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Consumer attitudes and perceptions on electronic waste: An assessment Texto completo
2015
Saritha, Vara | Sunil Kumar, KA | Srikanth Vuppala, NV
The electronics industry is one of fastest growing manufacturing industries in India. However, the increase in the sales of electronic goods and their rapid obsolescence has resulted in the large-scale generation of electronic waste, popularly known as e-waste. E-waste has become a matter of concern due to the presence of toxic and hazardous substances present in electronic goods which, if not properly managed, can have adverse effects on the environment and human health. In India, the e-waste market remains largely unorganized, with companies being neither registered nor authorized and typically operating on an informal basis. In many instances, e-waste is treated as municipal waste, because India does not have dedicated legislation for the management of e-waste. It is therefore necessary to review the public health risks and strategies in a bid to addressthis growing hazard. There is the strong need for adopting sustainability practices in order to tackle the growing threat of e-waste. In the present work, we attempt to identify the various sources and reasons for e-waste generation, in addition to understanding the perception of the public towards e-waste management. This study aims to induce an awareness of sustainability practices and sustainability issues in the management of E-waste, especially waste related to personal computers (PCs) and mobile phones. From the results of the study, we concluded that the majority (90%) of the public is ignorant about e-waste and its issues; hence, there is a strong requirement for spreading awareness about the growing hazard of E-waste.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance to monitor the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in developing countries with onsite sanitation facilities Texto completo
2022
Jakariya, Md | Ahmed, Firoz | Islam, Md Aminul | Al Marzan, Abdullah | Hasan, Mohammad Nayeem | Hossain, Maqsud | Ahmed, Tanvir | Hossain, Ahmed | Reza, Hasan Mahmud | Hossen, Foysal | Nahla, Turasa | Rahman, Mohammad Moshiur | Bahadur, Newaz Mohammed | Islam, Md Tahmidul | Didar-ul-Alam, Md | Mow, Nowrin | Jahan, Hasin | Barceló, Damià | Bibby, Kyle | Bhattacharya, Prosun
Wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance to monitor the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in developing countries with onsite sanitation facilities Texto completo
2022
Jakariya, Md | Ahmed, Firoz | Islam, Md Aminul | Al Marzan, Abdullah | Hasan, Mohammad Nayeem | Hossain, Maqsud | Ahmed, Tanvir | Hossain, Ahmed | Reza, Hasan Mahmud | Hossen, Foysal | Nahla, Turasa | Rahman, Mohammad Moshiur | Bahadur, Newaz Mohammed | Islam, Md Tahmidul | Didar-ul-Alam, Md | Mow, Nowrin | Jahan, Hasin | Barceló, Damià | Bibby, Kyle | Bhattacharya, Prosun
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable approach for forecasting disease outbreaks in developed countries with a centralized sewage infrastructure. On the other hand, due to the absence of well-defined and systematic sewage networks, WBE is challenging to implement in developing countries like Bangladesh where most people live in rural areas. Identification of appropriate locations for rural Hotspot Based Sampling (HBS) and urban Drain Based Sampling (DBS) are critical to enable WBE based monitoring system. We investigated the best sampling locations from both urban and rural areas in Bangladesh after evaluating the sanitation infrastructure for forecasting COVID-19 prevalence. A total of 168 wastewater samples were collected from 14 districts of Bangladesh during each of the two peak pandemic seasons. RT-qPCR commercial kits were used to target ORF1ab and N genes. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic materials was found in 98% (165/168) and 95% (160/168) wastewater samples in the first and second round sampling, respectively. Although wastewater effluents from both the marketplace and isolation center drains were found with the highest amount of genetic materials according to the mixed model, quantifiable SARS-CoV-2 RNAs were also identified in the other four sampling sites. Hence, wastewater samples of the marketplace in rural areas and isolation centers in urban areas can be considered the appropriate sampling sites to detect contagion hotspots. This is the first complete study to detect SARS-CoV-2 genetic components in wastewater samples collected from rural and urban areas for monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. The results based on the study revealed a correlation between viral copy numbers in wastewater samples and SARS-CoV-2 positive cases reported by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) as part of the national surveillance program for COVID-19 prevention. The findings of this study will help in setting strategies and guidelines for the selection of appropriate sampling sites, which will facilitate in development of comprehensive wastewater-based epidemiological systems for surveillance of rural and urban areas of low-income countries with inadequate sewage infrastructure.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance to monitor the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in developing countries with onsite sanitation facilities Texto completo
