Terms Of Environmental Risks Research Articles

EVSEL ATIKLARIN DERİN ÖĞRENME TEKNİKLERİ İLE AYRIŞTIRILMASI

Thanks to the rapid development of deep learning technology, smart systems used in almost every part of our daily life are being developed. Developed applications not only made our lives easier, but also contributed positively to nature. Traditional waste separation methods fall short in terms of efficiency and accuracy. In addition to its high cost, it can also cause problems in terms of environmental risks. In recent years, artificial intelligence, machine learning and the deep learning techniques it brings have become a popular method for solving complex problems such as organic, household and packaging waste sorting. In this study, the problem of separation of domestic wastes, which is of great importance in terms of both human and living life and the protection of nature, is discussed. In the artificial intelligence cluster; Classification performances were compared by using popular conventional neural network (CNN) based ResNet-50, DenseNet-121, Inception-V3, VGG16 architectures to detect and sort household waste with deep learning, a sub-branch of machine learning.

Evidence for Specific Receptor-Mediated Toxicity of Pharmaceuticals in Aquatic Organisms Derived from Acute and Chronic Standard Endpoints.

The toxicity of 17 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) was investigated using standardized acute and chronic tests with Daphnia magna and 2 algae species. Chronic toxicity was generally greater for Daphnia than for algae. Compilation of additional data resulted in 100 APIs for which the acute-to-chronic ratio (ACR) was determined for Daphnia. The frequency of high ACRs (~20% with ACRs > 100) indicates that specific receptor-mediated toxicity toward D. magna is rather common among APIs. The 11 APIs with ACRs > 1000 included lipid-modifying agents, immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antineoplastics, antiobesics, antivirals, and antihistamines. There was no consistent association between ACR and chronic toxicity, ionization status, or lipophilicity. High ACRs were not exclusively associated with the presence of orthologs of the pharmacological target in Daphnia. Statins, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and antihistamines are discussed in more detail regarding the link between targets and toxic mode of action. For acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, receptor-mediated toxicity was already apparent after acute exposure, whereas the high ACR and chronic toxicity of some antihistamines probably related to interaction with a secondary rather than the primary pharmacological target. Acute or modeled chronic toxicity estimates have often been used for prioritizing pharmaceuticals. This may be seriously misleading because chronic effects are currently not predictable for APIs with specific receptor-mediated toxicity. However, it is exactly these APIs that are the most relevant in terms of environmental risks. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:601-613. © 2021 SETAC.

How Many Wells? Exploring the Scope of Shale Gas Production for Achieving Gas Self-Sufficiency in Poland

Poland has been estimated to possess large volumes of technically recoverable shale gas resources, which has raised national hopes for increasing energy security and building export capacity. In this paper, we aim to examine political claims and hopes that Poland could achieve natural gas self-sufficiency and even become a gas exporter by harnessing domestic shale potential. We do so by relying on well-by-well production experience from the Barnett Shale in the USA to explore what scope of shale gas extraction, in terms of the number of wells, would likely be required to achieve such national expectations. With average well productivity equal to the Barnett Shale, at least 420 wells per year would be necessary to meet the domestic demand of 20 Bcm in 2030. Adding Poland’s potential export capacity of five Bcm of gas per year would necessitate at least 540 wells per year. Such a significant amount of drilling and hydraulic fracturing would require reconsideration and verification of national energy security plans and expectations surrounding shale gas production. A more informed public debate on technical aspects of extraction would be required, as extensive fracking operations could potentially have implications in terms of environmental risks and local land-use conflicts.

Recycling and immobilization of zinc extraction residue in clay-based brick manufacturing

This study is related to the evaluation of zinc extraction residue, which is released in large quantities in the zinc metal production process and threatens environmental health, as an alternative raw material in the manufacturing of clay-based bricks. Bricks containing zinc extraction residue (5%–40%) were prepared and sintered at 900 °C, 1000 °C and 1100 °C. Fired brick specimens were characterized in terms of environmental risk, physical and mechanical properties. Sintered bricks at 1100 °C exhibited the different behaviors than others due to the vitrification phenomenon. Compared to the sintering temperatures, the compressive strength (39.22 MPa) and bulk density (2.31 g/cm3) of samples with 40% ZER at 1100 °C were higher than specimens at 900 °C and 1000 °C, while the porosity (3.1%) and water absorption (1.3%) values were lower. The solubility values of all metals, except for Pb, for all fired bricks with ZER at 900 °C, 1000 °C and 1100 °C are below the limit values according to TCLP standard. However, Pb could only be immobilized (<5 ppm) in ceramic body at 1100 °C for all additive rates. Pb release is within acceptable limits up to 10% (3.528 ppm) and 30% (4.989 ppm) ZER addition at 900 °C and 1000 °C, respectively. Experimental findings demonstrate that reuse of zinc extraction residue in the brick and ceramic manufacturing contributes to the improvement of product properties and immobilization of heavy metals.

