Environmental Protection Department Research Articles

Source Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Groundwater of Leizhou Peninsula

Source identification and health risk assessment of heavy metals in groundwater is one of the key issues in China's new era of environmental management. In order to reveal the status, sources, and health risk of pollutants in groundwater of the Leizhou Peninsula, 44 groundwater samples were collected, and the concentrations and spatial distribution of Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were measured and analyzed. The sources of heavy metals in groundwater were then determined through correlation coefficient and principal component analysis. Finally, the health risk model was used to evaluate the different health risks associated with these heavy metals. The results showed that the average value of heavy metal elements in groundwater of the Leizhou Peninsula does not inferior to the class Ⅱ water quality standard(GB/T 14848-2017). However, As, Mn, and Cd do not meet the standard. The overall spatial distribution indicated obvious spatial differences, with higher values in the south than in the north. Heavy metal sources can be identified as three principal components (PCs). PC1 (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) metals mainly originate from industrial, agricultural, and traffic sources. PC2 (Cr, Mn, and As) sources can be both natural and man-made, and PC3 (Hg) sources are primarily man-made. For the groundwater of the Leizhou Peninsula, the health risks of 8 metals are with the acceptable range, the carcinogenic risk of adults is higher than that of children, and the risk of drinking exposure is higher than that of skin exposure. The study shows that the environmental protection department should encourage the rational exploitation of groundwater resources and control the sources of pollution to reduce health risks.

On the Combination of Computer Aided Architectural Design and Green Building

The link of traditional architectural design is very complicated. It costs a lot of human and financial resources. The traditional architectural design drawing error is also very big. Engineers can only measure some errors with their own experience. On this basis, experts believe that computer-aided systems can help architectural design. In recent years, the pollution caused by building materials is becoming more and more serious [1]. This situation has attracted the attention of environmental protection departments. Experts put forward the theoretical research of green building. This paper briefly summarizes the characteristics of computer-aided architectural design. This paper describes the application of computer technology in green building. Finally, this paper puts forward the research on the combination of the two.

Managing Construction Noise in Hong Kong - Facing a New Decade with Confidence

Hong Kong is a mature and busy metropolis with 7.5 million residents. Being constrained by limited land area for development, the cityscape of Hong Kong is primarily 3-dimensional in nature. The vast majority of the growing population is accommodated in closely packed high-rise residential towers. Similar to other major urban centres worldwide, Hong Kong citizens are affected by the virtually continuous construction activities expanding and renewing the city. The numerous construction sites are also bringing noise disturbance to some neighbourhoods. In 2020, the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department completed a feasibility study on managing construction noise, including those associated with renovation of domestic premises. Part of the study was the conducting of face-to-face interviews of more than 5,000 households via a large scale public survey to gauge their views on construction noise disturbance, among others. This paper describes the current state and conditions of construction noise in Hong Kong, the issues and constraints, as well as challenges and opportunities. Highlights from the scientifically conducted public survey will be included to provide a robust and more comprehensive description of the prevailing situation.

The assessment of the environmental impact of the waste sludge and hazardous chemicals in the arroyo of Yasynov city of Kamyanske

The main structures of tailings and sludge facilities are tailings and sludge storage facilities, tailings and sludge hydraulic transportation facilities and circulating water supply facilities. Therefore, the assessment of the environmental impact of the sludge storage of waste and hazardous chemicals in the Yasinova arroyo of the city of Kamyanske is an urgent task for scientists and workers of the ore-processing industrial enterprises. The aim of the work is to assess the impact on the environment of the sludge storage of waste and hazardous chemicals in the Yasinova arroyo of the city of Kamyanske. The object of the study is the process of environmental pollution due to the activity of sludge from waste and hazardous chemicals in the Yasinova arroyo of the city of Kamyanske. The research subject is the reduction of the level of environmental pollution during the activity of the sludge storage’s waste and hazardous chemicals in the Yasinova arroyo of the city of Kamyanske. The initial data of the laboratory analysis of water samples were provided by the laboratory of OJSC Dniproazot. Regulatory and technical documentation is provided by the Department of Environmental Protection of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the city of Kamyanske. The ecological situation in Kamyanske has long been characterized as a crisis. A significant excess of geochemical parameters of some elements in soils was recorded. Particular attention should be paid to the content of Ce and REE in the polymineral substance of tailings. Exceedances of the maximum concentration limits of Ni and Cu in the Konoplyanka River, which flows in the immediate vicinity of the tailings; which suggests an assumption that there is a migration of these elements from the tailings with groundwater and their accumulation near the river.