2022
Jakariya, Md | Ahmed, Firoz | Islam, Md. Amidul | Al Marzan, Abdullah | Hasan, Mohammad Nayeem | Hossain, Maqsud | Ahmed, Tanvir | Hossain, Ahmed | Reza, Hasan Mahmud | Hossen, Foysal | Nahla, Turasa | Rahman, Mohammad Moshiur | Bahadur, Newaz Mohammed | Islam, Md Tahmidul | Didar-Ul-Alam, Md | Mow, Nowrin | Jahan, Hasin | Barceló, Damià | Bibby, Kyle | Bhattacharya, Prosun | 0000-0002-4781-4736 | 0000-0002-6235-2277 | 0000-0002-1809-0978 | 0000-0002-8873-0491 | 0000-0003-4350-9950 | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable approach for forecasting disease outbreaks in developed countries with a centralized sewage infrastructure. On the other hand, due to the absence of well-defined and systematic sewage networks, WBE is challenging to implement in developing countries like Bangladesh where most people live in rural areas. Identification of appropriate locations for rural Hotspot Based Sampling (HBS) and urban Drain Based Sampling (DBS) are critical to enable WBE based monitoring system. We investigated the best sampling locations from both urban and rural areas in Bangladesh after evaluating the sanitation infrastructure for forecasting COVID-19 prevalence. A total of 168 wastewater samples were collected from 14 districts of Bangladesh during each of the two peak pandemic seasons. RT-qPCR commercial kits were used to target ORF1ab and N genes. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic materials was found in 98% (165/168) and 95% (160/168) wastewater samples in the first and second round sampling, respectively. Although wastewater effluents from both the marketplace and isolation center drains were found with the highest amount of genetic materials according to the mixed model, quantifiable SARS-CoV-2 RNAs were also identified in the other four sampling sites. Hence, wastewater samples of the marketplace in rural areas and isolation centers in urban areas can be considered the appropriate sampling sites to detect contagion hotspots. This is the first complete study to detect SARS-CoV-2 genetic components in wastewater samples collected from rural and urban areas for monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. The results based on the study revealed a correlation between viral copy numbers in wastewater samples and SARS-CoV-2 positive cases reported by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) as part of the national surveillance program for COVID-19 prevention. The findings of this study will help in setting strategies and guidelines for the selection of appropriate sampling sites, which will facilitate in development of comprehensive wastewater-based epidemiological systems for surveillance of rural and urban areas of low-income countries with inadequate sewage infrastructure. | This research was supported by Water Aid Bangladesh, North South University, Dhaka, COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU), Noakhali, Bangladesh, the International Training Network of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (ITN-BUET) - Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. We acknowledge the sincere help and support of the staff and volunteers of NSTU-COVID-19 Diagnostic Lab, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh during the different phases of the study. PB and MTI acknowledge the Life Science Technology Platform, Science for Life Laboratory for the seed funding to initiate the wastewater-based epidemiological studies for SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh. We would also like to acknowledge the two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments as well as their thoughtful insights, which has significantly improved the manuscript. | Peer reviewed
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Massive plastic pollution in a mega-river of a developing country: Sediment deposition and ingestion by fish (Prochilodus lineatus) Texto completo
2019
Blettler, Martín C.M. | Garello, Nicolás | Ginon, Léa | Abrial, Elie | Espinola, Luis A. | Wantzen, Karl M.
Massive plastic pollution in a mega-river of a developing country: Sediment deposition and ingestion by fish (Prochilodus lineatus) Texto completo
2019
Blettler, Martín C.M. | Garello, Nicolás | Ginon, Léa | Abrial, Elie | Espinola, Luis A. | Wantzen, Karl M.