Risk-based prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the natural environment in Iraq

Numerous studies have demonstrated the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the natural environment, raising concerns about their impact on non-target organisms or human health. One region where little is known about the exposure and effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment is Iraq. Due to the high number of pharmaceuticals used by the public health sector in Iraq (hospitals and care centres) and distributed over the counter, there is a need for a systematic approach for identifying substances that should be monitored in the environment in Iraq and assessed in terms of environmental risk. In this study, a risk-based prioritization approach was applied to 99 of the most dispensed pharmaceuticals in three Iraqi cities, Baghdad, Mosul and Basrah. Initially, information on the amounts of pharmaceuticals used in Iraq was obtained. The top used medicines were found to be paracetamol, amoxicillin and metformin with total annual consumption exceeding 1000 tonnes per year. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) and predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs), derived from ecotoxicological end-points and effects related to the therapeutic mode of action, were then used to rank the pharmaceuticals in terms of risks to different environmental compartments. Active pharmaceutical ingredients used as antibiotics, antidepressants and analgesics were identified as the highest priority in surface water, sediment and the terrestrial environment. Antibiotics were also prioritized according to their susceptibility to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria or to accelerate the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant genes in water. Future work will focus on understanding the occurrence, fate and effects of some of highly prioritized substances in the environment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6679-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Analysis of Socio-cultural Elements Influencing Villagers’ Orientation towards Sustainable Farming (Case Study: Villages of Babolsar County)

Extended Abstract 1. INTRODUCTION Agriculture sector takes up a huge share in the economy of developing countries and, considering the extent of activities in this sector, not only are its economic and environmental aspects considered in global policy making, but its social and cultural aspects are as important as the other ones. Simultaneous attention to all three mentioned factors is usually considered as sustainable development. Whereas the majority of extant studies have focused on the first two factors, the present research has emphasized the third aspect, that is the social one. The two major issues dealt with in this paper are as follows: A. understanding the degree of villagers’ orientation towards sustainable farming and B. identifying the socio-cultural factors influencing this orientation. 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Experts in social sciences are of the opinion that human behavior is based on attitudes and values. Initial alternation of attitudes and values is a prerequisite for any change in sustainable behavior. Social, psychological studies of the environment through assessing the link between the attitude and the environmental behavior reveal that attitudes play a role in having a responsible environmental behavior. It is usually said that people’s values are intertwined with environmental attitudes and behavior. Values constitute major goals or criteria in people’s lives and, for them, function as a reference point and a guide. In addition, social trust is one of the preconditions for participating in environmental plans and policies. Social trust makes the awareness of environmental problems and realization of environmental and scientific issues possible. Trust makes people act without any fear of the consequences and accept the policies for risk-taking or support them. Channels of reliable information, too, play an important role in responsible environmental behavior. Government organizations, media and experts provide the necessary environmental information, targeting various audiences. 3. METHODOLOGY Scaling was adopted as the research method. The data was gathered using a self-designed questionnaire. Research population constituted of 7861 of the villagers living in Babolsar county (located in Mazandaran province), among whom 140 villagers were chosen using multistage cluster sampling. Questionnaire’s face validity was determined through the opinions presented by faculty members of Sari Agricultural Science and Natural Resources University and the reliability of the questionnaire was determined to be more than 0.65. Farmers’ gravitation towards sustainable farming was the dependent variable and, in line with the theoretical framework, environmental attitude, environmental values, trust and information sources were chosen as independent variables. 4. DISCUSSION The findings of the study revealed that villagers have a positive and relatively high orientation towards sustainable farming. Evaluation of environmental attitude and villager’s adherence to environmental values was satisfactory, too. The level of social trust and utilization of information sources was moderate among villagers. Among the factors under study, villagers’ income, surface is of agricultural land, age and education had no relationship with their orientation towards sustainable farming. On the contrary, among the social factors social trust and among the cultural factors environmental values were influential in sustainable farming attitudes. 5. CONCLUSION The present study investigated the orientation of villagers of Babolsar County in terms of adhering to sustainability standards in farming, with emphasis on cultural and social factors. According to the findings, through bolstering social trust in rural communities, coordination in actions should be improved and individual capacities in attaining the objectives should be considered. Supporting villagers financially, through institutions operating in the agriculture domain, incorporating villagers’ views and opinions in the renovation of planting and harvesting processes, reinforcing and managing education of local people in terms of environmental risks and pollutions along with changing habits contrary to sustainable development in villages will not materialize unless the way is paved for burgeoning the social trust.

