Swedish Environment Research Articles

A Cross-Sectional Study of Circadian Stimulus in Swedish Radiographers' Light Environment.

Background: Timely light exposure is a vital aspect to achieve better sleep and well-being. As there are risks with a disturbed circadian rhythm and benefits with light settings that stimulate the rhythm, the circadian effective light, circadian stimulus (CS), for radiographers was examined. Aim: The aim of the study was to compare radiographers' light environment on the workstations, at a university hospital in Southern Sweden in the form of CS and relate that to recommendations published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Method: A cross-sectional method has been applied. The measurements for CS were collected in all labs in the radiology department in the middle of January. Result: A total of 804 measures were evenly collected resulting in a median for the 19 labs, where the observed median for all labs was 0.091 CS which is significantly lower than the recommended value of 0.3 CS (p < .001). Comparing work light settings with maximum light levels in the brightest and darkest labs showed a significant difference (p < .001). Conclusion: The CS values in the labs, at the radiology department at a university hospital in Southern Sweden, do not reach the recommended values of circadian stimulus published by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency when the radiographers themselves set the light. There is a potential for improvement as a significant difference could be seen between the chosen level of light and the maximum possible level of light.

Citizen Observations as Legal Obligations: (Dis)Associations and Representation at the Swedish Land and Environment Court of Appeal

Citizen Observations as Legal Obligations: (Dis)Associations and Representation at the Swedish Land and Environment Court of Appeal

The Protection of Archaeological Monuments from the 19th and 20th Centuries in Sweden

When the Swedish Historic Environment Act was amended in 2014, it became possible to safeguard specific sites of archaeological interest from the 19th and 20th centuries. However, since 2014, few younger sites have received protection. The most likely reason for this is related to a scarcity of resources at the county administrative boards.

Prehospital and emergency department airway management of severe penetrating trauma in Sweden during the past decade

BackgroundPrehospital tracheal intubation (TI) is associated with increased mortality in patients with penetrating trauma, and the utility of prehospital advanced airway management is debated. The increased incidence of deadly violence in Sweden warrants a comprehensive evaluation of current airway management for patients with penetrating trauma in the Swedish prehospital environment and on arrival in the emergency department (ED).MethodsThis was an observational, multicenter study of all patients with penetrating trauma and injury severity scores (ISSs) ≥ 15 included in the Swedish national trauma register (SweTrau) between 2011 and 2019. We investigated the frequency and characteristics of prehospital and ED TI, including 30-day mortality and patient characteristics associated with TI.ResultOf 816 included patients, 118 (14.5%) were intubated prehospitally, and 248 (30.4%) were intubated in the ED. Patients who were intubated prehospitally had a higher ISS, 33 (interquartile range [IQR] 25, 75), than those intubated in the ED, 25 (IQR 18, 34). Prehospital TI was associated with a higher associated mortality, OR 4.26 (CI 2.57, 7.27, p < 0.001) than TI in the ED, even when adjusted for ISS (OR 2.88 [CI 1.64, 5.14, p < 0.001]). Hemodynamic collapse (≤ 40 mmHg) and low GCS score (≤ 8) were the characteristics most associated with prehospital TI. Traumatic cardiac arrests (TCAs) occurred in 154 (18.9%) patients, of whom 77 (50%) were intubated prehospitally and 56 (36.4%) were intubated in the ED. A subgroup analysis excluding TCA showed that patients with prehospital TI did not have a higher mortality rate than those with ED TI, OR 2.07 (CI 0.93, 4.51, p = 0.068), with OR 1.39 (0.56, 3.26, p = 0.5) when adjusted for ISS.ConclusionPrehospital TI was associated with a higher mortality rate than those with ED TI, which was specifically related to TCA; intubation did not affect mortality in patients without cardiac arrest. Mortality was high when airway management was needed, regardless of cardiac arrest, thereby emphasizing the challenges posed when anesthesia is needed. Several interventions, including whole blood transfusions, the implementation of second-tier EMS units and measures to shorten scene times, have been initiated in Sweden to counteract these challenges.

