scholarly journals Particulate matter collection by honey bees (Apis mellifera, L.) near to a cement factory in Italy

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Pellecchia ◽  
Ilaria Negri
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Cement Factory ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Cement Manufacturing

Industrial activities play a key role in the economic well-being of a country but they usually involve processes with a more or less profound environmental impact, including emission of pollutants. Among them, much attention has been given to airborne particulate matter (PM) whose exposure is ubiquitous and linked with several adverse health effects mainly due to its size and chemical composition. Therefore, there is a strong need to exploit monitoring systems for airborne PM able to provide accurate information on the potential health hazards and the specific emission sources for the implementation of adequate control strategies. The honey bee (Apis mellifera, L.) is widely used as an indicator of environmental pollution: this social hymenopteran strongly interacts with vegetables, air, soil, and water surrounding the hive and, as a consequence, pollutants from these sources are translated to the insect and to the hive products. During the wide-ranging foraging activity, the forager bee is known to collect samples of the main airborne PM pollutants emitted from different sources and therefore it can be used as an efficient PM sampler. In the present research, PM contaminating forager bees living nearby a cement factory and several kilometers away from it has been analysed and characterised morphologically, dimensionally and chemically through SEM/EDX. This provided detailed information on the role of both the cement manufacturing activities and the vehicular traffic as sources of airborne PM. This may indeed help the implementation of appropriate preventive and corrective actions that would effectively minimize the environmental spread of pollutant PM not only in areas close to the plant, but also in more distant areas.

A review on bromate occurrence and removal strategies in water supply

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Xie ◽  
C. Shang
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Carbon Adsorption ◽  
The Us ◽  
Current Maximum ◽  
Ammonia Addition ◽  
Removal Technologies

The need of disinfecting potable water to eliminate potential health risks associated with waterborne pathogens, however inevitably resulting in leaving elevated toxicity in water by forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) is being considered as one of the primary threats to human well-being. Bromate is a carcinogenic DBP mainly formed during ozonation of bromide-containing water. The current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of bromate in the US national primary drinking water standard is set at 10 μg/L. With continuous improvements in analytical instrumentation and removal technologies, a lower MCL for bromate is expected in the future. Current researches on bromate control strategies involve minimizing bromate formation (like ammonia addition) or removing bromate after formation (like carbon adsorption), however have their own limitations. Seeking for alternative bromate control strategies that can be used alone (or in combine with others) is of great value and in urgent need when water quality standards are getting more stringent. This paper reviews the occurrence of bromate in water supply and evaluates the effectiveness of bromate removal technologies applied, to advance our understanding of bromate fate and degradation in water supply system for future study.

scholarly journals Particulate matter and the airway epithelium: the special case of the underground?

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (153) ◽  
pp. 190066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn M. Cooper ◽  
Matthew Loxham
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelium ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Potential Health

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a leading driver of premature mortality and cardiopulmonary morbidity, associated with exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer. The airway epithelium, as the principal site of PM deposition, is critical to the effects of, and initial response to, PM. A key mechanism by which PM exerts its effects is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducing antioxidant and inflammatory responses in exposed epithelial cells. However, much of what is known about the effects of PM is based on research using particulates from urban air. PM from underground railways is compositionally highly distinct from urban PM, being rich in metals associated with wheel, rail and brake wear and electrical arcing and component wear, which endows underground PM with potent ROS-generating capacity. In addition, underground PM appears to be more inflammogenic than urban PM in epithelial cells, but there is a lack of research into effects on exposed individuals, especially those with underlying health conditions. This review summarises current knowledge about the effects of PM on the airway epithelium, how the effects of underground PM may be different to urban PM and the potential health consequences and mitigation strategies for commuters and workers in underground railways.

scholarly journals Honey Bees (Apis mellifera, L.) as Active Samplers of Airborne Particulate Matter

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e0132491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Negri ◽  
Christian Mavris ◽  
Gennaro Di Prisco ◽  
Emilio Caprio ◽  
Marco Pellecchia
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Airborne Particulate

scholarly journals Holzfeuerungen: eine bedeutende Quelle von Feinstaub in der Schweiz

2013 ◽  
Vol 164 (12) ◽  
pp. 420-427
Author(s):  
Urs Baltensperger ◽  
Emily Bruns ◽  
Josef Dommen ◽  
Imad El Haddad ◽  
Maarten F. Heringa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Wood Combustion ◽  
Gas Cleaning ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Exhaust Gas Cleaning ◽  
Secondary Aerosols ◽  
Small Wood ◽  
Wood Stoves

