Search results for " Pollution"
showing 10 items of 1010 documents
Social factors associated with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure during pregnancy: The INMA-Valencia project in Spain
2011
Numerous studies have focused on the effects of exposure to air pollution on health: however, certain subsets of the population tend to be more exposed to such pollutants depending on their social or demographic characteristics. In addition, exposure to toxicants during pregnancy may play a deleterious role in fetal development as fetuses are especially vulnerable to external insults. The present study was carried out within the framework of the INMA (Infancia y Medio Ambiente or Childhood and the Environment) multicenter cohort study with the objective of identifying the social, demographic, and lifestyle factors associated with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure in the subjects in the cohort…
Preterm birth and exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy.
2010
Background Research has shown that prenatal exposure to air pollutants may have a detrimental effect on fetal development with the strength of the relationship depending on the effect being studied The evidence to date however is insufficient to establish a direct causal link between such exposure and preterm delivery This study evaluates the specific effect of prenatal exposure to NO2 and benzene on preterm births Methods The population under study comprised 785 pregnant women who formed part of the INMA cohort in Valencia Spain (2003-2005) Multiple regression models were used for mapping outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene levels throughout the area Individual exposure was assigned…
Airborne bio-aerosols and noise in a dry waste treatment plant in Pietarsaari, Finland
2001
Ewapower Ltd in Pietarsaari, Finland produces pellets from paper and plastic waste for burning. During 1998 and 1999, several measurements were made to determine the dust, particle, microbe and endotoxin concentrations, and also the noise level in the hall where the waste is received and pre-crushed. The noise level exceeded the Finnish recommended level of 85 dBA. The dust and the particle concentrations were low, but the microbe concentrations, especially in the summer and in the autumn, were at a level which may be harmful to health. The total concentration of microbes (both dead and alive) was high - approximately 4.8 million particles m-3. The concentrations of endotoxins was high in …
A Comparative Analysis of Aerosol Microphysical, Optical and Radiative Properties during the Spring Festival Holiday over Beijing and Surrounding Reg…
2018
ABSTRACT Using ground-based data, meteorological observations, and atmospheric environmental monitoring data, a comparative analysis of the microphysical and optical properties, and radiative forcing of aerosols was conducted between three stations in different developed environments during a severe air pollution episode during the Spring Festival over Beijing. During the most polluted period, the daily peak values of the aerosol optical depth were ~1.62, ~1.73, and ~0.74, which were about 2.6, 2.9, and 2.1 times higher than the background levels at the CAMS, Xianghe, and Shangdianzi sites, respectively. The daily peak values of the single scattering albedo were ~0.95, ~0.96, and ~0.87. The…
Reply to Castellano and David: Long-term fate of nitrate fertilizer and nitrate from agricultural catchments
2014
We thank Castellano and David for their insightful comments (1) on our paper (2), in which they point out that short-term changes in land use and agricultural management can lead to rapid reductions in nitrate leaching from agricultural systems. We fully agree with Castellano and David that in diversified cropping systems, this N distribution may be different, potentially resulting in reduced nitrate leaching.
International Legal Approaches to Waste Water Discharges
2002
Este capítulo se dedica al estudio de los distintos enfoques jurídicos seguidos en el Derecho Internacional del Medio Ambiente sobre las descargas de aguas residuales. Comienza analizando los enfoques jurídicos fragmentarios iniciales sobre las descargas de aguas residuales, principalmente en la Antártida y el Océano Austral, en algunos mares regionales (especialmente, el Mediterráneo) y el caso particular de las descargas de basuras procedentes de buques. No obstante, dedico la parte principal de este capítulo al enfoque global que sobre esta cuestión clave de la contaminación marina se inició en 1995, así como a su aplicación jurídica global, regional y nacional. This chapter is devoted t…
[Legionella spp. contamination in indoor air: preliminary results of an Italian multicenter study].
2014
Obiettivo. Rilevare la presenza di Legionella spp. nell’aria attraverso un protocollo standardizzato, a fianco dei tradizionali metodi impiegati per la rete idrica. Disegno. In dieci strutture sanitarie è stato selezionato un bagno, la cui acqua presentava una contaminazione da Legionella >1.000 unità formanti colonie (ufc)/litro. La contaminazione dell’aria è stata valutata tramite campionamento attivo (Surface Air System, SAS) e passivo, impiegando piastre di sedimentazione per la valutazione dell’Indice Microbico Aria (Index of Microbial Air, IMA). I campionamenti sono stati effettuati per 8 ore consecutive, a circa 1 m dal pavimento e a 50 cm dal rubinetto. Con il campionamento attivo, …
Sampling and analysis of pesticides in ambient air.
2008
Developments in the sampling and determination of pesticides in ambient air have been discussed and data on the occurrence of pesticides in atmosphere have been presented. Developments in active sampling methods were reviewed and the different materials used for trapping pesticides from gas and particulate phases were discussed. Likewise, the use and developments of passive air samplers were reviewed. This article pays special attention to the analysis of pesticides trapped from ambient air, and recapitulate the procedures for extraction, clean-up and determination of these substances. Improvements in sampling procedures, analytical methods and monitoring activities are necessary to advance…
Energy efficiency in Spanish wastewater treatment plants: a non-radial DEA approach.
2011
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are energy-intensive facilities. Thus, reducing their carbon footprint is particularly important, both economically and environmentally. Knowing the real operating energy efficiency of WWTPs is the starting point for any energy-saving initiative. In this article, we applied a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to calculate energy efficiency indices for sampling of WWTPs located in Spain. In a second stage analysis, we examined the operating variables contributing to differences in energy efficiency among plants. It is verified that energy efficiencies of the analyzed WWTPs were quite low, with only 10% of them being efficient. We found…