Inserting Kurdishness within Swedish football

ABSTRACT This article focuses on how Dalkurd, a club founded in 2004 by Kurdish-Swedes in Borlänge, Sweden, inserts itself within a century-old tradition of Swedish football, predicated on local belongings. By using their ethnicity in order to be able to play, the presence of Dalkurd FF leads to a reconfiguration of local rivalries through the lenses of the club’s ethnicity and its claims to Swedishness. The reconfiguration occurs through a process known as schismogenesis, in which relationships of rivalries and oppositions are used to maintain a larger structure comprised several members. Dalkurd fans, thus, place their team in relation to other teams, interpreting themselves and other clubs in Swedish football through those very rivalries. By doing so, they insert Kurdishness as another relevant element in playing football in a Swedish environment and their club in a Swedish tradition.

Knowledge support for environmental information on pharmaceuticals: experiences among Swedish Drug and Therapeutics Committees

BackgroundTwo publicly available Swedish knowledge support systems, “Pharmaceuticals and Environment” on Janusinfo.se and Fass.se, provide environmental information on pharmaceuticals. Janusinfo is provided by the public healthcare system in Stockholm and Fass is provided by the pharmaceutical industry. The objectives of this study were to investigate the experiences among Swedish Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) with using the databases, retrieve development proposals for these, and investigate the DTCs’ challenges with working with pharmaceuticals in the environment.MethodsA cross-sectional survey with 21 questions, both closed and open-ended, was distributed electronically in March 2022 to Sweden’s 21 DTCs. Descriptive statistics and inductive categorization were used for the analysis.ResultsA total of 132 respondents from 18 regions filled out the survey. The average regional response rate was 42%. The DTCs used the knowledge supports to consider environmental aspects of pharmaceuticals in their formularies and in education. Respondents were more familiar with Janusinfo compared to Fass but appreciated the availability of both. The DTCs especially valued the concrete proposals for certain active pharmaceutical ingredients on Janusinfo. Respondents requested that all medicinal products have environmental information on Fass. Challenges included lack of data, lack of transparency from the pharmaceutical industry and difficulties considering the environmental aspect of pharmaceuticals in their healthcare practice. Respondents wanted more knowledge, clear messages, and legislation to support their work to reduce the negative environmental impact of pharmaceuticals.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that knowledge supports for environmental information on pharmaceuticals are valuable for the DTCs in Sweden, but the respondents experienced challenges in their work in this field. The study can provide insights to those in other countries interested in considering environmental aspects in their formulary decision-making.

Woman, Mother, Polish Woman. The Evolution of Attitudes of Polish Women in Sweden 1945–1989 from the Emigrant Perspective

Polish emigrant communities scattered around the world have been usually dominated by men. The Polish diaspora in Sweden was exceptional, for in the years 1945–1989 the majority was made up of women. In 1945, they constituted 90% of the community. The next four waves of emigration resulted in an influx of women who tried to define their role in a new reality of emigration. The high number of women in the Polish immigrant community continued and in 1980 they constituted 62% of this community. The clash with new economic conditions, sometimes social declassing, resulted in the redefinition of female‑ness, a reconstruction of the way of evaluating one’s role in the family and the émigré community, expressed in specific attitudes towards the challenges that each day brought. The aim of the article is to attempt to answer the question as to how the representatives of the various Polish waves of emigration to Sweden related to the characteristics that were supposed to be exhibited by Polish women in emigration and the tasks that resulted from the values adopted and cultivated. Drawing on an analysis of memoirs, journalistic materials published in the émigré Polish press in Sweden, and archival documents, I note that Polish women living in exile in Sweden continued their education and quickly took up work, thanks to which they did not create closed environments. Even the women who came from concentration camps in 1945 and decided to live permanently in Sweden, had to cope quickly with war trauma. They got married, started families and, to a lesser extent, participated in the national life of the Polish diaspora. Those women who were wives of émigré activists or were strongly connected with the Polish government‑in‑exile undertook various actions related to preserving Polish culture, established schools for children, organized celebrations of various holidays, etc. Each representative of successive waves of emigration acted in a similar way. Often the need to build a material existence in a new country was more important than participation in the life of the Polish community, which in any case was not attractive to them. Family ties were most important, because they strengthened all family members during the difficult period of acclimatization in the new environment. They were involved in crisis situations, for example, by organizing charity aid in periods when strikes broke out in Poland. Polish women in exile were strongly influenced by their Swedish environment and, if possible, took up professional careers. They were often more independent than women living in Poland. Polish women in exile in Sweden represented very different values. This was due to the reasons for emigration and the period in which they left for Sweden and started a new life there, but they often tried to cultivate patriotic values, which involved raising children in an atmosphere of Polish culture and tradition, and, through charity events, helping those who stayed in Poland and needed aid.