A transfer Learning-Based LSTM strategy for imputing Large-Scale consecutive missing data and its application in a water quality prediction system

In recent years, water quality monitoring has been crucial to improve water resource protection and management. Under the relevant laws and regulations, environmental protection department agencies monitor lakes, streams, rivers, and other types of water bodies to assess water quality conditions. The valid and high-quality data generated from these monitoring activities help water resource managers understand the existing pollution situations, energy consumption problems and pollution control needs. However, there are inevitably many problems with water quality data in the real world due to human mistakes or system failures. One of the most frequently occurring issues is missing data. Although most existing studies have explored classic statistical methods or emerging machine/deep learning methods to fill gaps in data, these methods are not suitable for large-scale consecutive missing data problems. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel algorithm called TrAdaBoost-LSTM, which integrates state-of-the-art deep learning theory through long short-term memory (LSTM) and instance-based transfer learning through TrAdaBoost. This model inherits the full advantages of the LSTM model and transfer learning technique, namely the powerful ability to capture the long-term dependencies among time series and the flexibility of leveraging the related knowledge from complete datasets to fill in large-scale consecutive missing data. A case study involving Dissolved Oxygen concentrations obtained from water quality monitoring stations is conducted to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed TrAdaBoost-LSTM model not only improves the imputation accuracy by 15%~25% compared with that of alternative models based on the obtained performance indicators, but also provides potential ideas for similar future research.

Empirical Assessment and Modeling of Traffic-induced Air Pollution

Congestion and traffic-induced air pollution are associated with population growth and economic development. Compared with congestion, there are relatively few studies on modeling and assessment of traffic-induced pollution. This paper presents an empirical assessment and analysis of traffic-induced air pollution with real-world data collected from the Hong Kong Strategic Road Network. The study employed historical data of traffic flows, speeds, and emission of air pollutants collated by the Hong Kong Transport Department and Environmental Protection Department. This paper first reveals the correlation between traffic flows, speeds, and corresponding induced pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NO2, NOX) and carbon monoxide (CO). To gain further statistical insight, a regression analysis was conducted on the flow–speed–emission relationship at three air quality monitoring stations, which revealed the significance of various factors on this relationship. This study contributes to green transport management and urban sustainability.

Evaluating the impact of airborne radionuclides caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident on China based on global atmospheric dispersion

In response to the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and other countries have conducted extensive monitoring and research. This article used an improved global atmospheric dispersion model WRF-Chem to simulate the global transport of radioactive materials released by the Fukushima nuclear. And mainly analyzed its impact on China, using the monitoring data of the environmental protection department to analyze the environmental level of atmospheric radioactivity and evaluate the model. The results showed that the radioactive plume spread from west to east, across the Pacific Ocean, the American continent and Europe, and finally, it spread to the entire northern hemisphere. China first detected I-131 in Heilongjiang Province on March 23, and until April 3, all provinces in China detected radionuclides from Fukushima nuclides. Combining the time taken by the radioactive plume to reach various parts of China, it can be inferred that the radioactive material can reach China through three routes, which may be the main reason why the leaked nuclides reach China and Europe in the same time. The global proliferation model tested by the FDNPP accident can provide a reference for the potential radiation impact of nuclear power plants, help understand the potential threat of future nuclear accidents, and provide support for nuclear accident monitoring and emergency measures.

An unequal adjacent grey forecasting air pollution urban model

In grey theory, the principle of difference information holds that difference is information. To mine the difference information between data, the unequal accumulation is proposed in this paper. The unequal accumulation reduces the loss of difference information and improves the forecasting performance of the grey model. Based on the unequal accumulation, the unequal adjacent discrete multivariable grey model is proposed. According to the comparison with other models, the proposed model has good forecast performance and algorithm efficiency. To further prove the practical significance of the model, it is used to predict the public concern about air pollution in three cities of China. The results show that the public concern about air pollution in cities with different air pollution conditions is quite different. Environmental protection departments could pay attention to the public concern about air pollution to better control air pollution.

2021 Handbook of Florida Water Regulation: Florida Department of Environmental Protection

This handbook is designed to provide a summary of the principal federal and state (Florida) laws that directly or indirectly relate to agriculture. Because these laws are subject to constant revision, portions of the handbook could become outdated at any time. The reader should use it as a means to determine areas in which to seek more information and as a brief directory of agencies that can help answer more specific questions.

Effects of Environmental Quality Perception on Depression: Subjective Social Class as a Mediator.

