Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with lower lung function. Few studies have examined whether these associations are detectable at relatively low levels of pollution ...within current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.
To examine exposure to ambient air pollutants within EPA standards and lung function in a large cohort study.
We included 3,262 participants of the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts living within 40 km of the Harvard Supersite monitor in Boston, Massachusetts (5,358 examinations, 1995-2011) who were not current smokers, with previous-day pollutant levels in compliance with EPA standards. We compared lung function (FEV1 and FVC) after previous-day exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) in the "moderate" range of the EPA Air Quality Index to exposure in the "good" range. We also examined linear relationships between moving averages of pollutant concentrations 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days before spirometry and lung function.
Exposure to pollutant concentrations in the "moderate" range of the EPA Air Quality Index was associated with a 20.1-ml lower FEV1 for PM2.5 (95% confidence interval CI, -33.4, -6.9), a 30.6-ml lower FEV1 for NO2 (95% CI, -60.9, -0.2), and a 55.7-ml lower FEV1 for O3 (95% CI, -100.7, -10.8) compared with the "good" range. The 1- and 2-day moving averages of PM2.5, NO2, and O3 before testing were negatively associated with FEV1 and FVC.
Short-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 within current EPA standards was associated with lower lung function in this cohort of adults.
•Co2+-laddered-heterojunction solar photocatalyst synthesized by microwave synthesis.•Nanospheres of ∼20–40 nm core coated with ZnO shell in a controlled manner.•This heterojunction photocatalyst ...harvests full-solar-spectrum.•Scavenger-free photodegradation of dyes, pharmaceuticals and microplastics.•Reliable new generation solar-photocatalyst for degradation of hazardous pollutants.
Novel and versatile photocatalysts that can work under direct sunlight are in high demand especially for mitigating water contamination. Some of the burgeoning pollutants in water are textile dyes, organic molecules, pharmaceutical products etc. In view of their extensive use, polymer wastes such as microplastics in water bodies are a new cause of concern. Using direct sunlight for the degradation of such pollutants needs the development of solar photocatalysts. We report on a novel next-generation solar-photocatalyst, consisting laddered-heterojunction formed between Co2+- substituted zinc-ferrite core & zinc-oxide shell, to harvest full-solar-spectrum in scavenger-free photodegradation of dyes, pharmaceuticals and microplastics. Using in-house developed protocols and Microwave-assisted-solvothermal-technique (MAST), nanospheres of ∼20–40 nm were synthesized first followed by ZnO shell growth in a controlled manner (∼80–180 nm) to obtain the core-shell photocatalyst nanospheres using another microwave approach. The absorption of the photocatalyst could be extended upto 852 nm by judiciously doping with Co2+- enabling the utilization of UV–Vis-NIR region of sunlight. As evident from the valence band spectra, the Co2+ substitution introduced free electrons in the conduction band of ZnFe2O4 that resulted in the formation of laddered type-1 heterojunction. With the optimized Co2+content and ZnO-shell thickness, solar-photocatalytic degradation of Methyl-Orange enhanced 6-&12-times respectively. Complete degradation of antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin (CF), Norfloxacin (NF), and Ofloxacin (OF) under direct sunlight was achieved within an hour. This unusual enhanced activity was attributed to the inclusion of Co2+, conducive band positions leading to higher absorption and reduced recombination. We also showed the degradation of polypropylene microfibers used in face masks to combat the COVID-19 outbreak could also be degraded., indicating their potential to combat microplastic pollution. Our novel photocatalyst holds promise for sunlight-assisted degradation of a wide range of hazardous pollutants.
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A significant challenge in toxicology is the ‘too many chemicals’ problem. Human beings and environmental species are exposed to tens of thousands of chemicals, only a small percentage of which have ...been tested thoroughly using standard in vivo test methods. This study reviews several approaches that are being developed to deal with this problem by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the umbrella of the ToxCast programme (http://epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/). The overall approach is broken into seven tasks: (i) identifying biological pathways that, when perturbed, can lead to toxicity; (ii) developing high‐throughput in vitro assays to test chemical perturbations of these pathways; (iii) identifying the universe of chemicals with likely human or ecological exposure; (iv) testing as many of these chemicals as possible in the relevant in vitro assays; (v) developing hazard models that take the results of these tests and identify chemicals as being potential toxicants; (vi) generating toxicokinetics data on these chemicals to predict the doses at which these hazard pathways would be activated; and (vii) developing exposure models to identify chemicals for which these hazardous dose levels could be achieved. This overall strategy is described and briefly illustrated with recent examples from the ToxCast programme.
Ecological citizenship cannot be fully articulated in either liberal or civic republican terms. It is, rather, an example and an inflection of ‘post‐cosmopolitan’ citizenship. Ecological citizenship ...focuses on duties as well as rights, and its conception of political space is not the state or the municipality, or the ideal speech community of cosmopolitanism, but the ‘ecological footprint’.Ecological citizenship contrasts with fiscal incentives as a way of encouraging people to act more sustainably, in the belief that the former is more compatible with the long‐term and deeper shifts of attitude and behaviour that sustainability requires. This book offers an original account of the relationship between liberalism and sustainability, arguing that the former's commitment to a plurality of conceptions of the good entails a commitment to so‐called ‘strong’ forms of the latter.How to make an ecological citizen? The potential of formal high school citizenship education programmes is examined through a case study of the recent implementation of the compulsory citizenship curriculum in the UK.