Ranking prescribed pharmaceuticals in terms of environmental risk: Inclusion of hospital data and the importance of regular review.

A newly available dataset on pharmaceuticals used in Scottish hospitals enabled an environmental risk assessment that includes hospital consumption of pharmaceuticals, as previous United Kingdom rankings have been based on community prescriptions only. Although health and the environment are devolved issues for the Scottish government, it is merited to consider a Scottish ranking separately; regional differentiation is particularly relevant in the spatial context of the European Commission's Water Framework Directive. Nine pharmaceuticals are identified as having a risk quotient greater than 1. Four of these, the antibacterials piperacillin, tazobactam, flucloxacillin, and ciprofloxacin, had high hospital contributions and had not been highlighted previously in rankings based on community prescriptions. Some drugs with a risk quotient < 0.1 are used almost exclusively in hospitals and could be more concentrated near effluents carrying hospital wastewater, where they may be of local concern. Although treating hospital effluents separately is a policy option, specifically including hospital consumption is important. Continually increasing the availability of ecotoxicological data and trends in consumption further contributes to a substantially different prioritization than in previous rankings. This leads the authors to conclude that regular review of risk is necessary.

Efficiency of organic and mineral based amendments to reduce metal[loid]mobility and uptake (Lolium perenne) from a pyrite-waste contaminated soil

High concentrations of heavy metal[loid]s in soils, spoils, vegetation and waters in the proximity of former metalliferous mining areas may pose a risk to the environment if dispersed. Several amendments were compared for their abilities to reduce the phyto-toxicity of a contaminated mine spoil (≤10,000mgkg−1 As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn). Iron and phosphorus based amendments or compost were mixed into mine soil [spoil] and ryegrass was germinated on the mixtures in a 90-day pot trial. Metal[loid] concentrations in pore waters and ryegrass tissues were measured to compare the effects of each amendment on 1) metal[loid]s in solution, 2) their uptake to plant tissue and 3) plant biomass production. The data were evaluated in terms of environmental risk and practical application to mine site remediation.Iron based amendments significantly reduced As, Cd and Cu concentrations in pore water >2 fold compared to the untreated mine spoil. Compost and Fe(II)+CaCO3 resulted in the lowest concentrations of metal[loid]s in ryegrass tissue and a significant increase in biomass, matching that achieved in a control, non-contaminated soil. Phosphorus based amendments generally had no significant impact on, or increased metal[loid]s in pore water whilst also failing to improve ryegrass biomass yields significantly, suggesting that factors other than nutrient deficiency, for example phyto-toxicity, hindered vegetation growth. Given that compost induced the particularly displeasing effect of considerable solubilisation of As (>300μgl−1 in pore water) when added to the mine soil [spoil], Fe based amendments can be adjudged as the most suitable to deploy for the remediation of metal[loid] affected areas at this mine site. This is especially the case for Fe(II)+CaCO3 due to its more favourable effects on pH and ryegrass yield than Fe oxide alone.

Risk in Daily Newspaper Coverage of Red Tide Blooms in Southwest Florida

This study investigated newspaper coverage of Florida red tide blooms in four metropolitan areas of Southwest Florida during a 25-year period, 1987–2012. We focused on how journalists framed red tide stories with respect to environmental risk, health risk, and economic risk. We determined risk to be a key factor in this news coverage, being an aspect of coverage of red tide itself in terms of environmental risk, tourism risk, and public health risk. The study found that red tide news coverage is most often framed as an environmental story.

The Last Chance to Save the Planet? An Analysis of the Geoengineering Advocacy Discourse in the Public Debate

Abstract Geoengineering, i.e., the deliberate manipulation of the global climate using grand-scale technologies, poses new challenges in terms of environmental risks and human–nature relationships. Until recently, these technologies were considered science fiction, but they are now being reconsidered by researchers, leading to an emerging public debate. Our aim is to improve our understanding of the public discourse on geoengineering in mass media. We analyze 1500 articles published from 2005 to 2013, constructing four coherent storylines that represent most of the geoengineering advocacy in the public discourse in mass media. We scrutinize inconsistencies in this discourse and argue that geoengineering may be the first example of a grand-scale technology that in some important respects has clear postmodern tendencies: geoengineering advocacy, for example, is not based on objective truth claims of the natural sciences and does not promise a better world.