Although the relationship between environment and public depression has aroused heated debate, the empirical research on the relationship between environmental quality perception and public depression is still relatively insufficient. This paper aims to explore the influence of environmental quality perception on public depression and the mediating role of subjective social class between environmental quality perception and public depression. Using the China Family Panel Studies data of 2016 for empirical analysis, this study’s results show that environmental quality perception has a significant effect on public depression and subjective social class also has a significant effect on public depression. In addition, we found that subjective social class can play a partial mediating role between environmental quality perception and public depression, and the intermediary effect only comes from the contribution of the perception of living environmental quality, not the perception of overall environmental quality. That is to say, the perception of living environment quality deeply affects the subjective social class, and then induces public depression. In order to alleviate the relationship between environmental quality and public depression, it is recommended that the state environmental protection department and civil affairs department strengthen the improvement of public living environment so as to promote individual subjective social class and reduce the risk of public depression. Moreover, it is suggested that research with longitudinal design and comprehensive indicators be undertaken in the future.

Стратегия ООН и индикаторы устойчивости экосистем для сохранения городского биоразнообразия Москвы

The UN Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development was analyzed taking into account different approaches to assessing biodiversity, ecosystem services, anthropogenic factors and climate change. The City Biodiversity Index or Singapore Index on City Biodiversity (CBI) was used to assess the biodiversity of Moscow. The Singapore index comprises three core sections: 1) native biodiversity, 2) ecosystem services, and 3) governance. 21 indicators have been selected. Each indicator has specific evaluation criteria with a maximum score of 4 points. Data from the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow, literature sources and the results of social surveys of parks were used to calculate the index. Indicators including estimates of specially protected natural areas, natural and green areas of the city, the number of native and invasive plant species, the diversity of birds, butterflies and other species were calculated.

Piloting During a Pandemic

Key TakeawaysFour pilot teams shared experiences with piloting during the COVID‐19 pandemic, emphasizing that thoughtful planning streamlines the piloting process while mitigating the risk of transmitting illness.Remote access to and control of pilot equipment, along with the use of virtual communication platforms, enabled teams to successfully perform pilot‐scale studies.Operating pilot systems through the pandemic allowed teams to respond to drastic changes on a small scale to mitigate risks around full‐scale processes at the treatment plant.

The Legal and Administrative Environment for Pennsylvania’s Bid to Join RGGI

In 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to “develop and present to the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board [EQB] a proposed rulemaking package to abate, control, or limit carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel-fired electric power generators” under the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act (APCA). The rulemaking contemplated by the order would accomplish this end by, among other things, establishing a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide that can be integrated with other states’ cap-and-trade programs under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) model rules. The order also asked DEP to work the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the regional transmission organization encompassing all of Pennsylvania (PJM Interconnection) to “promote the integration” of the PA cap-and-trade rules in a “manner that preserves orderly and competitive economic dispatch within PJM and minimizes emissions leakage.” Almost immediately after the order, speculation began about potential legal barriers to achieving the goals set out by Governor Wolf. This white paper closely examines a set of legal questions that are likely to arise in litigation about DEP’s and EQB’s authority and discretion to promulgate rules in accordance with the order under existing laws. While it is difficult to anticipate exactly what kinds of challenges might emerge, especially since DEP has not yet finalized its approach, in general the challenges will likely emerge in four categories of issues : First, it is likely that arguments will be made that PA’s cap-and-trade system would be an unconstitutional tax on electric power generators, either because it imposes a carbon budget with financial consequences for affected firms that choose to comply by implementing carbon dioxide mitigation measures or because allowance auctions would result in financial payments by affected firms to come into compliance through the purchase of allowances. Such a “tax,” promulgated by the EQB, might be argued to violate the Pennsylvania separation of powers principle because it amounts to executive taxation. Second, even assuming that PA’s cap-and-trade is not an unauthorized tax, arguments may be made that a cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide is not within the scope of delegated rulemaking authority under the APCA, and that EQB could only promulgate such a program with new authorizing legislation. Again, this would be framed as a violation of the Pennsylvania separation of powers principle. Third, separate and apart from the issue of whether carbon dioxide allowance auctions may be considered an unauthorized tax or beyond the scope of legislative authorization, arguments may be made about the precise scope of DEP’s authority to collect the revenues from auctions and use it for particular programmatic purposes. Finally, to the extent that DEP and EQB eventually integrate measures designed to minimize emissions leakage across state lines, challengers may argue that the regulations violate the Dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by impermissibly discriminating against inter-state commerce and trade. This white paper provides essential background understanding for each of these potential disputes, analyzes the potential arguments that might be leveraged for or against the agencies’ authority and discretion to create a robust cap-and-trade system without any additional legislative action, and concludes that the agencies have ample authority under existing law to create the program and join RGGI. The analysis focuses on Pennsylvania law and U.S. constitutional law, but also draws heavily from a survey of relevant New York laws, as New York is the only other state to have entered RGGI administratively, making it a particularly useful comparison for Pennsylvania’s attempt to do the same. It also draws more generally on state authorities from California, Delaware, New Jersey, and other states, but these treatments of cap-and-trade systems are not directly controlling in Pennsylvania and have only persuasive value.