The aim of this study was to determine the amount, composition and origin of plastic debris in one of the world largest river, the Paraná River in Argentina (South America), focusing on the impact of urban rivers, relationships among macro, meso and microplastic, socio-political issues and microplastic ingestion by fish.We recorded a huge concentration of macroplastic debris of domestic origin (up to 5.05 macroplastic items per m2) dominated largely by bags (mainly high- and low-density polyethylene), foodwrapper (polypropylene and polystyrene), foam plastics (expanded polystyrene) and beverage bottles (polyethylene terephthalate), particularly downstream from the confluence with an urban stream. This suggests inadequate waste collection, processing and final disposal in the region, which is regrettably recurrent in many cities of the Global South and Argentina in particular.We found an average of 4654 microplastic fragments m−2 in shoreline sediments of the river, ranging from 131 to 12687 microplastics m−2. In contrast to other studies from industrialized countries from Europe and North America, secondary microplastics (resulting from comminution of larger particles) were more abundant than primary ones (microbeads to cosmetics or pellets to the industry). This could be explained by differences in consumer habits and industrialization level between societies and economies.Microplastic particles (mostly fibres) were recorded in the digestive tract of 100% of the studied Prochilodus lineatus (commercial species).Contrary to recently published statements by other researchers, our results suggest neither macroplastic nor mesoplastics would serve as surrogate for microplastic items in pollution surveys, suggesting the need to consider all three size categories.The massive plastic pollution found in the Paraná River is caused by an inadequate waste management. New actions are required to properly manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Massive plastic pollution in a mega-river of a developing country: Sediment deposition and ingestion by fish (Prochilodus lineatus) Texto completo
2019
Blettler, Martín C.M. | Garello, Nicolás | Ginon, Léa | Abrial, Elie | Espinola, Luis | Wantzen, Karl, M | Cités, Territoires, Environnement et Sociétés (CITERES) ; Université de Tours (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | LE STUDIUM Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies (LE STUDIUM) ; Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UR-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | This research was partly supported by LE STUDIUM - Institute for Advanced Studies, Loire Valley, Orléans, France
This is the post-print version of the following article: "Massive plastic pollution in a mega-river of a developing country: Sediment deposition and ingestion by fish (Prochilodus lineatus)", which has been published in final form at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749119328520 | International audience | The aim of this study was to determine the amount, composition and origin of plastic debris in one of the world largest river, the Paraná River in Argentina (South America), focusing on the impact of urban rivers, relationships among macro, meso and microplastic, socio-political issues and microplastic ingestion by fish.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Trace metals in e-waste lead to serious health risk through consumption of rice growing near an abandoned e-waste recycling site: Comparisons with PBDEs and AHFRs Texto completo
2019
Wu, Qihang | Leung, Jonathan Y.S. | Du, Yongming | Kong, Deguan | Shi, Yongfeng | Wang, Yuqi | Xiao, Tangfu
Despite the endeavour to eradicate informal e-waste recycling, remediation of polluted sites is not mandatory in many developing countries and thus the hazard of pollutants remaining in soil is often overlooked. It is noteworthy that a majority of previous studies only analysed a few pollutants in e-waste to reflect the impact of informal e-waste recycling. However, the actual impact may have been largely underestimated since e-waste contains various groups of pollutants and the effect of some emerging pollutants in e-waste remains unexplored. Thus, this study examined the contamination of metals, PBDEs and AHFRs in the vicinity of an abandoned e-waste recycling site. The accumulation and translocation of these pollutants in rice plants cultivated at the nearby paddy field were measured to estimate the health risk through rice consumption. We revealed that the former e-waste burning site was still seriously contaminated with some metals (e.g. Sn, Sb and Ag, Igₑₒ > 5), PBDEs (Igₑₒ > 3) and AHFRs (Igₑₒ > 3), which can disperse to the nearby paddy field and stream. The rice plants can effectively absorb some metals (e.g. Mo, Cr and Mn, BCF > 1), but not PBDEs and AHFRs (BCF < 0.15), from soil and translocate them to the leaves. Alarmingly, the health risk through rice consumption was high primarily due to Sb and Sn (HQ > 20), whereas PBDEs and AHFRs had limited contribution (HQ < 0.08). Our results imply that abandoned e-waste recycling sites still act as the pollution source, jeopardising the surrounding environment and human health. Since some trace metals (e.g. Sb and Sn) are seldom monitored, the impact of informal e-waste recycling would be more notorious than previously thought. Remediation work should be conducted promptly in abandoned e-waste recycling sites to protect the environment and human health.