Recent decade has witnessed accelerating expansion of chemical industry and increasing conflicts between the local citizens, governmental authorities and project developers, especially in some coastal and port cities in China. Development and transformation of chemical industrial parks has been adopted as a national initiative recently. However, there is a paucity of research examining public perspectives on chemical industrial parks and their risks. Aiming to understand public perception, attitude, and response and the factors underlying the support/acceptance of chemical industry park, this paper investigated 418 residents neighboring to two chemical industrial parks, Dalian in Bohai Rim through face-to-face questionnaire survey. The results showed the knowledge of the respondents on the chemical industrial parks development was very limited. The respondents had complex perceptions on the environmental impacts, risks control, social-economic benefits, and problem awareness. The current levels of information disclosure and public participation were very low. The central governmental official (44.3%) was the most trustworthy group by the respondents. Only 5.5% and 23.2% of the respondents supported the construction of a new CIP nearby and far away their homes, whilst 13% thought new CIP project as acceptable. The spearman correlation analysis results showed a strong NIMBY effect (Not In My Backyard). Factor analysis results demonstrated five latent factors: knowledge, benefit, information, trust, and participation. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated how socio-demographic differences and five latent factors might impact on the support/acceptance of the chemical industrial parks. Education level, trust, information, and participation were significant predictors of public support/acceptance level. This study contributes to our limited knowledge and understanding of public sentiments to the chemical industry parks in China.

Media attention to marine plastic pollution is increasing, yet it is unclear which topics are being discussed. This paper analyses all 2019 news articles referencing marine plastics in the four leading UK online newspapers. Examining 943 articles in a structural topic model, this is the first analysis to depict what is being reported and how this varied according to political alignment (right vs. left-wing), type (broadsheet vs. tabloid), and publication date. We identified 36 topics, suggesting a large variety in the coverage, with plastic pollution ranging from the primary focus to only mentioned in passing. Greater emphasis was on explaining current issues of marine plastics, with limited reference to actionable reduction measures or producer responsibility. Many topics' prevalence varied across the media outlets. We discuss how this coverage varies across media outlets, and how it relates to a broader context (i.e. potential links to behaviour and current policy efforts).

Marine litter is a global challenge and society plays an important role via lifestyles and behaviour, including policy support. We analysed public perceptions of marine litter and contributing factors, using data from 1133 respondents across 16 European countries. People reported high levels of concern about marine litter, and the vast majority (95%) reported seeing litter when visiting the coast. The problem was attributed to product and packaging design and behaviour rather than lack of facilities or accidental loss of items. Retailers, industry and government were perceived as most responsible, but also least motivated and competent to reduce marine litter, whereas scientists and environmental groups were perceived as least responsible but most motivated and competent. Regression analyses demonstrated the importance of psychological factors such as values and social norms above sociodemographic variables. These findings are important for communications and interventions to reduce inputs of marine litter to the natural environment.

Public perception research evaluating awareness and attitudes towards marine protection is limited in the United Kingdom (UK) and worldwide. Given public opinion can help drive policy and affect its successful delivery we conducted nationwide surveys in 2005, 2010 and 2015 to assess public knowledge of UK (England, Scotland and Wales) sea ‘health’ and management. Respondents from all three surveys were relatively pessimistic about sea ‘health’, perceiving this as poor-fair and largely in decline. Enthusiasm for marine conservation was high with almost two-thirds of respondents in each survey wanting >40% of UK seas highly protected from fishing and damaging activities. In 2015 there was considerable dissatisfaction with the rate of progress in Marine Conservation Zone designation and over three-quarters of respondents considered dredging and trawling to be inappropriate in protected areas, contrary to management. The UK government and devolved administrations need to better align future conservation and management with public expectations.

In microplastics (MPs) research, there is an urgent need to critically reconsider methodological approaches and results published, since public opinion and political decisions might be based on studies using debatable methods and reporting questionable results. For instance, recent studies claim that MPs induce intestinal damage and that relatively large MPs are transferred to, e.g., livers in fish. However, there is methodological criticism and considerable concern whether MP transfer to surrounding tissues is plausible. Likewise, there is an ongoing discussion in MP research if MPs act as vectors for adsorbed hazardous chemicals. In this study, effects of very small (4–6 μm) and very large (125–500 μm) benzo(a) pyrene (BaP)-spiked polyethylene (PE) particles administered via different uptake routes (food chain vs. direct uptake) were compared in a 21-day zebrafish (Danio rerio) feeding experiment. Particular care was taken to prevent cross-contamination of MPs during dissection and histological sample preparation. In contrast to numerous reports in literature describing similar approaches, independent of exposure route and MP size, no adverse effects could be detected. Likewise, no BaP accumulation could be documented, and MPs were exclusively seen in the lumen of the intestinal tract, which, however, did not induce any histopathological effects. Results indicate that in fish MPs are taken up, pass along the intestinal lumen and are excreted without any symptoms of adverse effects.