Market-oriented cattle traceability in the Brazilian Legal Amazon

The purpose of this paper is to note the importance of market orientation in agribusiness and to describe the relevance of market-oriented traceability in the export of beef from the Brazilian Legal Amazon, one of the most scrutinised areas of the world in terms of environmental risks. The study is of a descriptive nature and it uses bibliographic references and secondary data to discuss bovine traceability in the context of deforestation of the Brazilian Legal Amazon and its consequences for international beef trade. Analysed data include those related to the Amazon Region and the following aspects are considered: deforestation dynamics, consumer demands, the volume of exported meat and traceability as a prerequisite for meat export based on the market orientation theory. The results indicated that, according to market orientation, beef certification is a prerequisite for meat produced in the Brazilian Amazon Region for maintaining and expanding a sustainable share of the international markets without the burden of presumptive deforestation. The findings markedly affect primary beef production in the region analysed and the local production systems are forced to adapt to the demands of consumers who are anxious to be assured that the environmental footprint of livestock produced is mitigated worldwide, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon. Concerns regarding the environmental impact of animal production are crucial in the promotion of sustainability of agriculture production, furthermore the major drivers of sustainability in agriculture are the demands of the food market.

Environmental risk assessment on aquatic-terrestrial gradients in a freshwater tidal area

Environmental risk assessments are generally performed for either terrestrial or aquatic systems, while these systems sometimes exist in close proximity. The objective of this study is to compare environmental risks along gradients from aquatic to terrestrial conditions. The assessment involved chemical analysis (including bioavailable fractions), as well as bioassays and bioaccumulation experiments using aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The results demonstrate that sediments and soils from neighbouring aquatic and terrestrial systems may render different assessments in terms of environmental risks. Metal availability for oligochaetes appeared to be limited in the aquatic environment as compared to the terrestrial environment, while the reverse was observed for organic contaminants. This paper aims to illustrate the use of various assessment techniques within a framework to compare ecological risks in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The obtained results are useful when considering (a prioritisation of) remedial actions.

Liquid polymers as solvents for catalytic reductions

Nonvolatile solvents eliminate the health and environmental risks associated with volatile solvent use, but may pose their own risks and separation problems. Several liquid polymers are compared in terms of environmental risk, solvent polarity, and performance as solvents for homogeneously-catalyzed and whole-cell-catalyzed reductions. Asymmetric catalyst use and recycling was demonstrated using a combination of liquid polymer and supercritical CO2. A polymeric solvent was also found to protect air-sensitive catalysts from inactivation due to exposure to air.

Glutaraldehyde in hospital wastewater.

Glutaraldehyde (GA) solutions are widely used in hospitals to disinfect reusable fiber-optic endoscopes. These solutions are dumped after use in the aquatic environment without any particular safety precautions. Taking into account the quantity of GA consumed daily and the released water volume, the predicted hospital wastewater concentration was estimated at 0.50 mg/L. To measure the real GA concentration present in hospital wastewater, we developed an analytical technique that is simple, sensitive, and reliable. This method consists of a water sample concentration and purification by solid phase extraction and then a spectrophotometric determination. This analytical method was used for a 1-week surveillance program at Rouen University Hospital (2,600 beds). The wastewater tested showed the presence of a concentrated peak approximately eight times higher than the predicted wastewater concentration. The environmental impact of GA release into the aquatic environment was then studied. A predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) < 1 microg/L was calculated. In most situations the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) was found to be <0.5 microg/L taking into account the hospital wastewater dilution in its way to the sewage treatment plant and GA biodegradation. The PEC/PNEC ratio is then < 1, showing that this release are not expected to present a significant risk to the aquatic environment. However in situations of insufficient dilution or of major release, the PEC/PNEC ratio become > 1, and an environmental risk should be expected. An internal prevention program of the various hospital departments to assure GA rational use, and a release spreading would give an additional safety margin to consider GA as safe in terms of environmental risk.

NEW ASSOCIATIONS IN BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: THEORY AND PRACTICE

AbstractThe new association approach for selecting biological control agents has been reanalyzed in the light of recent data. The results support the conclusion that the new association approach is ecologically and statistically sound. One of the major advantages of this approach is its capacity to control native pests, which make up 60–80% of all pests. The specificity of biocontrol agents newly associated with the target hosts is similar to other biocontrol agents. In addition, the new association approach is as safe as the old association approach in terms of environmental risks. Recent trials in the use of new associations have been most encouraging, and suggest that this approach should contribute to the future success of biological pest control worldwide.