After the Caliphate: Changing Mobilization in the Swedish Salafi-Jihadist Environment following the Fall of ISIS

After the fall of the Islamic State’s self-declared Caliphate in Syria and Iraq, understanding how the Salafi-jihadist environments in the West mobilize in new ways has become urgent. This study is based on unique hard-to-reach data from qualitative interviews with returned Swedish ISIS fighters, previous members of the Swedish Salafi-jihadist environment, friends and acquaintances of persons engaged in the Swedish Salafi-jihadist environment, and a former Swedish jihadist recruiter. It explores post-Caliphate mobilization in terms of recruiting new members, keeping old members, and sustaining support from other radicals who are not active members of the Salafi-jihadist environment. Five distinct themes emerged from the interviews that reflect changing “push” and “pull” factors, which in different ways make mobilization in the post-Caliphate period challenging: competition from criminal gangs, increasing fuzziness of the environment, limited ability of external events to mobilize both new and old members, variation in the ease of leaving the Salafi-jihadist environment, and lack of new heroic mobilization narratives. The study concludes that, despite continuing problems in so-called radicalization hubs in Sweden, IS and other jihadist groups now have difficulty mobilizing both old and new members. In particular, changes in pull factors suggest that the current mobilization dynamics point to an environment that is facing challenges.

Tailoring and Evaluating an Intervention to Support Self-management After Stroke: Protocol for a Multi-case, Mixed Methods Comparison Study.

BackgroundSelf-management programs are recognized as a valuable approach to supporting people with long-term conditions, such as stroke, in managing their daily lives. Bridges Self-Management (Bridges) focuses on how practitioners interact and support patients’ confidence, skills, and knowledge, and it is an example of a complex intervention. Bridges has been developed and used across multiple health care pathways in the United Kingdom and is theoretically informed by social cognition theory and self-efficacy principles. Evidence shows that self-management programs based on the construct of self-efficacy can be effective. There is still much to learn about how health care services or pathways should implement support for self-management in a sustainable way and whether this implementation process is different depending on the context or culture of the team or service provided.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to tailor and evaluate an intervention (Bridges) to support self-management after stroke in a Swedish context.MethodsWe will use a pretest-posttest design with a case study approach to evaluate the feasibility and implementation of self-management support in two stroke settings. This project includes a complex intervention and depends on the actions of individuals, different contexts, and the adaptation of behavior over time. A mixed methods approach was chosen to understand both outcomes and mechanisms of impact. Data collection will comprise outcome measurements and assessment tools as well as qualitative interviews. Data will be collected concurrently and integrated into a mixed methods design.ResultsRecruitment and data collection for the first site of the project ran from September 1, 2021, to January 17, 2022. The intervention at the first site was conducted from November 1, 2021, to March 5, 2022. The evaluation will start after the implementation phase. The second site has been recruited, and the baseline data collection will start in spring 2022. The intervention will start in early autumn 2022. Data collection will be completed by the end of 2022.ConclusionsThis study represents a unique, highly relevant, and innovative opportunity to maximize knowledge and minimize practice gaps in rehabilitation stroke care. The study will produce robust data on the intervention and in-depth data on the contextual factors and mechanisms related to the feasibility of the intervention and for whom it is feasible. Bridges has been used in the United Kingdom for more than 10 years, and this study will explore its contextualization and implementation within a Swedish stroke environment. The evaluation will study results at the patient, staff, and organizational levels and provide recommendations for the adoption and refinement of future efforts to support self-management.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/37672