On the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality in Florida

Since early 2020, the world has faced an unprecedented pandemic caused by the novel COVID-19 virus. In this study, we characterize the impact of the lockdown associated with the pandemic on air quality in six major cities across the state of Florida, namely: Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. Hourly measurements of PM2.5, ozone, NO2, SO2, and CO were provided by the US EPA at thirty sites operated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during mid-February to mid-April from 2015 through 2020. To analyze the effect of the pandemic, atmospheric pollutant concentrations in 2020 were compared to historic data at these cities during the same period from 2015 to 2019. Reductions in NO2 and CO levels were observed across the state in most cities and were attributed to restrictions in mobility and the decrease in vehicle usage amid the lockdown. Likewise, decreases in O3 concentrations were observed and were related to the prevailing NOx-limited regime during this time period. Changes in concentrations of SO2 exhibited spatial variations, concentrations decreased in northern cities, however an increase was observed in central and southern cities, likely due to increased power generation at facilities primarily in the central and southern regions of the state. PM2.5 levels varied temporally during the study and were positively correlated with SO2 concentrations during the lockdown. In March, reductions in PM2.5 levels were observed, however elevations in PM2.5 concentrations in April were attributed to long-range transport of pollutants rather than local emissions. This study provides further insight into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on anthropogenic sources from vehicular emissions and power generation in Florida. This work has implications for policies and regulations of vehicular emissions as well as consequences on the use of sustainable energy sources in the state.

An association between PM2.5 and pediatric respiratory outpatient visits in four Chinese cities

BackgroundThe effects of exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on children's respiratory system were investigated in numerous epidemiological literatures. However, studies on the association between PM2.5 and pediatric outpatient visits for respiratory diseases, especially considering the multicenter studies were limited in China. ObjectivesTo study the association between the short-term exposure to PM2.5 and the number of children's outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in four Chinese cities as well as the pooled health effects. MethodsData of pediatric outpatient visits for respiratory diseases (RD, ICD: J00-J99) from representative hospitals in Shijiazhuang (SJZ), Xi'an (XA), Nanjing (NJ) and Guangzhou (GZ) in China from 2015 to 2018 were collected and the air quality data for the same period were collected from environmental protection departments. Generalized additive model (GAM) with quasi-Poisson regression was conducted to analyze the effects of PM2.5 on the number of pediatric outpatient visits in each city. Single-day lag model (lag0 to lag7) and moving average lag model (lag01 and lag07) were used to examine the lag effects and cumulative effects. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool the estimated risks of four cities. The interactions between PM2.5 and temperature were also explored. ResultsThe average daily/total outpatient visits for RD, in SJZ, XA, NJ and GZ from 2015 to 2018 were 854.2/1,245,384, 2353.9/3,439,025, 1267.2/1,851,438 and 1399.5/2,044,740 respectively. The percentages of acute upper respiratory infections (URD, ICD: J00-J06) and other acute lower respiratory infections (LRD, ICD: J20-J22) in RD were 33%, 13% (SJZ), 43%, 32% (XA), 26%, 21% (NJ) and 54%, 26% (GZ). The largest pooled estimates of single-day lag effects for RD, URD, and LRD were at lag0, lag0 and lag1. Every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with a 0.46% (95%CI: 0.21%–0.70%), 0.50% (95%CI: 0.19%–0.81%) and 0.42% (95%CI: 0.06%–0.79%) increased number of outpatient visits significantly. While max cumulative effects which were all at lag 07 were 1.10% (95%CI: 0.46%–1.74%), 0.96% (95%CI: 0.20%–1.73%) and 1.06% (95%CI: 0.12%–2.00%). Less polluted cities (GZ and NJ) showed greater city-specific excess risks, but the excess risks significantly decreased after adjusting for NO2 in two-pollutant models. Generally, PM2.5 showed larger health hazards on lower temperature days. ConclusionsOur study showed that exposure to the ambient PM2.5 was associated with the increase of the number of outpatient visits with pediatric respiratory diseases in four Chinese cities. The health effects of PM2.5 may not be independent of other air pollutants and could be modified by temperature.