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Performance evaluation of Bacteroidales genetic markers for human and animal microbial source tracking in tropical agricultural watersheds Texto completo
2018
Somnark, Pornjira | Chyerochana, Natcha | Mongkolsuk, Skorn | Sirikanchana, Kwanrawee
Microbial source tracking (MST) DNA-based assays have been used to successfully solve fecal pollution problems in many countries, particularly in developed nations. However, their application in developing countries has been limited but continues to increase. In this study, sixteen endpoint and quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific Bacteroidales gene markers were modified for endpoint PCR, evaluated for their performance with sewage and fecal samples from the Tha Chin watershed and subsequently validated with samples from the Chao Phraya watershed, Thailand. Sample sizes of 81 composite samples (from over 1620 individual samples) of farm animals of each type as well as 19 human sewage samples from the Tha Chin watershed were calculated using a stratified random sampling design to achieve a 90% confidence interval and an expected prevalence (i.e., desired assay's sensitivity) of 0.80. The best universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific fecal markers were BacUni EP, HF183/BFDrev EP, Pig-2-Bac EP, and Bac3 assays, respectively. The detection limits for these assays ranged from 30 to 3000 plasmid copies per PCR. The positive predictive values were high in universal and swine- and cattle-specific markers (85–100%), while the positive predictive value of the human-specific assay was 52.2%. The negative predictive values in all assays were relatively high (90.8–100%). A suite of PCR assays in Thailand was established for potential MST use in environmental waters, which supports the worldwide applicability of Bacteroidales gene markers. This study also emphasizes the importance of using a proper sample size in assessing the performance of MST markers in a new geographic region.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Toxicity and mutagenicity of exhaust from compressed natural gas: Could this be a clean solution for megacities with mixed-traffic conditions? Texto completo
2018
Agarwal, Avinash K. | Ateeq, Bushra | Gupta, Tarun | Singh, Akhilendra P. | Pandey, Swaroop K. | Sharma, Nikhil | Agarwal, Rashmi A. | Gupta, Neeraj K. | Sharma, Hemant | Jain, Ayush | Shukla, Pravesh C.
Despite intensive research carried out on particulates, correlation between engine-out particulate emissions and adverse health effects is not well understood yet. Particulate emissions hold enormous significance for mega-cities like Delhi that have immense traffic diversity. Entire public transportation system involving taxis, three-wheelers, and buses has been switched from conventional liquid fuels to compressed natural gas (CNG) in the Mega-city of Delhi. In this study, the particulate characterization was carried out on variety of engines including three diesel engines complying with Euro-II, Euro-III and Euro-IV emission norms, one Euro-II gasoline engine and one Euro-IV CNG engine. Physical, chemical and biological characterizations of particulates were performed to assess the particulate toxicity. The mutagenic potential of particulate samples was investigated at different concentrations using two different Salmonella strains, TA98 and TA100 in presence and absence of liver S9 metabolic enzyme fraction. Particulates emitted from diesel and gasoline engines showed higher mutagenicity, while those from CNG engine showed negligible mutagenicity compared to other test fuels and engine configurations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed onto CNG engine particulates were also relatively fewer compared to those from equivalent diesel and gasoline engines. Taken together, our findings indicate that CNG is comparatively safer fuel compared to diesel and gasoline and can offer a cleaner transport energy solution for mega-cities with mixed-traffic conditions, especially in developing countries.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Environmental risk assessment of triclosan and triclocarban from personal care products in South Africa Texto completo
2018
Musee, N.