Subsidiary Agency in Gender Equality Practice Implementation: The Case of Korean MNE Subsidiaries in Sweden

Focusing on contextualized understandings of institutional distance and subsidiary agency, in this article I explore how multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries address gender equality in the workplace. In particular, this study analyzes the strategic responses of three Korean MNE subsidiaries in Sweden to examine the extent to which they exercise agency over gender equality issues within specific institutional environment. In Swedish institutional environment, there is high demand for subsidiaries to develop gender-balanced organizational cultures and practices. As a result, Korean subsidiaries may actively consider promoting a more gender-equal working environment to gain local legitimacy, or they may retain their home country’s practices and avoid such pressures. The analysis shows that the subsidiaries’ perceptions of institutional distance and the organizational conditions in which subsidiaries are embedded shape their agency (strategic responses) and co-evolve with host institutions. I thus contribute to existing MNE agency literature by highlighting subsidiaries’ agency building process regarding gender equality issues.

Adapting the preschool environment to the needs of children on the autism spectrum in Sweden: A quasi-experimental study

Background Children on the autism spectrum may receive Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (EIBI) in Sweden to support development by providing learning opportunities. However, research suggests a need to improve the quality of their learning environment. Aim This pre-registered study (#NCT03634761) aimed to evaluate the Swedish Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS-P-SE) as a means to promote the quality of the pre-school learning environment for children on the autism spectrum, along with outcomes for these children, and their pre-school staff. Material and methods In a quasi-experimental study, pre-school staff (n = 35) conducted either EIBI supported by in-service training and on-site coaching based on APERS-P-SE assessment (at k = 9 preschools) or EIBI only (k = 8), during an 8-months period. Results The quality of the immediate learning environment (primary outcome) increased significantly in the EIBI/APERS-P-SE preschools. However, changes in child and pre-school staff measures were not significant. Conclusions and significance In-service training and on-site coaching based on APERS-P-SE assessments can increase the quality of the learning environment in Swedish pre-school. Studies of longer duration and larger sample size are required to determine if using the APERS-P-SE can also achieve desired behavioural change for children-, and impact pre-school staff applying EIBI.

Improving children's sense of belonging through group‐orientated individualisation

A sense of belonging is essential for children in preschool. During the past decade, there has been a striking change in the orientation of the Swedish preschool environment. Now more child observations tend to focus on individual skills and assessment of ability to handle future schooling. A new discourse is clear; one that moves from a group orientation to a more individual approach. School‐related skills are now more clearly the focus, within which an individualised discourse easily leads to grouping by levels and special programmes. In this action research study, a model of inclusive individualisation was tested, in which individual opportunities were anchored in a group‐orientated teaching method. Nine preschool departments from four preschools participated in the study. The work involved about 45 preschool staff. At work meetings, nine departments spent about two hours each, processing and evaluating the model. The results show that the majority of the staff felt that the model opened up new issues, ideas and perspectives. It was clear that the staff were eager to plan early interventions. Communication and social skills for the children were the areas exclusively focused upon in the work with the model.

Citizen science in radiation research

A growing trend in science is that research institutions reach out to members of the public for participating in research. The reasons for outreach are many, spanning from the desire to collect and/or analyse large sets of data efficiently, to the idea of including the general public on a very fundamental level in science-making and ultimately decision-making. The presented project is curriculum-based and carried out in 240 lower secondary school classes (pupils of age 13-16). The task, as designed by the participating universities, is to collect mushrooms, soil and animal droppings from different parts of Sweden, do preliminary sample preparation and analyses and send the samples to the university institutions for radioactivity measurement. Behind the project is a desire to compare today’s levels of137Cs with those deposited right after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, but also to study the exchange of caesium between organisms as well as the impacts of biological and geological processes on uptake and retention. The scientific outcome is a geodatabase with the137Cs activity (Bq/m2) present in the Swedish environment, where radioactivity data can be linked to the species (fungi, competing species, animals foraging), forest type, land type, land use and other environmental factors. The science question is of interest to the general public as foraging for mushrooms, as well as spending recreational time in forests is widely popular in Sweden. In this article, we will discuss the current status of the project and the observations we have made about how well the public can participate in scientific research. Focus will be on organization of the project, such as logistics, preparation of supportive material, feedback and communication between researchers and schools. We will present observations about the impact the project has had on the participants, based on quantitative and qualitative evaluations.