Research on Optimization of Healthcare Waste Management System Based on Green Governance Principle in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

At present, strategies for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic have made significant and strategic strides; however, and the large quantities of healthcare treatment waste have become another important “battlefield”. For example, in Wuhan, the production rate of healthcare waste in hospitals, communities, temporary storage, and other units was much faster than the disposal rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Improving the efficiency of healthcare waste transfer and treatment has become an important task for government health and environmental protection departments at all levels. Based on the situation of healthcare waste disposal in Wuhan during the critical period of the pandemic, this paper analyzes and studies green governance principles and summarizes the problems that exist in the current healthcare waste management system. Through the establishment of temporary storage facilities along transit routes, digital simulation and bionic experiments were carried out in the Hongshan District of Wuhan to improve the efficiency of healthcare waste transfer. Furthermore, this study discusses the coordination and cooperation of government, hospitals, communities, and other departments in the healthcare waste disposal process and provides guiding suggestions for healthcare waste disposal nationwide in order to deal with potential risks and provide effective references in all regions.

West Virginia

West Virginia is one of the most prolific energy-producing states in the country. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, West Virginia ranked seventh among states in production of natural gas in 2018, contributing 1.8 trillion cubic feet. Further, the consistency in permit application appears to support the proposition that West Virginia operators will continue producing significant volumes well in the future. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (“WVDEP”) issued 582 horizontal well permits in 2015, 223 in 2016, 509 in 2017, 433 in 2018, and 467 in 2019.

Pollution From Commercial Vessels Machinery Space Bilges

Abstract Over the past decade, the United States Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England (SENE) along with state and local partner agencies in the New Bedford, Massachusetts area have been attempting to understand commercial vessel's inability to comply with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) regarding oily bilge waste and proper disposal options. The regulations have been in effect since 1983 requiring oceangoing vessels of less than 400 gross tons to have the capacity to retain all oily mixtures onboard or install an approved oily water separator (OWS) equipment for processing oily mixtures from bilges. New Bedford, MA is the homeport to over 400 commercial fishing vessels within a 2 square mile port area. The circumstances in New Bedford are considered to be representative of most ports for vessels less than 400 gross tons nationwide. Sector SENE has used various mechanisms to educate the local commercial vessel fleet owners and operators. The education includes the issuance of Marine Safety Information Bulletin 03-18 by Coast Guard Headquarters (United States Coast Guard, 2018). In 2012, the Partner Agency - Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection created and funded the Bilge-Pump-Out Program. This voluntary program provides commercial vessels with free oily bilge waste disposal services. Previously, there was no established “permanent” solution to the pervasive oily discharge problem and bad practice of illegally disposing of oily waste directly from commercial vessel bilges overboard into U.S. navigable waterways. In conjunction with local authorities having jurisdiction, Sector SENE began a focused pollution prevention and enforcement effort. Several pollution cases were forwarded to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and fines of over 1 million dollars have been issued for the illegal practices. The culmination of educational outreach, surge operations and coordinated interagency efforts have led to the initial levels of compliance.

Pennsylvania

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvania ranked second among states in production of natural gas in 2018, contributing nearly seven trillion cubic feet. Although the number of unconventional permit applications received by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“PADEP”) remains relatively robust, the number of unconventional well applications continues to decline from the peak of 3,182 received in 2014.3 In 2019, PADEP received 1,475 unconventional permit applications, as compared to 1,868 in 2018 and 2,028 in 2017.

Florida reservoir leak puts ecosystems at risk

Florida governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency April 3 as wastewater from Piney Point, an old phosphate-processing plant, threatened to breach one of its three holding ponds. The state began pumping water out of the pond to reduce the risk of flooding should the reservoir’s leaking lining cause the pond walls to fail. The reservoir’s levels are now low enough that the risk of catastrophic flooding has passed. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), workers continue to pump more than 35 million gal (about 132 million L) of the water per day into Tampa Bay. This large discharge has raised concerns among many scientists that conditions are ripe for harmful algal blooms and long-term ecological damage to the bay. The three wastewater ponds at Piney Point are filled with a combination of stormwater runoff, water used to process phosphate at the now-defunct plant, and seawater