Several country–wide bans have recently been implemented for microbeads, which are a form of microplastics that are found in our oceans. The effect of the ban on reducing the overall quantity of microplastics in our oceans, however, may not be significant. This paper explores the scientific data related to microbeads to evaluate whether an underlying risk or combination of risks led to the ban, what impact public perception and activism had on this issue, and how this case study may be extrapolated to other emerging issues, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In some cases, the strategy for communicating with the public and managing the outrage can be equally as important as the regulatory and technical strategies.

Concerns on health effects from uranium (U) mining still represent a major issue of debate. Any typology of active job in U mines is associated with exposure to U and its decay products, such as radon (Rn), thorium (Th), and radium (Ra) and its decay products with alpha-emission and gamma radiation. Health effects in U miners have been investigated in several cohort studies in the USA, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, and France. While public opinion is particularly addressed to pay attention to the safety of nuclear facilities, health hazard associated with mining is poorly debated. According to the many findings from cohort studies, the most significant positive dose-response relationship was found between occupational U exposure and lung cancer. Other types of tumors associated with occupational U exposure are leukemia and lymphoid cancers. Furthermore, it was found increased but not statistically significant death risk in U miners due to cancers in the liver, stomach, and kidneys. So far, there has not been found a significant association between U exposure and increased cardiovascular mortality in U miners. This review tries to address the current state of the art of these studies.

The present study focuses on the indiscriminate disposal of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and resulting environmental contamination during the 3rd wave of COVID-19-driven global pandemic in the Chittagong metropolitan area, Bangladesh. Because of the very high rate of infection by the delta variant of this virus, the use of PPEs by the public is increased significantly to protect the ingestion/inhalation of respiratory droplets in the air. However, it is a matter of solicitude that general people throw away the PPEs to the dwelling environment unconsciously. With the increase of inappropriate disposal of PPEs (i.e., mostly the disposable face masks made from plastic microfibers), the possibility of transmission of the virus to the general public cannot be neglected completely. This is because this virus can survive for several days on the inanimate matter like plastics and fibers. At the same time, the result of environmental contamination by microplastic/microfiber has been widespread which eventually creates the worst impact on ecosystems and organisms. The present results may help to increase public perception of the use and subsequent disposal of PPEs, especially the face masks.

The COVID-19 pandemic now affects the entire world and has many major effects on the global economy, environment, health, and society. Focusing on the harm COVID-19 poses for human health and society, this study used system dynamics to establish a prevention and control model that combines material supply, public opinion dissemination, public awareness, scientific and technological research, staggered work shifts, and the warning effect (of law/policy). Causal loop analysis was used to identify interactions between subsystems and explore the key factors affecting social benefit. Further, different scenarios were dynamically simulated to explore optimal combination modes. The main findings were as follows: (1) The low supervision mode will produce a lag effect and superimposed effect on material supply and impede social benefit. (2) The strong supervision mode has multiple performances; it can reduce online public opinion dissemination and the rate of concealment and false declaration and improve government credibility and social benefit. However, a fading effect will appear in the middle and late periods, and over time, the effect of strong supervision will gradually weaken (but occasionally rebound) and thus require adjustment. These findings can provide a theoretical basis for improving epidemic prevention and control measures.

This paper presents a literature review of the quality of greywater generated in different, especially developing, countries, constituents found in greywater, some treatment systems, natural materials for treatment, some reuse strategies and public perception regarding greywater reuse. The review shows that generation rates are mostly influenced by lifestyle, types of fixtures used and climatic conditions. Contaminants found in greywater are largely associated with the type of detergent used and influenced by other household practices. Many of the treatment systems reviewed were unable to provide total treatment as each system has its unique strength in removing a group of targeted pollutants. The review revealed that some naturally occurring materials such as Moringa oleifera, sawdust, can be used to remove targeted pollutants in greywater. The study further showed that user perceptions towards greywater treatment and reuse were only favourable towards non-potable purposes, mostly due to perceived contamination or lack of trust in the level of treatment offered by the treatment system.