The Spotification of public service media

This article investigates contemporary cultural policy reforms enabled by paid digital media distribution services, taking the case of the integration of Spotify into the Swedish public media system. Specifically, it reflects on the conflicts arising over the prioritization of digital distribution over cultural preservation, during the gradual substitution of the Spotify digital services for the services provided by the traditional material media archive, the Grammofonarkivet. It considers the factors influencing changes in the Swedish cultural policy environment and the nature of the complaints and human rights claims made by employees of the Grammofonarkivet to UNESCO regarding its structural transformation. It also postulates a “Spotification” model of public service media emerging in Sweden but potentially affecting other countries with public media systems served by traditional media archives.

Nickel cadmium batteries, their production and treatment at the end-of-life and swedish environment policy of the 20th century

The Saft factory for industrial nickel-cadmium batteries at Oskarshamn, Sweden, was started in 1907. During its almost 100 years the view of the environmental aspects of production and products has changed dramatically. The various environmental trends are reflected in the development of the factory.

Conditions for communication between health care professionals and parents on a neonatal ward in the presence of language barriers

ABSTRACT Purpose: Family-centred neonatal care views parents and child as a unit, and aims to support each family on the basis of its specific needs. Good communication can increase parents’ satisfaction and reduce tension, and is necessary to create a mutual trustful relation, but is influenced by language barriers. We aimed to describe communication between neonatal health care professionals and parents in the presence of language barriers. Methods: A field study using a hermeneutic lifeworld approach, participative observation, and interviews with parents and health care professionals. Results: The main theme, endeavouring to understand the meaning behind the words, comprised three themes. Wanting to speak for oneself meant that parents wanted to speak for themselves or call on a friend or multilingual health care professionals, in contrast to the health care professionals wish to use an interpreter. Being aware of cultural keys meant that some wards had access to a “cultural broker” to assist health care professionals and parents with both language translation and understanding of the Swedish health care environment. Understanding one another in the employees’ arena reflected varying language skills among health care professionals. The health care professionals had the power to decide the level of access to communication, and decided both the intensity and the frequency of the conversations. Conclusions: Health care professionals preferred to use an interpreter when communicating with parents, while parents wished to be independent and speak for themselves. If an interpreter was used, parents preferred this to be a friend or health care professionals; this option was less popular among health care professionals.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Swedish Groundwater and Surface Water: Implications for Environmental Quality Standards and Drinking Water Guidelines.

The aim of this study was to assess per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the Swedish aquatic environment, identify emission sources, and compare measured concentrations with environmental quality standards (EQS) and (drinking) water guideline values. In total, 493 samples were analyzed in 2015 for 26 PFASs (∑26PFASs) in surface water, groundwater, landfill leachate, sewage treatment plant effluents and reference lakes, focusing on hot spots and drinking water sources. Highest ∑26PFAS concentrations were detected in surface water (13 000 ng L-1) and groundwater (6400 ng L-1). The dominating fraction of PFASs in surface water were perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs; 64% of ∑26PFASs), with high contributions from C4-C8 PFCAs (94% of ∑PFCAs), indicating high mobility of shorter chain PFCAs. In inland surface water, the annual average (AA)-EQS of the EU Water Framework Directive of 0.65 ng L-1 for ∑PFOS (linear and branched isomers) was exceeded in 46% of the samples. The drinking water guideline value of 90 ng L-1 for ∑11PFASs recommended by the Swedish EPA was exceeded in 3% of the water samples from drinking water sources ( n = 169). The branched isomers had a noticeable fraction in surface- and groundwater for perfluorooctanesulfonamide, perfluorohexanesulfonate, and perfluorooctanesulfonate, highlighting the need to include branched isomers in future guidelines.

