tools are provided to users in English, facilitating accessibility to international and domestic users. Data are collected from the open database of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Lombardy, namely ARPA Lombardia. ARPALData returns measurements at several temporal frequencies (infra-hourly to yearly) collected through air quality and weather ground monitoring networks managed by ARPA Lombardia, as well as estimates of several pollutants at the municipal level. In addition to data download functions, ARPALData provides functions to explore, describe, analyze, and graphically represent air quality and weather data. In particular, users are provided with functions to compute key descriptive statistics and input data maps, temporally aggregate measurements, detect outliers, and study missing-value (gap length) patterns. Herein, we discuss purposes, goals, and functioning of the package, and present three guided examples and case studies in which the software is used to characterize air quality and meteorology in different settings. The examples are designed to provide a step-by-step guide for accomplished analyses using the most relevant tools included in ARPALData.

Numerical investigation of thermal patterns and local wind circulations to characterize Urban Heat Island during a heatwave in Turin

Heatwaves are annually increasing in terms of intensity and frequency. In urban areas, the impact could be further exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This work carries out an urban microclimate numerical analysis to evaluate the behavior of the UHI in the city of Turin (Italy) during a heatwave event. Turin is located in the North-West region of Italy, boarded by the Alps mountain ranges in the west and hills in the East. The study utilizes the WRF/MLUCM model and considers the heatwave period in June 2019. The high-resolution urban land use/land cover data is generated from local climate zone (LCZ) generator tool provided by the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) portal. The simulation is validated with the data provided by ARPA (Regional Environmental Protection Agency) meteorological stations located over the region. The lower root mean squared error of air temperature and higher index of the agreement show that the simulation is in good agreement with the observational data. The simulation results are then used to analyze the rural-urban temperature distributions over the diurnal cycle and local wind circulations. According to the simulated results, the city of Turin has higher near-surface UHI intensity during the night and early morning (with maximum intensity greater than 5 °C), whereas the intensity is diminishing during the mid-day hours. The simulated wind patterns show a significant reduction in wind intensity over the urban areas. This reveals the potential of creating wind ventilation inside the city to minimize UHI effect and enhance air quality. Ultimately, this research contributes valuable insights into addressing the challenges posed by heatwaves and urban heat islands in Turin and offers a foundation for the development of sustainable urban climate strategies.

Efficacy of unregulated minimum risk tick repellent products evaluated with Ixodes scapularis nymphs in a human skin bioassay

BackgroundThe majority of vector-borne disease cases in the USA are caused by pathogens spread by ticks, most commonly the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. Personal protection against tick bites, including use of repellents, is the primary defense against tick-borne diseases. Tick repellents registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are well documented to be safe as well as effective against ticks. Another group of tick repellent products, 25(b) exempt or minimum risk products, use alternative, mostly botanically derived, active ingredients. These are considered to pose minimal risk to human health and therefore are exempt from EPA registration; efficacy testing is not mandated for these products.MethodsWe used a finger bioassay to evaluate the repellency against I. scapularis nymphs for 11 formulated 25(b) exempt products together with two positive control DEET-based EPA registered products. Repellency was assessed hourly from 0.5 to 6.5 h after product application.ResultsThe DEET-based products showed ≥ 97% repellency for all examined timepoints. By contrast, an average of 63% of ticks were repelled in the first 1.5 h after application across the 11 25(b) exempt products, and the average fell to 3% repelled between 2.5 and 6.5 h. Ten of the 11 25(b) exempt products showed statistically similar efficacy to DEET-based products at 30 min after application (repellency of 79–97%). However, only four 25(b) exempt products maintained a level of repellency similar to DEET-based products (> 72%) at the 1.5-h mark, and none of these products were effective in repelling ticks at the timepoints from 2.5 to 6.5 h after application.ConclusionsNeither the claims on the labels nor specific active ingredients and their concentrations appeared to predict the duration of efficacy we observed for the 25(b) exempt products. These products are not registered with the EPA, so the methods used to determine the application guidelines on their labels are unclear. Consumers should be aware that both the level of efficacy and the duration of repellency may differ among unregulated 25(b) exempt repellent products labeled for use against ticks. We encourage more research on these products and the 25(b) exempt active ingredients they contain to help determine and improve their efficacy as repellents under different conditions.Graphical

Sabic showcased at MD&M West 2024 specialty materials for medical devices and introduces LNP™ Lubriloy™ compounds

On January 18, 2024, Sabic announced it would feature new and existing material solutions for potential use in critical medical devices through the company's exhibition and two presentations at MD&M West 2024 (Booth #3287). The company would spotlight specialty engineered thermoplastic materials that should be able to help the device industry address pressing issues, including withstanding increasingly harsh healthcare disinfectants; providing effective lubrication without the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); and finding alternatives to EtO sterilization in the face of upcoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. SABIC's first presentation will focus on new material technology that is well suited for wear and friction applications and the second will cover material solutions for medical device sterilization.