What rational justification is there for conceiving of all living things as possessing inherent worth? InRespect for Nature, Paul Taylor draws on biology, moral philosophy, and environmental science ...to defend a biocentric environmental ethic in which all life has value. Without making claims for the moral rights of plants and animals, he offers a reasoned alternative to the prevailing anthropocentric view--that the natural environment and its wildlife are valued only as objects for human use or enjoyment.Respect for Natureprovides both a full account of the biological conditions for life--human or otherwise--and a comprehensive view of the complex relationship between human beings and the whole of nature.
This classic book remains a valuable resource for philosophers, biologists, and environmentalists alike--along with all those who care about the future of life on Earth. A new foreword by Dale Jamieson looks at how the original 1986 edition ofRespect for Naturehas shaped the study of environmental ethics, and shows why the work remains relevant to debates today.
We estimate methane emissions from U.S. local distribution natural gas (NG) pipes using data collected from an advanced mobile leak detection (AMLD) platform. We estimate that there are 630,000 leaks ...in U.S. distribution mains, resulting in methane emissions of 0.69 Tg/year (95% cr int: 0.25, 1.23). Total emissions are calculated as the product of activity factors and emissions factors. Our analysis leveraged data on >4000 leak indications found using AMLD, combined with utility pipeline GIS information, to allow us to estimate activity factors. We derive emissions factors from AMLD emission rate estimates and correct these emissions factors based on data from in-field studies assessing AMLD emissions estimates. Finally, we quantify uncertainty in both emissions factors and activity factors and propagate the uncertainty to our total emissions estimate. In modeling leak frequency, we find a clear interaction between pipeline material and age with the leakiness of all material types increasing with age. Our national methane emissions estimate is approximately 5× greater (95% cr int: 1.7×, 8.7×) than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current greenhouse gas inventory estimate for pipeline mains in local distribution systems due to both a larger estimated number of leaks and better characterization of the upper tail of the skewed distribution of emission rates.
Análisis de la Sentencia N°22-18-IN Nayelis Alejandra Villarreal Prado; Carmen Marina Méndez Cabrita; Santander Moreno, Jessica Johanna
Dilemas contemporáneos: educación, política y valores,
12/2023, Letnik:
XI, Številka:
Special
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Este análisis jurídico se centra en los derechos de la naturaleza en Ecuador y la tensión entre el desarrollo económico y la protección ambiental. El estudio examinó las contradicciones en las ...normativas ambientales, especialmente en el caso No. 22-18-IN/21, y abogó por una perspectiva ecológica holística en el sistema legal. Se empleó una metodología que combina enfoques cualitativos y cuantitativos, analizando detalladamente la sentencia N°22-18-IN/21 y otros documentos judiciales relevantes; se utilizaron encuestas semiestructuradas para evaluar el impacto de la sentencia en términos de protección ambiental, destacando la necesidad de un enfoque legal más integral y la importancia de equilibrar el desarrollo económico con la protección del medio ambiente en Ecuador.
Access to a wide range of plastic materials has been rationalized by the increased demand from growing populations and the development of high-throughput production systems. Plastic materials at low ...costs with reliable properties have been utilized in many everyday products. Multibillion-dollar companies are established around these plastic materials, and each polymer takes years to optimize, secure intellectual property, comply with the regulatory bodies such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals and the Environmental Protection Agency and develop consumer confidence. Therefore, developing a fully sustainable new plastic material with even a slightly different chemical structure is a costly and long process. Hence, the production of the common plastic materials with exactly the same chemical structures that does not require any new registration processes better reflects the reality of how to address the critical future of sustainable plastics. In this review, we have highlighted the very recent examples on the synthesis of common monomers using chemicals from sustainable feedstocks that can be used as a like-for-like substitute to prepare conventional petrochemical-free thermoplastics.
Concerns for arsenic exposure are not limited to toxic waste sites and massive poisoning events. Chronic exposure continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of ...millions of persons.
We reviewed recent information on worldwide concerns for arsenic exposures and public health to heighten awareness of the current scope of arsenic exposure and health outcomes and the importance of reducing exposure, particularly during pregnancy and early life.
We synthesized the large body of current research pertaining to arsenic exposure and health outcomes with an emphasis on recent publications.
Locations of high arsenic exposure via drinking water span from Bangladesh, Chile, and Taiwan to the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) in drinking water is 10 µg/L; however, concentrations of > 3,000 µg/L have been found in wells in the United States. In addition, exposure through diet is of growing concern. Knowledge of the scope of arsenic-associated health effects has broadened; arsenic leaves essentially no bodily system untouched. Arsenic is a known carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. Dermatological, developmental, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine effects are also evident. Most remarkably, early-life exposure may be related to increased risks for several types of cancer and other diseases during adulthood.
These data call for heightened awareness of arsenic-related pathologies in broader contexts than previously perceived. Testing foods and drinking water for arsenic, including individual private wells, should be a top priority to reduce exposure, particularly for pregnant women and children, given the potential for life-long effects of developmental exposure.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
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