Wood combustion: a substantial source of airborne particulate matter in Switzerland Wood is a renewable energy source. Wood combustion for heating purposes therefore helps in reducing CO2 emissions. However, it often results in high emissions of particulate matter (PM) which includes both black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC). PM has adverse health effects and should therefore be minimized. This paper reports on the latest methods to quantify the contribution of wood combustion to PM load and gives values for PM, BC, and OC from wood combustion at a number of different sites in Switzerland. State of the art methods to characterize emissions are presented and examples are given. It is shown that a major fraction of the emissions stems from small wood stoves, where the emissions are especially high during the starting phase. In addition, these small furnaces emit large amounts of gases which are rapidly oxidized and form secondary aerosols in the atmosphere. Improvements in the emissions of small wood stoves can be achieved by an increased deployment of pellet ovens, by the development and application of new technology for exhaust gas cleaning, as well as through other ways of wood usage.

scholarly journals Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in airborne particulate matter

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-231
Author(s):  
Jasmina Rinkovec
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Platinum Group Metals ◽  
Airborne Particulate ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Reliable Determination ◽  
Global Nature ◽  
Determination Methods ◽  
The Common

AbstractMeasurable quantities of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, even in remote areas of the planet, evidence the global nature of pollution with these metals, mostly from catalytic converters of modern vehicles (other sources are jewellery production, chemical industry, and anticancer drugs). The amount of the platinum group metals (PGMs) emitted from automobile catalysts varies with the type, age, and condition of the engine and the catalyst, as well as the style of driving. Current literature suggests that the concentrations of these metals have increased considerably over the last twenty years, palladium concentrations in particular, as it has been proved more effective catalyst than platinum. However, whether and to what extent the emitted PGMs are toxic for people is still a controversy. The potential health risk from exposure to these elements is most likely for those living in urban environments with busy roads or along major highways. Because of the importance of PGMs and their trace levels in particulate matter, sensitive methods are required for reliable determination. This review discusses particular steps of analytical procedures for PGM quantification in airborne particulate matter and addresses the common preparation, detection, and determination methods.

scholarly journals Traffic Related Aerosol Exposure And Their Risk Assessment Of Associated Metals In Delhi, India

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kushwaha ◽  
Naba Hazarika ◽  
Arin Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
New Delhi ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
Aerosol Exposure ◽  
Inhalable Particulate Matter

A pilot study was carried out in New Delhi, India, to assess the level of traffic related aerosol exposure, individually and associated metals. These investigations also try to formulate their risk assessment using different modes of transport on a typical journey to work route and compared Bus, Auto-rickshaws and Bike (Two Wheelers) during the journey. The inhalable particulate matter monitored in winter period and also evaluated the potential health risk due to inhalation in the study. The exposure of Particulate matter was observed maximum in the Bike (502 ± 176.38 μgm-3) and minimum in the Auto-rickshaw (208.15 ± 61.38 μgm-3). In case of human exposure to metals (viz. Cu, Cd, Mn, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Fe, Zn), it was mostly exposed by Fe, Zn and Co and least exposed by Cd, Cr and Pb. Human health risk was estimated based on exposure and dosage response. The assessment of particulate-bound elements was calculated by assuming exposure of 6 h. The findings indicated that the exposure to particulate bound elements have relatively more adverse health effects. International Journal of Environment, Volume-2, Issue-1, Sep-Nov 2013, Pages 26-36 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v2i1.9205

scholarly journals Cardiopulmonary Health Effects of Airborne Particulate Matter: Correlating Animal Toxicology to Human Epidemiology

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 954-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent E. Pinkerton ◽  
Chao-Yin Chen ◽  
Savannah M. Mack ◽  
Priya Upadhyay ◽  
Ching-Wen Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Airborne Particulate Matter ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Airborne Particulate ◽  
Adverse Health Effects ◽  
The Past ◽  
Toxicological Studies

The effects of particulate matter (PM) on cardiopulmonary health have been studied extensively over the past three decades. Particulate matter is the primary criteria air pollutant most commonly associated with adverse health effects on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The mechanisms by which PM exerts its effects are thought to be due to a variety of factors which may include, but are not limited to, concentration, duration of exposure, and age of exposed persons. Adverse effects of PM are strongly driven by their physicochemical properties, sites of deposition, and interactions with cells of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The direct translocation of particles, as well as neural and local inflammatory events, are primary drivers for the observed cardiopulmonary health effects. In this review, toxicological studies in animals, and clinical and epidemiological studies in humans are examined to demonstrate the importance of using all three approaches to better define potential mechanisms driving health outcomes upon exposure to airborne PM of diverse physicochemical compositions.

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