Efficacy of Unregulated Minimum Risk Products to Kill and Repel Ticks.

Human-biting ticks threaten public health in the United States. Registration by the Environmental Protection Agency of products to kill host-seeking ticks or repel ticks contacting humans is indicative of their safety and effectiveness. Unregulated minimum risk products, exempt from Environmental Protection Agency registration and often based on botanical oils, are proliferating in the marketplace, but there is concern about their effectiveness to kill and repel ticks. Evaluations of such products are limited in the published literature. A review showed considerable variability among minimum risk products to kill host-seeking blacklegged ticks, with effectiveness similar to chemical pesticide products for some minimum risk products but minimal impact on the ticks for other products. Evaluations of minimum risk tick repellents have typically focused on individual active ingredients rather than formulated products, which often combine multiple active ingredients. Consumers should be aware that effectiveness to kill and repel ticks can differ among unregulated minimum risk products.

Telework and job satisfaction in knowledge-intensive public organizations: a quali-quantitative analysis from an environmental protection agency in Italy

PurposeThe study aims to examine the relationship between telework conditions and employees' job satisfaction (JS) within knowledge-intensive public organizations (KIPOs). Additionally, it aims to unfold the mediating role played by both organizational and job characteristics, namely supervisory support (SS) and job autonomy (JA).Design/methodology/approachThe analysis adopts a simultaneous qualitative-quantitative design, starting with a preliminary inductive analysis of qualitative data, followed by a deductive quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM). The data were retrieved from a survey completed by some 700 employees of a regional environmental protection agency in Italy.FindingsFindings show that the positive association between conditions for telework (CT) and JS is partially mediated by both SS and JA. Moreover, the results of the study suggest a sequential nature of such mediational patterns.Originality/valueThis research provides an empirical contribution to a relatively under-investigated area: the role of job characteristics in explaining the nexus between telework and JS. Furthermore, the study takes place within the context of a KIPO, adding particular significance to the emerging insights due to the distinct nature of the work conducted in such settings.

Analysis of spatiotemporal distribution of air quality index (AQI) in the state of West Bengal, India from 2016 to 2021

The ambient air quality is progressively declining, especially in emerging countries, due to increased urbanization, high demands of energy, and industrialization. High risks to human health and environmental degradation are associated with air pollution. The analysis of the Air Quality Index (AQI) serves as a valuable tool for simplifying the communication of air quality in a specific region, making it easily comprehensible to the general public. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Indian air quality regulations recommend mathematical functions to compute sub-indices for calculating the AQI. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the AQI status from a different point of view (monthly, seasonal, and annual variations and association of AQI with meteorological factors) and estimate the future AQI. The monthly AQI values in West Bengal vary from “Satisfactory to Moderate” level from 2016 to 2021. In district-wise, the highest AQI was observed in Kolkata (189), Bardhaman (178), and Murshidabad (167) in the year 2016; Kolkata (180), Bardhaman (155), and Howrah (155) in 2017; Howrah (180), Kolkata (179) and Hoogly (166) in 2018; Howrah (170), Kolkata (156) and Bardhaman (156) in 2019; Howrah (150), South 24 Parganas (137), and Kolkata (136) in 2020 and Howrah (161), Kolkata (139), and South 24 Parganas (139) in 2021 respectively in Winter season. The association between meteorological parameters, such as temperature (r = − 0.605, p < 0.001), relative humidity (r = − 0.647, p < 0.001), and precipitation (r = − 0.821, p < 0.001) and AQI shows a significant strong negative correlation (p < 0.05). In addition, the relative influence of temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity was 53.13%, 36.69%, and 10.18%, respectively, on AQI variation. Temperature plays a significant role in association with AQI distribution in the atmosphere than RH and precipitation. The distribution of AQI in the whole state of West Bengal showed a higher AQI observed in the Southern part compared to the northern part of the state. The study's conclusions and recommendations can help stakeholders and policymakers’ to control and improve the deterioration of air quality caused by concerns about AQI and human health.