Trends in the widespread use of personal care products (PCPs) containing triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) have led to continuous emissions of these chemicals into the environment. Consequently, both chemicals are ubiquitously present at high concentrations in the aquatic systems based on widely reported measured environmental concentration (MECs) data in different environmental systems (e.g. freshwater) worldwide, especially in developed countries. In developing countries, however, lack of MECs data is a major issue, and therefore, inhibits effective risk assessment of these chemicals. Herein, TCS and TCC releases from personal care products (PCPs) were quantified, using a modelling approach to determine predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) in wastewater, freshwater, and soils, and likely risk(s) were estimated by calculating risk quotient (RQs). TCS and TCC in freshwater had RQs >1 based on estimated PECs with wide variations (≈2–232) as performed across the three dilutions factors (1, 3, and 10) considered in this study; an indicator of their likely adverse effect on freshwater organisms. In untreated and treated wastewater, TCS RQs values for bacteria were >1, but <1 for TCC, implying the former may adversely affect the functioning of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and with no plausible impacts from the latter. In terrestrial systems, RQ results for individual chemicals revealed no or limited risks; therefore, additional investigations are required on their toxicity, as effects data was very limited and characterised by wide variations. Future national monitoring programs in developing countries should consider including TCS and TCC as the results suggest both chemicals are of concern to freshwater, and TCS in WWTPs. Potential risks of their metabolites remain unquantified to date.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Performance of ceramic disk filter coated with nano ZnO for removing Escherichia coli from water in small rural and remote communities of developing regions Texto completo
2018
Huang, Jing | Huang, Guohe | An, Chunjiang | He, Yuan | Yao, Yao | Zhang, Peng | Shen, Jian
Global water safety is facing great challenges due to increased population and demand. There is an urgent need to develop suitable water treatment strategy for small rural and remote communities in low-income developing countries. In order to find a low-cost solution, the reduction of E. coli using ceramic water disk coated with nano ZnO was investigated in this study. The performance of modified ceramic disk filters was influenced by several factors in the filter production process. Based on the factorial analysis, the pore size of the disk filters was the most significant factor for influencing E. coli removal efficiency and the clay content was the most significant one for influencing flow rate of modified disk filters. The coating of nano ZnO led to the change of disk filter surface and porosity. The reduction of E. coli could be attributed to both filter retention and photocatalytic antibacterial activity of nano ZnO. The effects of filter operation factors including initial E. coli concentration, illumination time and lamp power on E. coli removal effectiveness were also revealed. The results can help find a safe and cost-effective approach to solve drinking water problems in small rural and remote communities of developing regions.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Fine particulate air pollution and hospital visits for asthma in Beijing, China Texto completo
2017
Data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in China were first announced in 2013. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of PM2.5 on asthma morbidity in Beijing, China. A total of 978,658 asthma hospital visits consisting of 928,607 outpatient visits, 40,063 emergency room visits and 9988 hospital admissions from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012, were identified from the Beijing Medical Claim Data for Employees. A generalized additive Poisson model was applied to explore the association between PM2.5 and health service use. The mean daily PM2.5 concentration was 99.5 μg/m3 with a range from 7.2 μg/m3 to 492.8 μg/m3. Ambient PM2.5 concentration was significantly associated with increased use of asthma-related health services. Every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration on the same day was significantly associated with a 0.67% (95% CI, 0.53%–0.81%), 0.65% (95% CI, 0.51%–0.80%), and 0.49% (95% CI, 0.35%–0.64%) increase in total hospital visits, outpatient visits and emergency room visits, respectively. The exposure–response association between PM2.5 concentration and hospital visits for asthma exacerbations was approximately linear. In conclusion, this study found that short-term elevations in PM2.5 concentration may increase the risk of asthma exacerbations. Our findings contribute to the limited scientific literature concerning the acute effects of PM2.5 on asthma morbidity outcomes in developing countries.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Development of atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s Texto completo
2017
Yu, Haili | He, Nianpeng | Wang, Qiufeng | Zhu, Jianxing | Gao, Yang | Zhang, Yunhai | Jia, Yanlong | Yu, Guirui
Atmospheric acid deposition is a global environmental issue. China has been experiencing serious acid deposition, which is anticipated to become more severe with the country's economic development and increasing consumption of fossil fuels in recent decades. We explored the spatiotemporal variations of acid deposition (wet acid deposition) and its influencing factors by collecting nationwide data on pH and concentrations of sulfate (SO4²⁻) and nitrate (NO3⁻) in precipitation between 1980 and 2014 in China. Our results showed that average precipitation pH values were 4.59 and 4.70 in the 1990s and 2010s, respectively, suggesting that precipitation acid deposition in China has not seriously worsened. Average SO4²⁻ deposition declined from 40.54 to 34.87 kg S ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ but average NO3⁻ deposition increased from 4.44 to 7.73 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Specifically, the area of severe precipitation acid deposition in southern China has shrunk to some extent as a result of controlling the pollutant emissions; but the area of moderate precipitation acid deposition has expanded in northern China, associated with rapid industrial and transportation development. Furthermore, we found significant positive correlations between precipitation acid deposition, energy consumption, and rainfall. Our findings provide a relatively comprehensive evaluation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of precipitation acid deposition in China over past three decades, and confirm the idea that strategies implemented to save energy and control pollutant emissions in China have been effective in alleviating precipitation acid deposition. These findings might be used to demonstrate how developing countries could achieve economic development and environmental protection through the implementation of advanced technologies to reduce pollutant emissions.
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