Search results for " environmental risk"
showing 9 items of 9 documents
Geomorphology of the urban area of Palermo (Italy)
2020
The results of a geomorphological study carried out in the urban area of Palermo are summarized in a thematic map. Field survey, analysis of aerial photographs and topographic maps, consultation of historical documents and maps, stratigraphic and topographic reconstruction from numerous wells and subsoil data, and bibliographic search were performed, in order to display the geomorphological changes produced by man over time in a densely populated area and to define the Anthropocene of the study area. Palermo town rises along large marine terrace surfaces cut by small river valleys and bordered by wide degraded and abandoned coastal cliffs. Over the last 2700 years, this area was affected by…
Response to Kruse-Plass et al. (2017) regarding the risk to non-target lepidopteran larvae exposed to pollen from one or more of three Bt maize event…
2017
We respond to the paper of Kruse-Plass et al. (Environ Sci Eur 29:12, 2017), published in this journal, regarding the risk to non-target lepidopteran larvae exposed to pollen from one or more of three Bt maize events (MON810, Bt11 and 1507). We emphasise that what is important for environmental risk assessment is not the number of pollen grains per se, but the degree of exposure of a NT lepidopteran larva to Bt protein contained in maize pollen. The main text of this response deals with general issues which Kruse-Plass et al. have failed to understand; more detailed refutations of each of their claims are given in Additional file 1. Valid environmental risk assessment requires direct measur…
Preliminary report of a multicentric study on environmental risk factors in Ta-T1 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder
2006
<i>Objective:</i> The distribution of potential environmental risk factors among patients affected by superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCB) has been analyzed. <i>Methods:</i> Patients affected by superficial TCCB underwent TUR and early intravesical chemotherapy. Detailed data about age, sex, residence, employment, active and passive cigarette smoking, water resource and hair dye use were centralized. Analysis has been conducted on 474 patients affected by Ta-T1 G1-2 TCCB at medium risk for recurrence. Patients with primary single Ta G1-2, Tis or T1G3 tumors were excluded from the present analysis. <i>Results:</i> Over 80% of the p…
Pesticides: Chemical and Biological.
2013
There is a requirement by World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other International Organizations to develop environmentally sustainable systems for controlling pests that are less reliant on chemical pesticides as the primary management tool. However biological control alone cannot at the moment solve all pest problems and must be considered instrument to be used in combination with other methods. Compatibility of chemical pesticides (CP) and biological pesticides (BP) is one of the key for the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Testing the compatibility of CP and BP is necessary if these two agents are to be applied together…
Effects of air pollution particles (ultrafine and fine particulate matter) on mitochondrial function and oxidative stress – Implications for cardiova…
2020
Environmental pollution is a major cause of global mortality and burden of disease. All chemical pollution forms together may be responsible for up to 12 million annual excess deaths as estimated by the Lancet Commission on pollution and health as well as the World Health Organization. Ambient air pollution by particulate matter (PM) and ozone was found to be associated with an all-cause mortality rate of up to 9 million in the year 2015, with the majority being of cerebro- and cardiovascular nature (e.g. stroke and ischemic heart disease). Recent evidence suggests that exposure to airborne particles and gases contributes to and accelerates neurodegenerative diseases. Especially, airborne t…
Treated Incidence of Psychotic Disorders in the Multinational EU-GEI Study
2018
Importance: Psychotic disorders contribute significantly to the global disease burden, yet the latest international incidence study of psychotic disorders was conducted in the 1980s. Objectives: To estimate the incidence of psychotic disorders using comparable methods across 17 catchment areas in 6 countries and to examine the variance between catchment areas by putative environmental risk factors. Design, Setting, and Participants: An international multisite incidence study (the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions) was conducted from May 1, 2010, to April 1, 2015, among 2774 individuals from England (2 catchment areas), France (3 catch…
Environmental hazard and water quality: the River Platani basin
2007
The River Platani, situated in the western side of Sicily, is one of the greatest rivers of the island. It runs for about 103 Km and the basin extends to about 1,784.9 Km. It rises near Santo Stefano Quisquina (Ag); the river flows to Capo Bianco (Ag) ends in the Mediterranean Sea. The morphology of the basin is predominantly characterized by rises of modest entities with slopes sweet or calanques. In the containing gypsum and carbonatic stony heaps are diffused the karst phenomena. In the Platani basin some mines are located of rock salt and potassium salts; today the mines are closed after a long activity and they interact with the geomorphology of the territory and on the water quality o…
Landscape management and economic evaluation of the ecosystem services of the vineyards
2021
<abstract> <p>The contribution aims to highlight the relationship between the business economy applied to viticulture and the ecosystem. The concepts of ecosystem services and viticultural biodiversity are seen in order to provide a new perspective for the development of a more sustainable business management. The work contributes to enriching the economic literature by introducing the relationship between ecosystem and business. The new perspective helps to place the company within the wider ecological-social system, favoring a more consistent interpretation of the relationship of exchange (impact and dependence) of resources with nature. The work proposes a methodology for cal…
A mathematical approach to model diffusion properties of sedimentary rocks relevant to Sicily cultural heritage
2007
Cultural heritage vestiges represent complex physical systems, able to interact with the environment through continuous exchanges of heat and fluids (water, air). In this wide context, particular relevance is assumed by transport phenomena and diffusion of pollutant, vehiculated inside the considered structure by water itself. Interaction mechanisms can be considered at various observation scales, depending on the material provenance and on its geometry and location. Involved materials are commonly constituted by porous rocks - more or less altered - belonging to geological sedimentary formations, as limestone, calcarenite and travertine. Their appreciable porosity affects significantly liq…