The influence of socioeconomic and spatial variables on total maximum daily load progress in the United States

Abstract The total maximum daily load (TMDL) program requires each state in the United States to assess their water bodies, list those that are impaired, and develop TMDL plans or programs to restore them. However, the impact that spatial and socioeconomic variables have on TMDL progress is unknown. This study seeks to fill this gap through a nation-wide analysis of the influence of spatial and socioeconomic variables on indicators of TMDL progress. To do so, data were collected and analyzed for each state, including indicators of TMDL progress, spatial variables, and socioeconomic data. Then, these data were applied to identify overall trends and to define the relationships between indicators of TMDL progress and spatial and socioeconomic variables. Results indicate that the size of a state, the length of total streams, and median household income are related to the percentage of streams that are assessed within a state. In addition, states largely followed similar patterns in TMDL progress based on the US Environmental Protection Agency region that they were within, indicating that location plays a large role. Overall, this study helps to contextualize progress in TMDL development and aid in our understanding of factors that influence the implementation of water quality programs.

Thermodynamic insights into selenium oxyanion removal from synthetic flue gas desulfurization wastewater with temperature-swing solvent extraction.

Temperature-swing solvent extraction (TSSE) is a cost-effective, simple, versatile, and industry-ready technology platform capable of desalinating hypersaline brines toward zero liquid discharge. In this work, we demonstrate the potential of TSSE in the effective removal of selenium oxyanions and traces of mercury with the coexistence of high contents of chloride and sulfate often encountered in flue gas desulfurization wastewater streams. We compare the rejection performance of the two common solvents broadly used for TSSE, decanoic acid (DA) and diisopropylamine (DPA), and correlate those with the solvent physicochemical properties (e.g., dielectric constant, polarity, molecular bulkiness, and hydrophobicity) and ionic properties (e.g., hydrated radii and H-bonding). The results show that TSSE can remove >99.5% of selenium oxyanions and 96%-99.6% of mercury traces coexisting with sulfate (at a sixfold Se concentration) and chloride (at a 400-fold Se concentration) in a synthetic wastewater stream. Compared to diisopropylamine, decanoic acid is more effective in rejecting ions for all cases, ranging from a simple binary system to more complex multicomponent systems with highly varied ionic concentrations. Furthermore, the H-bonding interaction with water and the hydrated radii of the oxyanions (i.e., selenate vs. selenite) along with the hindrance effects caused by the molecular bulkiness and hydrophobicity (or lipophilicity) of the solvents play important roles in the favorable rejection of TSSE. This study shows that TSSE might provide a technological solution with a high deionization potential for the industry in complying with the Environmental Protection Agency regulations for discharge streams from coal-fired power facilities.

Municipal Solid Waste Management in Skardu: Current Status, and Corrective Measures

Solid waste management (SWM) is a marginalized sector in Gilgit Baltistan, causing a frightening situation, especially in the municipal area of district Skardu. The total municipal area of Skardu is about 4260 sq. km with a population of approximately 112996. In line with other government departments, the Gilgit Baltistan waste management company (GBWMC) is responsible for collecting and dumping solid waste. The current study was devised to calculate, characterize, and analyze the past status, and current position of municipal solid waste (MSW) production, so that necessary management practices and corrective measures can be carried out more efficiently in the study area. A series of interviews of concerned persons as well as extensive field surveys were conducted. The method used by GBWMC to collect waste was: door-to-door collection, placement of waste bins, and collection from the arterial roads. Waste was collected manually in polythene bags, handcarts, and baskets. The findings revealed that approximately 45-50 tonnes of waste was generated per day in the winter and in the summer it increases to 50-55 tonnes. The average waste generation was 0.43 kg per capita per day and is increasing at a rate of 2.28% annually. The main sources of waste were commercial and household waste contributing approximately 60 % and 40% of the total waste production respectively. There was no scientific disposal system for the collected waste which is dumped on the dumping sites by utilizing available resources considering Environmental protection agency (EPA) regulations along the Indus River bank. Thus specific steps should be taken to develop a proper scientific disposal system of collected wastes by incorporating the experts' expertise and modern technologies.