The Swedish Legal System and Possible Implications of the Belgian Rulings - Reformatory Procedure in Swedish Land and Environment Courts

The paper intends to give a short overview of how the Swedish system of land and environment courts is organised and of the procedure in their administrative cases, with specific attention paid to cases on appealed decisions from authorities. In these cases, the land and environment courts act as traditional Swedish administrative courts and follow a tradition whereby the court, in principle, has the same powers to solve the case as the first deciding authority. Acting in administrative cases the courts have an active role and a flexible remedial toolbox, which may be used when solving environmental disputes: the ex officio principle and the reformatory procedure. This system obliges the court to thoroughly examine the case at hand by its own initiative and also enables the judge to not only fully review an administrative decision, but also change its content. In other cases, the land and environment courts play the role of a civil court (e.g. disputes on compensation for environmental damage and expropriation) or partly as an authority (application for permit to larger industries or water operations). One conclusion regarding administrative cases is that an “administrative loop” i.e. a procedure whereby a court, in a still open case, refers an issue back to the administrative authority which issued the challenged decision, in order to amend a procedural error, is not possible in Sweden. Due to the wide powers, as described above, of the Swedish courts to annul or amend an administrative decision, such a possibility would on the other hand not serve any substantial purpose and not enhance the efficiency of judicial or administrative procedures.

Transmission ecology of taeniid larval cestodes in rodents in Sweden, a low endemic area for Echinococcus multilocularis.

Although local prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis may be high, this zoonotic parasite has an overall low prevalence in foxes and rodents in Sweden. To better understand opportunities for E. multilocularis transmission in the Swedish environment, the aim of this study was to investigate other taeniid cestodes and to relate observed patterns to E. multilocularis. Cestode parasites were examined in fox feces and rodents caught in different habitats from four regions of Sweden. Arvicola amphibius and Microtus agrestis were parasitized with Versteria mustelae, Hydatigera taeniaeformis s. l., and E. multilocularis, whereas Myodes glareolus and Apodemus spp. were parasitized with V. mustelae, Taenia polyacantha, H. taeniaeformis s.l., and Mesocestoides spp. Rodents caught in field habitat (Ar. amphibius, Mi. agrestis) were more likely (OR 10, 95% CI 5-19) to be parasitized than rodents caught in forest habitat (My. glareolus, Apodemus spp.). The parasite preference for each rodent species was present regardless of the type of background contamination from fox feces. These results further support the importance of both ecological barriers and individual species susceptibility in parasite transmission, and indicate that future monitoring for E. multilocularis in the Swedish environment should focus in field habitats where Mi. agrestis and Ar. amphibius are abundant.

First identification of Echinococcus multilocularis in rodent intermediate hosts in Sweden

Echinococcus multilocularis is a zoonotic tapeworm with a sylvatic lifecycle and an expanding range in Europe. Monitoring efforts following its first identification in 2011 in Sweden have focused on the parasite's definitive host, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). However, identifying rodent intermediate hosts is important to recognize opportunities for parasite transmission. During 2013–2015, livers from a total of 1566 rodents from four regions in Sweden were examined for E. multilocularis metacestode lesions. Species identity of suspect parasite lesions was confirmed by PCR and sequencing. E. multilocularis positive lesions >6 mm in diameter were also examined histologically. One Microtus agrestis out of 187 (0.5%, 95%CI: 0–2.9%), 8/439 (1.8%, 95%CI: 0.8–3.6%) Arvicola amphibius, 0/655 (0%, 95%CI: 0–0.6%) Myodes glareolus, and 0/285 (0%, 95%CI: 0–1.3%) Apodemus spp. contained E. multilocularis metacestode lesions. Presence of protoscoleces was confirmed in the infected M. agrestis and in three of eight infected A. amphibius. Six of the nine positive rodents were captured from the same field. This is the first report of E. multilocularis in intermediate hosts in Sweden. The cluster of positive rodents in one field shows that local parasite prevalence can be high in Sweden despite overall low national prevalence in foxes (<0.1%). The presence of protoscoleces in infected M. agrestis and A. amphibius indicate these species can serve as competent intermediate hosts in Sweden. However, their relative importance for E. multilocularis transmission in the Swedish environment is not yet possible to assess. In contrast, the negative findings in all M. glareolus and Apodemus spp. suggest that these species are of no importance.