Identifying groups of children's social mobility opportunity for public health applications using k-means clustering

BackgroundThe Opportunity Atlas project is a pioneering effort to trace social mobility and adulthood socioeconomic outcomes back to childhood residence. Half of the variation in adulthood socioeconomic outcomes was explainable by neighborhood-level socioeconomic characteristics during childhood. Clustering census tracts by Opportunity Atlas characteristics would allow for further exploration of variance in social mobility. Our objectives here are to identify and describe spatial clustering trends within Opportunity Atlas outcomes. MethodsWe utilized a k-means clustering machine learning approach with four outcome variables (individual income, incarceration rate, employment, and percent of residents living in a neighborhood with low levels of poverty) each given at five parental income levels (1st, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of the national distribution) to create clusters of census tracts across the contiguous United States (US) and within each Environmental Protection Agency region. ResultsAt the national level, the algorithm identified seven distinct clusters; the highest opportunity clusters occurred in the Northern Midwest and Northeast, and the lowest opportunity clusters occurred in rural areas of the Southwest and Southeast. For regional analyses, we identified between five to nine clusters within each region. PCA loadings fluctuate across parental income levels; income and low poverty neighborhood residence explain a substantial amount of variance across all variables, but there are differences in contributions across parental income levels for many components. ConclusionsUsing data from the Opportunity Atlas, we have taken four social mobility opportunity outcome variables each stratified at five parental income levels and created nationwide and EPA region-specific clusters that group together census tracts with similar opportunity profiles. The development of clusters that can serve as a combined index of social mobility opportunity is an important contribution of this work, and this in turn can be employed in future investigations of factors associated with children's social mobility.

Influence of silver nanoparticles on postharvest disease, pericarp hardening, and quality of mangosteen

The main problem associated with mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) in the postharvest period is fruit rot caused by Lasiodioplodia theobromae, which results in pericarp hardening, poor quality, and short storage life. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) constitute a potential agent for curbing microbial infections, especially fungal infections. In the in vitro test conducted in this study, 270 ppm AgNPs completely inhibited mycelium growth and spore germination (100 %) in L. theobromae, similar to the results obtained using 200 ppm fungicidal carbendazim. For the in vivo test, the concentration of AgNPs was increased to 300 ppm to provide a strong inhibitory effect against fungal infection on mangosteen fruit. The results showed that treatment with AgNPs significantly decreased the disease index (DI) in the artificially inoculated mangosteen fruit stored at 25ºC, and AgNP residue in the fruit was found to be 3.3 mg kg-1, which conforms to the Environmental Protection Agency (2009) regulations. Furthermore, the effects of AgNPs on fruit rot disease and plant defense-related enzymes were investigated with regard to naturally infected mangosteen stored at 13ºC for 30 days, as compared to fungicide-treated fruits and non-treated fruits (control). The results revealed that AgNP treatment resulted in an eight-fold reduction in fruit rot disease, whereas fungicidal treatment resulted in only a 2.46-fold disease reduction compared to the result in the control group. Also, AgNP treatment induced plant defense-related enzyme activities: phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), chitinase (CHI) and β-1,3-glucanase (GLU), and ɑ-mangostin content (a major phenolic compound in pericarp). Further, the effect of AgNPs on the physiology and quality of fruits was measured and compared with the non-treated fruits. The results showed that AgNP treatment lowered ethylene production and rate of respiration, which resulted in a reduction in weight loss and pericarp hardening. AgNP treatment was also found to maintain pericarp color, chlorophyll content in calyx as well as total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and anthocyanin content in the pericarp. This result implies that AgNPs constitute an effective and safe treatment modality for controlling fruit rot disease, reducing pericarp hardening, and maintaining the quality of mangosteen fruit.

Survey on the quality of outlet biosolids and sludge heavy metals in the wastewater treatment plants of Mazandaran province

Background: Sewage sludge is rich in fecal coliforms, Salmonella, parasite eggs, and heavy metals that can cause disease in humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of outlet biosolids and sludge heavy metals in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Mazandaran province and to compare them with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Methods: This study was carried out on the sludge of the treatment plants of Sari, Joybar, Babol, Babolsar, Nowshahr, and Nowshahr-Chalus sludge compost plants. In this study, physical, chemical, and biological properties of sludge samples including retention time, pH, total solids (TS), color, heavy metals (copper, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and chromium) as well as the density of fecal coliform, Salmonella and parasite eggs were determined and reported. Results: Biosolids of Joybar, Babol, Babolsar, and Nowshahr-Chalus WWTP in terms of parasite eggs were in class A. Biosolids of Sari WWTP in summer after drying off naturally were located in Class A, and in summer and spring, were located in Class B based on the US EPA criteria. The average concentration of heavy metals (copper, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and chromium) was lower than the EPA standard. Conclusion: The results showed that mostly the treated sewage sludge in Mazandaran WWTPs were in Class B of the EPA guideline. The concentration of heavy metals in the biosolids of these WWTPs is lower than the EPA regulation and the use of these biosolids in agriculture is not limited for these metals.

ReS2 Nanoflowers-Assisted Confined Growth of Gold Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive and Reliable SERS Sensing.

ReS2, as a new member of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), has emerged as a promising substrate for semiconductor surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) due to its unique optoelectronic properties. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of the ReS2 SERS substrate poses a significant challenge to its widespread application in trace detection. In this work, we present a reliable approach for constructing a novel ReS2/AuNPs SERS composite substrate, enabling ultrasensitive detection of trace amounts of organic pesticides. We demonstrate that the porous structures of ReS2 nanoflowers can effectively confine the growth of AuNPs. By precisely controlling the size and distribution of AuNPs, numerous efficient and densely packed "hot spots" were created on the surface of ReS2 nanoflowers. As a result of the synergistic enhancement of the chemical and electromagnetic mechanisms, the ReS2/AuNPs SERS substrate demonstrates high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and superior stability in detecting typical organic dyes such as rhodamine 6G and crystalline violet. The ReS2/AuNPs SERS substrate shows an ultralow detection limit of 10-10 M and a linear detection of organic pesticide molecules within 10-6-10-10 M, which is significantly lower than the EU Environmental Protection Agency regulation standards. The strategy of constructing ReS2/AuNPs composites would contribute to the development of highly sensitive and reliable SERS sensing platforms for food safety monitoring.

The influence of arable crops on ALS risk and age at onset: a population-based study (S19.006)

<h3>Objective:</h3> We investigated the effect of living near to specific agricultural crops on the ALS risk, age at onset and other phenotypical variables. <h3>Background:</h3> Several environmental risk factors, such as agricultural workers, have been related to ALS risk, but with inconsistent results. Regarding phenotypic heterogeneity, a recent study failed to identify possible environmental factors underlying ALS clinical presentation. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> All ALS patients (diagnosis 2007–2014) belong to the Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta Register (PARALS). Using Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) data, we established the geographical distribution of agricultural areas in the same period. We calculated the area covered by each culture and patients smoothed incidence and we compared them using linear regression. A proximity score for each environmental factor was calculated using the area of the environmental component enclosed by a circle centered on the residence address, (variable radii 100–2000 meters). <h3>Results:</h3> The regression model for arable crops confirmed a linear increase in ALS incidence in the municipalities with a larger area covered by arable crops. Median incidence increased from 0.75 (IQR 0.00–1.26) cases/100.000/year in municipalities with no area covered by arable crops to 1.81 (IQR 0.75–4.11) cases/100.000/year where arable crops covered more than 60% of total municipality area. The proximity score analysis confirmed that arable crops proximity (considering a 500, 1000, 1500 meters radii) significantly reduced the age at onset by about 2 years. Linear regression for proximity score and age at onset, significantly confirm this trend (R= −0.51675, p=0.0245). We confirmed the same trend by subgrouping patients according to sex and site of onset. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> We confirmed an higher ALS patients incidence for the municipality with high percentage of arable land. Arable land proximity scores resulted to be the related to a significantly reduced median onset age, confirming the presence of possible shared environmental factors that could anticipate disease onset in the exposed population <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Calvo has nothing to disclose. Mr. Callegaro has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vasta has nothing to disclose. Mr. Grassano has nothing to disclose. Antonio Canosa has nothing to disclose. Sara Cabras has nothing to disclose. Dr. Di Pede has nothing to disclose. Dr. Matteoni has nothing to disclose. Fabiola De Marchi has nothing to disclose. Letizia Mazzini has nothing to disclose. Cristina Moglia has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chio has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Cytokinetics. Dr. Chio has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Mitsubishi. Dr. Chio has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Biogen. Dr. Manera has nothing to disclose.